
The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Japanese Perspective
October 26, 2016Author: Kayo Matsumoto
Categories: Sasakawa USA Forum
Sasakawa USA Forum Issue No. 5
The “Abenomics Acceleration Diet” opened in September with passage of the TPP as one of their goals. Will TPP be ratified in this Diet session? It is difficult to predict, but the Abe administration has made TPP and passage of its implementing bills a high priority. The Diet debate will surely be heated, and among the contentious issues will not only be TPP’s impact on Japan and its agriculture industry but also the status of ratification in the United States.
Tags: Abenomics, Barack Obama, Business, Diet, donald trump, economic cooperation, Economy, hillary clinton, Japan, kayo Matsumoto, Obama, policy, ratification, sasakawa usa forum, Shinzo Abe, TPP, trade, trade agreement, trade policy, Trans-Pacific Partnership, United States

JPP: Government quality-of-life survey shows Japanese citizens largely satisfied, except, perhaps, about incomes
September 21, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Japan’s cabinet secretariat conducts an annual large-scale survey to assess what individuals think of their quality of life. The survey provides a useful snapshot of the context in which the government conducts economic policymaking. It asks citizens to identify the extent to which they are content with pocketbook issues — their incomes and savings — and more abstract concepts like leisure time and opportunities for self-improvement.
Tags: Abenomics, aging, consumer goods, demographics, demographoc divide, economic stimulus, economics, fiscal sustainability, food, health care, housing, income, Japan, japan political pulse, jpp, labor issues, labor market, manufacturing, pensions, poll, property, public survey, quality of life, retail, retirement, salary, satisfaction, savings, service, social security, Survey, tobias harris, transportation

JPP: Abe’s support still rests on lack of alternatives; public remains ambivalent about policies
July 18, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Japan’s House of Councillors elections are over, resulting in an impressive victory for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)-Komeito coalition, which now has 147 seats in the 242-seat HOC. However, despite headlines that proclaimed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government won a landslide victory on July 10, opinion polls conducted after the elections suggest that the vote did not fundamentally alter public opinion regarding the Abe administration and its policies.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, coalition, constitutional revision, election, elections, house of councillors, japan political pulse, japan. economy, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, opinion poll, poll, public opinion, Shinzo Abe

JPP: Opposition parties aim for independent voters as campaign season officially begins
June 22, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
The last round of polling before the campaign for Japan’s July 10 House of Councillors (HOC) elections officially began today shows that the Abe administration and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) continue to hold a commanding lead that could position them for a significant, if not overwhelming victory. But a number of independents are still undecided, and dissatisfaction with the Abe administration’s economic policies continues to run high, suggesting that there is room for the Democratic Party (DP) to gain at the government’s expense.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, aggregation, approval rating, Asahi Shimbun, coalintion, democratic party, disapproval rating, dp, government, house of councillors, japan political pulse, japanese communist party, jcp, jiji press, jpp, Komeito, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, opinion, opinion poll, people's life party, plp, Politics, poll, polls, sdp, Shinzo Abe, social democratic party, tobias harris, Yomiuri Shimbun

JPP: Abe support strengthens despite ongoing economic dissatisfaction
May 5, 2016Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s position continues to strengthen, according to recent polls by Kyodo News and the Nikkei. In both cases, it appears that undecided voters may be making up their minds.
Tags: Abenomics, consumption tax hike, democratic pary, dp, elections, houce of councillors, japan political pulse, japan poll, jpp, kyodo news, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Nikkei, poll, polling, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris