Today in Japan (12.11.17)
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on December 11, 2017.
Tag Archives: Kazuo Shii
Today in Japan (12.04.17)
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on December 4, 2017.
Abe Wins Third General Election Victory
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 third week of October 2017.
Koike Takes Command of the Party of Hope
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 fourth week of September 2017.
Rengo Obstructing Opposition Alliance
The Democratic Party’s labor union backers are throwing a wrench into political strategy.
The Japan that Can’t Say No to War
At the 93rd anniversary event of the Japan Communist Party, Chairman Kazuo Shii offered his view on how the so-called “Legislation for Peace and Security” will make future Japanese governments even less able to resist US government demands that they participate in foreign wars.
The Little City with the Big Punch
Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, is the 14th largest city in Japan by population, and it has a distinguished history. There is evidence of civilized habitation here going back the 5th century; and Sakai played a notable role as a mercantile hub since medieval times. Sakai was the hometown of Sen no Rikyu, the renowned master of the Japanese tea ceremony. In the 16th century Sakai produced the bulk of Japan’s firearms, and when the warlord Nobunaga Oda decided that he needed to control Sakai and its firearms directly, and attempted to squelch the city’s independence, the locals rebelled.
A Coup by Appointment: Debilitating Article Nine
It is not exactly an unknown technique in politics, but the Abe administration is using it in several high-profile cases, and some people, at least, have noticed. The technique is to establish supposedly “independent” panels or organizations, but appointing people to serve on those panels or in those organizations whose opinions and conclusions are already known in advance.
