March 29, 2013
An advisory panel’s proposal redraws electoral district boundaries that would reduce the ratio in the value of a vote between the most and least populous districts to 1.998:1.
March 29, 2013
Much of the country lay in ruins, and Japan's war-weary population had more shocks in store from U.S.-led occupation forces that arrived in late August 1945.
March 29, 2013
UNITED NATIONS--Iran, Syria and North Korea on March 29 prevented the adoption of the first international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global conventional arms trade, complaining that it was flawed and failed to ban weapons sales to rebel groups.
March 28, 2013
In five years' time, labor advocates will know if a new law that takes effect in April to improve the unstable, low-paying positions that 14.1 million workers toil under, or fully one-fourth of those now employed, is successful or leads to more layoffs.
March 28, 2013
DURBAN, South Africa--At a summit in South Africa on March 27, Vladimir Putin likened the BRICS nations--Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa--to Africa's "Big Five" game beasts of trophy hunting lore--the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.
March 28, 2013
DURBAN, South Africa--China's decision to spend billions of dollars this week to revamp South Africa's rail lines and a major port show the importance Beijing places on making sure African minerals reach its fast-growing industries
March 27, 2013
Japan's highest-ranking uniformed officer said on March 27 that Lockheed Martin's F-35 fighters were the best choice for the nation's future operational needs as Tokyo wrestles with tensions with China and increasingly belligerent North Korea.
March 26, 2013
The landmark rulings on March 25 and 26 that the results of the Dec. 16 Lower House election in some constituencies were invalid do not affect lawmakers for the time being. But that could drastically change when the Supreme Court issues its decision later this year.
March 26, 2013
OKAYAMA--For the second time in as many days, a high court has ruled that last year’s Lower House election results were invalid due to the unconstitutional disparity in the value of votes.
March 25, 2013
TOKYO/BRUSSELS--Japan and the European Union agreed on March 25 to launch talks on one of the world's most ambitious trade deals despite opposition from European carmakers, a test of how far both sides are willing to go in their hunt for economic growth.
March 25, 2013
HIROSHIMA--In a landmark decision, the Hiroshima High Court ruled on March 25 that the results of the Dec. 16 Lower House election in two constituencies were invalid due to the wide gap in the value of votes.
March 25, 2013
NAMIE, Fukushima Prefecture--Visiting the prefecture that hosts the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on March 24 reiterated that consideration of restarting suspended nuclear reactors hinges on guaranteeing their safety, although he believes the power supply is vital to the region's reconstruction.
March 23, 2013
The government has taken a step toward relocating a U.S. military air station within Okinawa Prefecture in line with a U.S. agreement, despite widespread opposition in the southern prefecture.
March 22, 2013
Many people expected Yukio Hatoyama to bring about major change in Japan after an August 2009 Lower House election swept the Democratic Party of Japan to power.
March 21, 2013
Desolate, remote and almost entirely under water, the Okinotorishima atoll 1,700 kilometers south of Tokyo is now the site of a port construction project worth 75 billion yen ($780 million).
March 21, 2013
Japan and the United States have started talks on operational plans in the case of armed conflict over a group of East China Sea islets claimed by Tokyo and Beijing, Japanese media said on March 21, prompting China to complain of "outside pressure."
March 21, 2013
CANBERRA/HONG KONG--The Pentagon's F-35 warplane is giving U.S. allies in Asia a headache as they look to replace ageing jets with a cutting edge aircraft now likely to be at least seven years late in offering a strategic deterrent to China.
March 20, 2013
Japan's deputy leader at the time of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has said Tokyo tried to verify allegations that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, but had no way of doing so.
March 19, 2013
WASHINGTON--Secretary of State John Kerry said on March 18 he is as committed to U.S. engagement with the Asia-Pacific as his predecessor.
March 18, 2013
Japan and France are at odds over a French company’s sales to China of a cutting-edge helicopter landing system that Japan fears will be deployed around the Senkaku Islands.