March 11, 2013
About 320,000 people are still living as evacuees because of the Great East Japan Earthquake that struck on March 11, 2011. The exodus from areas affected by the disaster continues. And although public works projects are in full swing, many people cannot find hope in their stricken areas. The budgets for reconstruction of those areas, which will total 25 trillion yen (about $263 billion) in five years, may be creating towns that are more resistant to natural disasters but are sparsely populated.
March 09, 2013
The United Nations Security Council on March 7 unanimously adopted a resolution to impose additional economic sanctions against North Korea for its third nuclear test last month.
March 08, 2013
A company in the United States trains operators of nuclear plants in how to defend them under terrorist attack.
March 07, 2013
The Tokyo High Court’s March 6 ruling on the imbalance in the value of a vote in the December Lower House election was extremely orthodox in our view.
March 06, 2013
An annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress, opened on March 5.
March 05, 2013
The government is initiating formal procedures to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, located in the densely populated city of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, to the Henoko district of Nago, a smaller city in the southernmost prefecture.
March 04, 2013
The United States on March 1 initiated the process of automatic, across-the-board cuts in federal government spending totaling $1.2 trillion (about 110 trillion yen) over 10 years.
March 02, 2013
On March 1, the Abe administration decided to approve exports of Japanese-made parts for the F-35 stealth fighter jet, which has been chosen as the Air Self-Defense Force's next main combat aircraft. The decision raises serious concerns that Japan's self-imposed ban on arms exports will become meaningless.
March 01, 2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a policy speech in the Diet on Feb. 28 and touched upon his plans for the future of Japan.
February 28, 2013
Japan Atomic Power Co., an electricity wholesaler specializing in nuclear energy, has hit a dead end.
February 27, 2013
The Abe administration has named Haruhiko Kuroda as its candidate to be the next governor of the Bank of Japan. It has also put forward the names of two deputy governors. The nominations will shortly be presented to the Diet.
February 26, 2013
Many Japanese who watched the televised Feb. 25 inauguration ceremony for South Korea’s new president, Park Geun-hye, probably felt that she is a breath of fresh air in the country’s political landscape.
February 25, 2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe effectively said in Washington on Feb. 22 that Japan will participate in negotiations to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade arrangement. He made the pledge after meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama earlier that day.
February 23, 2013
Tokyo and Moscow have reached a basic agreement on having Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit Russia, possibly during the Golden Week of national holidays in late April and early May.
February 22, 2013
Teachers require far more than a simple pep talk if bullying, a scourge that afflicts schools across the country, is to be eradicated.
February 21, 2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe floated the possibility of the Bank of Japan purchasing foreign bonds as a means to ease monetary policy during an Upper House Budget Committee meeting on Feb. 18. Doing so would likely cause the yen to further decline in value, which would be a boon for exports.
February 20, 2013
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering dispatching Aiko Shimajiri, a parliamentary secretary of the Cabinet Office, to a ceremony held by the Shimane prefectural government to celebrate "Takeshima Day" on Feb. 22.
February 19, 2013
About 70 percent of voters want to see an end to nuclear power generation in Japan, according to an Asahi Shimbun opinion poll conducted on Feb. 16 and 17.
February 18, 2013
On the instructions of the Abe Cabinet, a panel of experts has started discussing a proposal to establish the headquarters for Japan’s policy efforts to deal with diplomatic and security challenges.
February 16, 2013
The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has set up a council of experts to discuss whether online and telephone sales of over-the-counter drugs should be allowed and what kind of rules should be created for such non-store, online- and telephone-based sales of pharmaceuticals.