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 Sep 10, 2013
Labeling him 'destabilizing,' lawmakers put pressure on Rudd to quit
Pressure was building Tuesday on defeated Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to quit politics, with senior figures within his Labor Party saying he will be a destabilizing influence. Rudd’s popularity with the Australian public came crashing down Saturday when he was soundly defeated by conservative ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 9, 2013
Abbott begins transition as he seeks to build stable government
Australian Prime Minister-elect Tony Abbott begins the transition to government, but faces potential hurdles in the Senate to drive through his reform agenda.
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 6, 2013
Rudd headed for 'wipe-out' but refuses to concede
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd refused to concede defeat Friday despite a new poll showing he is heading for an election wipe-out as the media swung behind rival Tony Abbott. The Galaxy survey in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, a day before voters cast their ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 5, 2013
Australian election clock ticks down
A poisonous Australian election campaign will reach its climax Saturday, with conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott on track to become the next prime minister at the expense of Labor’s Kevin Rudd. With more than 1 million votes already cast and a blackout on political ...
Politics & Diplomacy | ANALYSIS Sep 4, 2013
Rudd battles Murdoch press
Rupert Murdoch’s clout in Britain and the United States might have diminished, but in Australia he dominates the media landscape, playing a prominent role in undermining Kevin Rudd’s dream of retaining power, analysts say. While the ruling Labor Party has long trailed the Tony ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 2, 2013
Rudd scorns Abbott's Syria remarks
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday likened rival Tony Abbott’s “baddies versus baddies” comments on Syria to a children’s game of cowboys and Indians, saying he is unfit to deal with foreign policy. Abbott is the front-runner to win Saturday’s general elections over center-left ...
Politics & Diplomacy Sep 2, 2013
From outback to Antarctica, Aussies go to polls
From the frozen Antarctic to the dry and remote outback, millions of Australians will cast their ballots Saturday in an election that poses logistical challenges in a continent-sized country. Voting is compulsory and a record 14.7 million Aussies are registered to make their mark ...
Politics & Diplomacy Aug 31, 2013
Rudd predicts election results will be closer than polls show
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Saturday said he believes the upcoming election will be closer than polls suggest, after a survey showed the government faces a wipeout in crucial seats. The Labor leader is trailing conservative opposition leader Tony Abbott ahead of Sept. 7 ...
Asia Pacific Aug 27, 2013
Rudd eyes shifting Australian naval assets north to focus on Asia-Pacific
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said Tuesday that key naval assets could be relocated north to adapt to a changing security landscape and put personnel nearer to their fields of operation. Rudd, facing national polls on Sept. 7, said moving Sydney Harbor’s Garden Island base ...
Politics & Diplomacy Aug 26, 2013
Rudd backs high-speed rail network to fill mining void
Australia’s Labor government Monday pledged to press on with plans for a high-speed rail network linking major east coast cities, saying it would diversify the economy as the mining boom slows. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, battling a strong candidate in conservative opposition leader Tony ...
Commentary | COUNTERPOINT Aug 24, 2013
Gay marriage in Japan? Only over the reactionary LDP's cadaver
by Jeff Kingston
Tokyo Disneyland is an odd place to make a political statement, but the theme park now hosts same-sex wedding ceremonies. When a lesbian couple tied the knot there at a commitment ceremony in its Cinderella Castle in 2012, what was dubbed Japan’s first gay ...
Politics & Diplomacy Aug 24, 2013
Australian coalition ahead of Labor: poll
Australia’s opposition Liberal-National coalition has widened its lead over the Labor government in an opinion poll, signaling leader Tony Abbott may replace Kevin Rudd as prime minister after the Sept. 7 election. Support for the coalition rose to 53 percent on a two-party preferred ...