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Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2003

Koizumi makes choice on Japan Highway chief

The government decided informally Thursday to appoint a House of Councilors member and former businessman as president of Japan Highway Public Corp.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2003

Doi throws in towel as SDP president

Takako Doi said Thursday she will resign as president of the Social Democratic Party to take responsibility for the SDP's crushing defeat in the general election.
EDITORIALS
Nov 11, 2003

A viable two-party system?

In Sunday's election, the voters opted for stability -- with a twist. They gave the three-party ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party a continued mandate to run the country but, at the same time, handed the LDP a slap on the wrist: the loss of a majority in the 480-seat influential Lower...
JAPAN
Nov 11, 2003

One less woman in Lower House

Sunday's general election installed 34 women to the House of Representatives, one fewer than the record high -- under the present Constitution -- of 35 elected in the last Lower House election, in June 2000.
JAPAN / ELECTION 2003
Nov 11, 2003

SDP, JCP setbacks spell trouble for Constitution

The setbacks suffered by the Social Democratic Party and the Japanese Communist Party, which were both reduced to less than 10 seats in Sunday's House of Representatives election, mark a sharp decline in forces committed to opposing any change to the war-renouncing Constitution.
COMMENTARY
Nov 11, 2003

A step toward a dynamic Japanese government

Japanese voters on Sunday took a big step toward creating a two-party political system, but history shows that Japan still has a long way to go before it becomes a country in which changes of government occur periodically.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 5, 2003

Battle for power waged on voters' screens

The leader of the Democratic Party of Japan is fleetingly portrayed in a recent TV commercial as the stern-faced chairman of a fictitious Cabinet meeting, the scene accompanied by upbeat rock music.
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2003

Koizumi to quit if coalition loses its majority on Nov. 9

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday he will leave his post and step down as president of the Liberal Democratic Party if the three-party ruling coalition fails to retain a majority in the Nov. 9 House of Representatives general election.
EDITORIALS
Oct 26, 2003

Discord over LDP's retirement age

Age seems to matter in politics as well. With the Liberal Democratic Party having set a 73-year age limit for candidates running for Lower House seats under the proportional representation, or PR, system, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday asked two elder politicians -- former Prime Ministers...
JAPAN
Oct 26, 2003

LDP's support falls as DPJ narrows gap

Some 28 percent of eligible voters said they support the ruling Liberal Democratic Party but the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan was maintaining its support in a Kyodo News poll released Saturday, two weeks before the Nov. 9 general election.
JAPAN
Oct 4, 2003

DPJ eyes toll-free roads, 'amakudari' ban

With an eye to the expected general election next month, the Democratic Party of Japan has drafted a compact platform calling for various reforms, including elimination of highway tolls.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Sex harassment case sinks JCP lawmaker

Hideyo Fudesaka, 55, the Japanese Communist Party's policy chief, tendered his resignation from the House of Councilors on Tuesday after admitting to sexually harassing a woman.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Sex harassment case sinks JCP lawmaker

Hideyo Fudesaka, 55, the Japanese Communist Party's policy chief, tendered his resignation from the House of Councilors on Tuesday after admitting to sexually harassing a woman.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 25, 2003

Sex harassment case sinks JCP lawmaker

Hideyo Fudesaka, 55, the Japanese Communist Party's policy chief, tendered his resignation from the House of Councilors on Tuesday after admitting to sexually harassing a woman.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2003

Three Lower House by-elections seen as test of Koizumi's political future

Official campaigning began Tuesday for three House of Representatives by-elections seen as a litmus test for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party ahead of an upcoming general election.
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2003

Communist chief draws veil on long Diet career

Tetsuzo Fuwa, chairman of the Japanese Communist Party's Central Committee, said Friday he will not run in the next general election of the House of Representatives, bringing an end to a Diet career that has spanned more than three decades.
JAPAN
Jan 10, 2003

DPJ, Liberal Party eye game plan

The Democratic Party of Japan and the Liberal Party will soon discuss electoral cooperation in a bid to avoid fielding overlapping candidates in some single-seat constituencies in the House of Representatives, DPJ leader Naoto Kan said Thursday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 31, 2002

Low-key polls mirror political reality

Just as expected, no change whatsoever. That is the prevailing impression of the by-elections held on Sunday in five Lower House constituencies and two Upper House districts. The by-elections ended in an overwhelming victory for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, whose candidates scored five wins....
JAPAN
Jul 19, 2002

Package of redistricting bills approved by Lower House

The House of Representatives cleared a package of bills Thursday aimed at redrawing electoral districts in an effort to correct an imbalance in the weight of votes cast in rural and urban areas.
JAPAN
Jul 17, 2002

LDP backs down, endorses redistricting bill

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party endorsed a government bill Tuesday designed to help correct imbalances in the House of Representatives electoral system in terms of the weight of individual ballots.
COMMENTARY
May 1, 2002

Le Pen victory a dark sign of the times

LONDON -- Political experts of all shades have been professing surprise and amazement that Jean-Marie Le Pen, with his wild mixture of views, some overtly racist, should have collected around 17 percent of the votes in the first round of the French presidential elections. But the real surprise is that...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY
Apr 7, 2002

Ex-foreigner on a Diet 'mission'

In February, Marutei Tsurunen made political history when he became the first Westerner to take a seat in the Diet. This was as much of a surprise to him as anyone. After being first reserve in the proportional representation list of Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan) after last July's Upper House...
EDITORIALS
Mar 6, 2002

Shady politico-bureaucratic ties

A Foreign Ministry investigation of influence-peddling by Liberal Democratic Party legislator Muneo Suzuki has revealed an appalling pattern of politico-bureaucratic collusion. A report released Monday indicates that Mr. Suzuki, a self-styled foreign policy guru, behaved like a "shadow foreign minister"...
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2002

Postal trio found guilty in illegal campaigning

OSAKA -- The Osaka District Court sentenced three senior postal officials to suspended prison terms Thursday for illegally campaigning for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the House of Councilors election in July.
EDITORIALS
Dec 27, 2001

Reduce the vote-value disparity

One long-standing problem in the nation's Lower House electoral system is that the "representative value" of a vote varies considerably between rural and urban districts. In a move to reduce the disparity, a government advisory council last week submitted a report to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi...
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2001

Sachiyo Nomura arrested in tax probe

Sachiyo Nomura, the high-profile wife of Hanshin Tigers manager Katsuya Nomura, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly hiding roughly 570 million yen in income and evading 210 million yen in taxes.

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji