
Public remains undecided on constitutional revision
June 8, 2017Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse, Sasakawa USA Blog
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe indicated that he would prioritize the revision of Japan’s constitution by 2020, reordering the political agenda and staking his government on the pursuit of the prime minister’s longtime goal. Yet, the need to win a referendum means that public opinion will cast a shadow over the entire process
Tags: abe shinzo, article 9, constitutional reform, constitutional revision, education, JSDF

Abe’s poll numbers slide with the Moritomo Gakuen scandal
March 22, 2017Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s approval ratings in the latest Yomiuri Shimbun poll have fallen suddenly by ten percent in the midst of a scandal that has dominated headlines and parliamentary debate.
Tags: Abe, abe akie, abe shinzo, Akie Abe, approval rating, asahi, japan political pulse, jiji, jpp, kyodo, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Mainichi, moritomo gakuen, NHK, opinion poll, poll, Prime Minister, scandal, Shinzo Abe, yasunori kagoike, Yomiuri Shimbun

Fiscal Concerns Grow as Abe Again Postpones Consumption Tax Hike
June 24, 2016Author: Nippon.com
Categories: In-Depth with Nippon.com
Prime Minister Abe Shinzō announced on June 1 that he would postpone raising the consumption tax from 8% to 10% until October 2019. The decision marks the second time for Abe to delay the hike, putting it a full four years later than planned. During the press conference announcing the postponement Abe pointed to risks to the world economy from such factors as a slowdown in emerging and developing economies, saying his decision was necessary to prevent a drop in domestic demand.
Tags: Abe, Abe administration, abe approval, abe shinzo, demographic challenge, fiscal concerns, g7 summit, global slowdown, japanese economy, tax increase, tax postponement, world economy

Kerry’s visit to Hiroshima shows strength of U.S.-Japan alliance
April 12, 2016Author: Mainichi Shimbun
Categories: In the News
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit this week to Hiroshima’s Peace Memorial Park is symbolic of the friendship between the two nations and the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance, Sasakawa USA’s Dr. Jeffrey Hornung said in an April 12 article in the Mainichi Shimbun. Below is the English-language version of the interview: “The
Tags: Abe, abe shinzo, atomic bomb, Barack Obama, Caroline Kennedy, donald trump, g7, Hiroshima, in the news, jeffrey hornung, John Kerry, john roos, Mainichi Shimbun, Nagasaki, Nuclear, nuclear proliferation, nuclear weapons, Obama, peace memorial park, peal harbor, secretary john kerry, security, Shinzo Abe, weapons of mass destruction