Politics | Page 6

Japan military probe finds more than 100 sexual harassment cases
CNA - Dec 16
Japan's military on Thursday fired five servicemen and punished four others in a sexual assault case brought by a former soldier, prompting a rare investigation across the Defense Ministry that found more than 100 other complaints of harassment, officials said.

Kishida in a fix to revive his sinking popularity
AP - Dec 15
Boosting military spending may be Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s best hope of reviving his sinking popularity, but there is a catch, analysts say: paying for it with unpopular new taxes could undermine an already wobbly premiership.

Japan questions Unification Church for 2nd time over illegal acts
Kyodo - Dec 15
The Japanese government exercised Wednesday its "right to question" the Unification Church for the second time, as it continues investigating the controversial religious group with an eye on a court order to remove the organization's status as a religious corporation with tax benefits.

Japan PM faces cabinet rebellion over tax hikes for defense
Nikkei - Dec 14
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces rare open dissent from his cabinet over his call to raise taxes to fund an increase in defense spending, with ministers arguing that it is too soon to talk about putting such a burden on the public.

Japan targets top earners with proposal for minimum income tax
Nikkei - Dec 13
Japanese policymakers will move forward with a proposal for a minimum income tax rate targeting high earners making more than 3 billion yen ($22 million) a year, Nikkei has learned.

Eateries fraudulently received over Y500 million in pandemic subsidies
yomiuri.co.jp - Dec 10
Fraudulent claims for coronavirus pandemic-related subsidies worth more than Y500 million had been identified as of September, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

Japan shuns U.S. to sign next-gen fighter plan with U.K., Italy
Nikkei - Dec 09
Japan, the U.K. and Italy have agreed to jointly develop next-generation fighter aircraft by 2035, the three countries announced on Friday, a collaborative effort that reflects the need to respond together to growing geopolitical threats from the likes of China and Russia.

Japan Lower House passes bill regulating religious donations
NHK - Dec 09
Japan's Lower House has passed a bill that would regulate religious donations, including those to the group formerly known as the Unification Church.

Japan's ruling parties agree on counterstrike ability
NHK - Dec 03
Japan's ruling coalition said the country should be able to launch a "counterstrike" if it's targeted by an armed attack.

Freed Japanese filmmaker says Myanmar junta used him for propaganda
laprensalatina.com - Nov 29
Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota said on Monday that the Myanmar military government used him for propaganda as they made him pose with an anti-junta banner and used the photos as evidence to jail him on sedition charges.

Widow expresses disappointment over civil court ruling
NHK - Nov 26
The widow of a deceased Finance Ministry official said she is disappointed with a civil court ruling that failed to reveal any information about how her husband was pressured to falsify government documents.

Kishida sacks scandal-hit internal affairs minister
Nikkei - Nov 21
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked internal affairs minister Minoru Terada on Sunday, as pressure built on the premier to fire him over a funds-related scandal amid falling support ratings for his Cabinet.

North Korean missile flew about 1,000 km
NHK - Nov 18
Japan's top government spokesperson says what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from near the west coast of the Korean Peninsula at around 10:14 a.m. on Friday.

Japan and China affirm stable ties during first summit in three years
Nikkei - Nov 18
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on Thursday to work together to build a stable relationship between Asia's two largest economies, according to Tokyo, as tensions mount over Taiwan.

Myanmar releases ex-UK envoy, Aussie economist, Japan filmmaker
Nikkei - Nov 17
Myanmar's military regime has released former U.K. Ambassador Vicky Bowman, an Australian economist and Aung San Suu Kyi aide Sean Turnell, and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota from prison as it attempts to mitigate a growing backlash against the generals.

Lawyers probe adoptions arranged by former Unification Church
NHK - Nov 16
NHK has learned that lawyers in Japan have begun investigating adoptions arranged by the religious group formerly known as the Unification Church.