Menu
Search
 
May 09, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

JAPAN

Politics

Politics
Crime & Legal
Science & Health
Society
Explainer
History
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan President Kenta Izumi has vowed to resign if his party fails to win at least 150 seats in the next general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Pact with JCP a double-edged sword for the CDP
While some of its members wish to further the cooperation, others might prefer to work with opposition parties considered more moderate or right wing.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
Some point to a shift in the nation’s security stance, while opposition party lawmakers indicate a general apathy among the media to cover the story.
JAPAN / Politics
LDP weighs proposal to disclose usage of party's 'policy activity funds'
Policy activity funds are provided to lawmakers from parties to which they belong. How they are used is not presently subject to disclosure.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa meets with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan on April 29.
JAPAN / Politics
May 7, 2024
Kamikawa supporting struggling Kishida government on diplomatic front
Some in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party are hoping she will become a candidate for the party presidency and lead it through the next general election.
Kenta Izumi, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks at a news conference at the Parliament building last month.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 7, 2024
Japan opposition seeks snap election, but united front proving elusive
Despite the calls, questions remain over whether opposition parties will be able to join hands against the LDP in the next Lower House general election.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2024
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
By Gabriel Dominguez
While the visit may improve ties, observers doubt countries like Brazil will jeopardize relations with Beijing, their most important trading partner.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during a welcoming ceremony hosted by an organization of Nikkei immigrants from Japan and descendants in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2024
Kishida meets with Brazilians of Japanese descent
At 2.7 million, Brazil has the world's largest community of Nikkei — immigrants from Japan and their descendants.
A 100-meter-tall life-size Godzilla is displayed on the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building using projection mapping.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2024
Tokyo turning projection mapping into a tourist event, but some debate cost
The show is gaining recognition, with nearby hotels offering packages to those staying overnight.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a news conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 5, 2024
Kishida, fresh off Latin America visit, vows to zero in on political funds reform
By Kathleen Benoza
Grappling with record-low approval ratings, the prime minister hopes to amend the Political Funds Control Act during the current session of parliament.
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (right) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands during a joint statement at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 4, 2024
Japan and Brazil vow cooperation in fighting climate change
Kishida and Lula also agreed to work together to maintain and strengthen the international order based on the rule of law.
The National Diet building in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
May 4, 2024
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The government said it was "unfortunate that comments not based on an accurate understanding of Japan's policy were made."
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
JAPAN / Politics
May 4, 2024
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Lawmakers are instead focusing their attention on reviewing the political funds control law in the wake of the LDP's slush funds scandal.
Officials of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito hold talks on the revision of the Political Funds Control Law in the parliamentary building on April 24.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2024
LDP eyes more disclosure on fundraising ticket buyers
The LDP is currently examining the idea of lowering the threshold for the mandatory disclosure from ¥200,000 per buyer per fundraising party.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2024
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
By Justin Sink and Isabel Reynolds
One of the reasons the U.S. economy is growing is because of immigrants, which countries like Japan shun, President Joe Biden said at a fundraising event.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Wednesday before embarking on a trip to France and South American countries.
JAPAN / Politics
May 2, 2024
Kishida and Attal vow to expand Japan-France ties
Attal also expressed his condolences over the recent death of renowned Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
JAPAN / Politics
May 1, 2024
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Widespread use of biomass as car fuel makes Brazil an ideal import partner for Japan.
An aerial view of the remote islands known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in Korea
JAPAN / Politics
May 1, 2024
South Korean lawmakers land on Japanese-claimed islets
Seventeen people, including three lawmakers of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party, visited Takeshima, which is known as Dokdo by Seoul.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in San Francisco in November
JAPAN / Politics
May 1, 2024
Work to improve Japan-China relations has stalled
The biggest issue standing between Japan and China bettering their relations is Beijing's blanket ban on imports of Japanese fishery products.
A polling station is set up at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai for the Lower House elections in October 2021. Japanese nationals living abroad have to travel to diplomatic missions that serve as polling stations to cast their votes during elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2024
Internet voting for Japanese abroad remains a distant prospect
Apart from the need to revise an existing law, concerns remain over the integrity of online identity verification and the confidentiality of votes.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2024
What's next for Kishida after LDP's by-election loss?
By Eric Johnston
Speculation has been rife over how he may decide to take responsibility, from dissolving parliament to making senior party leadership changes.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara takes part in an arrival ceremony with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon in Washington last October.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 30, 2024
‘Collective capacity’ to top agenda at four-way defense talks in Hawaii
By Gabriel Dominguez
One thing will be on Defense Minister Minoru Kihara's mind: how to deepen military and security cooperation with allies to counter China.
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's Natsumi Sakai (center) celebrates with other CDP officials and supporters on Sunday in Tokyo's Koto Ward after being announced as the winner of the Tokyo No. 15 district by-election.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 29, 2024
Election trouncing a blow to Kishida, but snap election unlikely
By Eric Johnston
The PM might order a Cabinet reshuffle and make leadership changes within the LDP to boost his popularity ahead of the party's presidential election.
Chika Kon asks a question at a mock assembly session organized by the town assembly of Zao, Miyagi Prefecture, in July. Kon is now a member of the assembly.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 29, 2024
Local councils in Japan take measures to counter candidate shortfall
Efforts are being made to encourage participation to avoid undermining essential functions such as administrative oversight.

Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
Thanks, tourists. Views of Mount Fuji are now blocked.
Tourists pose in front of a convenience store with Mount Fuji on Friday in the town of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture. Local residents are upset over littering, overcrowding and the inconvenience caused by the visitors.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
Two more arrested over brutal murder of couple in Tochigi
A vehicle carrying Seiha Sekine, the 32-year-old common-law husband of the deceased Tokyo couple's first daughter, leaves a police station in Tokyo's Shinagawa Ward on Tuesday.
After blockbuster boxing victory, what next for ‘Monster’ Inoue?
Naoya Inoue celebrates his victory over Luis Nery in their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super bantamweight title boxing match at Tokyo Dome on Monday.
Unlike 10 years ago, Japan's new security bill sparks little debate
The Lower House starts discussing a security clearance bill on April 19 in Tokyo.
After blockbuster boxing victory, what next for ‘Monster’ Inoue?
Naoya Inoue celebrates his victory over Luis Nery in their IBF-WBA-WBC-WBO super bantamweight title boxing match at Tokyo Dome on Monday.
Xi bristles as Macron and von der Leyen urge China to do more on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen walk after their meeting in Paris on Monday.
How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music
A screencap of a performance of Hiroto Nagai's “String Quartet No. 1 ‘Polar Energy Budget’” by the PRT Quartet
Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view
Cultural properties:A Fujiya Hotel insider’s view

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Latest News

Japan's workers turning to agencies that help them quit jobs
8 hours ago
Pact with JCP a double-edged sword for the CDP
9 hours ago
U.S. paused shipment of bombs to Israel, concerned over Rafah invasion
9 hours ago
Stormy seas ahead as Beijing and Manila trade barbs over secret deal
9 hours ago
North Korea propaganda boss who shaped image of leaders dies at 94
10 hours ago