Japan border controls tightened on new Covid variant first noted in Botswana Kanako Mita and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is tightening border controls in Japan concerning the new coronavirus variant that is raising enormous anxiety. Hence, tighter border controls have been announced for nations connected with Southern Africa. Therefore, tighter…
China and Russia to increase military drills in Northeast Asia: Japan geopolitics Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Russian Federation will take part in military drills with ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) members for the first time in early December. At the same time, the Russian Federation and China will…
Japan and record $490 billion stimulus package: Debt and right target? Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan announced a record $490 billion (55.7 trillion yen) stimulus package. Hence, this economic policy is aimed at assisting the weak economy, helping smaller companies that are struggling with debts, families with children, and…
Japan to allow people to mix third Covid-19 vaccine shot Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The country of Japan was massively behind other G-7 nations in the vaccine shot rollout. However, Japan is now moving ahead. Therefore, nations including America, France, and the United Kingdom are falling behind because a sizeable minority…
Japan Covid-19 fully vaccinated nearing 75 percent: G-7 political factors Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The number of fully vaccinated people from coronavirus (Covid-19) continues to accelerate in Japan. Thus, unlike the earlier period when Japan lagged behind America and the United Kingdom – and countless other nations – the opposite applies concerning…
PM Kishida appoints Hayashi to the dismay of Abe and Aso: Foreign Minister and China Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, is showing early signs of self-belief. Henceforth, the appointment of the new Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi was met with dismay by two ex-leaders of Japan.…
Presidential candidate in South Korea expresses doubt of any military alliance with Japan Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The United States would like Japan and South Korea to mend ties and for both nations to be part of the containment of China. However, many political elites in South Korea have reservations…
Covid-19 numbers in Japan continue to decline Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The Japan coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis reached new highs throughout the Tokyo Olympic timeframe. Numbers then began to decline before the ending of the Paralympics. Since then, new daily coronavirus cases have tailed off. Yesterday, Japan announced no daily deaths from…
PM Kishida in anti-China Human Rights post: Japan and anti-Armenian Turkey can’t let go Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seems set to follow the anti-China mantra of his predecessor Yoshihide Suga. This is witnessed by the new human rights post that is specifically…
Opposition leader in Japan to resign: Failure of Yukio Edano Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The Liberal Democratic Party (LPD) won the Lower House general election easily, despite internal political convulsions in the last 13 months. These convulsions witnessed three different prime ministers. Henceforth, with enormous discontent about the holding of the…
Japan election result: Clear mandate for PM Kishida Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Liberal Democratic Party (LPD) was fearing its strongest opposition challenge since 2009. However, despite having three leaders of the ruling LDP in the last 13 months, the party won the endorsement of the Japanese electorate…
Japan election: PM Kishida elected after LDP and junior partner Komeito re-elected Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito have been re-elected. Currently, the full election result isn’t known. However, polls and early results show the ruling LDP and Komeito passing the…
Japan election looms but apathy rules the day! Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The nation of Japan isn’t meant to be governed by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) decade after decade. Instead, Japan is meant to be a thriving democratic nation. However, in over six decades, the LDP usually emerges as the…
China and Russia in joint navy patrol: the Sea of Japan, Western Pacific, and the East China Sea Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China and the Russian Federation completed their first joint naval patrol that entailed the East China Sea, the Western Pacific, and the Sea of Japan. The joint patrol…
North Korea and South Korea military modernization: Japan watching developments Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The military modernization of the Korean Peninsula is increasing once more to a higher level. Hence, with the ruling party in Japan, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), seeking to double Japan’s military budget if re-elected on October…
Japan politics: Komeito opposes LDP focus on increased military spending Kanako Mita and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The general election of the Lower House will take place in Japan on October 31. However, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), under Fumio Kishida, is upsetting the junior Komeito Party that is part of the…
Japanese art and never-never land Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The artist Kamisaka Sekka (1866-1942) lit up Japanese art during his time on this earth. Of course, lovers of Sekka exist far and wide in modern times based on his adorable art. From a very young age, it was clear that Sekka was extremely…
Japan election preparations: Opposition need apathetic non-voters to vote Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) usually wins the general election in Japan apart from the odd shock. Hence, in 2009, the inept leadership of Taro Aso (LDP) lost to the estrange Yukio Hatoyama, representing the opposition. …
Russian Federation dismayed by PM Kishida of Japan: Kuril Islands Chika Mori and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently became the leader of Japan after Yoshihide Suga voluntarily stepped down. Hence, an internal Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) transition before the general election later this month. However, even before the general…
Japan and the Russian Federation: Kishida and Putin hold a positive chat Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation held a positive phone chat with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan. Kishida, the new leader of Japan, is more open to the Russian Federation than the…
PM Kishida of Japan announces a general election for October 31 Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times The new Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, immediately announced a general election for October 31. This is a wise move because Kishida hopes to gain from a popular bounce effect. Also, the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis…
China and Taiwan need statecraft: America, Japan, and blocs are meddling Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times China and Taiwan need to adopt statecraft and implement respective compromises. If not, then outside meddling emanating from America and Japan – and the Quad Group (America, Australia, India, and Japan) and AUKUS (America, Australia,…
South Korea open to lifting sanctions on North Korea: US and peripheral Japan Noriko Watanabe and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Korean Peninsula is currently witnessing new launches of tested ballistic missiles by North Korea and South Korea. This especially applies to North Korea. However, overtures are being made towards South Korea by…
Japan LDP leadership battle: Fumio Kishida wins and vows a fairer society Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times Fumio Kishida emerged victorious after winning the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership battle. Ordinary members of the LDP had voted in higher numbers for Taro Kono, with Kishida coming second. However, elected LDP politicians voted…
Japan to finally end the Covid-19 State of Emergency after many months Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi Modern Tokyo Times Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced the ending of the State of Emergency. Henceforth, from September 30, it will be the first time since April that Japan will be free from all measures concerning the Covid-19…
Anti-Russia and anti-China politicians in Japan says Russia: AUKUS to Cybersecurity Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times Since Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga took power, the Japanese Foreign Ministry barely goes a week without upping the anti-China mantra. More recently, the anti-Russian Federation angle is emerging. Indeed, the next leader of Japan seems…
North Korea and South Korea in a possible inter-Korean summit: Japan on sidelines Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Korean Peninsula recently witnessed the launch of tested ballistic missiles by North Korea and South Korea. This occurred within hours of each other. Henceforth, words of strength were spoken by President Moon Jae-in…
Japan welcomes non-Northeast Asian powers to the region: AUKUS and anti-China rhetoric Sawako Utsumi and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The administration of President Yoshihide Suga will soon pass into history for doing little apart from antagonizing China. Yet, dinosaurs remain within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) that seeks to continue this policy.…
Tokyo Covid-19 infections drop: Three-day average is a pathetic 3,411 PCR tests Sawako Utsumi and Sawako Uchida Modern Tokyo Times The coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis in Japan, in terms of the highest number of daily and monthly infections, spiraled during the Olympic period. Tokyo hit dramatic new coronavirus infection highs during the Olympic timescale. However, the…
The elderly population in Japan reaches 36.4 million Sawako Utsumi and Noriko Watanabe Modern Tokyo Times The government of Japan announced that the elderly population (aged 65 or over) is now 36.4 million people. This is a record high. On top of this, the ratio of elderly people in the overall population is now just…
North Korea and South Korea test ballistic missiles: the US muted, Japan angry, and China diplomatic Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker Modern Tokyo Times The Korean Peninsula witnessed the launching of tested ballistic missiles by North Korea and South Korea within hours of each other. Japan condemned the launch by North Korea. However,…
Japan Increases Involvement in Central Asia Publication: Eurasia Daily Monitor By: Paul Goble The Jamestown Foundation Almost two decades ago, Japan adopted the 5+1 approach to dealing with Central Asia, a model other outside players have copied. Now, Japan is increasing its involvement in the region given the Taliban’s recent victory, which has created new…
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