National / Politics Oct 1, 2020

Japan voters want virus tamed, not a snap poll, says Komeito chief

Komeito, backed by a lay Buddhist group and led by Natsuo Yamaguchi, provides vital local support for the ruling LDP in elections.

National / Politics May 31, 2017

Abe's coalition ally warns military shift could rile neighbors

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coalition partner warned that a proposal to broaden the military's role to strike back against enemy attacks risks upsetting Japan's neighbors. "Japan has gained the trust of neighboring countries by adopting an exclusively defensive posture," Natsuo Yamaguchi, who leads the Buddhist-backed ...

Business Apr 27, 2015

Abe adviser fears BOJ has den of conspirators opposing reflation

The Bank of Japan appears to be wavering in its commitment to unprecedented monetary easing, said Kozo Yamamoto, an adviser to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and an advocate of reflationary policies. "I'm worried the BOJ's attitude is wavering," Yamamoto said in an interview in Tokyo ...

Business / Economy Jan 20, 2015

LDP lawmaker says he wants inflation targets fixed in law

A lawmaker who has advised Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on economic policy said he will urge the government to enshrine its inflation-targeting agreements with the Bank of Japan in law as early as next year. Kozo Yamamoto's comments come as the central bank is said ...

National Jul 27, 2014

Atonement for World War II actions insufficient, LDP veteran Kono says

Japan has failed to atone sufficiently for its actions in World War II, former Foreign Minister Yohei Kono, who wrote Japan's official apology for the use of wartime "comfort women, said recently. "They are insufficient," Kono, 77, said in an interview in his Tokyo office ...

National Feb 12, 2014

Abe exploiting window for biggest defense change since war

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pressed by China and seeking to strengthen ties with the U.S., is considering Japan's biggest change in military engagement rules since World War II. Barred by the traditional interpretation of the pacifist Constitution from protecting other nations' troops, the 59-year-old Abe ...

Business Jan 9, 2014

Takenaka touts Nikkei surge

Stocks could surpass a level not seen since 2007 if the Abe administration pushes through in its drive to loosen business regulations, said Heizo Takenaka, a member of a government council on special economic zones. "Stocks have surged considerably, but they can still improve if ...

Business / Economy Dec 9, 2013

Abe gets Toyota, Hitachi help in push for wage gains

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged companies to increase wages faster than gains in the cost of living to break the legacy of 15 years of deflation, and praised Toyota Motor Corp. and Hitachi Ltd. for pledging to help. "What we want is for wages to ...

National / Politics Sep 6, 2013

With too many titles to list on 'meishi,' Amari is linchpin of 'Abenomics'

Akira Amari, minister for economic and fiscal policy, has so much on his plate that all of his titles don't fit on his business card. He's also the minister in charge of economic revitalization and reforming social security and taxes, and the head negotiator ...

National Jul 16, 2013

Beach-storming drill in U.S. hones SDF amphibious edge

One thousand members of the Self-Defense Forces have been learning how to recapture territory in the face of enemy fire, and while the shoreline may be California's, the skills they are building could one day be used closer to home. During the two-week Dawn Blitz ...