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Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Oct 16, 2017

Austria shifts to right as conservative star Kurz seals election win

Young conservative star Sebastian Kurz is on track to become Austria's next leader after Sunday's election, but his party is far short of a majority and likely to seek a coalition with the resurgent far right.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 10, 2017

Political risk seeps into yen trade as Japan's Abe faces popular upstart in October election

It's been five years since politics captured much attention from the foreign-exchange world in Japan, but traders are now gaming out potential scenarios for the yen after the Oct. 22 general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2017

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike defends her party's policy of not granting foreign residents in Japan the right to vote

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike defends her recently launched party's policy of denying foreign residents here the right to vote or run in local elections, stating that such measures are necessary to protect the national interest.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2017

Abe gambles on snap election as Koike surprises with new party

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirms he will call a snap election on Thursday and Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike launches a new political party to take him on.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Sep 24, 2017

Local, national agendas shade parties' prospects in expected snap poll

As Japan gears up for an anticipated snap election at the end of October, Kansai politicians and parties are staking out their positions on issues of national interest but with their eyes very much on local political needs.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 22, 2017

Japan faces a consequential decision in possible snap election

When they go to the polls, voters must rationally assess the successes and shortcomings of the LDP under Abe and what they mean for Japan's future.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2017

Our dangerous, idiotic national conversation

Cheap speech is reducing the relevance of political parties and newspapers as intermediaries between candidates and voters, which empowers demagogues.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2017

Yuriko Koike criticizes Abenomics at meeting of group seeking to launch new party

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike criticized Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Abenomics economic policy mix on Saturday, saying it has failed to meet expectations and inspire confidence.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 12, 2017

North Korea's nuclear progress isn't the only bad news

Washington's neocon warriors have forgotten noneof their arrogance and bad habits, and learned nothing from their string of earlier disastrous errors.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 11, 2017

Returning from Pyongyang, Inoki says the North will pursue nukes as long as the U.S. keeps up pressure

North Korea will continue to develop its nuclear program — seeking even stronger weapons — as long as the regime remains subject to a U.S.-led effort to heap pressure on it, a former professional wrestler turned Diet member quoted a high-ranking official from the isolated country as saying during...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 29, 2017

Japan's maritime diplomacy mission in S.E. Asia

The Abe administration is taking steps to counter Beijing's growing maritime assertiveness in the South and East China Seas.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 28, 2017

Ex-Thai leader's exile spurs debate: Is Thaksin era over?

The self-imposed exile of another popular Thai leader means the junta won't need to deal with a high-profile prisoner. Yet another question remains: Can Thaksin Shinawatra's family finally be beaten at the polls?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2017

Democratic Party leadership election gets underway

The Democratic Party officially launches its leadership race, with the two contenders saddled with the task of reviving a party grappling with an exodus of lawmakers and the sweeping rise of a new political force.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 15, 2017

After Merck chief quits, Under Armour CEO steps down from Trump's business council

Under Armour Inc.'s Kevin Plank became the latest chief executive to quit President Donald Trump's council of U.S. business leaders, as membership on the panel has become enmeshed in the country's volatile politics after violent riots in Virginia over the weekend.
Japan Times
JAPAN / 50 years of ASEAN
Aug 9, 2017

Major role in ensuring Asian stability, success

I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to ASEAN on the 50th anniversary of its founding.
EDITORIALS
Jul 19, 2017

The abrupt fall of a political hero

Few politicians have endured a more stunning fall from grace than former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Jul 8, 2017

Tokyo poll offers Abe an opportunity to take a long, hard look in the mirror

We have witnessed Abe's peak and he is now a diminished leader, with the aura of invincibility he projected since December 2012 now gone.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2017

With victory in hand, Koike to step down as head of Tomin First

A day after leading Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First) to a landslide victory in the metropolitan assembly election, Gov. Yuriko Koike reaffirmed her commitment to reform but said she would resign as leader of the upstart party to focus on the job at hand.
EDITORIALS
Jul 3, 2017

LDP's historic loss in Tokyo race

Although Abe does not need to hold a general election at least through December 2018, the impact of Sunday's race should not be discounted.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2017

Diverse views create ideas for change

The 22nd International Conference for Women in Business (ICWB) will be held in Tokyo in July against an ever more challenging, yet dynamic and vibrant backdrop.
EDITORIALS
Jun 27, 2017

A bittersweet two decades for Hong Kong

While Chinese are immensely proud of Hong Kong's return to the motherland, there is no missing the widespread disappointment among Chinese and native Hong Kong residents as they assess the evolution of the special administrative region.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 25, 2017

Two decades after handover, scant love for China among Hong Kong youth

Hong Kong student activist Chau Ho-oi, born in the year the Asian financial hub returned to Chinese rule 20 years ago, recalls the sense of pride she once felt toward mainland China.
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2017

Turkey's slide toward dictatorship

President Erdogan uses a permanent 'state of emergency' to destroy Turkish democracy
JAPAN
May 24, 2017

Former lawmaker and finance chief Kaoru Yosano dies at 78

Former Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano, known as one of the top policy mavens among lawmakers, has died, an employee of his office said Wednesday. He was 78.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 22, 2017

Trump tells Israel its Arab neighbors agree on Iran threat

President Donald Trump landed in Israel on a groundbreaking direct flight Monday from Saudi Arabia and expanded a core theme of his Sunday speech in Riyadh: the U.S. will stand with Arab nations and Israel against the threats they all agree are posed by Iran.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
May 15, 2017

No taboos at Elysee as Mrs. Macron signals change

As Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, settle in to the Elysee Palace, their unconventional partnership stands as a symbol of the changes the new president is aiming to bring about in France.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
May 11, 2017

Koike vows to get more women to run in metro election in July

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike pledged on Thursday to field as many women as possible in the metropolitan assembly election in July, saying women are woefully underrepresented in the Japanese political arena.

Longform

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