News On Japan

Japan lodges protest against N. Korea over missile launches

AP — 2009-07-04 07:21:49

The Japanese government lodged a protest against North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing over its launching of multiple ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Saturday, Japanese officials said. Japan is set to coordinate with countries such as the United States and South Korea in urging other members of the United Nations to steadily implement the measures in the U.N. Security Council's sanctions resolutions against Pyongyang as the country's actions are in violation of them, according to the officials. (AP)

Japan upgrades missile-detection system

UPI — 2009-07-04 07:31:55

A new $935 million project called the Japan Aerospace Defense Ground Environment has been initiated to improve the country's automatic air warning and defense control system. JADGE has replaced the Base Air Defense Ground Environment, said Japan's air arm, the Air Self-Defense Force. (UPI)

Japan, still enthralled by F-22, presses U.S. for info

AP — 2009-07-03 13:35:53

Japan asked the United States on Friday to provide information on the U.S. F-22 fighter jet once more as it still hopes to acquire the advanced fighter jet despite a U.S. ban its export, the Air Self-Defense Force said. The Defense Ministry also initiated the process of acquiring additional information on the F-35 alternative fighter so it can consider acquiring the F-35 in case the F-22 remains unavailable, it said. (AP)

Japan extends refueling mission in Indian Ocean for 6 months

Xinhua — 2009-07-03 13:30:56

Japanese Cabinet endorsed a revision to a bill Friday to extend the refueling mission in the Indian Ocean by another half year to help U.S.-led antiterrorism operations near Afghanistan. (Xinhua)

Japan fetes nuclear watchdog head

ukpress — 2009-07-03 13:30:56

Japan, the only nation to suffer atomic bombings, has welcomed the appointment of one of their own to head the top nuclear watchdog and expressed hopes for a world without nuclear weapons. Tadatoshi Akiba, mayor of Hiroshima, the south-western city that suffered nuclear attacks in 1945, was among those offering congratulatory messages. (ukpress)

Probe, full clarification of Hatoyama case needed

Yomiuri — 2009-07-02 02:37:29

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. (Yomiuri)

Aso gives up on plan to shuffle party posts

Asahi — 2009-07-02 02:37:29

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. (Asahi)

Japan may deploy troops near disputed islands

AFP — 2009-07-02 06:57:47

Japan's defence ministry is considering deploying troops on an island in the East China Sea near a group of islets that is claimed by Tokyo, Beijing and Taipei, according to a ministry spokesman. "We are studying (the deployment) so that it could be included in the planned year-end revision of the basic defence programme," the official said, confirming a news report on the plan to send an army unit to Yonaguni island. (AFP)

Struggling Japanese PM turns to comedian for help

telegraph.co.uk — 2009-07-02 07:15:19

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. (telegraph.co.uk)

Total ban on child porn sought / Diet debate starts on revision to close possession loophole in law

Yomiuri — 2009-07-01 00:35:33

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. (Yomiuri)

Secret deal on nukes

Asahi — 2009-07-01 04:23:06

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." (Asahi)

Japan opposition leader sorry for sloppy donations records

AFP — 2009-07-01 06:55:00

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. (AFP)

Japan names new economic and fiscal policy minister

AFP — 2009-07-01 12:11:02

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. (AFP)

Older, smaller population to impact Japan's choices

Japan Times — 2009-06-30 00:06:23

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. (Japan Times)

Japan denies US nuke pact

Straits Times — 2009-06-29 07:37:35

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. (Straits Times)

Aso caves in over LDP shuffle / In face of stiff party opposition, PM shelves plan to juggle top pos

Yomiuri — 2009-06-29 00:03:44

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. (Yomiuri)

New basic sports law seen unlikely to pass Diet

Yomiuri — 2009-06-29 00:03:44

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. (Yomiuri)

NKorea threatens to shoot down Japanese spy planes

AP — 2009-06-28 00:58:37

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. (AP)

U.S.-Japan dance on F-22 continues

BusinessWeek — 2009-06-26 22:51:03

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. (BusinessWeek)

Aso stressing own initiative with election in mind

Yomiuri — 2009-06-26 23:55:56

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. (Yomiuri)

2 single-parent support bills pass upper house, passage unlikely

AP — 2009-06-27 02:16:49

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. (AP)

Guerrilla rain and Japan's military parade

Times Online — 2009-06-26 06:06:43

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. (Times Online)

Japan: The DPJ faces the bureaucracy

East Asia Forum — 2009-06-25 08:39:35

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. (East Asia Forum)

Koike versus the 'soft liners' in Japan

East Asia Forum — 2009-06-25 08:39:35

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. (East Asia Forum)

End of era in fiscal policy

Asahi — 2009-06-25 02:23:14

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. (Asahi)