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JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2018

2018 seen as make-or-break year for Abe's constitutional revision quest

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces what is perhaps the biggest dilemma of his political career: whether to call the nation's first-ever referendum on revising the postwar Constitution.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 23, 2017

Putin's plan to rejuvenate Russian politics makes slow progress

Poised to run for a fourth term, President Vladimir Putin has started clearing out the old Russian political elite and says he is bringing in young people with "fire in their eyes."
EDITORIALS
Oct 20, 2017

The Kake and Moritomo scandals and the bureaucracy

Even if Prime Minister Shinzo Abe survives the election, he shouldn't forget he still owes the people a full explanation of the Kake Gakuen and Moritomo Gakuen scandals.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 30, 2017

Japan's pensioners are literally getting older

Because of the election announced by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, the new Cabinet he formed last summer to boost his falling support rate will do no work, since it was launched during the summer vacation and Abe dissolved the Diet as soon as it opened on Thursday.
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 / Politics
Sep 21, 2017

Opposition lawmakers slam timing of Abe's snap poll plans as abuse of power

Abe's plan to force a snap election by closing an extraordinary Diet session the same day it opens has opposition lawmakers crying foul.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 17, 2017

Abe poised to dissolve Lower House for snap general election

Media reports say that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to dissolve the Lower House as early as Sept. 28 and call a snap election.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 1, 2017

Central government to let ministry staff use pre-marriage names on externally used documents

The government takes another step toward loosening restrictions on the use of pre-marriage names by civil servants by allowing their use on ID cards and in external communications.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Aug 19, 2017

Abe tries to ride out storm in bid to restore trust deficit

A shoo-in a few months ago, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plunge in popularity imperils his re-election to a third term as LDP president in September 2018, fueling speculation about when he will go and who will replace him. That said, it's still too soon to count him out.
EDITORIALS
Aug 19, 2017

Abe's HR development initiative

Prime Minister Abe must explain what benefits his latest initiative — human resources development — will bring people and at what cost.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / CABINET INTERVIEW 2017
Aug 9, 2017

Economic revitalization chief Motegi to tackle education, labor reforms

The new Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to carry out drastic reforms to the nation's labor and education systems in a bid to wean the country off its "one-track" career tradition as the population rapidly ages, the newly appointed economic revitalization minister said in an interview Wednesday....
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 4, 2017

Abe softens stance on deadline for constitutional reform proposals, deferring to LDP

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's attempt to pressure his party into revising its constitutional revision proposals by the end of the year appears to have backfired, and he is now willing to let the party itself dictate the timing instead.
JAPAN
Jul 28, 2017

Inada makes resignation official; Kishida to pick up defense portfolio

Beleaguered Defense Minister Tomomi Inada announced Friday that she will resign over allegations that a cover-up was conducted to hide the politically sensitive activity logs of the Ground Self-Defense Force unit that was deployed for peacekeeping duty in conflict-riven South Sudan.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 27, 2017

Main opposition chief Renho resigns Democratic Party leadership

In the wake of a crushing defeat in the Tokyo election this month, Renho said she doesn't have the leadership ability to maintain party unity.
EDITORIALS
Jul 26, 2017

Kake Gakuen questions still unanswered

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should realize that his administration won't win back the trust of voters until it gives a more convincing account of the Kake Gakuen case.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jul 25, 2017

Wages shape up as key to Abenomics and the future of Abe himself

To shore up his ailing administration, Shinzo Abe is vowing to focus on the economy. But instead of unleashing yet more stimulus, analysts say the prime minister needs to take a hammer to an old chestnut: moribund wage growth.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 20, 2017

Veterinary group alleges minister said Kake Gakuen chosen for project months before announcement

In yet another twist in an ongoing alleged cronyism scandal, a veterinary association affiliate contradicts Cabinet minister's claims of an open selection process for a special deregulation project.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 10, 2017

May's 'red lines' pose a threat to British interests

It's in the interest of both the EU and U.K. that terms acceptable to both parties should be agreed smoothly and quickly.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami