What do ‘Trinity Reforms’ mean for our taxes?
With Japan’s public debt snowballing, the government is gearing up efforts to review national and local-level finances under what has been dubbed the “Trinity Re- forms” plan. But with differences...
View ArticleRevised fund law good for graft?
The first hearing was held Thursday in the trial of Lower House member Takanori Sakai, who has been charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law by concealing political donations from...
View ArticleRevised fund law good for graft?
The first hearing was held Thursday in the trial of Lower House member Takanori Sakai, who has been charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law by concealing political donations from...
View ArticleRevised fund law good for graft?
The first hearing was held Thursday in the trial of Lower House member Takanori Sakai, who has been charged with violating the Political Funds Control Law by concealing political donations from...
View ArticleInterest-rate hikes: good news or bad?
Long-term interest rates surged this week. Is it good news or bad? Here are some questions and answers: Q. What are long-term interest rates? A. Long-term interest rates Japan usually mean yields on...
View ArticleJapan’s vehicle-recall system: a summary of its principles
Following are basic facts about Japan’s automotive recall system: Q. What is the motor vehicle recall system? A. Under the Road Vehicles Law, the recall system obliges auto manufacturers and importers...
View ArticleWhy is Japan Post going to be privatized?
After months of government debate, the Cabinet on Friday will formally approve a plan to privatize the government-run Japan Post. Below are questions and answers regarding the privatization. Q. Why...
View ArticleRow boils down to gas vein and a line in the sea
Tensions over gas fields under the East China Sea are straining relations between Japan and China, arguably the two most interdependent economies in Asia. From an economic perspective, the dispute...
View ArticleWhy is Japan so impatient to land a permanent seat in the UNSC club?
Japan moved a step closer toward its goal of becoming a permanent United Nations Security Council member Thursday, as the so-called Group of Four nations — Japan, Germany, India and Brazil — submitted...
View ArticleWhy is Japan so impatient to land a permanent seat in the UNSC club?
Japan moved a step closer toward its goal of becoming a permanent United Nations Security Council member Thursday, as the so-called Group of Four nations — Japan, Germany, India and Brazil — submitted...
View ArticleHow safe is our food? — Some answers
With the revelations last week that Fujiya Co. had been using expired ingredients in its products, concerns about food safety are growing. Below are answers to some questions about sanitation rules and...
View ArticleElection puts overtime-pay exclusion on hold
Wary of an upcoming election, the ruling bloc is backing off on a highly contentious bill that would exclude certain white-collar workers from overtime pay. But debate over the issue, which unions...
View ArticleRate hike means both pain and gain
The Bank of Japan’s Policy Board on Wednesday raised the key short-term interest rate by a quarter point to 0.5 percent. Following are some explanations on how the interest rate hike will impact the...
View ArticleMinistry takes charge of bankrupt city
This month, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry is expected to designate Yubari, Hokkaido, as a “municipality under rehabilitation.” Following are questions and answers outlining what that...
View ArticleWhat follows from passage of Constitution referendum bill?
The Diet on Monday passed a bill to establish procedures for a national referendum to revise the Constitution. The bill was a key agenda item for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a conservative who has...
View ArticlePoll-wary ruling bloc gropes to fix pension fiasco
The government is facing a crisis over its handling of the creaky public pension system, in part because the Social Insurance Agency scrambled the data on 50 million premium payments during a bungled...
View ArticleWhat’s behind the measles outbreak?
A measles epidemic is spreading, especially among people in their teens and 20s, forcing weeklong closures at 29 universities and 22 high schools nationwide between April 1 and May 26. With the...
View ArticleNew laws to reshape education system
Bills to revise four education-related laws were passed by the Diet on Wednesday. Following are questions and answers concerning the revision of the School Education Law, the Law Concerning...
View ArticleWhy the big fuss about SIA? Some answers
Two bills to replace the Social Insurance Agency with a government corporation were set to be enacted in the early hours of Saturday morning, despite the opposition camp’s last-ditch attempts to stop...
View ArticleWhat is significance of Bull-Dog action?
Bull-Dog Sauce Co. on Wednesday became the first company in Japan to implement takeover defenses, issuing rights for new shares to block Steel Partners’ takeover attempt. Steel Partners Japan Strategic...
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