Japan Parliament

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida quizzed by ChatGPT in Parliament

Among the questions drawn up by ChatGPT were: "On the bill about Covid policy revision, do you think you have listened to the opinion of local government and health-care workers enough?"

G20 meetings: FM Sitharaman meets Japanese counterpart Shunichi Suzuki

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday met her Japanese counterpart Shunichi Suzuki, ahead of the first G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting

S Korea-Japan ties improving after 'deep ordeal': Prez Yoon

Relations between South Korea and Japan have shown a clear trend of improvement recently following a period of "deep ordeal" in past few years, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said in a message

With sweeping defense buildup, financial burden unavoidable: Japan panel

A Japanese government-commissioned panel said in a report to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that drastic defense buildup including the use of preemptive strike is indispensable to counter growing threats in the region. It called for the public's understanding to bear the financial burden for the defense of the country. Kishida's governing party wants to double Japan's current defense budget to about 10 trillion ($70 billion) in the next five years. The recommendations in the report, compiled by 10 independent experts and submitted to Kishida on Tuesday, said Japan needs to strengthen its economy to pay for military spending, while reinforcing the arms industry and research and development of dual-use cutting edge technology. Japan should improve commercial infrastructure for military use in an emergency and beef up cybersecurity, it said. Kishida earlier this year pledged to drastically reinforce Japan's military capability and spending in the face of China's increasingly assertive .

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacks 3rd minister in a month

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked his internal affairs minister on Sunday over funding irregularities, NHK television said, in a blow to his scandal-prone Cabinet that already lost two ministers in one month. Internal Affairs Minister Minoru Terada has been under fire over several accounting and funding irregularities. In one, he acknowledged that one of his support groups submitted accounting records carrying a dead person's signature. NHK reported that Kishida summoned Terada to his office late on Sunday and had him submit his resignation. Kishida, when asked last week about a possible dismissal, did not defend Terada and only said he was going to make his own decision. Terada said he did not break any law, promised to fix the accounting issues and showed determination to stay on. Opposition lawmakers said funding problems for the internal affairs minister, whose job is to oversee political funds, are serious and demanded his resignation. Recent media surveys also show

Japan minister resigns after row over ties with Unification Church

Public criticism of the minister had grown as new information surfaced about his ties with the group

Shinzo Abe murder suspect Yamagami says life destroyed by mother's religion

The brazen assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a handmade gun shocked a nation unused to high-profile political violence. But there has been another surprise in the weeks since the murder as details have emerged about an alleged assassin who was well-off until his mother's huge donations to the controversial Unification Church left him poor, neglected and filled with rage. Some Japanese have expressed understanding, even sympathy, for the 41-year-old suspect, especially those of a similar age who may feel pangs of recognition linked to their own suffering during three decades of economic malaise and social turmoil. There have been suggestions on social media that care packages should be sent to suspect Tetsuya Yamagami's detention center to cheer him up. And more than 7,000 people have signed a petition requesting prosecutorial leniency for Yamagami, who told police that he killed Abe, one of Japan's most powerful and divisive politicians, because of his

Japan minister blames 'male-dominated' parliament for dwindling population

Japan's minister called the country's record low births and plunging population a national crisis and blamed indifference and ignorance in the male-dominated Japanese parliament for the neglect

Mourners throng Abe's wake as his party secures sombre Japan election win

Ruling coalition increases majority in upper house vote; hundreds pay respects to slain ex-premier at temple

Japan awards Ex-PM Shinzo Abe country's highest order posthumously

The Japanese government has decided to award former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the country's highest order posthumously.Abe will receive the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, Japan's Kyodo News reported. The longest-serving PM of Japan will be the fourth former prime minister to receive the decoration under the postwar Constitution.Abe was attacked on Friday morning in the city of Nara during his campaign speech. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet).Police said Abe was conscious immediately after being wounded, but then, during transportation, his condition became critical "with cardiac and pulmonary arrest." Later in the day, Nara Medical University hospital pronounced him dead.On Saturday, the head of police in Nara Prefecture, Kazuo Ohashi, said the potential security issues in the case of the assassination of Shinzo Abe cannot be denied. "There is no denying that there was a security ...

Japan's ruling coalition makes strong election showing after Abe murder

Coalition projected to increase upper house majority; vote seen as bolstering PM's defence, economic plans; election comes after ex-premier assassinated on Friday; final results due Monday

Japan ruling party set for strong election showing after Abe killing

Abe's LDP seen gaining from sympathy vote; strong showing would strengthen PM Kishida's rule

Japan accounted for more than a tenth of India's FDI under Abe's tenure

During Abe's tenure, Japan had announced support for a number of major projects

Who was Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving Japanese PM who died today?

Japan's longest-serving prime minister Shinzo Abe died at the age of 67 on Friday after being shot in the city of Nara

Quad important for free and open Indo-Pacific: Japanese PM Kishida

The four-nation Quad grouping of the US, India, Japan and Australia is playing an important role in promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said here on Friday

Japan imposes sanctions on 17 more Russians, including billionaire and MPs

Tokyo has also imposed sanctions on Russia's central bank and seven private banks, among other organisations.

Record $940-billion budget set for Japan's parliamentary approval

The budget was approved on Monday by ruling party lawmakers at the lower house budget committee

Japan to keep FY2025 target for balancing budget in review: Report

The government would bring forward by one year a medium-term forecast of achieving a surplus, to fiscal 2026.

Japan Cabinet approves record defense budget amid Taiwan concerns

The Japanese cabinet on Friday approved a 107.60 trillion yen ($940 billion) draft budget for fiscal 2022, marking a record high for the 10th year in a row.

Japan budget guideline draft urges 'all measures' to tackle crisis

The budget guidelines, seen by Reuters, dropped a reference to the need for 'reviewing spending without sanctuary'