Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki requests month of talks with Abe in bid to halt U.S. base transfer
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki on Tuesday called on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to engage in a one-month dialogue in his latest bid to halt the ongoing construction work to build a replacement facility for a key U.S. air base within the prefecture. Tamaki made the ...
With Okinawa having recently held a referendum on the relocation of a U.S. military base in the prefecture, we discuss the results.
More than 70% in Okinawa vote no to relocation of U.S. Futenma base to Henoko
More than 70 percent of voters in Okinawa on Sunday voted against a plan to relocate U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from Ginowan to Henoko — a coastal area in the northeastern part of the main island — in a closely watched prefecture-wide ...
Campaign kicks off for Okinawa referendum on U.S. base relocation plan
The voter turnout rate is crucial to how the results of the referendum will be perceived in Tokyo and Washington.
Osaka mayor and governor may quit to force early poll in bid to realize dream of metro government
The proposal to reorganize the government had already been put to a municipal referendum in 2015 but was rejected by voters.
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 ...
In country's first name-change referendum, Sasayama voters back renaming city as Tamba-Sasayama
The city of Sasayama in Hyogo Prefecture will be changing its name to Tamba-Sasayama as early as next May following what city officials described as the country's first referendum on changing a municipality's name. Sunday's referendum passed with a margin of 3,128, with 13,646 voting ...
The government of Okinawa on Thursday submitted to the local assembly a bill proposing a referendum on the controversial plan to relocate a key U.S. military base within the southern island prefecture. The bill is likely to be approved by the prefectural assembly, where a ...
Brexit could sway Scottish voters to seek independence from U.K.: poll
Britain's exit from the European Union could tip public opinion in Scotland in favor of seeking independence, an opinion poll showed on Sunday. Scotland voted against independence in 2014, but a subsequent referendum on leaving the EU has reignited debate over its long-term future as ...
Swiss 'real money' initiative fails after lack of support from cantons
A radical plan to upend Switzerland's financial landscape by barring commercial banks from creating money has been defeated after failing to win a majority of support from the Swiss cantons, Swiss broadcaster SRF said Sunday. The measure needed to secure a majority of Switzerland's 26 ...
Christine Howell planned to spend two years straight traveling and working in Australia from her arrival in Melbourne last December without breaking her trip to return home to Ireland. The timing felt right. Howell, 27, had qualified as an optician but wasn't ready to settle. ...
