According to numbers released by the Welfare Ministry Tuesday, Japan’s poverty rate hit a record high of 16.0 percent in 2009, up 0.3 percent from 2006. The increase in the number of people over 65 and the number of nonregular employees with less income was cited as the cause of the increase. Relative poverty was […]
The International Whaling Commission began its annual talks Monday in Saint Helier, Jersey. As expected, anti-whaling nations have ganged up on Japan against its so-called “research whaling.” On Monday, Great Britain proposed that governments pay their membership fees to the IWC by bank transfer, rather than by cash or check, in order to trace the […]
The Japanese government is sending 96 Japanese English teachers to the U.S. this month to participate in a six-month training program. The teachers will take courses in English education at seven universities. They will stay with American host families and work as interns at American secondary schools. As an American teaching English in Japan, I […]
The Japan blog had been offline for several days last week due to updates to the Foreign Policy Association’s blog site. We’re up and running now. Thank you for your patience! Please take time to check out the new features, including Facebook content! Ryu Matsumoto stepped down last week from his post as reconstruction minister, […]
Prime Minister Naoto Kan created two new cabinet posts in order to oversee reconstruction from the March 11 quake and tsunami and nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. This is purportedly to get Japan’s reconstruction on solid footing before he steps down. Kan also asked opposition Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Kazuyuki Hamada […]
According to Kyodo News, a draft policy document on the nation’s international cooperation, Japan plans to tap into its foreign aid funds to pay for reconstruction in the aftermath of the March 11 quake and tsunami. The fund will also be used to buy processed seafood from affected areas for export to developing countries. Due […]
The U.S. and Japan agreed to delay relocation of the U.S. Marine Futenma air station to another location in Okinawa until 2014, at the earliest. The wording of the agreement said the base would be transferred “at the earliest possible date after 2014.” This wording will allow the two countries to put the relocation on […]
The U.S. voiced discontent with the Japanese government through official channels last month over Japan’s postponement on a decision to join a U.S.-led Pacific free trade accord. Tokyo was to arrive at a decision by June, but postponed it in the wake of the March 11 earthquake. Washington is understandably frustrated with Tokyo’s delaying a […]
The Democratic Party of Japan handed former chief and DPJ heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa a three-month suspension for abstaining to vote on DPJ Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s no-confidence motion. Seven other members were suspended alongside Ozawa and five rookie members received warnings. Two who voted for the no-confidence motion were expelled from the party. Ozawa is […]
The Japanese government outlined a plan to give preferential treatment to foreigners with specialized skills Thursday. The government will issue points to foreigners based on things like academic background, skill sets and business experience. Foreigners with preferred skills will be able to extend three-year visas to five years. Japan will soon face a labor shortage […]
Japan’s largest business lobby, Nippon Keidanren, is urging Prime Minister Naoto Kan to step down in order to pave the way for his Democratic Party of Japan to form a grand coalition with the opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Nippon Keidanren chairman Hiromasa Yonekura said, “I would like the prime minister to sacrifice himself for reconstruction […]
Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan survived the no-confidence motion that was submitted Wednesday. I figured he would survive by a small margin, but he actually came through quite well. Apparently some less-vocal members of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party didn’t think now was the best time for a change at the top. However, Kan plans […]
Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker Ichiro Ozawa said late Wednesday that he plans to break off from the DPJ and form a new party if the no-confidence motion in DPJ Prime Minister Naoto Kan fails. One hundred members of Kan’s own party are loyal to Ozawa, and 50 of those members plan to side with […]
U.N. special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Jorge Bustamante, presented a report on his findings during his visit to Japan in March last year to the U.N. Human Rights Council on Tuesday. He criticized the Japanese government’s discrimination towards foreign schools, and urged it to do more in guaranteeing the rights of foreign […]
Japan’s opposition parties, the Liberal Democratic Party and the New Komeito party, have arranged to submit a no-confidence motion against Democratic Party of Japan Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his cabinet, possibly as early as Thursday. By presenting the motion, the two parties are protesting Kan’s handling of the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake […]