Politics
Abe eyes cabinet reshuffle in early Oct if elected PM for 3rd term
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to reshuffle his cabinet and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership in early October if elected later this month as party head and premier for a third straight term, senior administration officials said. Abe will also consult with the party and the government on a… Read
Abe gets middling marks on his economic performance from analysts: poll
Economists are giving Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe middling marks on his economic accomplishments, a Reuters poll showed, crediting him with boosting female worker participation but giving him a poor score for production revolution. Asked to grade Abe on a scale from zero to 100, 29 analysts gave him an… Read
Abe 20 points ahead of Ishiba in LDP leadership race: poll
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds a 20-point lead over former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election next week, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday. Abe, who is seeking another three-year term in the Sept 20 leadership election, was supported by 55.5 percent of… Read
Abe says isle dispute with Russia must be settled before peace treaty can be signed
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday repeated Japan's stance that a row over islands seized by Russian troops in the final days of World War Two must be settled before a peace treaty can be signed to formally end hostilities between their countries. Putin appeared to catch Abe off guard… Read
Japan on brink of IWC pullout after commercial whaling comeback blocked
Japan's determined bid to return to commercial whale hunting was rejected by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Friday in a tense vote that left the 72-year old organization at a crossroads. Japan's vice-minister for fisheries Masaaki Taniai said he "regretted" the vote's outcome, and threatened Tokyo's withdrawal from the 89-member… Read
Edano looks to lessons from Sanders to win youth support
The leader of Japan's main opposition party Yukio Edano said he hopes to run a Bernie Sanders-like grassroots political campaign in the upcoming election after meeting the U.S. senator in Washington. Speaking to reporters Friday after a sitdown with Sanders, Edano, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, indicated… Read
Abe, Ishiba face off in debate over economy, constitution
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe locked horns with his rival Shigeru Ishiba ahead of next week's Liberal Democratic Party leadership contest, the pair debating Japan's pressing issues, including economic and constitutional questions. Abe, who is seeking a third successive three-year term as head of the LDP, vowed to address what he… Read
Kono says Japan will accept more foreign workers
Japan is gearing up to accept more foreign workers as its own population is on the brink of a steep decline, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Thursday. Kono told a World Economic Forum meeting in Hanoi that Japan gains "value added" by accepting foreigners, especially since its aging population and… Read
Campaigns begin for Okinawa governor race; base transfer in focus
Official campaigning got under way Thursday for the Sept 30 Okinawa gubernatorial election, with the controversial plan to relocate a key U.S. military base within the southern island prefecture topping the agenda. Atsushi Sakima, 54, the former Ginowan mayor backed by the ruling parties, and former opposition lawmaker Denny Tamaki,… Read
Japan, Vietnam urge U.S. to rejoin Pacific trade deal
Japan and Vietnam on Thursday urged the United States to rejoin a sprawling Pacific trade deal, almost two years after President Donald Trump's withdrawal dealt a major blow to what would have been the world's largest free trade pact. Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal in one… Read
