Business / Economy Apr 4, 2022
BOJ should pay attention to yen, ruling coalition lawmaker says
Keiichi Ishii, secretary-general of Komeito, says efforts to hold down interest rates are weakening the currency.
Takashi Hirokawa
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Business / Economy Mar 22, 2022
Kishida aide says stimulus must be considered soon
"The surge in oil prices and food prices means that an economic package is essential at some point," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara has said.
National / Politics Oct 20, 2021
Japan’s election unlikely to bring more representation for women
Less than a fifth of candidates in Japan’s upcoming election are female, unchanged from the last vote four years ago.
National Jun 11, 2021
Tokyo Olympics should shun foreign VIPs, opposition leader Edano says
Foreign leaders, sponsors and even International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach should stay away from next month’s Tokyo Games, according to the CDP leader.
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 ...