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July 08, 2026
 

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CONSTITUTION

EDITORIALS
Dec 24, 2013
The Emperor’s call for peace
Emperor Akihito on Monday celebrated his 80th birthday, becoming the second emperor to have passed this milestone while on the throne, following his father, Emperor Showa.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 20, 2013
Dictatorship of the majority
Japanese civic movements conspicuously picked up steam to oppose the state secrets bill just before its enactment into law, illustrating that many Japanese voters become critical of the Abe administration when it takes up issues other than the economy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LAW OF THE LAND
Nov 20, 2013
For ‘no war’ Article 9, any reinterpretation will do
Since the conclusion of the Article 9 debate — that it permits Japan to participate in collective security efforts — is already known, all that is really called for is some kind of excuse that the public can give the nod to before returning to their smartphones.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / JUST BE CAUSE
Nov 6, 2013
Japan brings out the big guns to sell remilitarization in U.S.
With a probable nod and a wink from the Americans, there’s not a lot we can do but watch Abe’s military machinations march to fruition.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 4, 2013
Diet reform paralyzed by hypocritical habits
Indecision is a much-criticized feature of Japanese politics. Diet sessions are rife with unproductive wrangling as the ruling and opposition camps dispute the timing of the submission of bills while avoiding constructive discussions on them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2013
Anti-nuclear lawmaker tries to get Emperor’s attention
Upper House lawmaker Taro Yamamoto, an anti-nuclear activist who was formerly an actor, creates a public stir when he apparently approaches Emperor Akihito for political purposes at a garden party hosted by the Imperial Couple.
EDITORIALS
Oct 18, 2013
Revitalizing the SDP
Under its newly elected leader, the Social Democratic Party must go beyond shouting ‘Protect the pacifist Constitution!’ if its mission is to build a more equitable Japanese society.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Oct 16, 2013
The wonderful world of Japanese law: Yōkoso to endless discovery
Having kindly published my intermittent ramblings on Japanese law and the occasional other subject over the years, The Japan Times has seen fit to give me a monthly column.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Oct 7, 2013
The Special Dismissal Zone: where legal protections no longer apply
The government’s Special Employment Zone wheeze has already been dubbed the Special Dismissal Zone, or kaiko tokku, by the media.
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2013
Mr. Abe’s ominous defense moves
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approach to changing the government’s traditional position on the right to collective self-defense undermines the foundation of Japanese democracy.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Sep 16, 2013
Fukushima and the right to responsible government
A responsibility-shirking government is ultimately the people’s problem — and responsibility — just as much as the nuclear disaster and all the nation’s other problems are, argues Colin P.A. Jones.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Aug 19, 2013
Clearing way for wider military role
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is poised to achieve his long-held goal of reinterpreting Article 9 of the Constitution to allow Japan to exercise its right to engage in collective self-defense under the U.N. Charter.
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Aug 19, 2013
Union, business concerns put limits on freedom of speech
Hot on the heels of their romp to victory in the race for control of the House of Councilors, the Liberal Democratic Party is chomping at the bit to overhaul the Constitution, which has not been amended since it was signed into law in 1946. The ruling party proposes gutting Article 9, which forever bans...
EDITORIALS
Aug 9, 2013
Mr. Abe’s constitutional runaround
Shinzo Abe’s choice for Cabinet Legislation Bureau chief gives away his intention to seek a constitutional justification for Japan’s right to ‘collective self-defense.’
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 7, 2013
Gaffe-prone leaders are doing Japan no favors
It is in Japan’s long-term interest for its politicians to avoid remarks that could exacerbate ill will toward Japan and thus detract from its goal of economic revival.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 6, 2013
Japan’s security dilemma
Chinese military planners have probably calculated that the U.S. is unlikely to threaten to devastate China in a Sino-Japanese conflict confined to the East China Sea.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Aug 5, 2013
SOFA: an unequal treaty that trumps the Constitution?
The prime minister’s dogged focus on amending the American-tainted Constitution might reflect an uncomfortable unspoken truth — that it may be easier to change the Constitution than revise another document of potentially greater importance: the Status of Forces Agreement between Japan and the United States, which governs the legal status of the U.S. military presence in Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2013
Aso retracts remark on ‘learning from the Nazis’
After facing criticism both at home and abroad, Finance Minister Taro Aso retracts his remark suggesting Japan should learn from the Nazis when it comes to revising the Constitution, saying it led to a “misunderstanding.”
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 31, 2013
Aso’s Nazi-inspired quip rubs Seoul the wrong way
Outspoken Finance Minister Taro Aso causes another international stir by urging Japanese politicians bent on revising the Constitution to learn from the way Germany under the Nazis amended the Weimar charter.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Jul 2, 2013
The LDP constitution, article by article: a preview of things to come?
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pushing for constitutional change. Yet he is playing the political huckster by proposing to first only fiddle with the amendment procedure in Article 96, lowering the threshold for the process to move forward from the approval of two-thirds of both houses of the Diet, as...
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Prior to launch, Japan ‘strongly urged’ China to reconsider missile test in Pacific
A missile is fired from a Chinese Navy nuclear-powered submarine on Monday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Japan might be giving the currency market the silent treatment
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has issued verbal warnings recently using the same language and the same tone, saying authorities “will take appropriate action at any time, as necessary.”
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.

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