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Kazuaki Nagata

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Kazuaki Nagata
JAPAN
Feb 20, 2009
As LDP closes ranks, most stay silent on Koizumi gambit
Despite Prime Minister Taro Aso's plummeting poll numbers, the majority of his party's top decision-making body apparently backed his contentious cash handout program at a closed meeting Thursday, one participant said.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2009
Clinton meets with Ozawa, other DPJ leaders
Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton met Tuesday in Tokyo in a rare encounter between a Japanese opposition party president and the top U.S. diplomat.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2009
Tokyo orchid extravaganza wows flower lovers
A myriad of orchids enchanted visitors at Tokyo Dome in Bunkyo Ward on Saturday, kicking off a nine-day floral event crowned with prizewinning orchid works.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2009
Aso's handout foes face trump card: poll
Prime Minister Taro Aso's ¥2 trillion cash handout program, his key stimulus plan, is under threat after former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, arguably Japan's most popular lawmaker, openly dismissed its importance.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2009
Ozawa-Clinton meeting can't be scheduled
Democratic Party of Japan executives failed Friday to arrange a meeting between DPJ chief Ichiro Ozawa and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton when she visits Japan next week.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2009
Waffling Aso roasted on public griddle
If there is one thing contributing to Prime Minister Taro Aso's sagging approval rate, it's his flip-flopping on the issues.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2009
Koizumi enters postal fray, fires shot at Aso
Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi stuck his head into a political brouhaha Thursday to rap Prime Minister Taro Aso for his imprudent remarks on postal privatization, threatening to stir up even more anti-Aso sentiment.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2009
The uphill battle against 'descent from heaven'
"Amakudari," the custom of setting up retired senior bureaucrats in cushy jobs in industries they previously oversaw, has no shortage of critics, who lambaste the practice as an abuse of power and a source of corruption.
JAPAN
Feb 10, 2009
Watanabe expects poll will be held before fall
Prime Minister Taro Aso will probably not be able to delay a general election until September, when the current term of Lower House members expires, former administrative reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe said Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2009
Aso riles LDP over postal stance
Liberal Democratic Party members expressed dismay Friday at Prime Minister Taro Aso's remarks the previous day that he originally opposed postal privatization and was willing to review the splitup of the service.
JAPAN
Jan 31, 2009
Opposition split on naval antipiracy dispatch off Somalia
The government plan to submit a bill in March to send Maritime Self-Defense Force ships off Somalia to join the fight against pirates is splitting the ranks of the Democratic Party of Japan and the rest of the opposition camp.
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2009
Ruling bloc, opposition resume Diet squabbling
Key ruling bloc and opposition lawmakers exchanged barbs Thursday in the Diet, opening a new round of squabbling following the enactment of a contentious secondary budget just two days earlier.
JAPAN
Jan 29, 2009
Women still largely absent from politics
When it comes to female participation in politics, Japan lags far behind other nations.
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2009
Extra budget with cash handouts passed
Political wrangling in the Diet over the controversial second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 ended Tuesday when the ruling bloc's legislation effectively prevailed by default.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 24, 2009
Reformist Koike loyal to LDP, waits in wings
While last year's Liberal Democratic Party presidential race ended in a landside victory for Prime Minister Taro Aso, there were signs that the old guard's grip on power is slipping.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2009
LDP panel dilutes tax hike proposal as peers rebel against setting a date
A key Liberal Democratic Party panel barely managed to contain a rebellion Thursday as debate on a proposal to schedule a consumption tax hike forced it to toss in vague wording that provides more wiggle room in picking a date for the increase.
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2009
Temp support groups call for urgent steps
Support groups proposed several steps to the government and opposition on Monday to strengthen the safety net for laid-off temp workers ahead of an expected increase in their number at the end of March.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2009
Ozawa tells convention DPJ will win
Democratic Party of Japan members gathered at their annual convention Sunday to show their resolution to defeat the LDP-New Komeito coalition's government in this year's general election.
JAPAN
Jan 19, 2009
Bureaucratic reform on the line
Former administrative reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe's resignation from the Liberal Democratic Party highlights a growing rebellion against Prime Minister Aso Taro, who has been struggling to steer the nation amid sagging public support.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 15, 2009
Toy makers concentrate on robots that can soothe a harried populace
In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, people need some relaxation, and that's what the Japanese toy industry will be selling this year.
Japan's biggest beef bowl chain Sukiya to shut nearly 2,000 stores after rat and bug contamination
Zensho Holdings, operator of fast-food chain Sukiya, said it will close all of its stores in Japan, except for a small number in shopping centers, between Monday and Friday following recent contamination incidents.
Alert raised for volcano in southwestern Japan
Shinmoedake, a volcano located between Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures, in November 2019
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Nankai Trough earthquake could kill 298,000 people, government says
Residents participate in an evacuation drill held with West Japan Railway in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, in January 2024 to prepare for a Nankai Trough earthquake and a possible tsunami following the quake.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
A Canadian made a weekend trip to Costco a Japanese pastime
Under the watchful eye of Ken Theriault, Costco representative director and Japan country manager, the American membership-model wholesaler has flourished in Japan.
Tokyo tech failures lean into misfortune, mistakes and missteps
Tsuyoshi Domoto in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on March 28. As an entrepreneur, Domoto experienced plenty of setbacks but maintains a positive attitude and continues to pursue his dreams.
Who among the opposition would join the ruling coalition?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba enters his office in Tokyo on Friday.
Traveling the Three-Star Road, the tourist route made from thin air
Scenes like this snow-covered bridge leading to the village of Shirakawa-go are what make the Three-Star Road worth traveling — its name notwithstanding.
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.

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