Editorials Jan 6, 2016
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appear ready to amend the Constitution if the LDP and its allies can secure a majority in the upcoming Upper House election.
National Jan 6, 2016
Prospect of war a vexed issue for SDF staff, their families
by Tomohiro Osaki
Masaki Tomiyama is desperate. Every few days, he takes to the streets of his Fukuoka neighborhood with a microphone in hand, and makes an impassioned speech against a set of unpopular security bills bulldozed through the Diet by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc four ...
Editorials Dec 29, 2015
Does the LDP plan to use the panel to push a revisionist view of Japan's modern history and lay the groundwork for a revision of the Constitution?
Commentary / Japan Dec 25, 2015
The scourge of conformism besetting Japanese society
by Jiro Yamaguchi
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law requiring married couples to use the same surname is rooted in a society that stifles those outside the norm.
National / Politics Dec 23, 2015
Forceful defense posture shift could lay Japan open to attack, LDP's Seiko Noda warns
by Linda Sieg
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's defense policy shift to allow the military to fight abroad for the first time since 1945 could be used by militants as an excuse to attack Japan, a ruling party lawmaker who hopes one day to succeed Abe said Monday. Laws ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 22, 2015
Osaka court rules ordinance requiring teachers to stand for 'Kimigayo' is constitutional
The Osaka District Court has ruled that a prefectural ordinance obliging teachers to stand and sing the national anthem during school ceremonies is constitutional, rejecting a lawsuit filed by a teacher saying the rule violates freedom of thought. It is the first time the court ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 21, 2015
A group of legal experts will file lawsuits with district courts across the country, arguing that the newly enacted security laws violate the Constitution.
National / Politics Dec 20, 2015
Gulf War trauma kicked off Japan's retreat from pacifism in '91
As the first Gulf War raged in February 1991, Ground Self-Defense Force Maj. Nozomu Yoshitomi was supposed to be conducting war games with U.S. officers at a military facility in Tokyo. But the Americans appeared distracted, watching the conflict live on CNN. On another ...
Business Dec 14, 2015
Abe's tax compromise raises odds of twin summer polls
by Andy Sharp
Abe may now be able to persuade his ally Komeito to agree to a snap Lower House election on the same day as an upper chamber poll.
Editorials Nov 27, 2015
Lawmakers have dallied long enough: Chastised again by the Supreme Court, it's time they got down to business and resolved the disparity in vote values between districts.