CABINET INTERVIEW 2017

National / Politics | CABINET INTERVIEW 2017 Sep 6, 2017

Okinawa's economics minister does some soul-searching after backlash from recent comments

by Reiji Yoshida

Tetsuma Esaki, the newly-appointed minister in charge of Okinawa economic promotion and territorial issues, is known as a cheerful, friendly politician. But the usual genial demeanor of the Lower House member elected from Aichi Prefecture took a more somber turn during a joint interview with ...

National | CABINET INTERVIEW 2017 Sep 5, 2017

Japan must adhere to cap on social spending, new labor minister says

by Connor Cislo and Maiko Takahashi

Japan needs to hold fast in limiting the rise of social welfare spending, said Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Katsunobu Kato in a recent interview. To meet a spending limit set in fiscal 2015, Kato said he wants to adhere to a ¥500 billion ...