Tokyo on Fire!

There is much speculation these days about the possibility of pairing Japan's upper and lower houses' elections of 2016 together on the same day. How does this play into the Abe Administrations' goals, and what does that schedule look like?

The 2020 Olympics are getting closer and closer, and preparations are really starting to get underway. Despite a few... ahem... minor setbacks, the public interest is increasing and even the physical face of Tokyo is beginning to change. Come take a look with us into the current issues and developments surrounding the 2020 Olympics.

As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe continues gathering momentum, he and the LDP are getting closer and closer to being in a position to actually act on and change the Japanese Constitution, specifically as concerns Article 9. But given the opportunity, will they follow through, or consider the alternatives? Consider this and more with us on this episode of Tokyo on Fire.

Dealing with the demographic shift of Japan towards the older end of the spectrum has been a hot topic for years now. One recent development in the approach to an older population has been robotic - namely introducing them to the lifestyles of older citizens in a variety of functional capacities.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe released a speech on January 1st, 2016 - a list of accomplishments - just as many have done before him. On January 4th, the Diet opened and he delivered a speech to them, too, and well. But then The Press came along, and Abe began repeating himself. What's with the bizarre Press performance, and does it speak to what's to come?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe drew flak from a number of outlets for attending ceremonies at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo. It would appear he's found a loophole to avoid criticism for visiting Shrines central to Japan's native Shintoism, and that's to visit the Ise Shrine. Where is it, what does it represent, and how does it figure into Japan's political 2016? Tune in to Tokyo on Fire to find out!

Happy New Year! Thanks for coming back to join us for the exciting world of Japanese politics. And off to a boom we have gotten! Early in the morning of January 12th, a 5.1 Richter Scale earthquake was registered in North Korea. Soon after, the DPRK announced that they had successfully detonated a test Hydrogen bomb. What other surprises may follow? Tune in!

The Japanese military's use of "comfort women" during World War 2 has strained Japanese-Korean relations for some time. Just recently, the Abe administration has reached an agreement with the Korean government, but what are the terms, the stipulations, and the potential outcomes?

Akira Amari, Minister of State for Economic Revitalization, has stepped down from his post amid a bribery scandal involving both himself and his office. Replaced by Nobuteru Ishihara, this represents one of the largest upsets in the history of Abe's largely unshakable inner circle, and it comes at a very important time for both the Prime Minister's signature Abenomics as well as the long-standing TPP negotiations.

On Friday, January 15th 2016, a chartered bus taking skiiers to the famous slopes of Nagano crashed, strangely enough, on a road it wasn't supposed to be on, killing 14 of its passengers. Upon investigation, it appears that there is more to this sad tale than mere accident.