Questions tagged [japan]
Questions relating to the government or politics of the State of Japan.
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Is the government in power in Taiwan the same Government before Imperial Japan? [closed]
As I was studying developments between the PRC's and ROC's informal and formal "diplomacy" (I put it in quotation marks because the PRC's form of diplomacy is literally launching missiles ...
3
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0
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159
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What has Japan done in order to prevent foreign countries from impeding their democratic election system?
In a major covert operation of the cold war, the Central Intelligence
Agency spent millions of dollars to support the conservative party
that dominated Japan's politics for a generation.
The C.I.A. ...
5
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0
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219
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Are there any international rules against firing ballistic missiles over other countries?
The BBC reports that (for the 2nd time since 2017) "North Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan". The missile fell into the Pacific ocean.
I'm guessing there are some treaties on the ...
11
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1
answer
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What is the "religious organization" that motivated Abe Shinzo's killer?
Looking into the motive of former prime minister Abe Shinzo's suspected killer, Yamagami Tetsuya, not many details are being given in the press, but there is mention of an unnamed religious ...
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3
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How many mass shootings does Japan have per year?
A recent Washington Post article (July 8, 2022) on the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe says
Last year, eight of the 10 shootings in Japan were related to the yakuza, according to ...
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4
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Does Japan have the capability of manufacturing nuclear weapons in a short period of time?
I read from here that
Japan does not possess any programs for the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), but it is the only non-nuclear weapon state in possession of a full nuclear fuel ...
5
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1
answer
304
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Does the fact that Japan have decided to join the US and European countries in removing selected Russian banks from SWIFT have any practical effect?
I read on https://www.foxnews.com/world/japan-us-european-allies-blocking-russian-banks-swift (mirror):
Japan has decided to join the United States and European allies in removing selected Russian ...
3
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1
answer
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Is Japan's handling of its nuclear waste water conforming to international norms and historical precedents?
The United States on Monday (local time) extended support to Japan in
its decision to release contaminated water from the wrecked Fukushima
atomic power station into the sea, stating that Tokyo ...
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3
answers
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Why does Japan allow unlimited terms for their Prime Ministers?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_term_limits
Why does Japan allow unlimited terms for their Prime Ministers? I saw that Japan allows unlimited 4-years terms for their Prime Minister ...
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2
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Why is Japan considered a Great Power, but South Korea is not? [closed]
Great powers by date
List of modern great powers
Why is Japan considered a Great Power, but South Korea is not?
17
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2
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Why didn't Japan call for the ICJ to settle the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands?
Why didn't Japan call for the ICJ to settle the dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands? I am asking this question, because Japan took its ongoing dispute with South Korea over the Dokdo islands to ...
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6
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Would defense based only on nuclear weapons work? [closed]
There's an article in the Japanese constitution forbidding the country from going to war. The country nonetheless maintains a substantial self-defence force.
I'm wondering if Japan can feasibly ...
41
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3
answers
9k
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Does the Japanese government not have the authority to cancel the Olympics?
An article talks about how Japan recently declared a third state of emergency due to the pandemic, most people in Japan don't want the 2020 Olympics to take place, and how their health care system is ...
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1
answer
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Why was the USA planning on attacking Japan *before* Japan's attack on Pearl Harbour? [closed]
According to Wikipedia, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour to prevent the US Pacific Fleet from interfering with its actions in South-East Asia.
However, Noam Chomsky, referring to Michael Sherry's The ...
8
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What is the stance of the current Japanese government on conversion therapy and why?
Do Japanese governments support conversion therapy?
I wasn't able to find any information online. This site states the majority of Japanese support legalization of same-sex marriage. Wikipedia and ...
2
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1
answer
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What are resons for Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to desire amendment to Article 9 in constitution?
Prime Minister Abe Shinzo is reported to have said that "Japan cannot be a "normal state" until Japan has a fully functional armed force." There are reports that majority of the ...
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5
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Why wasn't Hirohito tried at the end of WWII?
At the end of the Second World War many Japanese generals such as Tojo and Yamashita were tried and executed, but Hirohito wasn't tried and even continued as emperor. Why wasn't he tried while he was ...
1
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0
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Why didn't Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba give up in the LDP leadership election?
Most of candidates was declined, like Tarō Asō and Tomomi Inada. Why Kishida and Ishiba wasn't declined? It is because of the rule of Liberal-Democratic Party, or other candidates gave up?
2
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1
answer
258
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Why are Japan and South Korea two topmost lobbyist in the USA?
Why are Japan and South Korea two topmost lobbyists in the USA?
What do they mostly do lobbying about?
I understand other countries' concerns, but what are the agendas of Japan and South Korea?
46
votes
5
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How is Japan able to sustain a large debt as a percentage of GDP, while Greece could not?
Japan is currently the nation with the highest debt as a percentage of GDP - at the time of writing it stands at over 250%. Greece, currently the second most indebted nation, went through a decade-...
2
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462
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What happens to the emperor's birthday public holiday in Japan if the emperor dies?
There're a few countries in the world where an important person's birthday is a public holiday. For Example: The Emperor's birthday in Japan
What happens if the Emperor dies shortly or a long time ...
2
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2
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362
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Are Western parties more analogous to the LDP or its factions?
The LDP has had near-continuous power in Japan since 1955. To Westerners accustomed to one party leading a nation for a decade or two before another one has its turn, this sounds like it would be ...
4
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0
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Why did the U.S. forced Japan to stop its government subsidized VLSI project while it also had its own government subsidized VLSI project?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VLSI_Project
On Japan's side, the government was concerned about a negative impact
on its relationship with the United States with regard to both
national security ...
4
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0
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Can a government force another government to force its private companies to transfer technology under the GATT, WTO?
http://cloudfront-files-1.publicintegrity.org/legacy_projects/pdf_reports/BUYINGTHEAMERICANMIND.pdf
It is true that the Japanese government has taken steps to open its
government funded ...
1
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2
answers
357
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What happens if Japan refuses to pay the U.S. for its military presence? [closed]
What happens if Japan refuses to pay the U.S. for its military presence? Is there a procedure for such a situation? Or would the U.S. simply pull its troops out of Japan and let Japan fend for itself? ...
10
votes
2
answers
595
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In American politics is the "free ride" problem (Japanese defence spending) acknowledged as a direct consequence of American strategy?
I have been reading an article from The Atlantic which was published in 1989, on the question of whether Japan enjoys a "free ride" with regards to defence spending. This is a topic which has ...
5
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0
answers
224
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Is opposition to whaling biased against Japan?
Many of the comments and edits in the Whales Vs Other Animals have spiralled off from the original question into the differences in the treatment of certain countries.
While currently much of the ...
43
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11
answers
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What is the fundamental difference between whaling and hunting other animals?
I read this article and it seems like activists from cultures without a long history of whaling are inconsistent in their criticism of Japan for its whaling.
Many cultural cuisines like rabbits, cows,...
31
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3
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Why is Japan trying to have a better relationship with Iran?
Why is Japan trying to have a better relationship with Iran? Shinzo Abe has become the first Japanese leader to visit Iran in 40 Years. Is it worth it for Japan to risk alienating the U.S., which is a ...
3
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2
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Does Japan intentionally devalue its exports to the US in exchange for US military protection?
I came across this unsourced answer which claims that the Japanese government buys US treasury bonds at a loss to make exports to the US cheap for US consumers in exchange for military protection by ...
44
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10
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Why don't countries like Japan just print more money?
Modern Monetary Theory states that a sovereign country will never go bankrupt. It can just print more money.
Of course, printing more money would lead to inflation.
But some countries have the ...
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4
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Why doesn't UK go for the same deal Japan has with EU to resolve Brexit?
Is seems that one of the problems of finding a solution acceptable for both UK and EU was that no other non-EU country has the kind of relation with EU that UK seeks. But Japan has a reasonably ...
9
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1
answer
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Will the upcoming Japanese era begin immediately if Emperor Akihito dies before his planned abdication on 30 April 2019?
Emperor Akihito of Japan has announced that he will abdicate the throne on 30 April 2019. Reports say that the current Japanese era, the Heisei period, will end on that day and May 1st will be the ...
5
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Does Japan have a nuclear phase out plan similar to that of Germany?
In 2011 Fukushima Daiichi reactor suffered a meltdown with tremendous consequences. The same source argues about Japan's issues related to storing nuclear waste:
Japan possesses approximately 17,...
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2
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The EU and Japan recently concluded a Free Trade Agreement - will the EU and Japan share a common rulebook on goods, including agrifood?
The EU and Japan recently negotiated a Free Trade Agreement.
Will the EU and Japan therefore share a common rulebook for goods, including agrifood?
3
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1
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Are Japan's Prime Minister visits in Eastern Europe and Economic Partnership Agreement related to US withdrawal from Trans-Pacific Partnership?
Japan's Prime Minister has visited several countries in the Eastern Europe:
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returned from an official visit to
Romania, wrapping up a five-day tour of three ...
4
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1
answer
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Is high-level political meetings not having a "fallback" something usual in politics?
According to this article Japan’s prime minister schedule in Romania was seriously impacted by the local political crisis:
Japan’s prime minister travelled 8,700 kilometres to make a historic
...
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4
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Does Japan suffer any significant drawbacks for having the most restrictive immigration policy of all developed countries?
Japan is well known for being the most homogeneous developed country in the world, partially thanks to their extremely restrictive immigration policies. But does their economy or society suffer any ...
1
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3
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645
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Why is Japan's urban development so polarized?
I have recently seen a documentary that showed how precious is the space in Japan's large cities (example).
This places the largest cities in Japan (Osaka, Tokyo) within the top cities when it comes ...
9
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1
answer
296
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Is there any cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the area of defense production?
Is there any cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the area of defense production given they have several common enemies in the region?
10
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2
answers
1k
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What has North Korea achieved, by firing a missile over Japan?
On early Tuesday morning, North Korea fired a missile over northern Japan and into the North Pacific Ocean. In multiple sources, this missile test has been described as a huge "unprecedented, serious ...
9
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2
answers
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Why did Japan not raise taxes instead of borrowing to avoid having such a large debt ratio?
According to this article, Japan reached an enormous debt/GDP ratio of about 250%.
The first two answers from here illustrate more about the structure of the debt. My highlights are:
most ...
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2
answers
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Why isn't Japan criticized for its refugee policies as much as other developed countries are?
Japan is unique among the world's most developed countries for its extremely harsh policies towards refugees. The policy is fully acknowledged by the Japanese leaders who have been quoted saying:
I ...
0
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1
answer
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What policies have been discussed or implemented to tackle Celibacy Syndrome in Japan [closed]
As we know that Japan is struggling with the problem of Celibacy Syndrome.
What strategic steps has Japan taken to end its fight with celibacy syndrome?
What policies have been implemented?
5
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1
answer
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Why do refugees come to Japan?
In 2016, 10,901 people applied for refugee status in Japan.
I may understand if these refugees come from the neighboring countries such as Philippines or Mongolia, but some people come from countries ...
64
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5
answers
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Is Japan still bound by the terms of its surrender in WWII?
After Japan surrendered to Allied forces in 1945, the Potsdam Declaration required Japanese military forces to be disarmed, limited Japanese sovereignty to specific islands, and prohibited Japanese ...
28
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5
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Why does the United States call Japan an ally?
From @PacificCommand
Secretary Tillerson met with two key strategic allies - #Australia and #Japan - for trilateral strategic talks.
Japan has been largely pacifist since WWII. During Gulf War I, ...
6
votes
1
answer
267
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Does the EU-Japan trade agreement include ISDS?
The EU and Japan have signed a trade agreement. In other trade agreements, such as CETA and TTIP, a (highly) contentious issue is Investor-state dispute-settlement (ISDS), in which private courts may ...
16
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1
answer
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Is Japan unique in allowing for a 牛歩 or "ox walk" filibuster?
In the Japanese Diet (or at least in its upper chamber) you can perform a kind of filibuster known as a 牛歩 (gyūho), or "ox walk", by walking SUPER SLOWLY (like an ox) to cast your vote.
I'm not 100% ...
2
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0
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Does Abe Shinzo defy Japanese cultural taboos when in a foreign or international context?
When in a non-Japanese context, is Abe Shinzo known to defy Japanese cultural taboos that would be inconvenient or problematic? Like the taboos against looking people in the eye; or speaking while ...