Japanese politics

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Japan MP Given the Boot After Never Once Showing Up

GaaSyy, aka Yoshikazu Higashitani, has not entered parliament since his election

(Newser) - GaaSyy, real name Yoshikazu Higashitani, is a Japanese gossip YouTuber. Seven months ago he also became an MP in the upper house of Japan's parliament—a tenure that ended Tuesday after he failed to show up even once, leading his Senate colleagues to vote to expel him. It'...

Japan PM's Party Wins Control of Parliament

Abe's LDP controls both chambers for 1st time since '07

(Newser) - Japanese broadcasters projected that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition won a majority of seats in the upper house of parliament in elections today, giving it control of both chambers for the first time in six years. The win is seen as an endorsement of Abe's economic program,...

Japan PM: Act Now, or We'll End Up Like Europe

He wants to double the national sales tax

(Newser) - With Japan's public debt twice the size of its GDP, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda said the country needs to start making massive cuts to avoid the credit turmoil that has rocked Europe in recent months and caused credit downgrades across the eurozone yesterday , reports the AP . "Even France...

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan Resigning
 Japan PM Resigning 

Japan PM Resigning

Naoto Kan will officially quit next week

(Newser) - Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan announced today he would resign after almost 15 months in office amid plunging approval ratings over his government's handling of the tsunami disaster and nuclear crisis. In a nationally televised speech, Kan said he was stepping down as chief of the ruling Democratic Party...

Japan's PM Beats Censure, Hints He'll Resign

Naoto Kan acknowledged 'shortcomings' after earthquake

(Newser) - Prime Minister Naoto Kan defeated a no-confidence motion today over his handling of Japan's triple disasters, but the victory may be short lived—he said he is willing to resign once the country's recovery kicks in. Kan, who has been criticized for delays in the construction of temporary...

Japan to Extend Nuclear Evacuation Zone

Continuing trouble at reactor causes public to lash out at polls

(Newser) - With radiation continuing to spew from six damaged nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant, Japanese authorities will finally expand the evacuation zone from 12 miles to 18 miles, reports Reuters . Engineers said they were no closer to restoring the nuclear facility's cooling system, an essential step to getting the reactor...

6 Stories