Osaka G20 Summit Produces Few Results
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the second half of June 2019.
Monthly Archives: June 2019
Irish Ambassador Promotes Educational Exchange with Japan
Irish Ambassador Paul Kavanagh visits Kojimachi Gakuen Girl’s Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo to promote educational and cultural exchanges.
Japan-Funded Bullet Train Sparks Protests in India
The construction of India’s first bullet train has slowed to a crawl due to land acquisition issues and protests from the affected rural populace whose property lies in its path. Fears of displacement and the loss of their homes, paired with inadequate compensation by India’s government, means that the project is increasingly unlikely to meet its proposed 2022 deadline.
“The Bananas Have the Blood of the Workers!”
The company Sumifru, affiliated with Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, has found itself in hot water over its alleged human rights violations against banana plantation workers in the Philippines.
The Genesis of Henoko as “The Only Solution”
Whenever American and Japanese officials meet, they engage in a ritual. Their joint statements, invariably invoking a “free and open Indo-Pacific” and “rules-based maritime order,” always swear that their “ironclad alliance” is stronger than ever.
Japanese Women Struggle for Reasonable Dress Codes at Work
Yumi Ishikawa, an actress and model, launched #KuToo about sexist workplace rules in Japan requiring women to wear high heels. A campaign collected over 23,000 signatures against the women’s high heel dress code.
Little Recourse for Victims of Crime in Japan
Given that Japan is likely to host more foreign residents and tourists in the future, it is necessary for such residents and visitors to the country to remain respectful and mindful of the fact that they are not under the jurisdiction of their home country’s more familiar legal system.
G20 Summit Addresses Plastic Pollution
Japan has the second highest plastic pollution per capita. G20 energy and environment ministers met in Karuizawa, Japan June 15-16, 2019 hoping to address this issue.
Abe: Inflation Target Never “Real Objective” of Abenomics
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the second week of June 2019.
G20 Finance Ministers Meeting Takes on Taxation of Internet Firms
Instead of the open discord over tariffs and trade that many had been bracing for, the main headline story from this weekend’s G20 finance ministers meeting in Fukuoka was the broad agreement on the need for more effective taxation of the global technology firms.
