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.
Japan-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Mar 11, 2013
A recharged power industry
Three months after December's general election, Japan's electric power industry, under the Abe regime, appears set to regain its former political clout.
Japan-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Feb 26, 2013
Who'll repair Japan's roads?
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's grandiose plan to reinforce the nation's infrastructure could end up being a pie in the sky unless more attention is paid to details.
Japan-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Feb 11, 2013
Movers of Abe's diplomacy
Who are the key figures helping Prime Minister Shinzo Abe personally lead Japan's diplomacy rather than defer to the defense and foreign ministries?
Japan-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Jan 28, 2013
Who'll govern the governor?
A high-ranking bureaucrat of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government had this to say about new Tokyo Gov. Naoki Inose: “Although he served as vice governor, it is not known whether he has the necessary political finesse. I wonder if he is capable of moving metropolitan ...
Japan-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Jan 14, 2013
Our menacing infrastructure
“Expressway tunnels as well as other infrastructure throughout Japan are nearing the crisis stage,” warns a university professor who is a member of an advisory body for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Among the repercussions of the Dec. 2 ceiling collapse ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Dec 24, 2012
Power industry outlasts DPJ
Nobody was more pleased than the electric power industry when Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda made the surprise announcement Nov. 14 that he would dissolve the Lower House and call a general election. The industry hoped that this would clear the way for terminating the ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Dec 11, 2012
Left-leaning candidates worry South Korean business circles
The South Korean government may well lean toward the left regardless of who wins the Dec. 19 presidential election, triggering concern among South Korean business leaders that they could be heading into another “black decade.” The conservative incumbent president, Lee Myung Bak, came to ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Nov 26, 2012
Municipal nuclear addiction
Municipalities hosting nuclear power plants throughout Japan have received large amounts of central government subsidies, donations from utilities and lucrative business contracts. Now, 1½ years after the Fukushima nuclear disasters, those municipalities realize how much their finances depend on the nuclear power-induced money. “They’re ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Sep 24, 2012
Power industry campaigns to pull the plug on the DPJ
Japan’s electric power industry is using its political clout to help candidates who are sympathetic to its cause win seats in the Lower House. The next general election of the Diet chamber is rumored to take place as early as this autumn. The industry ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Sep 11, 2012
Troubled waters, bad bridge
A South Korean journalist in Seoul warns that Japan should not make light of the recent series of tough actions taken by Seoul against Tokyo because they represent the beginning of a sharp turn in South Korea’s policy toward Japan. President Lee Myung Bak ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Aug 27, 2012
Noda's hapless diplomacy
Strange though it may seem, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, is seeking support and advice from former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori of the No. 1 opposition Liberal Democratic Party in his bid to restructure Japanese diplomacy in ...
Global-related | SENTAKU MAGAZINE Aug 13, 2012
The power reform charade
On July 13, “Basic Policies for Reforming the Electric Power System” was released by a panel of experts organized by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). It was subtitled “Aiming for an Power System Open to All Citizens.” The two main policy ...