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Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2015

Experts' tongue-lashing rekindles Diet debate on reinterpreted Constitution

The surprise tongue-lashing in the Diet meted out by three noted constitutional scholars has reignited debate on whether the Cabinet's reinterpretation of Article 9 last year was legitimate.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 29, 2015

Success taking a toll on LDP

The quality of the LDP's Diet members is sorely lacking, and the cause comes from the top — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
EDITORIALS
May 15, 2015

Defense bills remain problematic

The Abe administration's legislative package to expand the SDF's role finally reaches the Diet — but still remains poorly explained.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 15, 2015

Experts split on proposed SDF reforms; poll suggests public wary

Two noted experts interviewed by The Japan Times have contrasting views of Prime Minister Abe's ambitions to alter Japan's postwar security posture.
EDITORIALS
May 8, 2015

Honor the current Constitution

Amid the current effort to rewrite the Constitution, Japan should remember how well it has served the nation these past seven decades.
EDITORIALS
Apr 26, 2015

Civilian control over the SDF

Lawmakers should confirm the importance of civilian control of the SDF and pursue ways to strengthen the system rather than to undermine it.
EDITORIALS
Apr 24, 2015

Blurry limits on SDF missions

Security legislation prepared by the Abe administration does not dispel concerns that the SDF's overseas missions could be expanded without limits.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 13, 2015

Election results spotlight apathy, weak opposition

The ruling bloc's victories in the unified local elections are showcasing Japan's lack of viable political opposition while giving Prime Minister Abe momentum to pass unpopular security bills.
BUSINESS
Apr 9, 2015

JA chief resigns after farm reform battle with Abe

The head of JA-Zenchu, Japan's largest farm lobby and biggest opponent of a U.S.-led trade deal, announced his resignation a week after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet submitted a bill to the Diet to weaken its power.
JAPAN / Media / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Apr 4, 2015

Learning valuable lessons from the yakuza?

"He had connections and interactions with individuals related to the yakuza. Why on earth would he be appointed a (Cabinet) minister? The responsibility of the prime minister for appointing him to this position is tremendously weighty."
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2015

Coalition takes major step toward loosening SDF rules

The ruling coalition reaches a formal deal on security legislation, bringing the Abe administration one step closer to expanding the role Japan's military can constitutionally play overseas.
JAPAN
Mar 6, 2015

Foreign nurses, caregivers to get special visa status

The Cabinet approves the creation of a new visa category for foreign nurses and caregivers to help reduce the labor shortage in the industry.
EDITORIALS
Feb 24, 2015

An objective probe is needed

The Abe administration's management of the Islamic State hostage crisis must be investigated in an objective manner to provide lessons that will help guide the government in future crises.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 23, 2015

Farm minister Nishikawa resigns over donation scandal

Farm minister Koya Nishikawa steps down amid questions over political fundraising, the third minister to quit since Shinzo Abe became prime minister in 2012.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 21, 2015

'You should never hide negative information': Edano

At 2:46 p.m. on March 11, 2011, then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano was sitting in an Upper House committee along with then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Cabinet. Without warning, the room they had gathered in began to shake violently, and looks of concern intensified on lawmakers' faces. Edano...
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 3, 2015

Canadian foreign minister to quit amid talk of tensions with prime minister

Foreign Minister John Baird is unexpectedly set to resign from the federal Cabinet this week amid what sources said had been tensions with the prime minister's office.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 25, 2015

Purported Islamic State video shows hostage Goto claiming Yukawa has been executed

A video posted online shows journalist Kenji Goto holding a picture of what appears to be the body of slain fellow hostage Haruna Yukawa.
JAPAN / 70 YEARS OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY
Dec 31, 2014

Year ahead may mark turning point for SDF

The 70th year since the end of World War II may be a watershed for the Self-Defense Forces if they undergo the historic changes planned by the Cabinet.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 17, 2014

Japan's economy takes a dive as Abe weighs delay of second tax hike

The economy unexpectedly sank into a recession in the last quarter, unable to shake off the impact of April's consumption tax hike and raising the odds that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will postpone a second increase next year.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2014

Wounded Abe grapples with tax jinx after BOJ easing move

Back in April when Shinzo Abe raised the consumption tax, he was betting he could break a jinx that has doomed prime ministers to losing their jobs.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / BIG IN JAPAN
Nov 1, 2014

Media whips up fuss over S&M bar claim

First came what the tabloids referred to as "W-jinin," the resignations of two female Cabinet members — Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yuko Obuchi and Justice Minister Midori Matsushima — on the same day.

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