News On Japan

Lawmaker refuses to resign despite opposition motion over war remark

May 21 (Japan Today) - A Japanese lawmaker said Monday he will not resign as a Diet member after opposition parties submitted a joint motion urging him to quit for alluding to Japan waging war with Russia to regain control of a group of disputed islands.

"I definitely cannot resign even if the motion is passed," Hodaka Maruyama said, calling the submission of a motion directed against a person's remarks a "serious situation."

Talking to the media for the first time after the Japan Innovation Party expelled him on Tuesday, he said that the Diet, as a place for free speech, is "signing its own death warrant" with the motion.

Maruyama drew flak for a comment made when accompanying former Japanese residents of the disputed islands off Hokkaido on a visa-free visit to one of them. While drunk, he asked one of the former residents, "Do you think there is any alternative to war (to recover the islands)?"

"I entirely believe my remarks do not deviate from the principles of the Constitution," he said Monday.

Article 9 of the Constitution prohibits Japan from possessing military forces and other "war potential."

Maruyama also demanded an apology from Osaka Mayor Ichiro Matsui, the head of the party, who wrote on Twitter he "heard alcohol addiction causes mental damage," apparently referring to reports of Maruyama causing problems after drinking in the past.

Source: FNNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Nissan Motor Co. has announced it will cut 9,000 jobs globally in response to declining business performance.

Speculation about Trump's new administration, set to take office in January, has already begun. Among the potential appointees is Senator Bill Hagerty, a former U.S. ambassador to Japan, who is being considered for Secretary of State.

A monkey has been spotted within the premises of Tokyo Disney Resort after it had moved south along the coast from Urayasu City, where it was seen on November 4th.

A whale shark that mysteriously appeared in a river has been identified as one previously kept at an aquarium in Osaka Prefecture.

Keio Railway launched a pilot program on Wednesday for touch payment ride services using credit cards and similar methods across all its stations.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Two South Korean nationals, Sangmyung Lee (47) and his younger brother Chungmyung Lee (45), have been arrested following a destructive incident in the Presidential Suite of the luxury Grand Hyatt Tokyo in Roppongi.

A relaxation spa owner in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward has been arrested on suspicion of committing indecent acts against female clients, with authorities estimating over 400 potential victims.

In Japan, the 'Suzuki' surname ranks as the country's second most common, following 'Sato.' The origins of this widespread name can be traced back to Kumano faith and its spread across the nation, with roots at the Fujishiro Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture's Kainan City.

A whale shark that mysteriously appeared in a river has been identified as one previously kept at an aquarium in Osaka Prefecture.

Japan’s traditional sake brewing has taken a step closer to being recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. UNESCO's Evaluation Body, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, has recommended that Japan’s “traditional sake brewing” practices, including sake, shochu, and awamori production, be registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs.

In a residential neighborhood in Hiroshima Prefecture, a suspicious man was recently spotted leaning close to other people's laundry, carefully examining each item. His target: the clothing of a junior high school girl.

A series of robberies and thefts in the Kanto region, believed to be linked to 'dark part-time jobs,' have reached a total of 23 cases, according to police officials. Some of these incidents may involve the same suspects.

On Culture Day, November 3rd, manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, 85, expressed his joy at receiving the Order of Culture from the Emperor, saying, 'I believe Osamu Tezuka would be the happiest for me right now.'