2023/01/13 |
Japan: Ex-PM Shinzo Abe Assassin Suspect Formally Indicted
Formal charges have been made against the suspected killer of ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The suspect was declared fit for trial after a six-month psychiatric evaluation.
2022/12/19 |
Kishida’s Difficult Year
Support for Kishida’s government has plummeted to below 30%. Next year will be no easier with local elections scheduled in April and big issues on the table such as mounting security challenges, a declining birth rate, and overcoming obstacles to economic reform.
2022/11/03 |
North Korea Fires Missile Near Japan
North Korea continued missile launches for a second day, including a potential ICMB that prompted evacuations in Japan. The West condemned Pyongyang’s unprecedented display of military firepower.
2022/11/02 |
Japan Warily Welcomes Back International Travelers
In his parliamentary speech in October, Kishida presented his plan to revive the Japanese economy, including a pledge to increase international tourist spending beyond the pre-pandemic high in 2019.
2022/09/28 |
Church Drama Is a Dilemma for Kishida
Distaste for Abe and his fellow politicians’ links to the Unification Church has propelled a moral panic about controversial religious organizations in Japan, bringing to mind the media-driven alarm following the sarin gas attacks in 1995.
2022/07/11 |
Japan Conservatives Eye Constitutional Revision After Election Win
Political forces supporting a constitutional revision have won two-thirds of seats in the upper house of the parliament.
2022/05/24 |
‘Quad’ Talks in Japan Open With Eyes on China and Ukraine
Leaders from the U.S., Japan, India, and Australia are in Tokyo looking to bolster the Indo-Pacific group of major democratic nations. Although China is the Quad’s long term focus, Ukraine’s sure to feature on the agenda.
2022/05/17 |
Japan’s Reluctant Realism on Taiwan
As a key U.S. ally in East Asia, Japan is debating the introduction of legislation to ready itself to deal with a contingency scenario in Taiwan, a defensive response rather than a proactive military strategy.
2022/03/10 |
Tokyo Freezes Assets of Russians, Clarifying Once Ambiguous Relations With Moscow
The shift of tone since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the collapse of faith of both the Japanese government and the public that Russia will abide by international norms, analysts say.
2021/10/01 |
Meet Japan’s New PM
Asia’s oldest democracy looks for a steady hand on the tiller in a time of regional flux.
2021/09/07 |
Who Will Replace Yoshihide Suga as Japan’s Prime Minister? Here’s a Rundown of the Candidates.
With a weakened opposition, the Liberal Democratic Party would still be favored to retain power in the Diet after the general election, meaning whoever wins the party leadership contest will likely remain Japan’s prime minister.
2021/09/03 |
Japan’s Suga Won’t Run In Leadership Race, Opening Door for New PM
With his popularity in freefall, Yoshihide Suga has said he will not enter a race for party leadership key to determining Japan's next prime minister. Markets have responded positively to the prospect of a new leader.