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COMMENTARY
Apr 14, 2000

General elections loom large

Keizo Obuchi, who looked like a paragon of health as prime minister, suddenly collapsed last week when he suffered a stroke and was replaced by LDP Secretary General Yoshiro Mori. The episode made me think of a saying often quoted in the Japanese political world: "The future is all darkness."
JAPAN
Mar 31, 2000

Tokai disaster no closer to resolution

Many things have been said about last September's fatal nuclear accident at the JCO Co. uranium processing plant in Tokai, Ibaraki Prefecture.
JAPAN
Mar 30, 2000

FSA eyes insurance-for-murder scams

The Financial Supervisory Agency plans to conduct an investigation into the sales activities of life insurers to forestall a recurrence of a series of insurance-for-murder cases, FSA officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Mar 9, 2000

Fall in Obuchi's popularity blamed on recent scandals

Public support for Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's Cabinet has fallen to 41 percent, down 4.6 percentage points from December, an indication of discontent over scandals involving government officials, according to a Kyodo News public opinion survey.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2000

Former defense official served with fresh bribery warrant

OSAKA -- A former Defense Facilities Administration Agency official under arrest for fraud was served a fresh warrant Monday on suspicion he accepted 2 million yen in bribes from an oil sales company to help the firm start business with the Defense Agency, prosecution officials said.
BUSINESS
Mar 7, 2000

Five life insurers outsource asset management to cut costs

Five Japanese life insurance companies will have a common asset management administration system in place by the end of fiscal 2001, company sources said Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 1998

Obuchi says bureaucrats should speak for Diet members

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi expressed his intention Wednesday to leave some room for bureaucrats to answer questions during Diet sessions, rather than having only Diet members do the job, as proposed by Liberal Party leader Ichiro Ozawa.
JAPAN
Jul 22, 1998

Koizumi, Kajiyama hope to force runoff against Obuchi

Foreign Minister Keizo Obuchi is far ahead of the other two rival candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race, but the possibility of an upset lingers since many party members remain uncommitted, Kyodo News reported Wednesday.
JAPAN
Jun 19, 1998

Government plans LTCB bailout

The government began considering measures to bail out the financially troubled Long-Term Credit Bank of Japan, on the belief that it will be unable to rehabilitate on its own, Kyodo News reported Friday, quoting government sources.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 1998

Sour economy elevates Cabinet disapproval rate

A Kyodo News poll has found that some 58 percent of Japanese disapprove of the Cabinet of Ryutaro Hashimoto, an 11 percentage point increase from the previous poll.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2023

Kishida looks ahead amid speculation over Cabinet reshuffle and LDP leadership changes

Both moves, if made, would be aimed at boosting the prime minister's popularity and strengthening his position within the LDP ahead of an autumn parliament session.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2023

Expert panel takes aim at Japan’s prison conditions following inmate abuse

The reforms, including measures targeting the early detection of abuse, would be applied to all penal institutions in Japan if approved.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2023

Emperor Naruhito offers flowers at Indonesian military cemetery

The emperor expressed his hope that his visit would spark greater engagement between Japanese and Indonesians.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Jun 19, 2023

What you need to know about the revision to Japan's sex crime law

Raising the age of sexual consent and an expansion of the definition of nonconsensual sex are among some of the major changes.
JAPAN / History / Longform
Jun 19, 2023

Resurrecting a prince's home with a dark wartime past

Tekigaiso hosted meetings that helped set Japan's course during World War II. But with an extensive renovation taking place, how much of its story is set to be told?
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 18, 2023

How Japan's top soccer league is striving to become a climate leader

As the league continues to grow, and as climate change wreaks havoc on operations, its quest to bring healthier lifestyles to the Japanese public has expanded into environmental issues.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 12, 2023

Man arrested over daytime robbery in Kawasaki as second suspect remains at large

Two people entered the store located near Kawasaki Station at around 1.pm. on Sunday and smashed its display cases, before being intercepted by the store’s manager and fleeing.
JAPAN
Jun 8, 2023

How Japan ensures you gamble exactly when and where it wants you to

Laws on gambling mean that the activity is prohibited in general, except for betting on something that is legally defined as “momentary amusement,” or on government-sanctioned events.
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.
SOCCER / J. League / From the Spot
Jun 7, 2023

Andres Iniesta's Japan journey approaches end with farcical farewell

Though he intends to continue playing, the Spanish midfielder was given a sendoff worthy of retirement as Vissel Kobe took on jet-lagged Barcelona in a rain-soaked friendly on Tuesday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jun 7, 2023

Sumo's 'flat circle' keeps turning as upstarts replace iconic veterans

As Tochinoshin, Ichinojo, and Ishiura exit the stage, new talents are rising to take their places.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2023

Deluge of the century: Researchers highlight rarity of deadly Japan rainfall

Many coastal areas of the Tokai region, including Toyohashi in Aichi and Hamamatsu in Shizuoka, experienced an amount of rain that falls once in 100 years or more.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 2, 2023

Lack of detail on Kishida's plan to fund child care measures draws criticism

With a snap election possibly on the horizon, the government is seen as being unwilling to upset voters by increasing the burden on taxpayers.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
May 31, 2023

G7 '23: Kishida's pumped from a Zelenskyy bump

Another year, another G7 summit done and dusted. How did Prime Minister Fumio Kishida do? Well, he’s thinking of an early election if that’s any indication.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 28, 2023

Air France flight turns back to Osaka after malfunction

An Air France KLM SA passenger plane flying from Osaka to French capital Paris turned back on Sunday after weather radar and speed meters malfunctioned.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 26, 2023

Man arrested after killings of police officers and others in Nagano Prefecture

Masanori Aoki, the eldest son of a local politician, has been arrested over the murder of one of two police officers.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past