News & Insights

According to a survey conducted by the Nikkei Shimbun and TV Tokyo during August 23-25, approval ratings for the Abe Cabinet increased five points since last month and stands at 68% while disapproval ratings have decreased by six points at 23%. Moreo...

In an interview with NHK regarding the possible consumption tax increase, Akira Amari, the Minister for Economic Revitalization, stated that he believes “it [the decision] will come before the APEC summit meeting at the latest.” The APEC summit is sc...

Reuters summarizes well the discussion on liberalization of mix treatment under the National Health Insurance scheme.    On one side of the argument is the 165,000-member JMA and health ministry officials, who say they want to protect the cherished...

In an interview with the Asahi Shimbun, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son urges for full liberalization of the electricity market and insists that the unbundling of the power transmission and distribution is inevitable in Japan. Since the March 11 disast...

The Nikkei Shimbun reports today that the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has begun examining the possibility of increasing significantly the Light Motor Vehicle Tax, the so-called Kei car tax, to offset the impact on local government...

The Wall Street Journal reports that in efforts to include the view of the people on the proposed consumption tax increase, Prime Minister Abe has gathered a group of 59 “knowledgeable people” to express their opinions starting Monday of next week. T...