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 Reiji Yoshida

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Reiji Yoshida
Reiji Yoshida is a staff writer and deputy manager of the Domestic News Division. Since joining The Japan Times in 1993, he has intensively covered domestic politics, diplomacy and defense issues as well as the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2018
Women tending to collapsed mayor told to stay out of 'sacred' sumo ring
A referee urged two women to stay out of the ring as they tried to assist an official who was unconscious, reigniting a controversy over gender discrimination in sumo tradition.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 30, 2018
Strong on diplomacy? Abe seemingly caught off guard by North Korea and trade setbacks
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe likes to boast about his diplomatic skills, but two weeks of humiliating surprises from the U.S. and North Korea are testing his mettle.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2018
A day after Sagawa's testimony, where do things stand on Japan's Moritomo scandal?
Following the high-profile Diet testimony by a key former Finance Ministry official, ruling lawmakers are trying to bring an end to the Moritomo Gakuen scandal, which allegedly involved Akie Abe, the wife of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 19, 2018
Emboldened by Abe's dive in polls, opposition bolsters calls for key figures to testify over Moritomo scandal
The Cabinet's plunge in the opinion polls prompts the opposition camp to bolster its calls for Akie Abe and others to testify in the Diet on the Moritomo scandal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2018
LDP panel fails to form consensus over revision of war-renouncing Article 9
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's panel on constitutional revisions failed to reach a consensus Thursday over how the war-renouncing Article 9 should be revised, facing resistance from rank-and-file members calling for more radical revision than the ideas proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2018
Article 9 revision seen as politically risky amid Moritomo scandal
The outlook for ruling Liberal Democratic Party's deliberations on how best to amend the Constitution is now in doubt, with the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe having been rocked by a scandal involving falsification of official documents, senior lawmakers suggested Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 13, 2018
Pressure from above possibly behind Moritomo document alterations, former Finance Ministry official says
'A bureau chief alone wouldn't be able to rewrite everything. So several other people had to be involved,' the former official said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2018
Finance Ministry admits to doctoring official papers on Moritomo land scandal
The deletions, which wiped out references to the Abes, prominent lawmakers and the Japan Conference (Nippon Kaigi), took place before the documents were released to politicians probing the deal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Mar 12, 2018
Abe's route to revising Article 9 crosses minefield of legalese
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is now entering a critical phase of debate on what has been one of the most contentious political issues throughout the postwar years: whether and how the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution should be revised.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2018
Finance Ministry releases Moritomo documents but refuses to say if it has other versions
The Asahi Shimbun has reported that two documents were altered by ministry officials, and that released versions leave out key information on state-owned land being sold at an 86-percent discount.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 6, 2018
Opposition forces suspension of Upper House committee as ministry again refuses to disclose Moritomo papers
If fabrication allegations prove true, it would deal a huge blow to the Finance Ministry and possibly the Cabinet as a whole.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Mar 5, 2018
BOJ chief faces tougher second term as reality of monetary easing program sinks in
Bank of Japan Gov. Haruhiko Kuroda will face more severe challenges from the central bank's radical strategy for stoking 2 percent inflation and plans to unwind it.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 28, 2018
JR West says shinkansen crack caused by faulty part from Kawasaki Heavy
Kawasaki Heavy Industries excessively ground down a steel component, likely causing the 16-cm crack discovered in December on the undercarriage of a shinkansen, JR West says
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2018
Abe calls for foreign employment review to bring in skilled workers from overseas
In a bid to address labor shortages, the government aims to draw up a plan by summer to reform the immigration system to allow in more skilled foreign workers.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2018
LDP faction boss Fukushiro Nukaga pressured to step down ahead of September party leadership race
The head of what was once the most powerful faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is facing a crisis ahead of September's leadership race.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 2, 2018
Japan's digital camera shipments post first increase in seven years thanks to social media surge
Japan's digital camera industry, which has been hit hard by the explosive growth of the camera-equipped smartphone market, may have finally found a ray of hope — thanks to Instagram users showing off their private lives online.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2018
Tepco refused safety agency's proposal to simulate Fukushima tsunami nine years before meltdown disaster
Testimony about the plan was submitted as part of a lawsuit filed by Fukushima evacuees seeking compensation from the utility and the central government.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2018
Proposed Kibo no To policy criticizes Abe-backed security laws, but conservative members may balk
The leadership of Kibo no To (Party of Hope) on Friday proposed to rank-and-file members that the opposition party strongly criticize the controversial 2015 security laws pushed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a senior member and media reports said.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 24, 2018
Tokyo's success in bringing Pacific trade deal back to life marks challenge for Beijing, analysts say
The adjusted TPP deal marks a victory for Japan's diplomacy and will establish a strong foothold for member nations in trade negotiations with states preferring less liberalized trade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 23, 2018
Obayashi president to step down 'to renew the top management' at scandal-tainted firm
Obayashi Corp., one of the country's four largest general contractors, said Tuesday that its president, Toru Shiraishi, will step down in a bid to shake up management as the firm faces allegations of bid-rigging involving construction related to the ¥9 trillion maglev rail project.

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