NEWSWORTHY
Abe calls for the submission of a plan to change Japan's Constitution during next Diet session
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his Liberal Democratic Party should accelerate work on developing a plan to amend the Constitution so it can be submitted by autumn.
Abe cites 'great responsibility' to rewrite Article 9 in preview pitch for LDP presidential election
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday said he was ready to win another term as the conservative Liberal Democratic Party's leader in September, which would all but ensure he becomes Japan's longest-serving leader. "My goal has not changed at all since I ran in the ...
Ishiba touts “a 100-day plan” to reform government in a bid to regain the trust of the people.
Nobel laureate Toshihide Maskawa and others sue government over 'unconstitutional' security laws
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Toshihide Maskawa and over 100 other people sued the government Thursday, saying that security laws the country enacted in 2015 to expand the role of its Self-Defense Forces overseas were unconstitutional and have violated their right to live in peace. The 143 ...
Japan on just 10 judges a day costs a pretty penny
With over 1,000 courts but less than 4,000 judges, somehow 3.5 million cases get cleared every year.
'Race' struck, gender bias banned as French lawmakers revise 60-year-old constitution
French MPs on Wednesday agreed to remove the word "race" from the constitution and add a ban on gender discrimination as part of a rewrite of the 60-year-old document. Arguing that there is no such thing as race, lawmakers from across the left-right divide agreed ...
Abe's approval rating rebounds, raising chances of becoming Japan's longest-serving prime minister
The prime minister’s support rate rose 10 points to outstrip his disapproval rating for the first time since February, improving his chances of weathering a series of scandals.
Japan lowers minimum voting age for constitutional referendums to 18
The minimum voting age in national referendums to amend the Constitution was lowered to 18 from 20 on Thursday as part of a series of moves to encourage civic participation by young people. The lowering of the voting age for referendums brings it into line ...
Ex-Prime Minister Nakasone makes call for amending Constitution as he celebrates 100th birthday
At 100, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, a legendary figure in Japanese politics, expresses hopes that “serious efforts” will be made to amend the postwar Constitution.
LDP panels back Japanese government's pursuit of capability to attack in self-defense
Panels in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday approved a draft proposal for the government to develop the military capability to "strike enemy bases" in foreign countries. Considering North Korea's rapidly advancing nuclear and missile programs and China's maritime assertiveness, the LDP also will ...
Lacking direction from Tokyo, Japan's municipalities struggle to implement anti-hate speech law
With Thursday marking two years since the enactment of a law against hate speech targeting ethnic Koreans and other minorities, local governments — required to take action under the legislation — called on Tokyo to present clear standards on how to eliminate racist propaganda. Some ...
Japan's courts are being asked to define the role of the SDF
As discussed in Media Mix last week, news organizations are on the lookout for signs of whether the country’s Self-Defense Forces are becoming politically active. There have been indications the SDF wants to be the conventional military that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has ...
