Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
Politics & Diplomacy Jun 26, 2013
DPJ hopes platform derails 'Abenomics'
The Democratic Party of Japan, hoping to rebrand itself as the only viable alternative to the Liberal Democratic Party, unveiled a hastily resurrected platform for next month’s Upper House election with vows to help the middle class, revive its reactor phaseout goal and oppose ...
Reference | FYI Jun 25, 2013
Unpaid overtime excesses hit young
Some companies are compelling their younger employees to work more than 100 hours of uncompensated overtime a month to maximize their profits. Japan has been derided for its long working hours for decades, and the risks of the hazardous practice eventually led to the ...
Politics & Diplomacy | ANALYSIS Jun 24, 2013
LDP win mimics December election
The Tokyo assembly election resembled the decisive contest that returned the Liberal Democratic Party to power in December and raised its chances of taking over the Diet in July.
Politics & Diplomacy Jun 21, 2013
Councilors snub bill on vote gap fix
In an act of protest, the opposition-controlled House of Councilors refuses to vote on a bill to rectify the unconstitutional vote-value disparity in the House of Representatives and sends it back to the lower chamber.
Politics & Diplomacy Jun 20, 2013
LDP July poll platform a rehash, stays vague on Constitution
The Liberal Democratic Party unveils an Upper House poll campaign platform that regurgitates previous economic plans and omits its agenda for constitutional revision.
Business Jun 20, 2013
Online drugstore chief cheers Abe on in deregulation fight
Genri Goto, CEO and founder of online drugstore Kenko.com, senses victory after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced in his growth strategy earlier this month that the government would relax rules for online sales of nonprescription drugs. Four years ago, Kenko.com sued the health and ...
Social Issues | ABE'S PROMISES Jun 18, 2013
Maternity leave, day care still elude many working mothers
Like many full-time working mothers in Japan, Eriko Soyama, 36, had a tough time getting her children into day care to continue her career.
National Jun 2, 2013
'Ethical fashion' concept employed to empower Africa's female artisans
Fashion can help empower women in Africa and lift them out of poverty, says the chief technical adviser of the International Trade Center, which promotes "ethical fashion."
National | NURTURING PARTNERSHIPS May 29, 2013
Envoy to investors: Look outside conflict box, think fast
The government should encourage Japan’s private sector to invest more money and at a faster pace in Africa despite the security concerns that have plagued the continent, Ethiopian Ambassador Markos Tekle Rike said ahead of the fifth Tokyo International Conference on African Development, which ...
Politics & Diplomacy May 21, 2013
1948 law on entertainment biz too strict on dance clubs: lawmakers
Lawmakers across party lines pledged Monday to revise a law they consider obsolete that imposes strict operational and licensing rules on dance clubs. ” ‘Abenomics’ encourages exporting Japan’s traditional culture, but we should also capitalize on new ‘J-culture’ to lure foreigners and spur the ...
Politics & Diplomacy May 18, 2013
As LDP rides high, are factions biding time?
In late April at an upscale hotel in Tokyo, more than 100 people thronged to have their photo taken with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso. The fundraising party, organized by Ikokai, Aso’s faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attracted more than 2,500 people, ...
Politics & Diplomacy May 18, 2013
LDP wants more might for SDF, and Ospreys
The Liberal Democratic Party called Friday for a more muscular role for the Self-Defense Forces in defending Japan and fulfilling the nation’s responsibility as a U.S. ally. In its draft proposal for a 10-year defense outline, the party’s Defense and Security Committee says the ...