Issues | LAW OF THE LAND Dec 23, 2019
The Reiwa Daijosai: Pomp, circumstance and litigation
by Colin P.A. Jones
The separation of church and state in Japan comes under scrutiny in the new era. However, we've been down this road before.
National / Politics Dec 13, 2019
Abe 'not thinking about' fourth term as Liberal Democratic Party head
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday said he is not thinking about the possibility of seeking another term as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party by changing its rules, despite his aim of achieving constitutional reform during his tenure. Speaking at an event in Tokyo, ...
National / Politics Dec 11, 2019
LDP execs support Abe staying on beyond 2021 to get Constitution amended
Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso says Abe should not leave his successor the task of revising the supreme law, which proponents of revision say will clarify the status of the SDF.
National / Politics Dec 9, 2019
Abe granted brief respite as scandal-hit extraordinary Diet session draws to a close
by Sakura Murakami
During the course of the session two ministers resigned, a plan for reforming college English-language tests was withdrawn and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was accused of breaching election campaign laws.
National / Politics | Commentary Dec 5, 2019
LDP statesman Yasuhiro Nakasone helped shape postwar Japan from the top down
by Ryuji Hattori
Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone, who died at 101 on Nov. 29, will undoubtedly be remembered as a giant in Japan's political history. But before he became a political titan and Japan's fifth-longest-serving postwar prime minister, Nakasone was on the fringes of the nation's conservative ...
National / Crime & Legal Dec 4, 2019
Vote weight gap in July election ruled constitutional by top Tokyo court
The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday ruled the disparity in the weight of votes in the July Upper House election was constitutional, in the last of 16 similar lawsuits filed nationwide by groups of lawyers. The ruling was the 14th stating that the disparity of ...
National Dec 4, 2019
A 52-year-old in Hyogo Prefecture has filed a claim challenging the constitutionality of a law that blocks people with children who are minors from changing their sex in the official family registry system maintained by Japanese authorities. In the claim, filed Tuesday with the Amagasaki ...
National / History | JAPAN TIMES GONE BY Nov 30, 2019
Japan Times 1969: Supreme Court rules that people have right to refuse being photographed
The Supreme Court ruling came in a case involving a student who injured a policeman who photographed him without his consent.
National / Politics Nov 21, 2019
Abe's push to change Japan's Constitution hits roadblock as parties scrap Diet discussion
by Sakura Murakami
LDP sources have said the party has all but given up hope of passing the bill this year, reports have said.
National / Politics Nov 20, 2019
Abe becomes Japan's longest-serving prime minister
by Sakura Murakami
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the nation’s longest serving prime minister on Wednesday, beating previous record holder Taro Katsura by having served for a total of 2,887 days.
National / Politics Nov 19, 2019
Abe ties Taro Katsura as longest-serving Japanese prime minister
Abe is set to break Katsura’s century-old record on Wednesday at a time when myriad challenges lie ahead, including a controversy over a publicly funded cherry blossom-viewing party.
National / Politics Nov 19, 2019
Mission unaccomplished — Abe's drive to revise pacifist Constitution
by Linda Sieg
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe surged back to power seven years ago, pledging to bolster the nation's defenses in response to a growing threat from China and aiming to amend the pacifist Constitution. Now on track to become Japan's longest serving prime minister, Abe has kept ...