Politics
Japan rejects nuclear ban treaty; survivors to keep pushing
Japan said Monday it will not sign a U.N. treaty that bans nuclear weapons and does not welcome its entry into force next year, rejecting the wishes of atomic bomb survivors in Japan who are urging the government to join and work for a nuclear-free world. The United Nations confirmed… Read
Diet session opens; Suga says Japan to go carbon-free by 2050
Japan will achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared Monday, outlining an ambitious agenda as the country struggles to balance economic and pandemic concerns. The policy speech at the outset of the parliamentary session was Suga's first since he took office on Sept 16 after his… Read
Suga's communication skills tested as honeymoon period ends
After more than a month since taking office, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is being tested for his ability to communicate his political vision to the public, with the end of his honeymoon period marked by a controversy over his refusal to allow certain scholars to join a government advisory… Read
U.N. nuclear arms ban treaty leaves Japan in a dilemma
The United Nations said Saturday that 50 countries have ratified a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons, paving the way for its entry into force on Jan 22, a move praised by anti-nuclear activists but opposed by the United States and other nuclear powers. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear… Read
Suga, Abe attend memorial for father of N Korea abductee Megumi Yokota
A memorial service was held Saturday for Shigeru Yokota, a prominent figure in Japan due to his tireless campaigning for the return of his daughter Megumi and her compatriots who were abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged at the event to work… Read
U.S. election may serve as critical juncture for U.S.-Japan alliance
President Donald Trump has often said that the Nov 3 presidential election will be crucial for the future course of the United States, and this could also be the case for Japan, its key security ally. Four years into Trump's presidency, questions continue to be raised over his "America First"… Read
Japan's plan to build missile defense system at sea faces mounting costs
Basing Japan's missile defense systems at sea may cost at least twice as much to complete as its now-abandoned plans for Aegis Ashore ground-based sites and delay it to 2028, a person with knowledge of the plans told Reuters. Fitted with powerful Lockheed Martin Corp radars, Japan's Aegis Ashore systems… Read
Abe says he didn’t want to cosplay as Mario at 2016 Olympics
One of the biggest surprises of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics didn’t come on the field, in the pool, or in an arena, but during the closing ceremony when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe popped out of a pipe dressed as video game legend Super Mario, as part of the baton… Read
Scholars decry Suga's academic panel rejections
Scholars who had their recommendations to join Japan's national academy denied by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday that the rejection was unconstitutional. Suga’s refusal to approve the appointments of six professors out of a slate of 105 to the state-funded Science Council of Japan has drawn accusations from some… Read
Japan, Britain sign free trade deal for post-Brexit era
Japan and Britain signed a free trade agreement on Friday, the the first such major post-Brexit deal, reducing tariffs on goods like Yorkshire lamb sold in Japan as well as auto parts for Japan's Nissan plant. "How fitting it is to be in the Land of the Rising Sun to… Read
