NEWSWORTHY
Japan to make trademark registration of era names impossible
The government plans to set a clear rule that no trademark containing any era name can be registered. The government will revise its trademark application screening criteria, which currently only reject registration of the current era name, officials said Monday. The government hopes to make sure ...
Tasked with bringing North Korea abduction issue to a close, Suga vows to do all in his power
As the government's new point man on the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said he will do all in his power to bring the issue to a close and secure the safe return of all who ...
Japan to urge U.S. not to leave nuke pact, citing possible arms race, North Korea denuclearization
The government plans to call on the United States not to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia, sources have said. Tokyo is concerned that Washington's possible unilateral withdrawal from the key nuclear treaty could accelerate its arms race with Russia and ...
Yoshihide Suga responded tersely to an investigative report during a regular press briefing, referring to Abe’s past denial in the Diet of the allegation.
New Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki may meet top government spokesman and Abe in Tokyo on Friday
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday he is considering meeting with new Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki in Tokyo on Friday. The governor's representatives proposed that Tamaki visit the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, Suga told a news conference, adding that he will meet with ...
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga urged North Korea on Sunday to take concrete steps for achieving denuclearization. "The signing of (a joint statement on) denuclearization at the U.S.-North Korean summit was very meaningful," Suga said on a television program. "It's important that (plans for denuclearization) ...
Yoshihide Suga rebutted the reports by repeating the prime minister’s official stance, saying LDP lawmakers will seek to put together a unified formal party proposal.
Abe to shuffle Cabinet and appoint Liberal Democratic Party executives early next month
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday he will shuffle his Cabinet and appoint executives of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Oct. 2 following his victory in the LDP presidential election last week. Speaking at a news conference in New York, Abe said he plans ...
The government is mulling an update to the nation's visa system in order to accept more foreign workers in a growing number of professions facing manpower shortages, including those that serve the labor-hungry restaurant and fisheries industries, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday. As ...
Nations lock horns in Brazil over Japan's call to resume whaling
Pro- and anti-whaling nations locked horns Monday as the International Whaling Commission (IWC) began meeting in Brazil amid outrage over Japan's proposal to end a three-decade old moratorium on commercial whale hunting. Incoming IWC Chairman Joji Morishita said the meeting could determine the future of ...
What would a 40% cut to phone bills mean for Japan's mobile carriers?
Japan's mobile carriers have come under government scrutiny for high phone bills that have helped bring years of enviable profit margins and given them a combined market value of more than $250 billion. One of the most senior figures in government raised the possibility of ...
Mobile phone operators take ¥1 trillion blow after Suga says bills could be cut 40%
Wireless carriers tumbled in Tokyo after the government's spokesman said they have room to cut phone bills by about 40 percent, sparking concern that lawmakers will renew a push for greater competition in a sector dominated by three big players. The declines wiped about ¥1 ...
