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May 06, 2024
 

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike (left) and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an hold talks in Taipei on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2024
Tokyo governor and Taipei mayor agree on urban governance cooperation
China expressed strong opposition to the Tokyo governor's visit to Taipei.
Shoko Kawata stumps in the city of Yawata, Kyoto Prefecture, last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2024
Japan's youngest female city mayor is focused on women's empowerment
The election of Shoko Kawata, 33, was unexpected — but was a welcome change for some.
Newly elected Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui receives a sea bream as a congratulatory gift in Kyoto on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024
New Kyoto mayor aims to tackle over-tourism with higher fares
Koji Matsui faces many hurdles, and he takes over at a time when the demerits of over-tourism have become a particular topic of concern for residents.
Akira Ogawa (center) celebrates her win in the Maebashi mayoral election in Gunma Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024
Opposition-backed candidate wins in Maebashi mayoral election
Akira Ogawa will become the first female mayor in Maebashi after defeating incumbent Ryu Yamamoto.
People sort relief supplies, including sanitary napkins, diapers and baby formula, in Suzu, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Sunday, over a month after a New Year's Day quake hit the area.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 5, 2024
Emergency maternity and baby supplies lacking in parts of Japan
The study showed that while 82.5% of municipalities stocked sanitary napkins, only 11.9% kept underwear for women.
Tourists board a ferry to Iriomote Island, Okinawa Prefecture, from Ishigaki, another island in the prefecture. The local government of the town of Taketomi, which includes Iriomote Island, is planning to introduce a visitor's tax to fund environmental protection measures in the face of rising tourist numbers.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2024
Local governments in Japan battle overtourism challenges
Officials are seeking ways to solve problems that emerge from higher tourist numbers, such as a shortage of taxis and the accumulation of garbage.
Subash Rijal (center) meets with colleagues in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, in September.
BUSINESS
Jan 30, 2024
Municipalities turn to Asian IT talent to beat big-city rivals
Almost 90% of domestic companies surveyed said they are struggling to hire the people they need.
Shohei Ohtani speaks during his introductory news conference with the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on Dec. 14, 2023.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 25, 2024
City criticized for displaying Ohtani-donated gloves, not gifting to kids
Ohtani said in November on his Instagram account that he would donate youth baseball gloves to every elementary school in Japan.
Former LDP Policy Research Council head Koichi Hagiuda (right) speaks in Hachioji, Tokyo, late Sunday night after Kazuo Shiyake won the city's mayoral election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2024
Ruling bloc-backed candidate wins Hachioji election
The win comes despite the LDP being embroiled in a high-profile slush funds scandal linked to its factions' fundraising parties.
Japan Airlines launched a new project in March 2021 in which about 1,000 flight attendants engage in promoting tourist resources in Japan's 47 prefectures.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 22, 2024
Regional business creators system picks up steam in Japan
The system allows local governments to leverage private-sector know-how in areas including tourism promotion and digitalization.
Mito Kakizawa (right) and former Koto Ward Mayor Yayoi Kimura in October
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 17, 2024
Ex-senior vice justice minister indicted for breach of election law
Including sums paid by secretaries, the lawmaker is suspected of having provided around ¥3.3 million to support a candidate he backed in a mayoral race.
The summit of Mount Fuji in October. An eruption of the volcano could bring immediate, immeasurable damage to parts of Japan.
JAPAN
Jan 14, 2024
Avoiding a catastrophe if Mount Fuji erupts after major quake
Drills have shown that such a double disaster could prove catastrophic for parts of Japan.
Officials with the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office raids the office of Lowr House lawmaker Mito Kakizawa in Tokyo's Edo Ward in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2024
Lawmaker Mito Kakizawa to admit to vote-buying allegations
The Lower House lawmaker's admission to vote-buying allegations in a Tokyo mayoral election will come after an initial denial.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki holds a news conference on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 28, 2023
Japanese government overrides Okinawa objection to Henoko work
The approval is "a milestone" for the total transfer of the Futenma air base as early as possible, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told reporters.
Lower House lawmaker Mito Kakizawa (back right) when he was appointed deputy justice minister in September
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 28, 2023
Japanese lawmaker Kakizawa arrested over vote-buying allegations
The former LDP member allegedly gave bribes to assembly members in Tokyo’s Koto Ward to garner support for a candidate in the Koto mayoral election.
The prefectural and municipal governments of Osaka hold a meeting in the city on Dec. 14 to discuss offering a ride-hailing service at the 2025 Osaka Expo.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2023
Local governments in Japan eye independent ride-hailing services
Some local governments are exploring the introduction of their own systems tailored to fit local circumstances, separate from the central government.
Construction work goes on in the Henoko coastal district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday, with Oura Bay in the foreground.
JAPAN
Dec 27, 2023
Japan to OK base relocation project design change by proxy
The approval of the change application will mark the central government's first-ever proxy execution of a local government administrative task.
The Chinese national emblem and flags at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Oct. 18.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 21, 2023
China’s move to clip local borrowing puts growth engine at risk
A revamp of the intergovernment debt structure could diminish the fiscal discretion of local leaders and weaken their drive to enact new policies.
Kakizawa resigned as senior vice justice minister in late October after admitting that he had proposed using an online advertisement in Yayoi Kimura's mayoral campaign, which is prohibited by the election law.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2023
Prosecutors search lawmaker's home and office over Tokyo vote-buying
Lower House member Mito Kakizawa is suspected of paying money to several Koto Ward assembly members to get a mayoral candidate he backed elected.
Police officers examine the site of a car crash in a square in front of the Hitachi municipal offices in Ibaraki Prefecture on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 7, 2023
Suspect in Ibaraki car crashes admits involvement, citing grudge
The vehicle that was rammed into a square in the city of Hitachi had the suspect's mother in the passenger seat at the time of the incident.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Japan’s record-low children population weighs on growth
The number of children 14 years old or younger fell for the 43rd straight year to around 14.01 million as of April 1.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

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