SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported today by the Shingetsu News Agency.

Politics

—The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan to submit five bills to the current Diet session, including bills that would overturn both the casino promotion act as well as the conspiracy bill, both of which were rammed through the Diet by the Abe government over the past year.

—The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is now in the process of setting up its local Tokyo Chapter. Akira Nagatsuma will be at its head.

—The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan now has set up three prefectural chapters: Miyagi, Aichi, and now Osaka. The head of the Osaka Chapter will be Hiroyuki Moriyama.

Economy

—Japan-European Union trade talks to resume in Brussels next week. The method of handling investment disputes is said to be a sticking point.

—It appears that Canada is still not reconciled to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, in spite of Japan portraying it as more-or-less a done deal.

Society

—The Abe government appears to have settled on April 30, 2019, as the date upon which they will allow Emperor Akihito to retire and turn over his duties to his son and successor, Crown Prince Naruhito.

—Kenneth Franklin Shinzato, the former US base worker, sentenced to life in prison for the rape and murder of an Okinawan woman last April. Turns out that Okinawan courts are tougher on violent crime than US military courts.

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