Abe indicates tax hike may be postponed again

September 27, 2017

TOKYO- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday indicated that a consumption tax increase set for October 2019 will be postponed if the economy worsens significantly. Abe has postponed the tax increase from 8 percent to 10 percent twice. Speaking

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Koikeʼs new party seeks to “reset Japanˮ

September 27, 2017

TOKYO- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike said Wednesday Kibo no To (party of hope), a new political party headed by her, will aim to “reset Japan” with bold reforms and politics not constrained by vested interests. “I’m launching Kibo no To

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Japan falls to 9th in WEFʼs competitiveness rankings

September 26, 2017

LONDON- Japan ranked ninth in the World Economic Forum’s annual global competitiveness rankings covering 137 countries and regions, down from last year’s eighth, the WEF said Wednesday. The country saw its ranking drop for the second consecutive year. Japan’s infrastructure,

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Relief team completes mission in quake-hit Mexico

September 26, 2017

SAO PAULO- A Japanese emergency relief team completed Monday its search-and-rescue mission in Mexico City, which was hit by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake a week ago. The team arrived in the Mexican capital on Thursday, found the body of a woman

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Japan to delay Fukushima N-Fuel removal by 3 years

September 26, 2017

TOKYO- The Japanese government decided Tuesday to postpone its plan to remove nuclear fuel from spent fuel pools at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant by some three years. According to its revised schedule for

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Election to affect casino plan in Japan

September 26, 2017

TOKYO- A decision by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to hold a general election next month is likely to have an impact on the country’s plan to introduce integrated resorts featuring casinos. It now seems unlikely that a bill on

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Nationwide expressway pass for foreigners to be launched

September 26, 2017

TOKYO- Japan will launch a nationwide expressway pass that allows visitors from abroad to take unlimited rides for one or two weeks at fixed costs, transport and tourism minister Keiichi Ishii said Tuesday. Visitors with foreign passports using designated rental

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Abe vows to spend 2 trillion yen on human resources development

September 26, 2017

TOKYO- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that the government will compile by year-end a 2-trillion-yen policy package for promoting a revolution in human resources development. The government plans to find financial resources for the program by reviewing how

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