LDP execs support Abe staying on beyond 2021 to get Constitution amended
Executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday expressed support for the prospect of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe staying on for another term after 2021 in order to pursue his controversial goal of amending the Constitution. Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso told a news ...
Cherry blossom-viewing party: Breaking down Abe's latest cronyism scandal
Every year since 1952, the prime minister, via taxpayer funds, has hosted one of the nation's largest cherry blossom-viewing parties. But with allegations of cronyism and favoritism surrounding the selection of invitees by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his administration, next year's party has been ...
Deputy PM Taro Aso says he invited 100 to 200 supporters to Tokyo cherry blossom party
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said Thursday he had invited between 100 and 200 supporters to attend this year's edition of a publicly funded cherry blossom-viewing party at the center of a growing scandal. Opposition parties have been stepping up criticism that the annual event, ...
Japan needs extra budget of over ¥10 trillion: LDP No. 2 Toshihiro Nikai
The government needs to compile an extraordinary budget of more than ¥10 trillion to bolster the economy, a senior ruling party official said Tuesday. "As uncertainty grows about the economic outlook, (the government) cannot remove the public's anxiety without a large-scale supplementary budget," Toshihiro Nikai, ...
Finance Minister Taro Aso indicated a new openness to introducing 50-year government bonds, days after the country's central bank chief suggested such a move could be helpful. "This is one topic of our considerations," Aso told reporters Friday in Tokyo when asked about the potential ...
Japan Finance Minister Taro Aso plays down need for stimulus after tax hike
Finance Minister Taro Aso on Friday dismissed the need to boost fiscal stimulus to counter the impact of the consumption tax hike, despite expectations the government and the Bank of Japan may act to reduce pressure on the world's third-largest economy. The government rolled out ...
Abe shows his command over LDP in reshuffle
Abe demonstrated that he is clearly in the driver's seat, posturing his allies for advancement in the LDP ranks, keeping bandwagoners contained and edging out rivals altogether.
In wake of uproar over pension system, Japan to draw up fresh report on post-retirement financing
The Financial Services Agency plans to compile a fresh report on post-retirement financing after its previous report sparked a controversy with its estimate that an elderly couple living to age 95 will need ¥20 million in life savings on top of public pensions, according ...
Abe's top lieutenants set to retain slots in post-election Cabinet reshuffle
Key members close to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, including Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, are likely to retain their posts in a Cabinet reshuffle that is planned for September, according to ruling lawmakers. Abe sees the contributions of Aso, ...
Politics pays as average income of Japanese lawmakers hit 16-year high of ¥26.57 million in 2018
The top nine earners all come from the Liberal Democratic Party.
Report on Japan pension shortfall spurs anxiety — and a closer look at the system
The Financial Services Agency earlier this month released a report on the future financial security of senior citizens that suggested people would have to save more to make up for expected shortfalls in the public pension system, sparking public anxiety and major controversy over ...
Japan's print media ponder wealth, poverty and pensions
One of my recollections from the bubble economy of the 1980s was a passage in a 1987 book titled "Hokokuron" ("The Theory of National Wealth"). Its author, the late economist Taiichi Sakaiya, stood out as one of the bubble era's most fervent cheerleaders. An American ...
