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- Politics
Suga, Lee Agree to Further Develop Japan-S. Korea Relations
News from Japan Politics Jul 31, 2025 08:40 (JST) Seoul, July 31 (Jiji Press)--Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung have agreed to further develop the two countries' relations through a future-oriented approach. Suga, who heads a suprapartisan group of Japanese lawmakers working to promote friendship with South Korea, and Lee met at the presidential office in Seoul on Wednesday. Participants from Japan included Akihisa Nagashima, secretary-general at the lawmakers' group and special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The Japanese side conveyed to Lee a message from Ishiba showing his hope for an early visit to Japan by the new South Korean president, as Tokyo seeks to maintain the practice of the leaders of Japan and South Korea making reciprocal visits to each other's country. Lee said that exchanges between South Korean and Japanese people are expanding significantly, and that mutual respect and positive sentiment toward each other are also growing. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Today
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Today
Ex-Japanese PM Suga eyes visit to S Korea next week
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is making final arrangements to visit South Korea at the end of July, also hoping to meet President Lee Jae Myung, a source close to the matter said Monday. Suga, who heads a group of Japanese lawmakers working to promote friendly Japan-South Korea relations, is planning the visit on July 30 and 31, the source said. Akihisa Nagashima, a special adviser to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and secretary general of the lawmakers' group, is expected to accompany Suga. Lee assumed the South Korean presidency in early June, succeeding his predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol who created political chaos due to his short-lived declaration of martial law. © KYODO
Asahi Shimbun
14-06-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Hopes and fears build as Junglia Okinawa's opening nears
Construction on Junglia Okinawa as seen from The Asahi Shimbun's corporate plane ahead of its July opening on May 3 in Nakijin, Okinawa Prefecture (Tatsuya Shimada) NAHA—With a hefty price tag totaling 70 billion yen ($483 million), Junglia Okinawa's roller coaster-esque journey is barreling toward another summit as the theme park's much-anticipated July 25 opening nears. The construction of a theme park in the northern part of the prefecture is a clear departure from Okinawa's state-led economic promotion measures after the prefecture reverted from U.S. to Japanese rule in 1972. Junglia is one of the southernmost prefecture's largest private-sector projects ever, but it is not the first. Sour memories are resurfacing in some residents who remember another tourism endeavor that backfired even as expectations rise for the new park. When finished, Junglia will operate in Yanbaru, the name for the main island's northern half in the region's dialect. The mountainous area is about 90 minutes from the prefectural capital by car. The park, which will reportedly offer more than 20 attractions, is replacing what was a roughly 60-hectare golf course stretching across Nago and Nakijin. A dinosaur-themed ride and hot air balloon experience are among the attractions with an onsite spa as well. FAILED UNIVERSAL STUDIOS PROJECT No major undertaking is ever free from complications. Before Junglia, the operator of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka announced it was opening a park in the northern part of Okinawa's main island 10 years ago. The central government strongly backed USJ LLC's project, with then-Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga saying a new theme park was the key component of the government's economic promotion measures for the prefecture. However, the project plans were withdrawn about a year later after USJ's management was reshuffled. Dreams of building a theme park in the area would lie dormant until 2018 when marketing firm Katana Inc. and other companies announced a new plan and set it in motion. The only remaining tie to USJ was Tsuyoshi Morioka, who played a key role in reviving Universal Studios Japan and went on to found Katana after going independent. PURPOSEFULLY LOCAL The local business community has high hopes for Junglia. Unlike other extensive projects, the park's operator Japan Entertainment Inc. is based in the prefecture and was specifically founded in June 2018 as part of Katana's efforts for the theme park and larger goal of revitalizing Okinawa. Local ownership may provide Okinawa with a better chance to rebound from the unintended 'zaru keizai' (sieve economy) conundrum. The situation is the unfortunate outcome of the government introducing subsidies in an effort to eliminate the financial disparity between the island prefecture and the mainland; Okinawa was ruled by the U.S. military for 27 years following the end of World War II while Honshu experienced rapid economic growth during the same period. Mainland companies winning contracts for the high-percentage subsidies ultimately made it difficult for locals to benefit from the projects tied to them, something Junglia seeks to avoid. "It is also a project intended to boost the economy in Okinawa and its northern area," Morioka said during a news conference held in January. Japan Entertainment has emphasized the importance of hiring locals, saying it will employ a total of about 1,300 full- and part-time workers by the time the park opens. Junglia's shareholders also include leading Okinawan corporations such as Orion Breweries Ltd., headquartered in Tomigusuku, and Naha-based department store operator Ryubo Holdings Co. "It is a private sector-led project of an unprecedented scale,' said Denichiro Ishimine, Okinawa Electric Power Co. adviser and former head of a council for Okinawa-based economic associations. 'Located at the gateway to Asia, Okinawa has high international competitiveness for its nature and traditional culture originating from the Ryukyu Kingdom era, and the project can help improve the quality of tourism in Okinawa." Counterbalancing this sentiment are voices of concern over tourist congestion. Because Junglia is being built between the prefecture's expressway and the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Motobu, which is already popular with tourists, it is feared that chronic traffic snarls, noise and other negative impacts could worsen the living environment. While Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki said during a prefectural assembly session that the prefectural government intends to make maximum use of Junglia's opening to create jobs and develop infrastructure around the site, he added, "We hope that the park operator will continue providing information to local residents and having conversations with them." POST-EXPO FALLOUT Some area residents still hold bitter memories of what came after the economic boom driven by the 1975 Okinawa Ocean Expo. The expo was held three years after Okinawa's return to Japan as part of the central government's First Okinawa Promotion and Development Plan. Today, the aquarium stands on the expo's former grounds. Yasukichi Miyagi, 81, a mango farmer in Nakijin near Junglia, owned a construction business at the time. He worked as a subcontractor for a company outside the prefecture while the expo venue, roads and other facilities were being built. This work required he purchase a small fleet of heavy machinery and hire enough people to fill orders. But the number of expo visitors fell short of the expected 4.5 million during its half-year run, and many companies that made major investments went bankrupt. Miyagi's firm escaped bankruptcy but he had to cut staff and equipment to barely break even. Since then, the village's population has decreased by about 40 percent from approximately 15,000 in 1950. Although Miyagi has a sense of crisis that the village could eventually disappear, Junglia is something positive to talk about. That said, it remains uncertain how the large-scale tourism project will affect the community and if those in charge can prevent history from repeating itself. "I wonder if it will really work," he mumbled. 'INEVITABLE CHALLENGE' REMAINS According to Moritake Tomikawa, a former vice governor of Okinawa Prefecture who is now a professor emeritus of economics at Okinawa International University, the addition of Junglia could be a way to solve problems such as depopulation and low-income levels. This applies not just in comparing the prefecture to the mainland, but the island's regions where the north lags economically behind the south. Despite the potential windfall, making the prefecture's economy solely dependent on tourism is still an unstable venture because it is easily influenced by external factors—the COVID-19 pandemic being the most devastating example. The prefectural government previously promoted manufacturing without much success and Okinawa's industrial structure remains weak. "As we move forward to achieving Okinawa's economic independence, it is an inevitable challenge to develop another industry on par with tourism," Tomikawa said.
The Mainichi
12-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Science Council of Japan must not become government tool
The Science Council of Japan is a representative organization of scientists dedicated to the pursuit of the truth. It must not become a government tool. A law has been passed to turn the Science Council of Japan from a special organization operating independently of the government into a special corporate entity, effective October 2026. There remain concerns that the operational independence of the council could be threatened. It is only natural that the council and academic organizations across Japan have joined in calling for the legislation to be amended or repealed. With the transition, a new mechanism of government oversight has been included, whereby auditors and evaluation committee members appointed by the prime minister will review the council's activity plans and operations. If the government interferes with policy proposals or research directions, academic freedom will be shaken. Government influence may also extend to the selection of members when the new organization is launched. Experts appointed by the prime minister will be included in the committee responsible for selecting members. It will also become possible to dismiss members in the science council's general meetings. Manabu Sakai, the minister of state for special missions in the Cabinet Office, stated in the Diet that dismissal could occur if "specific ideologies or partisan claims are repeatedly made." If political opinions become grounds for dismissal, there is a risk of infringing on freedom of thought and belief. In the first place, reform of the council stemmed from government intervention in personnel decisions. In 2020, a problem erupted over then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's refusal to appoint six people to the science council. Without explaining the reasons, the government proceeded with an organizational review as if to reproach the council for its opposition; an act that invited distrust. The Science Council of Japan was established as a response to the fact that many scientists were coerced into cooperating with the government and military during World War II. In 1950 and 1967, the council issued statements that it would not engage in research for war or military purposes. In 2017, it similarly expressed a cautious stance toward government-promoted research with potential military applications and has repeatedly made recommendations from an independent position. The government's argument is that "to spend government funds, a certain level of involvement is necessary." But if the new organization panders to the government or is used to endorse government policies, questions will be raised about its very existence. Its international reputation will also suffer. Academic freedom and its results are foundational supports for the interests of humanity. The council cannot fulfill its role as an academy providing scientific views as long as there is room for political intervention.
The Mainichi
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan science body to become corporate entity amid autonomy concerns
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese parliament enacted Wednesday a bill to turn a government advisory body of scientists into a corporate entity, a move that academics have criticized as potentially infringing on its independence through stronger state oversight. Under the new law, the Science Council of Japan, currently a special organization operating independently from the government, will be given the status of a special corporate entity from October 2026. Members will no longer be appointed by the prime minister from a list of nominations compiled exclusively by the council, with third-party experts, including non-scientists, getting a say in the council's composition. In addition, outside auditors and committee members selected by the prime minister will now oversee the council's operations in a bid to enhance transparency. The changes "would place (the council) under political and administrative control or pressure," and "undermine (its) scientific freedom, and its freedom of choice in selecting which scholars" join it, the council said earlier in a statement. The debate over the council's corporate status stems from 2020 when then Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, in an unprecedented move, blocked six scholars who had been critical of his predecessor Shinzo Abe's policies from joining the council. Suga has since refused to give his reason for rejecting the scholars. The 210-member council, established in 1949, has been critical especially of the government's promotion of arms technology, such as the Defense Ministry's policy of pushing research that could be diverted to military technologies. Ahead of the passage of the bill, submitted by the government, there had been concerns over whether the council could ensure its independence, given that the new law no longer includes a clause that says the council performs its duties "independently." The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the major opposition force, proposed an amendment to the bill to include a clause stating the council's independence, but this was voted down at Tuesday's upper house committee. The council has also criticized financial aid in the form of subsidies, saying this not only restricts the entity's freedom in its activities but poses concerns about financial stability. The new law only says the state can subsidize the necessary funds. Currently, the government disburses around 1 billion yen ($6.9 million) annually to the council.
