Politics | Page 7

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.

Kishida tells Asia leaders China infringing on Japan's sovereignty
Reuters - Nov 14
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told Asian leaders on Sunday that China is continuously and increasingly taking actions that infringe on Japan's sovereignty and escalate tensions in the region.

Japan’s justice minister resigns after death penalty quip
sundiatapost.com - Nov 12
Japan's justice minister stepped down on Friday, over a scandal in less than a month and forcing a last-minute delay for the embattled premier’s Asia tour.

Japan drafts policy bracing for 8th wave of COVID-19 infections
Xinhua - Nov 11
The Japanese government on Thursday decided on a policy to allow each prefectural government to declare stepped-up coronavirus measures, amid growing concerns about the possible arrival of the eighth infection wave.

Japan's justice minister under fire for gaffe on death penalty
Japan Today - Nov 10
Japan's justice minister has come under fire for remarks widely seen as making light of his role in providing final authorization for executions of death-row inmates.