Politics | Page 2

Japan holds first intl. fleet review in 20 years
NHK - Nov 07
Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force has held an international fleet review for the first time in 20 years, to mark the 70th anniversary of its founding.

N.Korea launches several missiles, including possible ICBM
NHK - Nov 03
North Korea launched several ballistic missiles on Thursday morning. Officials from Japan's Defense Ministry say one may have been an intercontinental ballistic missile. They are trying to determine the latest details.

N.Korea fires over 20 missiles on Wednesday
NHK - Nov 03
North Korea fired at least 23 missiles on Wednesday. It is extremely rare for the country to launch more than 20 missiles in a single day.

Court orders Yamaguchi governor to pay back spending on luxury official car
NHK - Nov 03
A district court has ordered the Yamaguchi prefectural government to urge the governor to pay back 20.9 million yen, or about 142,000 dollars, that it spent to buy a luxury car for official use.

Japan unveils $200bn package to combat highest inflation in decades
Nikkei - Oct 29
Japan on Friday unveiled an economic package worth about $200 billion to cushion the highest inflation seen in decades, as households and some businesses feel the impact of a weak yen.

Japan to cut household electricity bills by 20% to fight inflation
Kyodo - Oct 27
Japan will cut household electricity bills by about 20 percent early next year as an inflation-relief step under a broader economic package that will entail nearly 30 trillion yen ($204 billion) in government spending, sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.

Japan to extend gasoline subsidy to first half of next fiscal year: Kyodo
CNA - Oct 26
The Japanese government will extend a gasoline subsidy to curb rising energy costs until the first half of the next fiscal year, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday (Oct 26).

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida apologizes for Cabinet minister's resignation
NHK - Oct 26
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Tuesday named a replacement for his Economic Revitalization Minister. Yamagiwa Daishiro resigned Monday after heated opposition criticism for his links to the religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.

Japan minister resigns after row over ties with Unification Church
ANI Asia - Oct 25
Daishiro Yamagiwa, Japan's minister in charge of economic security, became the first minister of Fumio Kishida's government on Monday to step down over his ties with the controversial Unification Church.

Australia and Japan sign 'landmark' security agreement
9 News Australia - Oct 22
Australia and Japan have signed a bolstered security agreement, sending a "strong signal" to the region of the nations' strategic alignment.

Japan alarmed as Chinese buy up farmland near military base
Spotlight on China - Oct 21
Chinese buyers have become interested in farmland in Japan, and policymakers in the country are uncomfortable with this.

Damages awarded to Japan's #MeToo symbol over defamatory tweet likes
Kyodo - Oct 20
A Tokyo court on Thursday ordered ruling party lawmaker Mio Sugita to pay Shiori Ito, a journalist and symbol of Japan's #MeToo movement, 550,000 yen ($3,700) in damages for clicking "like" on several tweets she said defamed her.

Group of 90 Japanese lawmakers visit war-linked Yasukuni shrine
Kyodo - Oct 18
A cross-party group of around 90 Japanese lawmakers on Tuesday visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo for its fall festival, a move expected to irritate some Asian neighbors who view it as a symbol of Japan's past militarism.

Japan PM orders probe into Unification Church after Abe assassination
arabnews.com - Oct 17
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered on Monday a government probe into the Unification Church, after the assassination of former premier Shinzo Abe renewed scrutiny of the sect.

Former PM Abe's state funeral cost lower than previous estimate
NHK - Oct 15
The Japanese government says the actual cost of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's state funeral last month was over 1.2 billion yen, or more than 8 million dollars.

North Korea launches new ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan
MSN - Oct 14
North Korea's military launched an unspecified ballistic missile toward the Sea of Japan -- known as the East Sea in South Korea -- on Thursday, early Friday morning already in Pyongyang, South Korean military sources said.