The Weekly Observer: March 21-25

The 29th edition of the weekly newsletter aggregating news on Japanese politics! This week focuses on Japan a week after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, a possible fourth vaccination, the G7 summit, the Japan-U.S. alliance, North Korea’s latest ICBM launch, former PM Abe’s meeting with President Tsai, the Japan-Cambodia summit, the legislation establishing security clearance, the FY 2022 budget, electoral cooperation between the opposition parties and the DPP, the extended oil supplier subsidy, the prime minister’s vision for a sustainable and resilient economy, the Monthly Economic Report, the new bill rate to promote renewable energy use, the GOJ’s first-ever power supply warning, SMBC Nikko’s market manipulation incident, and more.

The Weekly Observer: March 14-18

The 28th edition of the weekly newsletter aggregating news on Japanese politics! This week focuses on the GOJ’s decision to lift all pre-emergency measures, Japan’s booster shots, the Japan-India summit, the Japan-Australia-India trilateral supply chain resilience initiative, Japan-U.S. joint exercises, North Korea’s missile test, Chinese incursions into Japanese waters, MOD’s new cyber and space units, the 89th LDP Convention, the FY 2022 budget vote, ruling and opposition parties preparing for the HoC election, progress on unfreezing the trigger clause on the gas tax, the BOJ’s monetary easing policy, latest on the Kawai bribery scandal, the earthquake, the pensioners’ cash handout, and more.

The Weekly Observer: July 12-16

Twelfth edition of the weekly newsletter aggregating news on Japanese politics! This week focuses on the spike in cases following the 4th COVID-19 state of emergency, vaccine shortages, the 2021 defense white paper, Bank of Japan’s monetary policy, the lead up to the Olympic games next week and the fallout from the government’s retraction of policies toward eateries and alcohol distributors, intra-party scuffles in the upcoming Lower House election and more.

The Weekly Observer: July 5-9

Eleventh edition of the weekly newsletter aggregating news on Japanese politics! This week focuses on the declaration of a 4th COVID-19 state of emergency, vaccine shortages, Aso’s statement regarding collective self-defense in a Taiwan contingency, several legal rulings for guilty lawmakers, the economic impact of the state of emergency, the decision to hold Olympic games in the Greater Tokyo area without spectators and the fallout from the Tokyo Assembly election on Sunday, and more.