Note from the compiler:
Greetings and thank you to anyone who reads this weekly newsletter!
I hope this is a helpful resource to stay abreast of the latest developments in Japan and an entertaining list of news that interests a wide range of readers. My aim has been to be both informative and professional in the way I compile the news every week.
Here is this week’s newsletter. Be sure to check this week’s special edition (updated) on Ukraine too!
As usual, the longer version has bookmarks so you can skip over sections that are not of interest.
The lineup:
1. Government Lifts Pre-emergency Measures
2. Japan Surpasses U.S. in Number of Administered Booster Shots
3. Japan-India Summit
4. Japan-Australia-India Supply Chain Resilience Initiative
5. Japan-U.S. Developments (defense equipment transfer to Ukraine; maritime defense exercise; F-35 air exercise; Abe-Emanuel meeting)
6. Foreign Policy Developments (Funakoshi-Sung Kim meeting; Japan-U.S.-ROK trilateral meeting; Japan protests Chinese incursions into Japanese waters; PM Kishida and UN reform)
7. Defense/Security Developments (LDP and nuclear sharing; MOD Space Operations Group; MOD cyber defense squadron; “Global Hawk” arrives)
8. LDP Party Convention
9. Diet Proceedings (FY 2022 budget vote scheduled; SDF Act passes Lower House; Japan Innovation Party submits counter-draft to economic security bill; business calls for measures to soften blow of economic security bill)
10. Contrast in Electoral Preparations Between Ruling and Opposition Parties
11. Ruling Coalition to Unfreeze the Trigger Clause on the Gas Tax
12. State of the Economy (BOJ stays on course with monetary easing; core consumer prices; Japan logs trade deficit in February; unemployment level reaches Lehman Shock level highs; GDP growth down in Jan.)
13. Other Political Developments (special allocation tax distributions; LDP Diet federation urges quick restart of nuclear power plants; local assembly members indicted for Kawai bribery case)
14. Other Noteworthy News (Powerful Earthquake Hits Northeastern Japan; Cash Handout for Pensioners Hits a Snag)
15. NHK Poll (3/14)
–Rintaro Nishimura
Image: Captain76 (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Rintaro Nishimura 