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Yuriko Koike calls for Japanese involvement to solve Thailand's political crisis

Former defense minister and national security adviser of Japan, Yuriko Koike, expressed concern on Asia’s apathy to the protest in Thailand in a rare but very well written op-ed article on Project Syndicate. Koike warns that the current protest could expose all democracies in Asia to the risk of losing their political and economic ally.

Tokyo Gubernatorial Election – Political turmoil around the corner?

The upcoming Tokyo Gubernatorial race is definitely the topic of the Day in Nagata-cho. Media reports about former PM Hosokawa possibly teaming up with former PM Koizumi on an anti-nuclear ticket has stirred a lot of discussions within the political parties.

Growth Strategy, Tax Reform, and TPP: Outlook for Abenomics and the Extraordinary Diet Session Autumn 2013

GR Japan Managing Director, Jakob Edberg, made a presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan on 1 October on the outlook for Abenomics and the Extraordinary Diet Session Autumn 2013.

Establishing “Special Advisors” at each Ministry as part of the Civil Service Reform

The Nikkei Shimbun reports that at yesterday’s meeting of the Working Team on Civil Service Reform, both the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and the New Komeito Party confirmed intentions of establishing a “Special Advisor” at each Ministry.

Abe Reaches Decision on Consumption Tax Hike and Contemplates a Corporate Tax Cut

Several news outlets report today that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has solidified his decision to proceed with plans to increase the consumption tax rate to 8 percent in April.

Talks of Pushing Deregulation in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics

NHK reports that private sector members of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy plan to present a proposal at the next meeting of the council (to be held on 13 September) calling for the establishment of Tokyo as a special regulatory zone as part of the planning for the 2020 Olympic Games.

Cabinet Office Announces Revised GDP

According to data released by the Cabinet Office today, Japan’s gross domestic product (GDP) during the April-June period was on a quarter-to-quarter basis revised up to a 0.9 percent increase from a preliminary 0.6 percent. This amounts to an annualized 3.8 percent expansion from a preliminary 2.6 percent increase.

LDP to Proceed with Diet Reform this month

The Nikkei Shimbun reports that the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will proceed with Diet reform plans this month. The objective of the reform is to lighten the burden of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet through measures such as increasing the time Vice-Ministers answer questions at the Diet, and to establish a cap on the deliberation time of Diet committees.

Continuity for a change?

At a press conference yesterday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga revealed that no reshuffle of ministers posts will take place in a while and that Prime Minister Abe wants to keep his team "as is" at least until the end of the next ordinary Diet session, scheduled to end in Mid-June 2014.

Finance Minister Aso: Japan to Announce at the G-20 Summit Intent to Proceed with the Consumption Tax Hike

According to Reuters, Minister of Finance Taro Aso stated that Japan will announce at the G-20 Summit it plans to proceed with the two-stage consumption tax increase. Additionally, Aso remarked that the government is considering compiling an extra budget for fiscal spending to offset the damage to the economy.

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