Tag - taro-kono

 
 

TARO KONO

Digital minister Taro Kono (left), Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (center) and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba are among the potential candidates for the ruling party's presidential election next month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024
Kishida's out. Who will likely be Japan's next leader?
The prime minister's decision not to run in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race has ignited discussion on who might succeed him.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
The surprise move came amid growing criticism from rank-and-file party members and bad poll numbers.
Taro Kono, digital transformation minister, speaks to reporters in Naka, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2024
Taro Kono softens line against nuclear power ahead of LDP leadership race
The minister has said he now believes that the country should look to restart idled nuclear power plants ahead of a predicted rise in electricity demand.
Taro Kono, Japan's digital transformation minister, during a Bloomberg Television interview in Tokyo, during which he mentioned that the Bank of Japan to needs to introduce a rate hike to stop the weak yen trend.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 29, 2024
Doves in ascendancy ahead of big Bank of Japan meeting this week
The central bank will likely hold rates where they are when it meets this week, according to analysts.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left) shakes hands with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 25, 2024
The LDP members best placed to deal with the next U.S. president
With Kamala Harris entering the race, the LDP now has to prepare to deal with either a familiar former president or a not-so-familiar vice president.
Taro Kono, Japan's digital transformation minister, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Jul 17, 2024
Taro Kono says central bank needs to raise rates to lift yen
Kono’s remarks could add to pressure on the Bank of Japan’s policy board to raise interest rates when it meets at the end of this month.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Washington in April. Both leaders face an uphill battle to stay at the helm of their respective parties and countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 10, 2024
Japan too is wrestling with a flawed leader
Questions about election prospects plague Biden in the U.S. and Kishida in Japan, with both trying to hang on to their commanding positions despite growing discontent.
Japan has finally scrapped every regulation requiring the use of floppy disks for administrative purposes.
JAPAN
Jul 6, 2024
Japan finally phases out floppy disks
One of the world’s most technologically advanced nations has held on to some of the most outmoded devices.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is struggling to stay in office amid low public approval ratings and discontent from within his party. However, it is extremely rare for a sitting LDP president running for reelection to be dethroned.
EDITORIALS
Jul 5, 2024
Kishida fights for his political life
Despite low public approval ratings and discontent in the LDP, all is not lost for Prime Minister Kishida if the summer is kind to him and he plays his cards right.
Prospective candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election include digital minister Taro Kono (left) and former LDP Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2024
Potential candidates in LDP presidential election come into view
Digital minister Taro Kono and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba appear ready to run in September.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 21, 2024
For Kishida, the LDP election means a fraught summer ahead
Attention is turning to what the prime minister will do as potential rivals rally support ahead of September's vote for party president.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and digital minister Taro Kono attend a digitalization panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 11, 2024
Japan's parliament faces a long road to digitalization
Concerns over decorum and the possibility of the use of electronic devices being obtrusive to proceedings are among reasons cited for maintaining restrictions.
Digital transformation minister Taro Kono says the government plans to use My Number ID cards to track the evacuation status of disaster victims.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Japan to utilize My Number cards at evacuation centers
"We want to facilitate the response of local governments and residents in the event of a disaster," digital transformation minister Taro Kono said.
Apple will enable individuals to add their My Number card to their Apple Wallets, the company has said.
JAPAN / Society
May 30, 2024
My Number card feature to be launched on iPhone next spring
Apple will enable individuals to add their My Number card to their Apple Wallets, allowing them to have their identity verified without using their physical card.
While not the most outspoken politician on the issue, digital minister Taro Kono has a track record of being serious in his commitment to addressing the climate crisis.
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change / OUR PLANET
May 19, 2024
The politicians moving Japan forward on climate
In the halls of power, climate-friendly voices may be few and far between, but some in politics are pushing for more aggressive action on decarbonization.
A polling station is set up at the Japanese Consulate General in Shanghai for the Lower House elections in October 2021. Japanese nationals living abroad have to travel to diplomatic missions that serve as polling stations to cast their votes during elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 30, 2024
Internet voting for Japanese abroad remains a distant prospect
Apart from the need to revise an existing law, concerns remain over the integrity of online identity verification and the confidentiality of votes.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida awaits the results of a no-confidence vote against his Cabinet in the country's parliament on Dec. 13.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 2, 2024
Unpacking the LDP's expected leadership race
LDP politicians are already talking about a leadership change, and the polls have shifted to who the public wants to see in the prime minister’s office.
Former LDP Secretary-General and Defense Minister Secretary Shigeru Ishiba has been a top choice to replace Kishida in a number of recent media polls.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 2, 2024
Who might succeed Fumio Kishida in 2024?
Several names have emerged as potential candidates for prime minister in the wake of a political funds scandal enveloping the LDP.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Sanae Takaichi (center) and Taro Kono attend a Lower House session in Tokyo last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2023
Despite low approval ratings, Kishida likely to keep top job
While the situation around the government warrants no optimism, experts agree the prime minister has no reason to fret.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Aug. 4.
JAPAN
Aug 10, 2023
Kishida Cabinet approval drops to 26.6%: Jiji poll
The rate of disapproval grew 8.1 points to 47.4%, the highest since Kishida became prime minister in October 2021.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
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