Tag - constitution

 
 

CONSTITUTION

EDITORIALS
Feb 21, 2014
Abe guts constitutional government
People should realize that Japan's prime minister has a shallow understanding of constitutional government. Shinzo Abe thinks he is the 'highest responsible person' for interpreting Japan's right to a collective self-defense, and that's dangerous.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2014
Cabinet will decide defense role: Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Thursday that Cabinet approval is enough to change the government's interpretation of war-renouncing Article 9 and allow Japan to help defend allied nations.
JAPAN
Feb 14, 2014
Lawyer group charges Abe with constitutional ignorance
Alarmed by what they charge as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's lack of commitment to constitutionalism, a group of lawyers from around the country send him a reminder of the principles of the Constitution — accompanied by chocolates — for Valentine's Day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2014
Abe exploiting window for biggest defense change since war
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, pressed by China and seeking to strengthen ties with the U.S., is considering Japan's biggest change in military engagement rules since World War II.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 11, 2014
Weapons export ban under siege
Japan may soon allow exports of defense equipment to international organizations, such as those involved in U.N. peacekeeping missions, on condition that they do not take sides in conflicts.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2014
Amendment not needed for collective defense: Abe
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterates his administration's position that the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution on its own gives Japan the right to collective self-defense.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2014
Komatsu's ills may delay Abe defense quest
The first unilaterally installed leader of the government's legal team has been hospitalized, fueling speculation that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's quest to reinterpret the Constitution for military reasons might be delayed.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2014
LDP plans fresh talks with ally on collective defense
The Liberal Democratic Party's No. 2 executive said Sunday the party will again try to persuade its Buddhist coalition partner, New Komeito, that Japan should be allowed to exercise the right to collective self-defense.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 24, 2014
Playing with fire is dangerous
Any moves that Japanese leaders make at this time to start the process of amending the Constitution would arouse strong feelings in Japan and abroad, against the nation's interests.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2014
Economy to be Abe's Diet focus, at least at first
This year's 150-day regular Diet session will open Friday with a key policy speech by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expected to play to his strength — the economy — rather than his controversial diplomatic or national security policies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2014
Abe takes aim at pacifist Constitution
The pacifist credo that has given modern Japan its distinctive security framework is moving increasingly into the spotlight as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe prepares to shake up the postwar regime.
COMMENTARY
Jan 21, 2014
Japan heading for darker days
It's still baffling why the Abe administration was in such a hurry to have the state secrets bill passed when various opinion surveys showed that the bill was opposed by about 80 percnet of respondens on the very day the Upper House voted on it.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jan 15, 2014
Three cases, three paths to legitimacy for Supreme Court
When I began studying Japanese, one of my goals was to be able to read the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Japan's version of The Wall Street Journal. Achieving that goal, however, meant realizing that it is possibly The Most Boring Newspaper on Earth.
JAPAN
Jan 1, 2014
Abe calls for deeper discussions on revising Japanese Constitution
...
EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2013
The Emperor's call for peace
Emperor Akihito on Monday celebrated his 80th birthday, becoming the second emperor to have passed this milestone while on the throne, following his father, Emperor Showa.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / OUR PLANET EARTH
Dec 21, 2013
Protecting nature to protect ourselves
This month's column takes an intrepid look at efforts to expand protected areas in Japan and worldwide, areas that are essential to conserve biological diversity and mitigate natural disasters.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2013
Dictatorship of the majority
Japanese civic movements conspicuously picked up steam to oppose the state secrets bill just before its enactment into law, illustrating that many Japanese voters become critical of the Abe administration when it takes up issues other than the economy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Nov 20, 2013
For 'no war' Article 9, any reinterpretation will do
Since the conclusion of the Article 9 debate — that it permits Japan to participate in collective security efforts — is already known, all that is really called for is some kind of excuse that the public can give the nod to before returning to their smartphones.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2013
Group makes no secret of opposition to bill
In the face of moves to amend the postwar Constitution, about 500 people gathered in Tokyo on Saturday to promote the importance of maintaining its pacifistic ideals.
JAPAN
Nov 15, 2013
Collective defense gets panel's OK
The prime minister's top panel on security issues drafts a report to propose that Japan exercise its right to collective self-defense, requiring the government to change its interpretation of the pacifist Constitution.

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