North Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles into sea near Japan

Japan to introduce speedy drug approval for emergencies
Japan Times - Dec 04
The health ministry has presented an outline for new pharmaceutical approval rules in emergencies, in what it says would make the procedure as speedy as those in Europe and the United States.

Opposition party sets sights on expense allowances
Japan Times - Dec 04
One of the big winners of the Oct. 31 Lower House election was the Osaka-based Nippon Ishin no Kai, which tripled the number of seats it occupies in parliament, thus making it the second biggest opposition force after the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

Japan eases blanket ban on new incoming flight bookings
todayonline.com - Dec 03
Japan has softened its suspension of all new incoming flight bookings to make it easier for citizens to return, the government said Thursday (Dec 2), a day after it announced the move prompted by worries about the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Former Japan PM Shinzo Abe tells China, ‘Taiwan emergency is Japanese emergency'
WION - Dec 02
Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that "a Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance".

Japan’s defence strategy set for a boost after PM attends annual military review ceremony
South China Morning Post - Nov 30
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reviewed troops from the country’s Ground Self-Defence Force on Saturday November 27, 2021, saying he will consider strengthening its capability.

Can Japan's new prime minister tackle income inequality? | Counting the Cost
Al Jazeera English - Nov 28
For the first time in 40 years, aid organisation Save the Children has been handing out food parcels to the poorest people in Japan. But the Japanese are not alone. Rich countries have seen a rise in the use of food banks due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan PM says weighing ‘all options’ amid China, North Korea threats
South China Morning Post - Nov 27
At his first troop review on Saturday, Fumio Kishida vowed to strengthen the country’s military and consider acquiring so-called enemy base strike capability.

Kishida calls for 3% pay hikes in labor talks
NHK - Nov 27
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has urged businesses to raise wages by 3 percent or more at their annual labor talks next spring.

Security environment worsening at unprecedented speed: Japan's defence ministry
CNA - Nov 27
Japan plans to add almost US$7 billion to its already record annual military spending. The defence ministry said the security environment around the country is worsening at an unprecedented speed.

Taliban ask Japan envoy to reopen embassy in Afghanistan
Japan Today - Nov 26
A deputy prime minister of the Taliban's interim government in Afghanistan called on Japan's ambassador to reopen the country's embassy in Kabul when the two met in the capital of the war-torn nation on Wednesday.

Japan to release oil reserves in tandem with US
NHK - Nov 24
The Japanese government is taking the unprecedented step of tapping into its state oil reserves in response to a request from the Biden administration.

Japan Cabinet OKs record stimulus package to fix economy
crossroadstoday.com - Nov 20
Japan's Cabinet approved on Friday a record 56 trillion yen ($490 billion) stimulus package, including cash handouts and aid to ailing businesses, to help the economy out of the doldrums worsened by the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan and South Korea ministers abandon Washington press event amid island row
theguardian.com - Nov 19
A long-running territorial dispute between Japan and South Korea has burst on to the global stage after their vice foreign ministers failed to attend a press conference in Washington with their US counterpart.

Pandemic creating long-term joblessness
NHK - Nov 19
Japanese government data indicates that the coronavirus pandemic is creating more long-term unemployment.

Without tourists Kyoto is on the verge of bankruptcy
asianews.it - Nov 14
Tourism in Japan’s former imperial capital fell by 88 per cent in 2020. The deficit in the current fiscal year hovers around US$ 440 million. While the mayor is trying to avoid bankruptcy with a restructuring plan, some see it as not ambitious enough.

In sweeping pandemic policy bundle, free testing signals attitude change in Japan
Japan Times - Nov 13
The inclusion of free virus tests was largely overlooked in the sweeping coronavirus policy package Prime Minister Fumio Kishida rolled out Friday morning.