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JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2013

Abe says he feels war sex slaves' pain

Facing questions from an opposition lawmaker Thursday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe refused to comment on the government's position on wartime sex slaves, but he did say he feels "heart-breaking pain" when he thinks of how their human rights were violated.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2013

Policy speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the 183rd session of the Diet

Delivered Jan. 28, 2013
BUSINESS
Jan 17, 2013

Showdown over sales tax breaks on the horizon

A political showdown is approaching as the two ruling parties continue talks to nail down details of tax reform by their self-imposed deadline of Jan. 24, in particular over whether daily essentials such as food should be exempt from the planned hike in the unpopular consumption tax.
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jan 13, 2013

Reform minister may target power monopolies

The government plans to set up a panel this month to review regulations that may be blocking industrial growth, especially in the fields of energy, environmental technology and medical care, said Tomomi Inada, state minister in charge of regulatory reform.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2013

Abe gives out info on his terms, via Facebook page

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has learned his lesson: Instead of giving short daily media interviews, he has launched a new Facebook page to provide information to the public on his terms while conveniently avoiding the kind of verbal missteps that plagued his recent predecessors — including himself, during...
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 9, 2013

Abe kicks off economic revitalization HQ, stimulus efforts

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday convened the first meeting of the Economic Revitalization Headquarters, endorsing the outline of the government's emergency stimulus package totaling some ¥20 trillion in a bid to steer Japan out of deflation and prop up the economy with massive public works spending....
BUSINESS
Jan 3, 2013

Abe hoopla aside, key economic challenges loom

Stocks are up, the yen is easing and there is a new prime minister pledging to splash trillions of yen to breathe life into the country's moribund economy: Last year ended on a high note for Japan Inc., and 2013 looks even more promising for some.
MULTIMEDIA / CABINET INTERVIEW
Jan 1, 2013

Next BOJ governor must share 'sense of crisis,' Amari says

Whoever is appointed Bank of Japan governor in April should be able to communicate well with the markets and share a keen sense of crisis with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, new economic revitalization minister Akira Amari said.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 30, 2012

Rightwing minister seeks to radically revamp education system

Conservative education minister Hakubun Shimomura said he wants to fundamentally change Japan's postwar school system to teach children about the nation's historical traditions and culture.
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2012

With LDP swollen, will faction rivalries return?

With the Liberal Democratic Party suddenly doubling its numbers in the Lower House thanks to its landslide win, concerns have already emerged that Shinzo Abe won't be able to control this throng after he becomes prime minister next week.
JAPAN
Dec 11, 2012

N. Korea extends launch window

While Japan remained on high alert Monday for North Korea's "satellite launch," Pyongyang extended the launch window by a week to Dec. 29 because of a "technical deficiency," the Korean Central News Agency said.
JAPAN
Nov 9, 2012

Diet takes up bond bill as LDP caves in

After months of hardball between the ruling and opposition blocs, Diet deliberations on the crucial bond-issuance bill kicked off Thursday, paving the way for its passage.
BUSINESS
Nov 3, 2012

BOJ ranks say Japan is in 'recessionary phase'

The economy may have entered a "recessionary phase," according to some Bank of Japan policymakers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Oct 30, 2012

Behind the no-nuclear option

The triple-meltdown crisis that began last year at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant jarred the public out of its complacent attitude toward nuclear power and every other assurance made by the government and Japan Inc.
BUSINESS / THE VIEW FROM EUROPE
Oct 1, 2012

Flip-flop on no-nuclear energy policy bodes ill for the future of Japan

On Sept. 14, the Japanese government presented to the public a new national energy strategy. This long-awaited plan included as its focal point the objective of eliminating nuclear power by the end of the 2030s. Less than a week later, however, Japan's hopes for a nuclear-free world were dashed. In the...
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Sep 23, 2012

Japan's nuclear phaseout: Is it all smoke and mirrors?

On Sept. 14, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's administration announced that Japan would end nuclear-power generation by 2040. Five days later his Cabinet failed to endorse the new policy; but on the same day, Sept. 19, Trade Minister Yukio Edano insisted that the government would still act "based on"...
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2012

What if no-benefit 'retirement' age is set at 40?

When a government panel's proposal that companies set their "retirement" age at 40 was released in early July, it made headlines and triggered hot debate on the Internet.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2012

Opposition vote to oust Noda fails

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Cabinet survived a no-confidence vote Thursday, bringing him one step closer to achieving his goal of doubling the consumption tax.

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