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November 22, 2024
 

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Ayako Mie

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Ayako Mie
Ayako Mie covers Japanese politics and policies for the Japan Times. She started her career as a reporter at Tokyo Broadcasting System in 2001. In 2008, she went to journalism school at University of California, Berkeley as a Fulbright scholar. On returning to Japan in December 2010, she worked for the Washington Post as a special correspondent.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2013
Opposition disparity: No end in sight
The opposition camp is rife with disunity and unable to exert any political say against Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party-led government, now that the LDP controls about 60 percent of the Diet.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2013
Abe faces tall order in extra Diet session
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will get 53 days to pass a host of critical economic and defense bills when the extraordinary Diet session opens this week.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2013
Abe under pressure from his party to protect 'sacred five'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is facing severe resistance from his ruling Liberal Democratic Party on plans to potentially scrap import tariffs on some of Japan's "sacred five" agricultural products.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2013
Koizumi takes up post for Tohoku reconstruction
Shinjiro Koizumi's appointment Monday as parliamentary secretary in charge of Tohoku's recovery has generated much attention amid mounting criticism of the government for failing to speed up reconstruction efforts or end the radioactive water spill into the sea at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2013
April to see sales tax hike, Abe confirms
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe goes ahead with raising the consumption tax while also offering a ¥5 trillion stimulus package to offset the negative impact on consumer spending.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 1, 2013
Abe banking on ¥5 trillion in stimulus
Shinzo Abe's future as prime minister may well depend on how well the ¥5 trillion stimulus package cushions the economy from the tax-hike blow.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2013
Ruling bloc to put off reconstruction surcharge decision
The ruling coalition was expected Monday evening to delay until the end of December the decision on whether to end the Tohoku reconstruction surcharge for companies a year earlier than planned, amid mounting criticism that it would not lead to wage hikes — one of the arguments in favor of the move....
BUSINESS
Sep 27, 2013
LDP readies measures to cushion tax hike
The ruling coalition on Friday agreed on certain parts of a ¥5 trillion stimulus package being readied to ease the impact of the planned sales tax hike, including handouts of up to ¥15,000 for lower income households.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy / 'SUMMER DAVOS' SPECIAL 2013
Sep 10, 2013
Seeking to change men's mind-sets to spur on prosperity for all Japanese
When Upper House lawmaker Masako Mori became a state minister for measures for declining birthrate, gender equality and consumer affairs and food safety last December, one of the first things she did was to announce that she would promote male staff within her ministries if they take child-care leave....
Japan Times
JAPAN
Sep 3, 2013
JET alumni advocates for Japan
Clifton Strickler never thought of coming to Japan until he met his boss at the University of Texas while engaged in an undergraduate work-study. His boss lived in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, teaching English with the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Sep 2, 2013
Legislation bureau chief Abe's window to collective defense
The appointment of Ichiro Komatsu as director general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau is a step toward Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal of reinterpreting the Constitution so Japan can engage in collective self-defense.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 31, 2013
Most on Abe's expert panel approve plan to hike sales tax
The government's expert panel on the planned consumption tax hike wrapped up discussions Saturday with more than 70 percent of its members supporting the plan as it now stands, saying Japan will suffer a much bigger economic blow if the tax isn't raised.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 30, 2013
Cabinet weighs stance if U.S. hits Syria without U.N. nod
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet is mulling how to respond to a possible U.S.-led military strike against Syria without authorization from the United Nations Security Council.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2013
Ban shouldn't hit Abe's views: Suga
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga rebuffs criticism by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon over Japan's revisionist views of its wartime history.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 26, 2013
Abe begins collecting feedback on tax hike before decision
A government panel kicked off a seven-day discussion Monday on whether the sales tax should be hiked next April amid concerns it could derail Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's radical efforts to end decades of deflation.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Aug 23, 2013
Reform plan no remedy for health care
Japan has been resorting to patchwork reforms over the past decade to prevent the health care system from collapsing as a rapidly graying society demands more funds from an ever-shrinking pool of tax revenue.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 16, 2013
Foreign colleges feel globalization-excluded
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pursues deregulation, the "third arrow" of his "Abenomics" economic plan, Temple University's Japan campus is closely watching to see if he will create a more favorable situation for foreign schools here by granting them the same tax perks and credits as Japanese universities,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2013
By omitting words, Abe speaks volumes
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed no remorse for Japan's past military aggression in Asia and failed to pledge to never again wage war Thursday when the nation marked the 68th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, underscoring his revisionist views on history and push to amend the pacifist...
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 7, 2013
Watanabe sacks Your Party exec Eda
The upheaval in the opposition camp shows no sign of letting up, as witnessed by the Wednesday sacking of Kenji Eda as secretary-general of the 36 Diet member Your Party, a move that may divide its ranks.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2013
Upper House poll to elect officer hits snag: Votes exceed chamber's roster
The 240-member Upper House voted Friday for its new president and vice president, but when ballots were cast for the latter, the tally came to 243.
Two of America’s biggest debt holders are dumping Treasurys
The U.S. Treasury building in Washington. Investors in Japan and China sold a pile of U.S. debt in the last quarter, just before the U.S. presidential election.
Ishiba aggravates his own political failures with diplomatic faux pas
Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba is greeted at the APEC summit in Lima by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday. The Japanese leader was criticized for remaining seated while meeting several world leaders at the event.
Japan's 3.31 million visitors in October set monthly record
Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in December 2023. Famous autumn leaf colors contributed to increased tourism demand last month from many markets across Asia, Europe and North America, the Japan National Tourism Organization has said.
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
Japan, U.K. and Italy discuss inviting more countries to joint fighter project
A new concept model of a next-generation fighter jet to be jointly developed by Japan, Britain and Italy is on display in Farnborough, Hampshire, in July.
Haruki Murakami's 'The City and Its Uncertain Walls' gives deep deja vu
For “The City and Its Uncertain Walls,” translated into English by Philip Gabriel, Haruki Murakami confronts the ghosts who won't leave him alone.
Japanese expats in Asia find community through rugby
The Taiwan Fivewoods celebrate their victory at the 2023 Asian Japanese Rugby Cup in December of last year.
In Fukushima, a weekend of prose, poetry and translation
Aomori-based writer JJ Carter presented on tabletop gaming as creative inspiration for building characters and narratives.
For Dr. Nakamats, aging is just experience in action
Though he didn't win the recent gubernatorial election in Tokyo, the 96-year-old Dr. Nakamats' run was seen as inspirational in Japan's aging society.

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