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JAPAN
Jan 2, 2015

Hashimoto aiming for May 17 referendum on Osaka integration plan

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has called on a municipal-prefectural committee examining his plan to integrate the city of Osaka to approve it at its next meeting on Jan. 13.
EDITORIALS
Dec 9, 2014

A test for Taiwan and China

It's been a rough year for Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. His popularity has been dragged down by sluggish economic growth and doubts about his commitment to Taiwan's sovereignty. And the recent unrest in Hong Kong as well as last month's stunning defeat for the ruling party in local elections have magnified his worries.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 17, 2014

Ukraine's uneasy compromises please no one

The concessions Kiev made to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine come at an enormous cost in human lives, lost trust and broken relationships between Ukraine and Russia.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 22, 2014

Polarizing Abe learns the long game

Shinzo Abe is one of Japan's most polarizing prime ministers in decades. He may also have a good shot at becoming that rarity in Japanese politics — a long-serving leader.
JAPAN / Politics / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Feb 23, 2014

Final season for 'Toru Hashimoto Show'?

Is the Osaka political drama revolving around “third force” failure Toru Hashimoto entering its final season?
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Feb 1, 2014

Can local voices derail the Super Shinzo Express?

Voters in Nago, northern Okinawa Island, threw down the gauntlet on Jan. 19 when they reelected as mayor the incumbent, Susumu Inamine, a staunch opponent of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plan to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the congested city of Ginowan in the south to the Henoko...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2014

16 kick off Tokyo gubernatorial race

Campaigning for the Tokyo gubernatorial election officially kicked off Thursday with 16 candidates set to battle over national-level issues ranging from energy policy to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Jan 10, 2014

Any Hosokawa presence in Tokyo race bad for Abe

The emergence of Morihiro Hosokawa as a potential candidate could be a game-changer for the Tokyo gubernatorial race and deal a severe blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration.
JAPAN
Jul 15, 2010

Progressive agenda stuck in the mud

Happily for Yoko Sakamoto, she didn't have to argue with her husband — also a Sakamoto — about whose last name they'd use when they married.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2010

'Cove' mind-set harms Japan

HONG KONG — The ballyhoo, glitz and glamour of the annual Oscars awards had many people in the world waiting with baited breath to see if they could make even a tangential claim to knowing one of the winners. Newspapers cleared their front pages if someone from their town, sometimes even their country,...
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2006

Abe gets boost as factions look set to back him

Factional politics once again have come to the forefront of the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election with reports Wednesday that Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe has secured the support of two faction leaders and is a virtual shoo-in.
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2001

A bold new start for the LDP

Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, who has long been regarded as an eccentric but reform-minded politician, has been elected president of the governing Liberal Democratic Party. When the four-way race started, former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was the front-runner and odds-on favorite. Yet Mr. Koizumi caught...
JAPAN
Dec 3, 1999

LDP panel to discuss suffrage for minorities

A Liberal Democratic Party panel said Friday it will hold a series of sessions to study a proposal to give permanent foreign residents the right to vote in local elections, party officials said. But the ruling coalition -- the LDP, Liberal Party and New Komeito -- is unlikely to submit a bill to this...
JAPAN
May 12, 1998

Tokyo foreigners' council wrangles over voting, job rights

A foreign residents' advisory council to the Tokyo governor on Tuesday had its most heated debate.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 16, 2023

Why Kishida hasn't decided to call a snap election — yet

The decision came as a surprise in the political center of Nagatacho, with many left wondering about the rationale behind his decision.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2023

Japanese Communist Party expulsions cause jitters in party ranks

Citing a serious violation of party regulations, the JCP expelled Nobuyuki Matsutake and Hajime Suzuki after both used book publications to agitate for the vote among party members.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 2, 2023

Squeezed on housing, Sunak’s Tories take aim at EU-era water law

The British leader is considering scrapping the law as his government faces pressure to build more houses while fending off a voter backlash on pollution.
Supporters of Spain's opposition People's Party outside the party's headquarters on the day of the general election, in Madrid, on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Jul 24, 2023

Spain's election yields no clear winner, coalition negotiations loom

The two leading parties will seek to negotiate coalition deals in pursuit of a governing majority but analysts warned the process could end in a hung parliament and another election.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 4, 2023

LDP and Komeito patch up rift over Tokyo candidacies

Whether the agreement can heal the growing rift between the two parties and lead to support at the polls is still unclear.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment

The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro surrendered his passport to police last Thursday and four of his ex-aides have been arrested.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024

Bolsonaro coup probe weakens Brazil's right-wing opposition

A social media survey showed 58% of posts were critical of Bolsonaro, while 42% were favorable, indicating that he still has considerable support.
Group of Seven leaders and officials look to the sky during a ceremony involving paratroopers at Borgo Egnazia Golf Club San Domenico in Savelletri, Italy, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / First person
Jun 17, 2024

In perspective: a firsthand account of this year’s G7

In an increasingly multipolar world, the bloc's relevance comes into question, but any attempt to foster dialogue and ease tensions should be welcomed.
An election observer (on the screen) remotely monitors early voting for the Kofu mayoral election in Kofu, Tottori Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 19, 2024

Tottori town becomes first in Japan to monitor voting online

Polling stations are decreasing as it is getting harder to find observers due to depopulation, and online monitoring is viewed as a possible solution.
Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi announces his decision not to seek reelection in his party's Sept. 28 presidential election, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2024

Komeito leader Natsuo Yamaguchi announces decision to step down

The decision not to seek reelection marks the end of an era for the party and raises questions on how it might impact the LDP's presidential race.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center right) makes a speech Sunday in Soka, Saitama Prefecture, along with Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii (center left).
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 14, 2024

General election campaigning to kick off Tuesday

Rocked by a political funds scandal that engulfed the party and led to the dissolution of most of its factions, the LDP faces its toughest election since 2012.
An election poster board in Tokyo in June displays candidates for last year's Tokyo gubernatorial election.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 28, 2025

Efforts to curb election chaos face uphill battle

A bill on campaign poster decency has been enacted after inappropriate posters were seen in Tokyo last year.

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