| Jul 02 | Struggling Japanese PM turns to comedian for help (telegraph.co.uk) |
 Taro Aso, the increasingly desperate Japanese prime minister, is appealing to a former stand-up comedian to join his cabinet and save the administration just weeks ahead of the general election. Hideo Higashikokubaru, recently elected governor of Miyazaki Prefecture, initially rebuffed an indirect approach from Mr Aso by saying he would only accept a portfolio if he was listed as the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate for prime minister in the election, which has to be held before Sept 10.
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| Jul 02 | Aso gives up on plan to shuffle party posts (Asahi) |
| Prime Minister Taro Aso gave up on plans Wednesday to shuffle the leadership of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party, but in a face-saving step he named two lawmakers to Cabinet posts. |
| Jul 02 | Probe, full clarification of Hatoyama case needed (Yomiuri) |
| In the wake of an illegal donation case involving former Democratic Party of Japan President Ichiro Ozawa that saw him resign his post, a political-fund scandal involving current party leader Yukio Hatoyama has surfaced. |
| Jul 01 | Japan names new economic and fiscal policy minister (AFP) |
 Japan's embattled Prime Minister Taro Aso on Wednesday named Yoshimasa Hayashi as the new state minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, the top government spokesman said.
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| Jul 01 | Japan opposition leader sorry for sloppy donations records (AFP) |
 Japan's opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday apologised for the sloppy accounting records of his fund-raising body, the latest blow to his party in an election year.
Media had questioned the accounting records of the group which manages political donations to Hatoyama, saying the donors' list included names of dead people and those who had denied giving money.
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| Jul 01 | Secret deal on nukes (Asahi) |
| For decades, the Japanese government has denied the existence of a secret agreement with the United States that allowed U.S. nuclear weapons into Japanese territory. But a retired Japanese bureaucrat has further exposed the government's "lie." |
| Jul 01 | Total ban on child porn sought / Diet debate starts on revision to close possession loophole in law (Yomiuri) |
| The Diet has begun debate on bills to revise the law banning child prostitution and child pornography, with discussions focused on whether to conform to international standards and completely prohibit the possession of child pornography. |
| Jun 30 | Older, smaller population to impact Japan's choices (Japan Times) |
| The next few months will be crucial for Japan's defense and security policies. The National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG), which outline the framework for national security policy, are due by yearend. This in turn provides the foundation for the Mid-Term Defense Program, which translates that outline into specific programs and purchases. |
| Jun 29 | Japan denies US nuke pact (Straits Times) |
| Japan's government on Monday denied a report that Tokyo had secretly agreed with Washington during the cold war to allow US warships carrying nuclear weapons to make port calls in the country. The Mainichi Shimbun national daily on Monday published a report saying that such a secret document existed, quoting Ryohei Murata, a former vice foreign minister who served in the late 1980s. |
| Jun 29 | Aso caves in over LDP shuffle / In face of stiff party opposition, PM shelves plan to juggle top pos (Yomiuri) |
| Unexpectedly strong hostility within the Liberal Democratic Party toward the idea of replacing the incumbents in three of the party's most senior posts prompted Prime Minister Taro Aso to tell LDP Secretary General Hiroyuki Hosoda he is unlikely to make any changes in the party's leadership ahead of the upcoming House of Representatives election. |
| Jun 29 | New basic sports law seen unlikely to pass Diet (Yomiuri) |
| A proposed bill to enact a new basic law on sports is unlikely to pass during the current Diet session, according to sources. The Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito plan to discuss the bill, which includes the establishment of a sports agency, with opposition parties as early as this week, the sources said. |
| Jun 28 | NKorea threatens to shoot down Japanese spy planes (AP) |
| North Korea threatened Saturday to shoot down any Japanese planes that enter its airspace, accusing Tokyo of spying near one of its missile launch sites. The North has designated a no-sail zone off its eastern coast from June 25 to July 10 for military drills, raising concerns that it might test-fire short- or mid-range missiles in the coming days, in violation of a U.N. resolution. |
| Jun 27 | 2 single-parent support bills pass upper house, passage unlikely (AP) |
| Two opposition-proposed bills to support single-parent families suffering from financial difficulties cleared the upper house Friday, but neither is likely to pass the Diet as the ruling bloc, which dominates the more powerful lower house, is against them. Members of the governing bloc of the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party abstained from voting at a plenary session of the House of Councillors, and are likely to reject them as well in a voting in the House of Representatives. |
| Jun 27 | Aso stressing own initiative with election in mind (Yomiuri) |
| Prime Minister Taro Aso has apparently begun trying to put more of his own ideas and character on display as an upcoming House of Representatives election looms on the horizon. |
| Jun 27 | U.S.-Japan dance on F-22 continues (BusinessWeek) |
 U.S. defense officials are preparing a version of the stealth F-22 Raptor that Japan has expressed strong interest in buying.
While the Department of Defense is working to design an export version of the Raptor, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, this week sent a letter to Japanese Ambassador the United States Ichiro Fujisaki saying that the F-22 would likely carry a price tag of $290 million.
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| Jun 26 | Guerrilla rain and Japan's military parade (Times Online) |
| It is always worth keeping half an eye open for resurgent militarism in Japan. No point sweating over the micro stuff - anyone with enough bile can spot General Tojo behind the starched uniforms of tofu delivery boys. But the bigger picture deserves eternal vigilance. |
| Jun 25 | Japan: The DPJ faces the bureaucracy (East Asia Forum) |
 With the DPJ's prospects on the rise and the LDP mired in what may be terminal disarray, the DPJ is receiving greater scrutiny when it comes to how the party will govern should it take power. That, after all, is what this election is about: if seiken kotai [regime change], the DPJ's longtime mantra is to have any meaning, the DPJ must be prepared to change how Japan is governed. A change of government must be more than a change of the name of the party wielding Japan's shambolic administrative machinery.
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| Jun 25 | Koike versus the 'soft liners' in Japan (East Asia Forum) |
 Last Tuesday, Koike Yuriko, former defense minister and aspirant to the LDP presidency, announced her resignation as chair of the LDP's special committee on base countermeasures. She told the media that her resignation was intended as a protest against the decision to soften the language on preemption in the LDP Policy Research Council's defense division in the recommendations for this year's National Defense Program Guidelines (NDPG) sent to Prime Minister Asō Tarō this month.
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| Jun 25 | End of era in fiscal policy (Asahi) |
| Fiscal policy has apparently reached the end of an era, one that was marked by renewed efforts to restore health in the nation's public finances based on annual guidelines known as Honebuto no Hoshin. The government on Tuesday decided on its latest Honebuto policy guidelines. They confirm that the principle of curbing growth in social security costs, a symbol of the spending reform initiative started by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and inherited by his successors, has become a dead letter. The move reflects concerns within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party that it will take a drubbing in the next Lower House election unless it promises to fix health and nursing care problems and other troubled welfare programs. |
| Jun 25 | Japan finance minister denies involvement in donations scandal (AFP) |
 Japan's finance minister on Wednesday denied claims he had accepted illegal political donations in yet another potential headache for embattled Prime Minister Taro Aso ahead of this year's elections.
The Mainichi Daily, citing unnamed sources, reported that Kaoru Yosano had received donations from a commodity futures trading company that were illegally hidden as contributions given by the firm's individual staff members.
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| Jun 25 | Japan-North Korea relations: A dangerous stalemate (History News Network) |
 Global attention has focused on North Korea and the crisis that envelops its nuclear and missile programs. But a little-noted aspect of the crisis has been the rise of Japan to centre stage in the Security Council proceedings and in the formation of global understanding of the problem.
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| Jun 24 | Ex-comedian Japan governor eyes top post (China Post) |
| A popular Japanese comedian-turned-governor offered the struggling ruling party a deal on Tuesday, saying he would run for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) but only if he could be its next leader. Prime Minister Taro Aso's LDP is trying to boost its popularity as it trails in polls and risks losing to the opposition Democratic Party in a general election that must be held by October. |
| Jun 24 | Bill to introduce shorter working hours clears Diet (AP) |
| A bill to oblige companies to enable employees with children under 3 years old to work shorter hours and be exempt from working overtime cleared Japanese parliament Wednesday, making it easier for working parents to keep working while raising children. |
| Jun 24 | NKorea bans shipping off east coast amid tensions (AFP) |
 North Korea has banned ships from a wide area off its east coast, Japan's Coast Guard said, raising speculation of more missile launches amid a tense nuclear standoff.
The hardline communist state, angrily rejecting what it calls US-inspired sanctions imposed for its May 25 nuclear test, promised Tuesday to retaliate against them.
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| Jun 23 | Free up Net for elections (Asahi) |
| Imagine, if you will, that tomorrow is voting day for the Lower House election. To decide how to cast your ballot, you go to the Internet to compare each party's manifestoes. But you can't. Something that seems so natural is out of reach. This is because the Public Offices Election Law does not allow political parties and candidates to post their manifestoes on their websites, or allow voters to download them from the Internet. |
| Jun 23 | Cost of an F-22 fighter for Japan soars (Reuters) |
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| Jun 22 | Japan denies sea borders were drawn to allow US nuke ships (mysinchew.com) |
| Japan's foreign minister on Monday denied a report that it had demarcated its territorial waters so as to avoid disputes over the movement of US warships carrying nuclear weapons. Japan in the late 1970s delineated territorial waters that extended only three nautical miles (5.6 kilometre) from shore along five key straits, rather than the maximum allowable 12 nautical miles. |
| Jun 22 | A prickly relationship (Forbes) |
| The Japanese care deeply what Americans think of them, and have since the U.S. devastated their nation six decades ago. One way Japan's rulers like to massage away the knot of insecurity is to commission surveys, annual polls to find out what folks across the Pacific think of them. |
| Jun 22 | Japan to join international renewable energy body (Yomiuri) |
| Japan will shortly become a member of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which was established this year, the government has decided. Following the U.S. government's decision to join the organization, Japan is expected to become a member of the intergovernmental body, which promotes renewable energies including solar and wind power, at its meeting starting in Egypt next Monday. |
| Jun 22 | Factional beat of the LDP (Japan Times) |
| The ruling Liberal Democratic Party could very well be in for a bitter power struggle among three of its principal intraparty factions following the general election expected by September. The outcome of that struggle could also be a harbinger of a broader political reorganization involving not only the LDP but also the Democratic Party of Japan, the No. 1 opposition group. |
| Jun 21 | Japan eyes bigger military as tension rises (Reuters) |
 A draft of Japan's new mid-term defense policy guidelines is calling for the reinforcement of military personnel and equipment in the face of growing regional tensions, Kyodo news agency said.
The draft, obtained by Kyodo, says Japan needs to reverse its policy of reducing its defense budgets in light of North Korea's missile launches and nuclear tests, as well as China's rise to a major military power, the news agency said.
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| Jun 21 | Aso draws laugh by pledging to secure 'close defeat' in Tokyo election (AP) |
| Embattled Prime Minister Taro Aso drew a laugh from spectators Saturday after saying he is determined to secure "a defeat by a close margin" for his Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming Tokyo metropolitan assembly election. Aso soon changed his wording and said he is determined to secure "a victory" in the closely watched local election, but some spectators giggled as his ruling LDP is seen to be in a tough battle against the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan in the race. |
| Jun 20 | Antipiracy, gift tax bills enacted (Japan Times) |
| The ruling bloc rammed three key bills through the Lower House Friday, including a permanent antipiracy law that lets the Maritime Self-Defense Force protect ships of any nationality and have greater latitude in the use of force, and a relaxed gift tax so parents can give their offspring funds to buy a home. |
| Jun 19 | Aso fails to strike in debate with DPJ head (Yomiuri) |
| Wednesday's debate between Prime Minister Taro Aso and Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama was a fierce battle of words mainly over how to secure funds to finance each other's policy ideas, with both eyeing the next House of Representatives election. Aiming to boost his Cabinet's sluggish approval ratings, Aso listed examples designed to showcase the Liberal Democratic Party's ability to govern, including a call for a hike in the consumption tax rate. |
| Jun 19 | Immigration revision set to be passed (Japan Times) |
| The ruling and opposition camps have revised a contentious set of immigration bills in a way that increases government scrutiny of both legal and illegal foreign residents while extending additional conveniences, according to a draft obtained Thursday by The Japan Times. |
| Jun 17 | Japan bans trade with NKorea (AFP) |
 Japan on Tuesday banned all remaining trade with North Korea to punish the isolated communist regime for its latest nuclear and missile tests, the government said. Japan's exports to the North -- mainly machinery and transport equipment such as trains and vehicles, food, electronics and industrial goods -- totalled just 792.6 million yen (8.2 million dollars) last year, the finance ministry says.
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| Jun 16 | Japan to focus on combating economic crisis, social security needs (AP) |
| The government decided Tuesday at a key economic policy panel to put top priority on steering Japan out of the global economic crisis and strengthening its social security program when it compiles the fiscal 2010 budget. Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said the government may set aside special reserves in the budget to address the two key areas Prime Minister Taro Aso has laid out. |
| Jun 16 | Japan decides on additional sanctions on N. Korea (AP) |
| The Japanese government decided Tuesday to totally ban exports to North Korea and toughen restrictions on the flow of people as additional sanctions on Pyongyang in response to its nuclear test in May. As Japan has already banned imports from North Korea, the additional measures will lead to the complete suspension of bilateral trade. |
| Jun 15 | Aso Cabinet support rate falls to 17.5%, DPJ at 38.5% (AP) |
| The support rate for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso stands at 17.5 percent, a weekend Kyodo News survey showed Monday, down 8.7 points from the previous poll in May in a sharp reversal of the recent recovery trend. |
| Jun 15 | Japan opposition wins third poll (BBC) |
 Japan's opposition Democratic Party (DPJ) has won another local election, with a landslide, ahead of general elections that must be held this year.
The city of Chiba, near Tokyo, is the third big municipality win for the DPJ in the past two months after both Nagoya and Saitama.
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| Jun 15 | Senior welfare ministry official arrested over postal fraud (AP) |
| Prosecutors arrested a senior Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry official on Sunday over a case of postal system abuse involving a fabricated ministry document. The Osaka District Public Prosecutors Office's special investigation squad suspects Atsuko Muraki, 53, director general of the ministry's Equal Employment, Children and Families Bureau, was involved in issuing the document for an organization to enable it to use a mail discount system for the handicapped, according to investigative sources. |
| Jun 15 | Aso's postal move indicates his lack of clout (Yomiuri) |
| Prime Minister Taro Aso's decision to dismiss his close ally, Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Kunio Hatoyama, but retain Japan Post Holdings Co. President Yoshifumi Nishikawa in his job highlights the prime minister's inability to coordinate conflicting opinions and his weak foundation within the Liberal Democratic Party. |
| Jun 14 | China, Japan, S. Korea reconfirm cooperation on sandstorms (AP) |
| The environment ministers of China, Japan and South Korea agreed Sunday to continue joint research and cooperation to tackle the region's sandstorms and air pollution, a Japanese government official said. |
| Jun 13 | Why Japan won't go nuclear (NewsWeek) |
| Japan lacks the space to test a bomb. Japan has large stockpiles of plutonium for its nuclear-energy industry. But plutonium-type bombs require physical testing to verify their efficacy. |
| Jun 12 | Hatoyama to resign over Japan Post row (AP) |
| Kunio Hatoyama, internal affairs and communications minister, decided Friday to resign over a row concerning the reappointment of the president of Japan Post Holdings Co., sources close to the minister said. |
| Jun 12 | Aso defends 15% emissions cut target amid criticism 'not enough' (AP) |
| Prime Minister Taro Aso said in a recent interview with a German newspaper that Japan's target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 15 percent, which he announced Wednesday, is not low and that any figure would have met criticism, a Japanese government official said. |
| Jun 12 | Confusion in the Cabinet (Japan Times) |
| The Aso Cabinet is in a state of confusion over the question of whether Mr. Yoshifumi Nishikawa should stay on as president of Japan Post Holding Co. |
| Jun 12 | 15% CO2 goal strengthens nation's hand (Yomiuri) |
| In setting a new midterm greenhouse gas emissions reduction target of 15 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, Prime Minister Taro Aso took the initiative, aiming to put Japan in an advantageous position in forthcoming international talks on a post-Kyoto Protocol accord. |
| Jun 11 | Diet votes to support cluster bomb treaty (Japan Times) |
| The Diet on Wednesday endorsed the signing of an international treaty to ban the use and stockpiling of cluster bombs, paving the way for Tokyo to ratify the treaty. The Convention on Cluster Munitions will enter into force six months after it has been ratified by the 30th state. So far, eight countries, including Ireland and Norway, have ratified the treaty, according to the Foreign Ministry. |
| Jun 10 | LDP defense panels pitch ability to strike enemy missile sites (Japan Times) |
| Japan should acquire the capacity to strike an enemy's missile sites as part of its defensive capabilities under the new National Defense Program Guidelines, defense policy panels of the Liberal Democratic Party proposed Tuesday. |