Politics
Petition to cancel Tokyo Olympics submitted to Koike
A petition to cancel the Tokyo Olympics with more than 351,000 signatures was submitted to the city's governor on Friday, with its organizer urging officials to "prioritize life". The online petition titled "Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to protect our lives" was launched on May 5 by Kenji Utsunomiya, a lawyer… Read
42-year-old mayor gets COVID shot ahead of elderly
A 42-year-old mayor in eastern Japan came under scrutiny Thursday as he was inoculated against COVID-19 ahead of the elderly, in the latest case that could raise suspicion about fair distribution amid the country's sluggish vaccine rollout. Shirosato Mayor Osamu Katono in Ibaraki Prefecture told a press conference he received… Read
LDP renews push to revise constitution
Japan's governing party is renewing its push for its long-cherished goal of revising the country's pacifist constitution, saying effective anti-coronavirus measures such as lockdowns aren't possible without an emergency clause in the charter providing enforcement and the limiting of private rights. The powerful lower house of parliament, controlled by the… Read
S Korean fishermen sue Japanese gov't over Fukushima water
South Korean fisheries associations filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government at a local court on Thursday, seeking compensation for the planned release of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the Yonhap news agency reported. The National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives of Jeju Island and a shipowners' association… Read
Wealthy nations, once praised for success against virus, lag in vaccinations
Some wealthy nations that were most praised last year for controlling the coronavirus are now lagging far behind in getting their people vaccinated — and some, especially in Asia, are seeing COVID-19 cases grow. In Japan, South Korea and New Zealand, the vaccination rates are languishing in the single figures.… Read
Suga planning to attend Singapore security forum in June
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is arranging to participate in a major security forum to be held in Singapore next month, government sources said, as Japan cooperates with like-minded countries to counter China's growing military influence in the region. Suga, who would be the first Japanese leader in seven years to… Read
Japan to establish agency to speed up digitalization
The Diet on Wednesday enacted a set of laws to establish a new government agency in September as the country aims to speed up digitalization. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's government hopes to accelerate digitalization in the central and local governments to improve the quality of services after the novel coronavirus… Read
Biden expected to nominate Rahm Emanuel as ambassador to Japan
President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to serve as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, according to a person familiar with the president's decision. The person, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday, said the… Read
Japan begins first joint military drill with U.S., France
Japanese, U.S. and French troops kicked off their first-ever joint military drill Tuesday in southwestern Japan, as concerns rise over China's growing assertiveness in the region. An Australian naval ship is also taking part in the week-long air, land and sea exercises involving 300 ground troops from the three countries.… Read
Government advisor sparks anger with tweet laughing off calls for Olympic cancelation
A tweet by a top Japanese government advisor downplaying the pandemic and laughing off calls for the Olympics to be canceled is drawing public ire a few days after Japan extended a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas until the end of May. Kaetsu University Professor Yoichi… Read
