Politics
LDP lawmaker calls sexual harassment whistleblowing almost 'crime'
Veteran House of Representatives member and former education minister Hakubun Shimomura said a news reporter's decision to record the top finance bureaucrat's allegedly sexually suggestive remarks and give it to a magazine was almost a criminal act, an opposition party newspaper revealed Monday. The broadcast network TV Asahi female reporter's… Read
Japan contemplates post-Abe world, but rivals' positions still murky
Rivals are jockeying to replace Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as the embattled Japanese leader struggles with sinking support, but so far none have offered detailed policy alternatives to his "strong defense, strong economy" platform. Battered by scandals involving suspected cronyism, Abe's ratings have slid near or below 30 percent, dampening… Read
Voter support for Abe slips amid calls for Aso to quit
Voter support for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, battered by accusations of cronyism and other government missteps, slipped in three newspaper surveys published on Monday, as opposition parties demanded that his finance minister resign. Abe's ratings fell three points to 30 percent in a poll by the Mainichi newspaper. The… Read
Japan may soften trade stance as U.S. keeps up pressure
Despite calls to resist protectionism and for the United States to rejoin a multilateral trans-Pacific trade pact, Japan is gradually shifting gear to adjust to a trade environment shaken up by U.S. President Donald Trump. Japan ramped up its warning over the damage protectionism could inflict on the global economy,… Read
Lockheed Martin to propose stealth hybrid of F-22 and F-35 for Japan
U.S. defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp plans to offer Japan a stealth fighter design based on its export-banned F-22 Raptor and advanced F-35 Lightning II aircraft, two sources said. Lockheed has discussed the idea with Japanese defence ministry officials and will make a formal proposal in response to a Japanese… Read
Japan left behind as G-20 frets over monetary tightening
With trade issues at the forefront of the weekend meeting of the Group of 20 finance leaders, another topic got less play but deserves equal attention: monetary policy normalization. The consensus among the attending finance ministers and central bank governors was that the wind-down of stimulus measures amassed after the… Read
Abe welcomes N Korea decision to freeze nuclear, missile tests
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe welcomed North Korea's announcement Saturday that it would freeze nuclear and missile tests and shut down its main nuclear test site. "I welcome the announcement as a positive action," Abe told reporters, adding there will be no immediate change to his government's policy of exerting… Read
Email suggests Abe's secretary, local gov't discussed vet school deal
An email in the education ministry's records suggests a secretary of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met local government officials in 2015 to discuss a plan to build a new veterinary school at the center of cronyism allegations against the premier. Education minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday confirmed the existence of… Read
Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, the shrine said on Saturday, prompting criticism from Seoul as it is seen in the two Koreas and China as a symbol of Japan's past militarism. On Friday, around 70 lawmakers paid their respects at the shrine, which… Read
Aso voices concern over U.S. protectionist policies to Mnuchin
Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso said he voiced concerns over the U.S. shift toward protectionist trade policies at a meeting Friday with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Aso called for Japan to be exempted from the stiff tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that Washington rolled out last month, a Finance… Read
