Tag - constitution

 
 

CONSTITUTION

JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 3, 2018
Nobel laureate Toshihide Maskawa and others sue government over 'unconstitutional' security laws
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Toshihide Maskawa and over 100 other people sued the government Thursday, saying that security laws the country enacted in 2015 to expand the role of its Self-Defense Forces overseas were unconstitutional and have violated their right to live in peace.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Jul 1, 2018
Japan on just 10 judges a day costs a pretty penny
With over 1,000 courts but less than 4,000 judges, somehow 3.5 million cases get cleared every year.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 25, 2018
Abe's approval rating rebounds, raising chances of becoming Japan's longest-serving prime minister
The prime minister's support rate rose 10 points to outstrip his disapproval rating for the first time since February, improving his chances of weathering a series of scandals.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2018
Japan lowers minimum voting age for constitutional referendums to 18
The minimum voting age in national referendums to amend the Constitution was lowered to 18 from 20 on Thursday as part of a series of moves to encourage civic participation by young people.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2018
Ex-Prime Minister Nakasone makes call for amending Constitution as he celebrates 100th birthday
At 100, former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, a legendary figure in Japanese politics, expresses hopes that “serious efforts” will be made to amend the postwar Constitution.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 25, 2018
LDP panels back Japanese government's pursuit of capability to attack in self-defense
Panels in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday approved a draft proposal for the government to develop the military capability to "strike enemy bases" in foreign countries.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 24, 2018
Lacking direction from Tokyo, Japan's municipalities struggle to implement anti-hate speech law
With Thursday marking two years since the enactment of a law against hate speech targeting ethnic Koreans and other minorities, local governments — required to take action under the legislation — called on Tokyo to present clear standards on how to eliminate racist propaganda.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 19, 2018
Japan's courts are being asked to define the role of the SDF
As discussed in Media Mix last week, news organizations are on the lookout for signs of whether the country’s Self-Defense Forces are becoming politically active. There have been indications the SDF wants to be the conventional military that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has in mind, but that...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 18, 2018
Tokyo High Court upholds ruling calling city of Saitama's refusal to publish pacifist haiku 'unfair'
The Tokyo High Court on Friday upheld a district court ruling that called "unfair" the city of Saitama's refusal to publish a haiku which referred to the Constitution and carried a pacifist message in its local newsletter .
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 6, 2018
Fumio Kishida to make decision on LDP presidential election after Diet closes for summer
Fumio Kishida, the Liberal Democratic Party's policy chief, said he will make his decision on whether to run for party president, and thus prime minister, after the Diet closes for the summer.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2018
Abe's dream to revise Japan's Constitution drifts farther from reach as long-running scandals chip away at support
In a recent video message the prime minister spoke about the need to revise the top law, but does he still have the public support to do it?
JAPAN
Apr 26, 2018
Majority of Japanese oppose any constitutional revisions under Abe, but see need for future changes, poll finds
More than half of Japanese oppose any constitutional revisions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — though a majority do see a need for some changes in the future, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2018
GSDF unit in South Sudan was ordered to carry weapons in summer 2016, mission member and Japan defense official admit
Peacekeepers were given the orders following a July 2016 outbreak of fierce fighting, despite government claims the area was devoid of armed conflict.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 18, 2018
Massachusetts top court rules stun gun ban violates Second Amendment
The top court in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down a state law that banned civilians from possessing stun guns, saying the law violated the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment, which protects Americans' right to bear arms.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 27, 2018
Abe's right — it's time to codify the SDF
The importance of providing legal clarity to decision-makers — especially during times of crisis — cannot be overstated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 22, 2018
Key LDP panel agrees to pursue Abe's proposed amendment of Japan's pacifist Constitution
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has decided to pursue a plan proposed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to amend Article 9 of the nation’s war-renouncing Constitution and add an explicit reference to the Self-Defense Forces.
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 Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 12, 2018
Lawsuit challenges Japan's ban on dual citizenship
Plaintiffs sue Japan over its ban on dual nationalities, claiming they were unconstitutionally deprived of their Japanese citizenship upon becoming citizens of foreign countries.
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.

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals