National
NRA makes new reactor safety regimen official
The Nuclear Regulation Authority officially approves new safety requirements for reactors aimed at preventing disasters like the catastrophe at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Economy Jun 4, 2013
World Bank head: Hike investment in Africa
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim expressed hope Monday that Japan will boost investment in Africa, which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has highlighted as a key target market under the country’s economic growth strategy, the Finance Ministry said. During a 30-minute meeting with Finance ...
Commentary | COUNTERPOINT May 5, 2013
The right to die: letting individuals make the choice themselves
by Jeff Kingston
It was not the most elegant way to launch a national conversation about the right to die, but this past January Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, 72, certainly drew attention to the issue of terminal patients. Unfortunately he did so by saying that old ...
Politics & Diplomacy Apr 22, 2013
Aso, Furuya pay visits to war-linked Yasukuni
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Keiji Furuya, state minister in charge of the abduction issue, challenge a political taboo by visiting Yasukuni Shrine.
Business | THE VIEW FROM EUROPE Apr 22, 2013
Polished PR, perception strategy fourth arrow in 'Abenomics' quiver
by Jochen Legewie
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is back and so, it appears, is Japan. The yen is down, the Nikkei up, and approval ratings and expectations for the new government are sky high. “Abenomics” is the new buzzword in and outside of Japan as unprecedented optimism ...
Politics & Diplomacy Apr 21, 2013
Aso, Biden affirm stance on North
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden renewed Washington’s vow to staunchly defend Japan after weeks of threats and rhetoric from North Korea as he met with Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso at the White House. “The vice president and deputy prime minister agreed that North ...
Business Apr 20, 2013
G-20 finance chiefs back aggressive easing regime
The Group of 20 economic powers cautiously endorse Japan's huge monetary stimulus program, agreeing it is necessary to boost a stagnant economy.
Economy Apr 18, 2013
G-20 to be given explanation on monetary easing
by Mie Sakamoto
Japan aims to seek global understanding of its aggressive monetary easing at this week’s meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs to ease possible concerns about the yen’s recent steep fall and negative effects that could spill over to other economies. Bank of Japan ...
Business Apr 17, 2013
Aso to 'explain' BOJ's monetary easing to G-20
Finance Minister Taro Aso, who also serves as deputy prime minister, is arranging to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden when he goes to Washington this week for a gathering of Group of 20 financial chiefs, government sources said Tuesday. Aso and Biden ...
Japan-related | COUNTERPOINT Apr 7, 2013
Abe-phoria: A national punching bag morphs into a popular leader
by Jeff Kingston
There is an irrational exuberance about Prime Minister Shinzo Abe evident in his 70 percent public-approval rating, a soaring Nikkei stock average and the Japanese media cheerleading the same man it hounded out of office in September 2007. The polite, face-saving fiction that Abe ...
Business Apr 6, 2013
Abe hails BOJ easing steps; Aso cautious on inflation goal
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday praised the Bank of Japan for its decision to introduce unprecedented monetary easing measures to fight chronic deflation, while Finance Minister Taro Aso warned the bank could face difficulty achieving its 2 percent inflation goal. “It is truly ...
Economy Mar 1, 2013
Aso vows 'drastic' action on deflation
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration will take “drastic” measures to revitalize the economy, Finance Minister Taro Aso pledged Thursday, suggesting that previous policies had been insufficient to beat back more than a decade of deflation. “Deflation is a deep-rooted problem that has undermined the ...
National Feb 26, 2013
Tokyo, Seoul vow future-oriented cooperation, with history in mind
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and new South Korean President Park Geun Hye agreed Monday that the new governments in both countries should closely cooperate in a future-oriented manner, Aso told reporters. In a meeting in Seoul, Park also indicated to the former prime ...