Tokyo on Fire!

The Economist Group's Democracy Index has lowered Japan's rating to "Flawed Democracy," just in time to further highlight the again-arrested Flipper-trainer The Cove director Ric O'Barry's plight.

Japan's political climate is a wonderfully deep, complicated world of ideas intrigue - hard enough to understand in Japanese, but what about those that aren't fluent in the National Language? This is a topic that comes up from time to time amongst Japan's politicians and The Press - what's behind it and what are the two sides saying?

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is make a last minute stop in India following developments in a contract for a contract building India's 1st bullet train line. But what else could there be behind this? Join Timothy Nancy in a discussion on the implications of Abe's Christmas visit?

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made waves from very early into his 2nd tenure as Prime Minister, though perhaps none more than his 3 Arrows of Abenomics. The 3rd Arrow of Abenomics aims to promote structural reform, most notably towards the role of Women in the workplace, aka Womenomics. But far from hitting the mark, so far there has been very little progress in this regard. Join Timothy and Nancy to learn more about this pressing issue!

The possible double election of the Upper and Lower Houses early next year is one of the hottest political issues at the moment - what is the likelihood of the LDP hosting this almost-unprecedented double election, and what are the implications?

Japan's recent visit to India was a huge success, with PM Abe coming back home with a Indian Shinkansen contract in hand. But underpinning the good business news is the shadow of a growing China, and the relationships that are being built to fend off the threat...

Japan passed a controversial State Department Secrets law in December of 2013 that has ever since been met with significant resistance. One of the most contentious points is that It punishes both distributers and recipients of SDS material (so, a reporter and a newspaper publisher, for example) with a minimum of 2 years in jail and fine of ¥500,000. Get the details with Timothy, Michael, and Nancy on this important episode of Tokyo on Fire!

Japan, with its strict governance over immigration policy and gun control, may appear to have successfully guarded itself against the threat of terrorist attacks. However, government officials - notably Minister of State Tano Kono - seem to think otherwise, citing cybersecurity as a major risk for Japanese safety.

The huge influx of Chinese shoppers to Japan has been paramount in boosting the economy, even inspiring a new buzzword, “Bakugai”, to reflect the “explosive” buying habits of our Asian neighbours. What impact will this have on the states’ often tense relations?

Within the months of October and December, there have been twelve reported cases of “ghost ships” washing up on Japan’s coastline, many of which contain decaying bodies. Experts believe the boats belong to North Korean fishermen, but the majority of facts remain shrouded in mystery.