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JAPAN
Mar 31, 1998

Kan appointed leader of new DPJ

Naoto Kan, leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan, will become head of the newly expanded version, leaders of the four parties involved decided at a meeting March 31.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 1998

Information disclosure bill seen as first step

First in a series
JAPAN
Oct 30, 1997

Jewell, Kono recount false accusations from press, police

Staff writer
JAPAN
Oct 2, 1997

LDP slams postal privatization plan

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party announced its opposition Oct. 2 to a proposal by a government advisory panel to privatize two of the three postal services currently provided by the Posts and Telecommunications Ministry.During Diet debate, Kenji Manabe, policy chief of the LDP's House of Councilors...
JAPAN
Sep 22, 1997

Sato resigns Cabinet post

After a week of political turmoil that rocked the Liberal Democratic Party's ties with its Diet allies, LDP member Koko Sato, who in 1986 was convicted of bribery, resigned Sept. 22 as head of the Management and Coordination Agency over the outcry against his appointment.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 1997

Interviews to set reform blueprint

An administrative reform panel decided April 16 to interview representatives from each government ministry and agency on the possibility of integrating some organizations and entrusting some ministerial tasks to independent agencies or private firms. The interviews will start next month.
JAPAN
Apr 11, 1997

Polls show Okinawans oppose lease bill

NAHA, Okinawa Pref. -- A majority of Okinawa residents are against a bill aimed at giving the central government the power to continue leasing land for U.S. military bases, even if landowners refuse to renew the contracts, according to opinion polls conducted by two of the prefecture's local newspapers....
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 21, 2023

The Carlos Ghosn show has a bizarre sequel

A provocative lawsuit brought by Carlos Ghosn, the fugitive architect of the Renault-Nissan alliance, makes it harder for the French and Japanese carmakers to move on.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Jun 19, 2023

Okinawa firms seek revival of traditional Ryukyu-era liquor using millet

Until now, millet-containing awamori has not been produced due to high production costs and difficulty in commercializing the product.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 18, 2023

Amid melting glaciers, Swiss to vote on new climate law

Recent opinion polls indicate strong support for the proposed law, which would require Switzerland to slash its dependence on imported oil and gas.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2023

What a smoky U.S. can learn from past climate denialism in Australia

National disasters, such as the bush fires in Australia and now Canada and the U.S., can sway voters — but the shift is often only slight.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2023

Mushrooms could play a key role in solving the climate crisis

An underground system of “living machines” can show how to better capture and store excess carbon from the atmosphere.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / ANALYSIS
Jun 8, 2023

Most Europeans share Macron's view on China and U.S., survey finds

The report suggests that both France and Germany's policy positions of seeing China as a global partner are “broadly in line with European public opinion.”
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Jun 7, 2023

Is Japan going to legalize same-sex marriage?

A series of court cases is helping to shape the debate over whether or not Japan will act on legalizing same-sex marriage.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 7, 2023

Russia’s dam-busting is another war crime

Are dams fair game in warfare? Nuclear power plants? It’s not as if Vladimir Putin would care.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jun 6, 2023

China’s vision of an international order firmly in the shadows of the G7

How members of the grouping assess China’s international influence and their long-term strategy and the role they want Beijing to play may highlight differences.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 31, 2023

Just how safe is Fukushima’s ‘contaminated’ water?

To build the clean energy sector the world needs, nuclear power advocates must sway public opinion their way. Just crashing through won’t cut it.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 26, 2023

What Exxon won’t tell you about climate costs

Society might be willing to make sacrifices if it meant avoiding even worse damage from global warming.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 24, 2023

Yet another bad week for abortion rights in America

Judges on the U.S. 5th Circuit appeared worryingly comfortable challenging the expertise of FDA scientists.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 22, 2023

As Rahm Emanuel pushes Japan on gay rights, conservatives bristle

The U.S. ambassador has enthusiastically embraced his host country. But critics say he has overstepped diplomatic bounds with his advocacy on equality.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 18, 2023

Kishida Cabinet's approval rate rises to 38.2% in Jiji poll

As the disapproval rate dropped 4.5 points to 31.8%, support surpassed disapproval for the first time in nine months, according to a Jiji Press survey.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 8, 2023

Long road ahead: Tokyo and Seoul look to take ties to the next level

While Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk-yeol will look to bask in the success of a fruitful summit in Seoul, the Japan-South Korea relationship remains fragile.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 5, 2023

Nuclear weapons may not be in Seoul’s best interest

South Korean nuclearization could destroy all efforts to denuclearize North Korea and could also kill its alliance with the U.S.
JAPAN
May 5, 2023

Kishida seeks to 'add momentum' to Seoul ties as regular diplomacy resumes

The prime minister has expressed his desire for Japan to show that it is also invested in the neighbors’ rapprochement, with the trip to South Korea expected to highlight that resolve.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 28, 2023

Why Russian TV isn’t Tucker Carlson’s dream job

The Russian propaganda apparatus has long treated ex-Fox host Tucker Carlson — used him — as one of its own. The collateral damage he has inflicted on Ukraine is both real and insidious.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 19, 2023

Abortion pill rulings to impact pharmaceutical innovation

Bringing new drugs to market is already expensive and time-consuming. Undercutting the FDA will only make it harder.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 11, 2023

What is keeping Japan from sending weapons to Ukraine?

The ruling coalition has agreed to hold talks on the matter, but barriers range from public opposition to disagreements between the LDP and Komeito.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 7, 2023

Ma Ying-jeou’s historic trip: Can former Taiwan president help ease cross-strait tensions?

Despite being the first former Taiwanese president to set foot on mainland soil, the impact of this landmark trip on cross-strait relationships might be limited.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 24, 2023

After cyclones leave many homeless, Vanuatu takes climate plea to world stage

More than 3,000 people are still in evacuation centers three weeks after two category-four cyclones hit Vanuatu, which has a population of 319,000 spread across 80 islands.
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.

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