The extended detention of Hiroji Yamashiro is a shocking display of raw government power.

In its eagerness to appease U.S. Marine demands for a super base in northern Okinawa, the Abe administration has cast aside the rules of law.

The state secrecy bill currently before the Diet could have a chilling effect on news reporting in Japan.

Now that the Liberal Democratic Party and their allies have won a large majority in Japan's House of Representatives, the issue of constitutional revision is on the table. The LDP published a "Draft Reform of the Constitution" (kenpo kaisei soan) only eight months ago, so ...

Ever since the historic landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the Lower House elections, we have wondered how the new government will wield its power. In the area of human rights protection, at least, there is cause to expect dramatic ...

The mushrooming scandal at Japan's Defense Agency highlights the ongoing struggle between advocates of free speech and government secrecy. The clumsy and duplicitous handling of this affair by the Koizumi administration leaves even the most cynical observers of government speechless. The basic facts are clear. ...