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 Jul 26, 2013
Defense planners mull pre-emptive strike ability
Japan will consider acquiring the ability to strike at enemy missile sites, given North Korea's enhanced missile technology program, an interim defense report says.
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 22, 2013
Tokyo voters mixed but most seem to want LDP in charge
Many voters appear to be putting their faith in the Liberal Democratic Party despite the lack of "Abenomics" evidence in their lives, The Japan Times finds.
National Jul 18, 2013
Kishida, Kim try to patch up ties
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met with Kim Kyou-hyun, South Korea’s first vice minister of foreign affairs, on Thursday as the two countries struggle to overcome territorial and historical disputes that are damaging bilateral ties. “South Korea is an important partner and a neighbor that ...
Politics & Diplomacy Jul 16, 2013
U.S. experts won't be drawn out on Japan P.M. shrine visit
Two prominent U.S. experts on Japan refused Tuesday to predict how the U.S. government would react if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Yasukuni Shrine next month, an act that would undoubtedly add further strain to already frayed relations with China and South Korea. Speaking ...
Economy Jul 12, 2013
Veggie prices soar as heat, drought exact toll
The scorching heat is putting an extra burden on household budgets as the drought stunts the growth of leafy vegetables, causing wholesale prices to soar 20 to 50 percent compared with recent years. The price spike, based on figures between July 1 and Wednesday, ...
Politics & Diplomacy | GAME OF NUMBERS Jul 11, 2013
Futenma question decisive factor for prefecture's voters
Last in a series Scanning the sky earlier this month, Yumi Kuniyoshi, 52, notes it’s a rare quiet day: no U.S. military aircraft are flying over her house in Urasoe, a small Okinawa city next to Ginowan, home of U.S. Marine Corps Air Station ...
National Jul 11, 2013
Okinawans explore secession option
Okinawans are losing patience with Tokyo’s repeated vows to reduce the prefecture’s burden of hosting U.S. military installations and other hollow pledges, and some are seriously looking into the possibility of having the territory secede from Japan. On May 15, the 41st anniversary of ...
National Jul 3, 2013
Finds raise toxic chemical suspicions at ex-Kadena site
The Okinawa Defense Bureau and the city of Okinawa uncover seven more barrels at a former U.S. base site that may have been used to hold toxic chemicals during the Vietnam War.
National Jun 26, 2013
Relaxed visa program for Southeast Asian visitors starts
The government will relax visa requirements for visitors from Southeast Asian countries starting Monday, hoping to lure more travelers from fast-growing economies to spur economic growth. Japan will waive visa requirements for tourists from Thailand and Malaysia, and offer a multiple-entry visa to Filipino ...
Politics & Diplomacy Jun 14, 2013
Obama briefs Abe on Xi summit
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama talked on the phone Thursday morning about the last week’s unofficial U.S.-China summit in California, a government official said. In their 30-minute chat, Obama said he discussed U.S.-Chinese and Japanese-Chinese relations as well as North ...
National Jun 13, 2013
Sazae-san statues face the tax man
A merchant group in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward may have to pay some ¥9.8 million in taxes over the next 45 years for bronze statues of characters from the beloved comic strip “Sazae-san” that they installed to promote their district. The Sakurashinmachi Shotengai Shinko Kumiai ...
Reference | FYI Jun 11, 2013
New ID system for keeping tax tabs, finding cheats
The Diet passed the “common number” bill May 24, paving the way for every resident, including foreigners, to be assigned a personal identification number. Holders of the “my number” IDs will be notified around fall 2015 and they will take effect starting in January ...