Xenophobia worries and a ban on smiling: Our 5 most-read stories from last week
Naturalized linguist in Japan laments recent political trend to blame foreigners
MUNAKATA, Fukuoka -- An American-born linguist who acquired Japanese nationality two years ago is concerned about the trend that was recently seen in the lead-up to the July 20 House of Councillors election in Japan. With one political party promoting a "Japanese First" agenda and misinformation spreading online, the scholar compared it to the division seen in the U.S. Interviewed before the upper house election, she said she planned to vote to support harmony. Full story.
Blameless but facing deportation: Japan immigration law's inexplicable provision
One day a foreign woman living in Japan suddenly received a visit from a police officer at her workplace. She had come under suspicion of aiding the illegal work of a Vietnamese man. The woman herself had come to Japan to work, but she had no recollection of ever having helped someone work illegally, and half a year later, the criminal charges were dropped. Full story.
LDP's Mio Sugita loses upper house seat after backlash over discriminatory remarks
TOKYO -- Former House of Representatives member Mio Sugita failed to secure a seat in the July 20 House of Councillors election after facing increasing criticism over her repeated discriminatory remarks. Full story.
West Japan town's 'kappa' folklore creature to be replaced after years of scaring tourists
FUKUSAKI, Hyogo -- A popular statue of a "kappa" river creature from Japanese folklore in this western Japan town will be replaced after becoming worn out from years of "work" by popping out of a pond to surprise tourists. Full story.
Japan high school baseball team banned from smiling, waving in tourney entrance march
HIROSAKI, Aomori -- A high school baseball team that smiled and waved as they marched during the summer 2024 Aomori Prefecture tournament's opening ceremony had to abandon doing the same this year as the prefectural baseball federation asked the players to follow tradition. Full story.
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The Mainichi
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- The Mainichi
Japan's Iwaya, new S. Korean top diplomat Cho to affirm ties in Tokyo
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya is expected to agree with his new South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun to work toward the stable development of bilateral ties, as Cho visits Tokyo on his first overseas trip since becoming the country's top diplomat. The two are likely to agree to strengthen bilateral cooperation, as well as trilateral coordination with the United States, a Japanese government source said, as the close U.S. allies in Asia seek to work together in response to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and China's growing assertiveness in the region. Cho is visiting Japan for two days through Wednesday on a trip that will also take him to the United States. He took up the post on July 21 under the administration of Lee Jae Myung, a liberal who became South Korea's president in June following the ouster of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his declaration of martial law. Cho, an expert in multilateral diplomacy and trade, served as second vice foreign minister and later as first vice foreign minister under Yoon's predecessor, Moon Jae In. He also worked as South Korea's ambassador to the United Nations. When Moon was in power, Tokyo-Seoul ties sank to their lowest point in decades over issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Disputes on trade and defense also heightened tensions. The bilateral relationship, however, significantly improved under conservative Yoon, whose term lasted for less than three years.
The Mainichi
an hour ago
- The Mainichi
Ruling on Japanese businessman engaged in spying in China finalized
BEIJING (Kyodo) -- The ruling on a Japanese businessman who was convicted earlier this month by a Chinese court for engaging in spying and sentenced to three years and six months in prison has been finalized as he did not appeal it by the deadline on Monday, according to the Japanese Embassy in Beijing. The ruling by Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on July 16 did not specify how the man in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc. acted illegally. But sources close to diplomatic ties have said the court judged he provided information to a Japanese intelligence agency and received rewards. The embassy said Monday it will continue to call for the early release of the Japanese citizen. Japanese Ambassador Kenji Kanasugi said on July 16 after attending the court that he cannot reveal details of the ruling at the request of the convicted man, adding explanation provided at the court "lacked transparency by our standards." Since China's counterespionage law first came into force in 2014, 17 Japanese citizens including the Astellas Pharma employee have been detained for alleged spying, according to the sources. Chinese authorities recognized some of the 17 have provided information to Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency, according to the sources. The Astellas Pharma employee was detained in March 2023, just ahead of his scheduled return to Japan, was formally arrested in October of that year and was indicted in August 2024. He had served as an executive at the pharmaceutical company's Chinese unit and a senior official of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in China.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Why Ishiba refuses to quit even amid intense pressure for him to go
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces intense pressure within the Liberal Democratic Party to take responsibility for three election defeats by resigning. But he remains at bat following his third strike as the head of the LDP — the party's July 20 Upper House election loss. Ishiba's first strike came after becoming LDP president in September last year, when he led the party to a Lower House election a month later in which it lost its majority. The second strike came when the LDP was dealt a huge blow in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in June, during which it lost nine seats and was relegated to becoming the second-largest party in the assembly, behind Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike's Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First). In a meeting with party executives and angry LDP lawmakers on Monday, Ishiba resisted calls for him to resign, saying he would stay on as party president and prime minister in order to prevent a political vacuum from forming. 'It's important that public opinion and our party's views are aligned,' Ishiba said, adding that an appropriate decision on his future would be made with these and other factors in mind. Recent media polls suggest that the public is not as anxious as many in the LDP to see Ishiba resign over the electoral losses, which past party presidents have often done. The LDP is also expected to complete its own evaluation of the Upper House results, and why it lost, by mid-August. Ishiba is likely to wait until the party's conclusions are official before formally deciding his future. Ishiba says that his insistence on remaining, at least for now, is also due to specific policy issues. On Tuesday, he told reporters that he wanted to make sure the 15% tariff deal with the U.S. is implemented. He said it was vital to examine the impact of the agreement on the roughly 4,300 domestic items covered by it. Pro-Ishiba demonstrators concerned about who might succeed him in the event that he steps down urge the prime minister to stay on during the rally on Friday. | AFP-JIJI Another reason Ishiba isn't bowing to pressure to resign is a busy August schedule. He'll likely attend events related to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, such as memorial services for victims of atomic bombings in Hiroshima on Aug. 6 and Nagasaki on Aug. 9, as well as a ceremony commemorating Japan's war dead on Aug. 15. The Bon summer holidays follow soon after, and then Ishiba will welcome African leaders to the Tokyo International Conference on African Development that takes place from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22. Once August ends, any push for a leadership change becomes tricky as the political world prepares for the opening of the autumn session of parliament. The timeline is sure to be on the minds of LDP members seeking to oust Ishiba as quickly as possible. These include Sanae Takaichi, a former economic security minister and a conservative, and Toshimitsu Motegi, a veteran leader and a former party secretary-general. Both are trying to boost their standings within the party and among the public by criticizing Ishiba, who is in no hurry to let either of his rivals take over. While many LDP members agree Ishiba needs to go, the party — still reeling from the three election losses — has not rallied around a single rival candidate due to its own internal divisions. To win an LDP presidential election, a candidate needs to win a majority of votes from party parliamentarians and local chapters in the first round, or in a runoff between the top two first-round finishers. Yet even if an Ishiba rival manages to rally enough supporters to win the LDP presidency, the prime minister job is not guaranteed due to the party's lack of any parliamentary majority. Anyone replacing Ishiba would have to secure votes from at least one of the main opposition parties to become prime minister. For that to happen, LDP executives and opposition parties would first need to hammer out a deal right after a presidential election takes place. That could prove difficult to do quickly before the start of the autumn session of parliament, and would risk internal dissent within the LDP as well as create political problems for an opposition party leader who must convince members to vote for an LDP candidate to become prime minister rather than one of their own. Many want to see Ishiba strike out, but replacing him may not guarantee a more stable LDP or a more stable political situation. Staff writer Gabriele Ninivaggi contributed to this report.
