Struggling Japan PM Suga steps down, setting stage for new leader
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Friday he would step down, setting the stage for a new premier after a one-year tenure marred by an unpopular COVID-19 response and rapidly dwindling public support. Suga, who took over after Shinzo Abe resigned last September, citing ill health, has seen his support ratings sink […]
Japan’s Suga pledges not to wage war again as ministers visit controversial shrine
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japan will never wage war again, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Sunday, as he commemorated the end of World War II while members of his cabinet visited a shrine seen by critics as a symbol of the country’s past militarism. Nearly eight decades since the end of the war, the conflict remains a […]
Two feared dead, 20 missing in Japan as torrential rains unleash landslides – NHK
Tokyo, JapanReuters At least two people were feared dead on Saturday after landslides triggered by heavy rains hit the central Japanese city of Atami, where about 20 people were still missing, public broadcaster NHK said. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who convened an emergency task force to tackle the crisis, asked people in the affected areas […]
Japan doubles down on Tokyo Olympics, denies report of cancellation
Tokyo, JapanReuters Japan doubled down on its commitment to host the Tokyo Olympics this year and flatly denied reports on Friday of a cancellation, in a move that is unlikely to temper public fears of holding the event during a global pandemic. Though much of Japan is under a state of emergency due to a […]
Tokyo Games may be too big a gamble, disease expert says
Tokyo, JapanReuters As embattled Tokyo Olympics organisers enter the final six months of preparations for the delayed Games on Saturday, virus experts believe hosting the world’s biggest sporting event may be too big a gamble. The Olympics are due to start on 23rd July but with much of Japan in a state of emergency and […]
Japan’s Prime Minister weighs state of emergency
Tokyo, JapanAP Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Monday vaccine approval was being speeded up and border controls beefed up to curb the spread of the coronavirus, and he promised to consider declaring a state of emergency. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and the governors of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa had asked the national government Saturday […]
Hoping for economic boost, most Japan firms want Tokyo Olympics to go ahead: Reuters poll
Tokyo, JapanReuters Most Japanese firms want the Tokyo Olympics to go ahead next summer with restrictions on spectator numbers, saying while any boost to the economy would be limited, it would be better than nothing, a Reuters survey showed. The results contrast sharply with public opinion polls earlier this year. One poll conducted by broadcaster […]