Tag - political

 
 

POLITICAL

EDITORIALS
Oct 21, 2014
More money scandals
The unusual resignation of two recently appointed female Cabinet ministers in one day reflects the Abe administration's effort to contain political damage caused by the separate spending scandals involving the women.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 21, 2014
New ministers pledge no interruption to nuclear policy, female empowerment
On his first day in his new job, industry minister Yoichi Miyazawa said Tuesday he will soon be ready to visit communities near nuclear power plants, apparently pledging to maintain the momentum for reactor restarts.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 16, 2014
U.S.-China skirmishes beg for guidelines on 'spying'
What do the dangerous encounters at sea and in the air between Chinese and American ships and aircraft have in common, and how can they be prevented or managed?
EDITORIALS
Sep 12, 2014
Raise wages, not party donations
The Japan Business Federation's decision to resume urging roughly 1,300 member companies to make political donations is aimed at rebuilding the influence of the nation's largest business lobby on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Critics of that tack say raising wages and boosting investments would work better in that regard.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2014
Parties bury the hatchet, agree on new name ahead of merger
Overcoming heated arguments, two young opposition parties planning to merge later this month finally agreed Wednesday to name their new entity Ishin no To.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 8, 2014
Sadayuki Sakakibara confirms Keidanren will return to recommending political donations
The nation's biggest business lobby is set to resume recommending for the first time in five years that its member companies make political donations, in an effort to strengthen ties with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration to gain a bigger say in policy.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 26, 2014
Ex-assemblyman Nonomura's claim of spending ¥2.5 million in political funds on stamps called lie
Ryutaro Nonomura, who resigned from the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly in July amid allegations that he misused public funds, is suspected of spending ¥2.5 million on gift certificates and other goods, contradicting his claim that he spent that amount on stamps, investigative sources have told the Kobe...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 2, 2014
U.S. think tanks turning into message merchants
Most U.S. think tanks were once idea factories, but now many are message merchants.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 28, 2014
Are future presidents doomed to mediocrity?
The idea that structural change in the U.S. presidency has somehow confined Barack Obama and future presidents to mediocre approval ratings just doesn't wash.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2014
Is a New York Times picture worth 1,000 polls?
New research suggests that positive images in The New York Times portend better poll numbers to come. If true, there's hope for President Barack Obama in light of the photo spread for a big story last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 11, 2014
Ishihara cool to merger overture by Yui no To
Kenji Eda, president of minor opposition party Yui no To, met Friday with Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) co-leader Shintaro Ishihara to explore ways for a possible merger but was told such talks should not be held until June 22, when the Diet closes, participants in the meeting said.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 7, 2014
Your Party chief Watanabe to quit amid scandal
Your Party leader Yoshimi Watanabe says he will step down as president of the minor opposition party due to the loan scandal swirling about him.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 7, 2014
Language of Indian politics
Even those Indians who are assumed will automatically vote their caste in the current election have choices and will make a number of fairly sophisticated mental trade-offs.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 4, 2014
The New Yorker is bad for cartooning
Writer-cartoonist says The New Yorker magazine prints a lot of awful cartoons, yet uses its reputation in order to elevate terrible work as the profession's platinum standard.
EDITORIALS
Apr 1, 2014
Watanabe should come clean
Your Party chief Yoshimi Watanabe's lame excuse that he borrowed ¥800 million for individual rather than political expenses from a cosmetics firm chairman only adds to people's distrust of politicians.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 24, 2014
An economy resilient to political dysfunction
Recent analysis shows there is little correlation between America's highly publicized political dysfunction and its relative economic performance in serveral dimensions.

Longform

A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks