Abe Looks to Pyongyang to Save Him from Scandal
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on March 13, 2018.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on March 13, 2018.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on January 16, 2018.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on January 11, 2018.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on January 9, 2018.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on December 31, 2017.
This Week in Japan is your source for news and information about politics and other happenings in this East Asian island country. This episode covers the Top Five stories of the first week of December 2017.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on December 7, 2017.
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on November 29, 2017.
As anyone who studies Japanese political history of the 1930s can attest, the rightwing forces in this nation can be a fractious lot. Once the spirit of nationalism rages, any sort of moderate, compromising behavior can be denounced as treason. Shinzo Abe came to power as a spokesman for the hard right, but after ten months of reasonably cautious behavior, a good chunk of this movement is ready to turn against him.
After about a year of hanging about in the background, the issue of Japan’s participation in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations was suddenly thrust back into the front rank of political debate. Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has been in favor of Japan’s participation in TPP negotiations all along, as was his predecessor Naoto Kan. However, it appears that Noda decided to soft-pedal the matter late last year as he faced the daunting challenge of raising the national consumption tax, a divisive issue within the ruling party that he saw as the bigger priority.