Economy
Fed to start tapering bond purchases this year: Bernanke
by No Author
The Federal Reserve maintains its $85 billion-a-month asset purchase program, but says it could begin scaling back later this year.
National Aug 11, 2012
Moment of truth for kin of A-bomb decision
When the grandson of U.S. President Harry Truman, who ordered the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a descendent of the only serviceman to fly on both bombing runs came face to face with some of the survivors, it was a moment of ...
National Aug 10, 2012
Opposition vote to oust Noda fails
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet survived a no-confidence vote Thursday, bringing him one step closer to achieving his goal of doubling the consumption tax. Noda’s Democratic Party of Japan-Kokumin Shinto (People’s New Party) ruling bloc prevailed in the vote on the no-confidence ...
National Aug 9, 2012
Noda snubs LDP call to set dissolution date
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda managed Wednesday to avoid being slapped with a double-punch no confidence vote and censure motion by the Liberal Democratic Party by promising to call for a snap election “soon.” Noda met with LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki and New Komeito leader ...
National Aug 8, 2012
LDP pulls threat, will vote on bill for tax hike
In an apparent about-face Tuesday, the Liberal Democratic Party agreed to vote in favor of the contentious tax hike and social security legislation in the Upper House on Wednesday. But at the same time, the conservative party threatened to up the pressure on Prime ...
National Aug 7, 2012
Noda forges on as temperatures rise
Tokyo is in the dead of summer and if anything, things are only getting hotter in the political hub of Nagata-cho. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s woes continue as he tries to fend off foes threatening to hit him with either no-confidence or censure motions, ...
National Aug 7, 2012
Hiroshima honors A-bomb dead; protesters chant
Inside Hiroshima’s Peace Park, tens of thousands of survivors, relatives, government officials and diplomats observed the 67th anniversary Monday of the city’s atomic bombing, while just outside others marked the occasion by loudly protesting the decision to reactivate two nuclear reactors. About 50,000 people, ...
National Aug 7, 2012
Noda hints abolition a theoretical energy option
As nationwide outrage mounts over the decision to allow two nuclear reactor restarts in Oi, Fukui Prefecture, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that he will look into the challenges Japan would face if it someday ends its reliance on atomic power. But at ...
National Aug 4, 2012
Noda to meet protesters, to hear from both sides of nuclear divide
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said Friday he plans to meet soon with organizers of the huge antinuclear protests staged weekly outside his office to hear their views against restarting idled reactors. The demonstrations, held Fridays to demand the government stop efforts to reactivate reactors, ...
National Aug 2, 2012
Ozawa vows new party will dethrone Noda's DPJ
Ichiro Ozawa vowed Wednesday to devote himself to expanding the support network for his new party to knock the ruling Democratic Party of Japan off its throne in the next Lower House general election. His new party, Kokumin no Seikatsu ga Daiichi (People’s Life ...
National Jun 29, 2012
Koshiishi scrambles to avoid DPJ split
Hoping to head off a possible breakaway from the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ Secretary General Azuma Koshiishi met Thursday with Ichiro Ozawa, appealing to the party kingpin to stand behind Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and shore up unity. Ozawa had threatened to ...
National Jun 28, 2012
LDP ups ante as Noda weighs Ozawa's fate
After more than 70 lawmakers from the Democratic Party of Japan rejected or abstained from voting on the contentious bill to hike the sales tax, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and other DPJ executives began internal discussions Wednesday on how to punish the dissenters, mainly ...
National | ANALYSIS Jun 27, 2012
More hurdles in store for Noda
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda managed to get the Lower House to pass the contentious tax hike bill, but his troubles are far from over, as demonstrated by the no votes cast by the Democratic Party of Japan’s kingpin, Ichiro Ozawa, and more than 50 ...