Latest news with #TakeshiIwashita
Asahi Shimbun
12-06-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Ruling bloc includes 20,000 yen handouts in election pledge
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, center, meets with his Cabinet ministers at his office in Tokyo on June 10. (Takeshi Iwashita) The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, have finalized a plan to provide cash to the public to ease the ongoing inflation burden, party officials said. Under the proposal, every resident in Japan will receive a 20,000 yen ($138) cash handout, regardless of income level. In addition, lower-income households that are exempt from the residential tax will receive an additional 20,000 yen. The coalition aims to implement the measure by the end of the year, positioning it as a key policy pledge for the Upper House election in July. The move is expected to be funded through a larger-than-expected surplus in tax revenue for the fiscal year that ended in March. To finance the payouts, the government plans to draft a supplementary budget after the Upper House election. This latest initiative revises an earlier plan from April to provide 50,000 yen per person, which was shelved amid public backlash for being an unsustainable populist policy. By pledging to redistribute excess tax revenues and providing additional aid to low-income groups, the government hopes to garner broader public support. The decision comes as opposition parties ramp up calls for a reduction in the consumption tax to alleviate household burdens. However, LDP leaders have rejected the idea, citing concerns that it could undermine the country's social security system, which relies on the consumption tax of up to 10 percent. The payout plan resurfaced as the ruling bloc sought an alternative economic relief policy ahead of the crucial summer election. To ensure speedy distribution, the payments will primarily be made through bank accounts associated with the government My Number personal identification system. Alternative delivery methods will be used for residents without linked accounts. Additional payments for tax-exempt households will be administered through local governments. Without income-based restrictions, the proposal may face criticism for extending benefits to high-income earners. Officials argue that they opted against means testing in favor of simplicity and swift implementation. (This article was written by Haruka Suzuki and Shinkai Kawabe.)
Asahi Shimbun
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan to punish longer-term foreign residents in arrears
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a meeting with other Cabinet members regarding foreign residents in Japan on June 6. (Takeshi Iwashita) Under a 'rigorous screening' system, Japan will not renew the visas of mid- and long-term foreign residents who have failed to properly pay medical expenses, taxes or social insurance premiums. The government plans to introduce the system by June 2027 and is considering amendments to ministerial ordinances. The Immigration Services Agency and the health ministry are also discussing modifications to share information for the new screening system. The Cabinet on June 13 is expected to approve the government's 'basic policies for economic and fiscal management and reform,' which call for 'an orderly and harmonious society with foreign nationals.' The plan clearly states that 'effective use of information on nonpayment of taxes and social insurance premiums and nonpayment of medical expenses by foreign nationals will be considered for residency screening.' Until now, the screening process for the 'specified technical skill visa' checks whether the applicant has paid social insurance premiums. Failure to pay medical expenses is also taken into consideration in the screening process for 'short-term stays,' such as sightseeing. The government intends to expand this screening process for medium- and long-term residence statuses, including 'student' and 'family' visas. Already, permanent residents can lose their status over a willful failure to pay taxes and social insurance premiums under the revised Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law, which will be enforced within the next two years. 'With the increase in the number of foreign workers and tourists, there have been incidents of crime, disorderly behavior and inappropriate use of various systems that have caused concern among the public,' Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a meeting of relevant Cabinet ministers on June 6. 'We will take action in a rigorous way against those who do not follow the rules.' Ishiba also announced the creation of a secretariat within the Cabinet Secretariat to formulate relevant policies across ministries and agencies. Under the 'comprehensive measures' in the basic policies, the Cabinet members added the wording, 'It is important for foreign nationals to understand the rules of Japan and to act responsibly' to realize a harmonious society. Special committees of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party had recommended the 'rigorous screening' system to the government. DATA LACKING Foreign nationals who stay in Japan for more than three months must enroll in the national health insurance program if they have not joined a health insurance association at their workplace. Municipalities are responsible for collecting the premiums from them. But there is no nationwide data on such payments. The health ministry surveyed about 150 municipalities that keep tabs on collection rates of national health insurance premiums from foreign nationals. The results showed an overall collection rate of 93 percent. But the rate for foreign residents was 63 percent. The ministry shared these numbers with the LDP. Some local governments also informed the Immigration Services Agency about foreign nationals who were maliciously in arrears with their national health insurance premiums. The agency in 2020 began a trial program in which visa renewals were denied unless the applicants proved they were paying their premiums. So far, about 30 local governments have participated in the program. The applications of 27 foreign nationals in arrears have been rejected. UNPAID HOSPITAL BILLS Regarding medical expenses, a survey released by the health ministry in 2024 found that 65.3 percent of medical institutions that accepted foreign patients had outstanding accounts receivable. Of the patients who owed money, 29.3 percent were foreign nationals, but their unpaid bills accounted for just 1.4 percent of the total amount owed. When the data was presented to the LDP, the ministry explained that foreign residents made up only about 1 percent of those insured for hospital expenses and high-cost medical care payments. Since 2021, the ministry has been collecting information from medical institutions about foreign visitors in Japan who owe 200,000 yen ($1,380) or more in medical expenses. This information is shared with the Immigration Services Agency and intended for use in screening applications for short-term visas. However, participation by medical institutions is voluntary, and only a few provide the information. The government will consider making it mandatory for local governments to check the payment status of social insurance premiums. But that rule is unlikely to apply to health institutions concerning medical fee payments. 'THREATS' TO SAFETY, SECURITY In May, Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki announced a seven-point plan for 'zero' illegal immigrants, saying 'the safety and security of the people are being threatened by foreigners who do not follow the rules.' With an Upper House election expected to be held next month, the government and the LDP are aiming to appeal to conservative voters by taking a tough line on crimes and accidents caused by foreign nationals. The Justice Ministry and the Immigration Services Agency have cited 'media reports' as the basis for their stricter stance. Some groups that support and protect the rights of foreign nationals said there is no objective data about foreigners who do not abide by the rules. They have voiced concern that the government's tougher rules may stir up anxiety and dislike toward foreigners in the country.
Asahi Shimbun
04-06-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Parties fail to reach consensus in imperial succession talks
Diet chamber speakers and representatives of parties and factions attend a meeting based on the law concerning special measures for the imperial household on April 17. (Takeshi Iwashita) Ruling and opposition parties have essentially shelved talks in the Diet on whether to grant imperial family status to spouses and children of female family members, sources said June 3. The parties, discussing how to secure stable succession to the Chrysanthemum throne, decided they cannot reach a 'consensus of the legislature' during the current Diet session, which closes on June 22, the sources said. In the talks so far, the parties agreed that female members of the imperial family should retain their status after marriage. But the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan could not narrow their differences over the treatment of spouses and children of female family members. Taro Aso, the LDP's top adviser, CDP President Yoshihiko Noda and the speaker and deputy speaker of the Lower House have been discussing the issue behind the scenes. The four were scheduled to hold talks on June 3, but the meeting was canceled because no compromise was expected. Noda proposed that the status of spouses and children be determined by the imperial household council, whose members include the prime minister and speaker and deputy speaker of both Diet chambers. However, Aso rejected the proposal, saying a system under which a civilian male can become an imperial family member could lead to acceptance of an emperor who inherited the imperial bloodline from the mother's side of the emperor. The LDP had confirmed its opposition to the proposal at a party meeting in May. An agreement appeared more likely concerning how to deal with the descendants of 11 family branches that lost their imperial status after World War II. The four discussed a system that would allow the imperial family to adopt only male descendants of the 11 branches who inherited the imperial bloodline from the father's side of the emperor. Although they were nearing an agreement on this measure, they decided not to make a conclusion because of the lack of consensus on the other issue. A proposal has now emerged to organize and present the current points of agreement and differences for linkage to future discussions. (This article was written by Anri Takahashi and Takahiro Okubo.)
Asahi Shimbun
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Lower House reviews three bills on dual surname issue
Takahiro Kuroiwa of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan goes over the outline of a bill he submitted for dual surnames during the Lower House Committee on Judicial Affairs' meeting on May 30. (Takeshi Iwashita) The Lower House Committee on Judicial Affairs began discussions on May 30 on multiple opposition party bills that would allow married couples to have different surnames, the first time it has met on the issue since 1997. The three bills vary in framework and were submitted by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Democratic Party for the People and the Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin). Even though all three bills are unlikely to pass, any making it to the voting stage would mark a first for any piece of dual surname legislation and put the pertinent party's convictions to the test. One past instance where resolve crumbled was in 1991 when the justice minister at the time requested the ministry's Legislative Council to review the single-surname policy. Japan's ratification of the United Nation's Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) prompted this request because the CEDAW committee usually demanded its member parties to correct their domestic laws discriminating against women. The Legislative Council then proposed allowing each spouse to choose their last names in 1996 and the government responded positively with a plan to submit a bill to revise related civil laws. The plan was shut down after opposition from conservative members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The next push for dual surnames saw more success when the now-dissolved Democratic Party of Japan's bill made it to the Lower House in 1997. However, the Judicial Affairs Committee discussed the bill but didn't hold a vote and the bill was abandoned. Although married couples can choose to adopt either spouse's last name, more than 90 percent of women change their surname to their husband's. This has prompted four separate instances, as of last year, where the CEDAW committee has recommended that the Japanese government revise the civil law around family names. SAME INTENT, DIFFERENT APPROACHES The ruling LDP has lawmakers who both support and oppose the issue. This internal division has led to the party postponing its decision on whether to submit its own bill and no set timeline on when this would occur. The three bills submitted were discussed simultaneously during the Lower House committee session, with lawmakers from each party outlining each of their respective bills. Of these, the bill of the CDP of Japan most closely matches what the Justice Ministry's Legislative Council proposed and would grant married couples the freedom to either share or keep their respective surnames. If a couple opts for separate last names, the legal marriage process will include a required step where they must choose which name their children will use should they have any. Regardless of their choice of a single or separate surnames, the couple and their children are registered as the same family. The DPP's bill is also based on the Legislative Council's outline. Its key difference is that couples must choose who to register as the head of the family and this will dictate the surname of any future children. The party tailored its bill to better suit couples without children in recognition that not every married couple has them. Nippon Ishin, meanwhile, is the outlier. Its bill maintains the one-surname policy but also provides legal assurances for the official use of maiden names as the practice currently has no legal framework. Its outline indicates that spouses have the option to also register a maiden name that can be used for the My Number Card system without having to also list their registered surname. Further discussion on the three bills will occur next week and requests for expert testimonies are also expected. The CDP currently chairs the committee and the party appears to be seeking a vote, a contrast to the LDP's current indecisiveness.
Asahi Shimbun
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Nippon Ishin submits bill to Diet to legalize maiden names
Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) members heads to the Lower House to submit a bill to legalize the use of maiden names as common names on May 19. (Takeshi Iwashita) Opposition Nippon Ishin (Japan Innovation Party) submitted a bill to the Lower House on May 19 to maintain the much-criticized 'one-surname' policy but allow for the legal use of maiden names. The party's plan is a departure from the bill submitted by the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in April to allow married couples to use dual surnames. Nippon Ishin's bill would essentially uphold the principle of 'same family register and same family surname.' But it would also legally recognize a married person's maiden name as a 'common name' if so desired. Currently, couples can use dual surnames for their passports and My Number identification cards, but Nippon Ishin's bill would allow the use of only the legal common names. Public opinion polls have shown increasing support for a change in the legal system to allow couples to register their marriages under dual surnames. There have also been calls within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to legalize the use of maiden names, but LDP leadership is cautious about consolidating the party's views. Like the bill submitted by the CDP, Nippon Ishin's proposal does not appear to be supported by a majority in the Lower House, so it likely won't be passed during the current Diet session. 'LOSS OF IDENTITY' Article 750 of the Civil Code stipulates that upon marriage, 'the husband or wife shall take the family name of his or her spouse.' This means married couples in Japan are obliged to use the same family name. An overwhelming 95 percent of married couples take the husband's surname, according to a 2023 survey by the Cabinet Office. Critics have said the spouse who loses his or her family name upon marriage faces such disadvantages as a 'loss of identity' and 'inconvenience in daily life and work.' However, opponents of a dual-surname system argue that it would have 'undesirable effects' on the couple's children, and that the 'one-surname' policy is well-established in Japan.' The business community, local assemblies and others have called on the central government to activate discussions to introduce the system as soon as possible. Some LDP lawmakers have proposed keeping the one-surname system but promoting an 'expansion of the use of the maiden name as a common name.' Junior coalition partner Komeito, which submitted a proposal to the Diet to introduce such a system in 2001, wants the ruling parties to establish a forum to discuss the issue. (This article was compiled from reports written by Ryohei Miyawaki and Suzuka Tominaga.)
