NEWSWORTHY
The government remains committed to plans to announce the name of Japan's next era before Crown Prince Naruhito ascends the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1, despite demands from conservative lawmakers to have it announced afterward out of respect for the Emperor, who plans to ...
Regional revitalization minister Satsuki Katayama, the only female Cabinet member, is the minister most widely seen as being unfit for the post, a Jiji Press survey showed. Katayama was chosen by 43.7 percent of respondents, who were asked which members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ...
With debate on constitutional reform sidelined, has immigration law been a pyrrhic victory for Abe?
As the extraordinary Diet session wrapped up, Abe found himself no closer to fulfilling his longtime ambition of amending the nation’s postwar Constitution.
Japan's government and ruling bloc are considering extending tax breaks for those who sell houses they inherited from their parents by four years until the end 2023, sources have said. The tax cut extension is aimed at helping shore up real estate trading and preventing ...
Revenue for Abe's LDP overwhelms other political parties in Japan
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party booked ¥25.86 billion ($228 million) in revenue for 2017, by far the largest among Japanese political parties, government data showed Friday. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, set up in October last year, reported ¥1.25 billion, ...
Japan to keep golf tax in place, defying lawmakers ahead of Tokyo Olympics
The government and ruling coalition are considering keeping the tax imposed on golfers intact through planned fiscal 2019 tax system reforms, despite calls for its abolition from some lawmakers and others, according to sources. Officials are finding it difficult to secure an alternative source of ...
Liberal Democratic Party won't present Constitution revision plan to Diet this year
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party has given up its plan to present draft amendments to the pacifist Constitution to the ongoing extraordinary Diet session, sources close to the matter said Wednesday. In a policy speech in the Diet last month, Abe expressed his ...
Japan's Upper House begins debate on bill to expand use of foreign labor
Debate on a bill to accept more foreign blue-collar workers begins in the House of Councilors after the ruling bloc forced it through the Lower House the previous day.
Constitutional referendum would unleash TV blitz never before seen in Japan
If Japan ever calls a referendum on whether to revise the postwar Constitution, it could spark a heated TV advertising war, akin to what the U.S. goes through for its presidential election campaigns. The national referendum law as it now stands in principle enables anyone ...
Government outlines fiscal stimulus to ease impact of Japan's next consumption tax hike
The government has unveiled an outline of fiscal measures it hopes will bolster the economy after next year's consumption tax increase. The measures, which include tax cuts for car owners and rebates on some cashless purchases, will account for roughly ¥2 trillion of next year's ...
Japan may extend tax deduction period for housing loan users
The government and the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling camp are considering extending the tax incentive program for housing loan borrowers, in a bid to cushion the impact from next October's rise in the consumption tax, according to informed sources. The discussion is focused on a ...
Work on Japan's new defense guidelines to focus on missiles, cyberattacks
The ruling coalition will focus on addressing threats posed by ballistic missiles, cyberattacks and electromagnetic attacks when revising the national defense program guidelines, a senior official said. "North Korea has improved its ballistic missile capabilities," former Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters Fridya after the ...
