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JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2010

Don between rock, DPJ hard place

Democratic Party of Japan heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa is being driven into a corner over mounting calls, including from within the DPJ, to give sworn testimony in the Diet over his money scandal and may feel compelled to quit the party, a move his allies would likely follow.
COMMENTARY
Oct 10, 2010

Less tolerance forecast in the Netherlands?

LONDON — If Gert Wilders were some underemployed bigot ranting in a pub, you'd just move away from him. He calls the Islamic veil a "head rag" and says it should be taxed for "polluting" the Dutch landscape. He condemns Islam as "the sick ideology of Allah and Mohammed" and the Quran as "the Mein Kampf...
EDITORIALS
Sep 17, 2010

The LDP's new front line

On Sept. 9, the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party chose new party executives: LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki tapped former infrastructure and transport minister Nobuteru Ishihara as secretary general, the party's No. 2 post, and former environment and defense minister Yuriko Koike as head of...
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2010

Rookies hold crucial DPJ votes

Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Katsuhito Yokokume gets at least 10 calls on his cell phone every day from the Naoto Kan and Ichiro Ozawa camps, asking for his support in Tuesday's party presidential election.
COMMENTARY
Sep 4, 2010

Coalition on the right track

The British coalition government, formed after the last election between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, has not only survived its first quarter in power but has launched some significant reforms that could change the way Britain is governed.
EDITORIALS
Aug 25, 2010

Don't shrink the Diet

At the instruction of Prime Minister Naoto Kan, the Democratic Party of Japan created a team to discuss reducing the number of Diet seats with the opposition forces. Mr. Kan says that because the government will have to ask people to shoulder a heavier financial burden in the reconstruction of state...
JAPAN
Aug 18, 2010

Mihara's fight for women's health is personal

The turning point in Junko Mihara's life came two years ago when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and had to have her uterus removed.
EDITORIALS
Aug 11, 2010

Nagano election gives DPJ respite

The victory of a candidate backed by the Democratic Party of Japan in the gubernatorial election in Nagano Prefecture on Sunday must have come as relief to Prime Minister Naoto Kan and the leadership of the DPJ, because it represents the DPJ's first major local election victory since the July 11 Upper...
JAPAN
Jul 12, 2010

Economy, tax on minds of voters

Voters interviewed Sunday at polling stations in Tokyo and Osaka expressed a wide range of opinions on the Upper House campaign, with some saying the Democratic Party of Japan should continue to lead the country while others were disappointed by its economic policies and inconsistent diplomacy.
JAPAN / DECISION 2010
Jul 6, 2010

Campaigning in Tokyo heats up

With beads of sweat pouring down his forehead, veteran Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Toshio Ogawa addressed a small crowd in Tokyo late last month, begging for their support in the Upper House election.
JAPAN
Jun 29, 2010

No regrets about exit: Fukushima

Social Democratic Party leader Mizuho Fukushima said she has no regrets about leaving the ruling coalition and will only consider returning if the Democratic Party of Japan rules out the Henoko coast as the relocation site for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa.
JAPAN / DECISION 2010
Jun 25, 2010

Showdown could reshape political scene

The last House of Councilors election in 2007 heralded a change of regime, with the then ruling Liberal Democratic Party losing control of the chamber. That loss was followed by the swift resignations of two LDP prime ministers, before a crushing defeat in the House of Representatives poll last August...
JAPAN / DECISION 2010
Jun 24, 2010

Parties focus on economy, taxes

With the campaign officially kicking off for the July 11 Upper House election, political parties are weighing in on rebuilding the economy and government finances, hoping their platforms will translate into votes.
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Jun 19, 2010

Aichi industry groups unsure which way to vote

Vote-gathering moves by industry groups are likely to draw much attention in the July House of Councilors election as it is widely said "gaining the organizational support is the key" to winning the vote.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2010

DPJ, LDP platforms test tax hike waters

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan and the opposition camp unofficially began campaigning Thursday for the July 11 Upper House election, by releasing their platforms, and both sides seemed to be dancing around a tax hike.
JAPAN
May 31, 2010

SDP decides to bolt from ruling coalition

The Social Democratic Party said Sunday it will leave the tripartite ruling coalition after its leader, Mizuho Fukushima, was kicked out of the Cabinet last week for opposing its decision to keep a contentious U.S. military base in Okinawa Prefecture.
JAPAN
May 27, 2010

SDP walks a tightrope as it flirts with leaving coalition

When Mizuho Fukushima was re-elected president of the Social Democratic Party in December, she promised to pull the SDP out of the ruling coalition if the Futenma air base was relocated within Okinawa, as called for in a 2006 agreement with the United States.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’