Japanese prime minister has sent a ritual offering to the controversial war shrine seen as glorifying past militarism Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sent a ritual offering to the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by critics as a symbol of Japan's past militarism, a move that may increase strains on Tokyo's ties with Asian neighbours China and South Korea. Adding to unease in the region, a Chinese maritime...
Planned construction of radar station near Taiwan is latest twist in row over disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu islands Japan began its first military expansion in more than 40 years on Saturday, breaking ground on a radar station on a tropical island off Taiwan to resist China's claims of ownership of nearby islands. The move risks angering China, which in dispute with Japan over the Senkaku islands known in...
Country sees core consumer prices soar as sales tax hike forms part of PM Shinzo Abe's plan for reviving moribund economy Core consumer prices in Tokyo, a leading indicator of nationwide inflation, appear to have risen by the largest amount for 22 years in April after an increase in Japan's sales tax drove up prices, a Reuters poll indicated on Friday. The poll also suggested the headline figure for...
Yoshitaro Nomura's realist 1978 child-abuse drama is as shocking as ever, and makes us rethink the limits of what can be shown on screen The little boy is lying back in a woman's arms. "Eat, you brat!" His screams are stifled because she is palming clods of rice into his mouth. "I said eat!" There's rice smeared about his face, in his eyelashes, his hair. She glares at her husband,...
Designer made shoes after being impressed by artisans and their materials in Japan's disaster-hit Fukushima area Designer Jimmy Choo has unveiled a one-off range of shoes in Japan made using materials and techniques native to the disaster-hit Fukushima area, in a bid to boost the profile of artisans there. Choo said he was inspired to make the shoes after visiting workshops in the area, which is struggling...
On the Japanese island of Okinawa, 1,000 miles south of Tokyo, the sound of the sanshin is instantly recognisable. The banjo-style three-stringed instrument dates from the 16th century and was traditionally covered with snakeskin. In a restaurant in the town of Naha, Peruvian-born Lucy Nagamine plays the sanshin, which she learnt from her grandmother who had left Okinawa before the second world war...
With Barack Obama visiting Japan in April, resentment at plans for the US Futenma military base is finding a musical voice If an island of 1.4m people can be summed up in a sound, it is that of the sanshin . Where there are people on Okinawa, a Japanese island almost 1,000 miles south of Tokyo, the distinctive tones of the three-stringed instrument are never far away. Continue reading... ...
No one should have to fear that the price of intimacy will be a ruined life. And the law can help Parting from someone you love is never easy. It often means watching the affection and intimacy you once shared turn into bitterness and resentment. It often means sorting out who sees the children when, who lives where, and who gets what. Now imagine that in addition to all that sorrow and chaos, you...
In Japan, chief executives are politically elected but many of the stresses and strains are the same as in the UK Fourth in the series: Public service tango In many ways, the experience of being a local authority chief executive in Japan is very similar to those of senior officers in UK local authorities. As a former senior official in Japan, where I worked for three different prefectural governments...
The bitcoin exchange has been denied a civil rehabilitation procedure, the Japanese equivalent of bankruptcy MtGox, once the biggest bitcoin exchange in the world, is likely to be liquidated after a Japanese court denied it bankruptcy protection on Wednesday. The company's assets will be sold off and used to pay its creditors, including those with accounts on the site. But any creditor will now recoup...
Local government holds social 'machikon' events to help singles mingle but will it work? Should local councils help us make friends? This is a question Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, asks noting that social relationships make us happy, and happy communities are healthier and more connected. As a Japan specialist this question interests me because many...
Our father, Peter Martin, who has died aged 83, was a cultural diplomat and author of many books, from histories to mysteries, often centred on Japan. He was born in London, the son of a postal worker. After he had undertaken studies in philosophy, and national service in the RAF, his intellectual curiosity led him into a successful career in the cultural world, first with the Royal Festival Hall,...
The Institute of Cetacean Research has indicated that whaling could resume despite the International Court of Justice ruling Japan expects that its whaling program in the Southern Ocean will resume next year, court documents indicate. The International Court of Justice last month ruled the program invalid, finding that it was a commercial activity disguised as scientific research. Continue reading......
Australia's growth forecasts are falling but, by 2019, it will overtake other countries, so let's not get too depressed Every six months, the International Monetary Fund puts out a report card on the world economy and this week it marked down Australia, lowering its forecast for growth and increasing its forecast for unemployment. The titles of the outlooks over the past seven years read like chapters...
Prime minister stresses co-operative disposition of 'Team Australia' and its commitment to building the Asian century The prime minister, Tony Abbott, says he wants to accelerate free trade talks with China, but he is in the country to be a friend, not to do a deal. In remarks that are a clear attempt to move past recent frictions in the relationship, and to segue from his warm reception in Japan...
Toyota is recalling more than 6.5m cars worldwide to fix a variety of problems, including faulty steering wheels and seats Recalls are not uncommon in the car industry, but car experts think they are getting bigger as car manufacturers use the same parts in many different models. Continue reading... ...
The PM has long favoured ties with Japan based on similar values but his cultural pushback could be viewed dimly in China In late October 2011, Tony Abbott, the then opposition leader, was kind enough to give me a ride back to Canberra from Cape York, where wed been doing a spot of remote bush building. On the long plane ride home, Abbott granted an interview where we canvassed his views on a range...
Japan's largest pharmaceutical company ordered to pay billions of dollars in punitive damages over claims that it concealed cancer risks A US jury has ordered Japan's largest pharmaceutical company to pay $6bn (£3.6bn) in damages over claims that it concealed cancer risks associated with its Actos diabetes drug, the plaintiffs' lawyer said on Tuesday. The massive award was met with "stunned...
The prime minister says the agreement was more generous than that offered by Japan to other countries Tony Abbott has moved to downplay criticism from Australias farming groups that his new free trade deal with Japan fails to deliver sufficient liberalisation for local food producers. Amid complaints that the agreement offered very little for dairy, sugar and grain farmers, the prime minister admitted...
Prime minister says agreement's economic benefits cement shared commitment to 'democracy, freedom and the rule of law' Tony Abbott has hailed the completion of a new free trade deal with Japan as a marvellous and historic day that will deliver specific economic benefits and closer diplomatic relations between two nations with shared values. In a press conference on Monday night in Tokyo to mark the...