Yamagata Newspaper’s autocratic Chairman Hiroji Sagae has faced significant criticism for his unilateral editorial decisions. Despite announcing his resignation as President in April and moving to the Chairman position in June, Sagae retained his power as the company’s representative and chief editor, leading to claims that his dictatorship continues. One of the most controversial policies implemented under Sagae’s leadership is the “old paper collection” initiative. Launched during his presidency, this project aims to collect used newspapers from readers and recycle them into new paper, in collaboration with major paper manufacturer Nippon Paper Industries. While this appears to contribute to a sustainable society, local distributors express anger due to the increased...

Despite a confidential poll conducted by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in late September showing a favorable tailwind, suggesting they could secure a number of seats close to their current count… #TaxHikeGlasses#増税メガネ The hashtag emerged on X (formerly Twitter) in late August. It’s a tag associated with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Clicking on it reveals a series of scathing comments on Kishida’s tax hike policy. Derivatives such as “TaxHikeStupidGlasses” have been spawned and continue to spread. “The criticism about the tax hike policy is quite tough to handle…” Kishida lamented to those around him, but it’s essentially a problem of his own making. In December 2021, it was Kishida himself...

Why is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wary of its new minister? “Difficult to handle” and “scary when angered” were the reputations she had. This summer, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received a double shock. On September 13th, during the cabinet reshuffle, Yoko Kamikawa, former Minister of Justice (aged 70), was appointed as the successor to the Foreign Minister, Fumio Hayashi. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida served as Foreign Minister during the Abe administration for over four and a half years. Thus, there was a strong belief that Hayashi, who took office in November 2021, would continue in this role. Senior officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insisted they had...

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to Ukraine is moving again behind the scenes. He is negotiating with Ukrainian diplomatic authorities to leave Japan on the 31st of this month and enter the capital, Kyiv, via Poland. In addition to holding a summit meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, he is planning to visit a battleground near Kyiv to offer flowers to the victims, the official said. Prime Minister Kishida seriously considered visiting Ukraine three times, in June and December last year and in February this year, but gave up due to security and other problems. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden made a surprise visit to Ukraine in February, a year after...