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JAPAN
Jan 26, 2006

ODA panel wants Foreign Ministry to have top say-so

A government advisory panel reviewing the organizational aspects of Japan's official development assistance suggested Wednesday that a strategic council be set up for the prime minister to take the lead in deciding key aid projects and other basic ODA policies, panel members said.
COMMENTARY
Jan 23, 2006

The feud can end anytime

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi should realize that he holds the key to settling the growing discord with China even as Beijing adds fuel to the fire by urging the Japanese government to restrict news media reports on the alleged security threat posed by China.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 20, 2006

Diet session no cakewalk for majority coalition

When the 2006 ordinary Diet session kicks off Friday, the Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling alliance will face several battles to reach its goals -- from within the coalition.
COMMENTARY
Jan 19, 2006

Still plagued by sleazy politics

LONDON -- There is understandably a great deal of cynicism about politicians in every country. Their reputation is probably now lower than that of any other profession because they have so often been exposed as liars and/or as corrupt.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2006

Computer to predict terrorist damage

The government plans to put into operation a computer simulator that can predict the damage caused by a large-scale terrorist attack, an official said Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2006

Prison urged for Muraoka in JDA-LDP fund scandal

Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded one year behind bars for former senior lawmaker Kanezo Muraoka for his alleged involvement in concealing a 100 million yen political donation by a dentists' group.
EDITORIALS
Jan 16, 2006

Running on empty in Ukraine

New Year celebrations were colder than usual in Ukraine. On Jan. 1, Russia cut off supplies of natural gas over a contract dispute. Frantic negotiations produced a new contract, but the terms outraged Ukraine's Parliament. Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko was not the only casualty in the affair, however....
BUSINESS
Jan 7, 2006

Tanigaki heads to U.S. for range of talks

Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said Friday he will leave this weekend for a seven-day visit to the United States for talks with U.S. policymakers as well as the heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 4, 2006

Female succession bill set for March

The government will present a bill amending the Imperial House Law to the Diet in early March that would authorize females and their descendants to ascend the throne, according to sources.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 2005

China slammed over diplomat's suicide

Tokyo has lodged protests with Beijing four times since last year over the 2004 suicide of a diplomat at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai, claiming China violated an international treaty by trying to blackmail him for intelligence, government sources admitted Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2005

Government streamlining bill planned

The Cabinet decided Saturday to submit a bill next year to demonstrate its resolve to maintain Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to streamline government agencies.
BUSINESS
Dec 20, 2005

Deflation's end on horizon for next fiscal year

The economy may finally emerge from seven years of deflation in fiscal 2006, although growth will slow to a real 1.9 percent from the 2.7 percent growth forecast for this fiscal year, according to a government report released Monday.
BUSINESS
Dec 8, 2005

Economy gauge stays in boom zone

A key gauge of the current state of the economy stayed above the boom-or-bust threshold of 50 percent in October for the third straight month, buoyed by strong large-lot electricity consumption and a healthy job offers-to-seekers ratio, the government said Wednesday.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2005

New title will be needed for husband of empress

The government plans to include the official title of a reigning empress's husband in its bill to allow a female on the throne, government officials said Saturday.
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2005

Asbestos-relief bill may hit 27 billion yen

The government revealed Tuesday that thousands of buildings nationwide, including public facilities, pose asbestos exposure risks while unveiling a draft bill to pay 27 billion yen in compensation to the people affected.
EDITORIALS
Nov 26, 2005

Health ministry's number-juggling act

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's initiative to give local governments more fiscal autonomy -- part of his structural reform agenda -- is meeting stiff resistance from the central bureaucracy. The plan calls for seven ministries to cut a total of 630 billion yen in subsidies provided by the state. The...
BUSINESS
Nov 22, 2005

Government stays upbeat on economy

The government remained upbeat on the economy in its latest monthly report released Monday, citing pickups in personal spending and capital investment and improving employment.
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
Nov 22, 2005

The 'IC you' card

People are still reeling from September's LDP landslide election, realizing that Koizumi can essentially legislate whatever he wants.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2005

Sino-Japanese relations continue to cool

SINGAPORE -- China appears to be in a political and diplomatic quagmire as it contends with a "new" Japan that is described by Chinese observers and analysts as growing increasingly conserva- tive, hawkish and nationalistic. Beijing is alarmed by Japan's so-called return to "normalcy" under the orchestration...
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2005

Ratio of women in panels tops 30%

Women accounted for 30.9 percent of government councils and committees at the end of September, clearing the government's 30 percent target set in 2000, Kuniko Inoguchi, minister in charge of sex equality and the falling birthrate, reported to the Cabinet Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2005

Beleaguered Bush receives warm reception from ally in Asia

KYOTO -- U.S. President George W. Bush doesn't get many warm welcomes when he leaves the White House these days.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2005

Koizumi wants bond issues cut

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi instructed his Cabinet and Liberal Democratic Party leaders Tuesday to keep new issues of government bonds "as near 30 trillion yen" as possible in the fiscal 2006 budget.
BUSINESS
Nov 9, 2005

Koizumi unlocks auto taxes

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has ordered the government to use revenue from some auto-related taxes for purposes other than road-related projects, infrastructure minister Kazuo Kitagawa said Tuesday.
Japan Times
Features
Nov 6, 2005

Surveying a state of change

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led his Liberal Democratic Party to a landslide victory in the Sept. 11 general election he called as a de facto referendum on his drive to privatize postal services.
EDITORIALS
Nov 4, 2005

Toward a police-controlled media

There is a strong social trend toward protecting privacy. A milestone will be the enforcement of the Private Information Protection Law beginning in April. But the government is apparently taking advantage of this trend and people's distrust of the media -- due to often sensationalistic crime coverage...
Japan Times
JAPAN / CABINET INTERVIEW
Nov 4, 2005

Keep road taxes for road projects, Kitagawa says

Reappointed transport minister Kazuo Kitagawa says motorists will be disgruntled if tax revenue currently earmarked for road construction is shifted to the general budget.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2005

Nonpartisan panel established to study new war memorial

Senior lawmakers from the ruling coalition and the Democratic Party of Japan on Friday launched a nonpartisan panel to study the feasibility of establishing a new war memorial to bridge the rift between Japan and its neighbors over Yasukuni Shrine.
BUSINESS
Oct 29, 2005

Reform of state lenders in works

A Liberal Democratic Party panel studying reforms to eight government-backed financial institutions agreed Friday that Shoko Chukin Bank should be privatized.
BUSINESS
Oct 12, 2005

Core machinery orders up 8.2%, lifting outlook

Core private-sector machinery orders rose a seasonally adjusted 8.2 percent in August from the previous month to 1.096 trillion, yen the highest level in nearly five years, reflecting high corporate profits and strong demand for future investment, the Cabinet Office said Tuesday.

Longform

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.
Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat