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Abe’s Bounce
Only a short while ago, Shinzo Abe, the prime minister of Japan was being written off as part of a large group of Japan’s short lived, forgettable Prime Ministers. Now however, he is becoming more popular than anticipated. His term started with a visit to South Korea and China in order to help international relations problems, earning him a lot of support. However, as his term progressed, his conservative views and actions have earned him less and less support in a predominately liberal country. His cabinet members had created political outrage, when they spoke publicly about their belief that women of the 21st century should be primarily tools for breeding. Abe is slowly regaining political and popular support however. By implementing new, more aggressive initiatives, Abe has regained some chance at remaining Prime Minister another term.
Politics by attrition
Although he says he will not be resigning, Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi’s government is facing a large risk. After admitting that on several occasions, he had neglected to make deposits towards a national pension plan, exposed a bevy of other people who had failed to make payments. Although he claims he has done nothing illegal, because he had consistantly paid since 1986 (the year it became law), Mr Koizumi faces a tough political opposition in this matter.

Big Ten Focus
Despite signs of an improving economy, Japanese people took to polls giving the Liberal Democratic Party a thumbs down. This marked the first time in 18 years that the LDP had lost a vote to an opposing party. A lot of these results come from the general population being upset with the LDP’s plan to raise state pension payments from 13.58% to 18.3% in October. However, according to the Bank of Japan, the Japanese economy is expected to continue to recover, gathering powerful momentum.


RELIGION
A bit of this, a bit of that
Many Japanese are spending more time searching for more meaning to life. And rather than adapting to a single religion as they would have traditionally done with Shinto or Buddhism, they have been happy with something they call "chuto-hanpa" which means "A bit of this a bit of that" what scholars describe as Juso Shinko "Multilayered Faith".Despite more than 98 million people practicing Shinto, and 88 million practicing Buddhism in Japan, only about 30% of polled people claim to have any real religious beliefs at all. Many people are moving towards so called "New Religions" that practice tolerance and fill a spiritual gap left in Japan since WW2.
Japan’s heaven sent opportunism.
In Japan, it is a common joke that a Japanese person is often blessed as a child by a Shinto priest, married by a Christian, and sent into the next world by a Buddhist. An opportunistic view of religion ( that is, choosing a religion that suits the occasion the best) is not uncommon in the west, but for many people, it is accompanied by a feeling of guilt. In Japan, their views on religion change depending on what they need it to look towards for. Many Christians would not recognize the Japanese forms of Christianity. But does this make Japan’s religious followers without meaning? Things, it would seem, are not as simple as what has meaning and what doesn’t, in Japan.
The Moneybags in the Temple
The Japanese government has been looking for ways to finance their next election campaign. One particularly popular way is to ask money from the wealthy Buddhist churches in Japan. The richest of all the churches in Japan, the Soka Gekkai has agreed to help the LDP in the 1995 campaign. However, some questions are being directed towards this method, one being that the LDP was placed in power with the goal to reduce the role of money in Japanese politics.
Catholics as remnant in Japan
In Japan, Catholicism makes up only one percent of the Japanese population, and only recently have they decided to attempt to become more apparent in society. In Japan, it is not uncommon for two non-Christians to participate in a traditional Christian wedding. Although this practice is blessed by the Japanese Bishop, many Christians believe that it is merely an attempt to benefit by exploiting the Japanese obsession with the culture of the west. After being introduced to Japan in 1549, Christianity enjoyed a small success. However, in 1614 Japan banned Christian missionaries as a part of it’s plan to dissassociate itself from the outside world. And for 250 years the ideas of Christianity went underground. It wasn’t until 1864 that it emerged again, and slowly began to gain influence. After WW2, people took to Christianity as a way to escape from the new reality of their war, and it’s influence was made even stronger. Now however, it is far too difficult for the average Japanese person to become a Catholic. There are too many concerns related to missing work based events for religious ones. And in a heavily work based society, religions such as Shinto and Buddhism are far less taxing.
Japan receives missioner priests.
The first Korean priests to go to Japan as missionaries have left on assignment. The Japanese Bishop in Hiroshima cited the problem of a decline in followers as related to the lack of young priests, and asked the Korean church to send priests. Before leaving on assignment, these young priests will receive thorough language and culture training.




SOCIAL
Miss Japan wins, Miss USA jeered at Miss Universe
A 20 year old dancer named Riyo Mori was crowned Ms Universe on May 28th in Mexico City. This marks only the second time a Japanese Woman has won the title. The contestant from USA however, was jeered and criticized at the pageant. Many protesters gathered outside the stadium where the competition was held, protesting that the pageant promoted the idea of women as objects. One popular saying was "Ugly or beautiful, women shouldn’t be considered objects".
The Last move : Japan’s move to Normality.
Many Japanese people want the move from their post WW2 apologetic guilt to a renewed state of Japanese patriotism to take place. After WW2, many Japanese were left with a feeling of guilt and sadness. Being the first and only country to ever experience a nuclear war, Japan has a thorough understanding of it’s implications, 60 years later and still reading newspaper headline about people dying from nuclear ailments. The problem that many people fear with the current deliberations to revise their pacifist law, is the possibility of North Korea provoking Japan to become a nuclear power. Estimations based on technological prowess place Japan with the ability to become a nuclear power within weeks or even days.

Poverty fuels trafficking to Japan
There are over 10 000 sex establishments in Japan. Over half of the approximately 200 000 employed women in this trade are made up of Filipina women. Many women from impovershed countries such as China and Thailand flee to Japan to participate in the sex trade, only to encounter conditions that are in most cases, just as bad as where they had come from. In Japan it is even worse for foreign women in the sex trade, because they are considered lower "quality" than Japanese women. After world wide criticism in 2005, Japan revised the law, imposing much harsher penalties on those caught participating in the sex trade. However, many doubt that the law will change much about the trade, as it is heavily controlled by Yakuza (Japanese Mafia) and is responsible for up to 3% of Japan’s GNP.
Military

Japan : Quickly leaving Pacifism behind.
With the looming threat of North Korean nuclear agendas, Japan has been taking steps towards altering it’s currently Pacifist constitution, to allow the country to have a standing army, in order to defend itself. With the support of the US, Japan is being pushed to reform it’s pacifist ways in order to regain power, and be able to take a seat on the UN security council. However, the growing protests from Japanese people may hold back progress.
DVD Technology improves cable for U S military bases in Japan.
The US military bases in Japan have just won a bid from the government to have better satellite television installed at bases. After various attempts to work out deals with different electronics and television companies. The US military has been able to make a deal that allows for better quality equipment and faster more reliable internet connections.
Military Disorder.
The murder of a 56 year old woman near an American military base in Japan has brought the anger that many Japanese have towards the American Presence in Japan to the attention of the media. The amount of violence and crime coming from US soldiers has been unnoticed in recent years. However, this recent attack has drawn attention to the crimes of the US army’s past.
Economy
Japan Economy Emerging from 90's Funk.
Japan’s two way trade system with the US is starting again, and after it’s slump during the 90's, this change is sure to be welcomed by the trans-Pacific trade. Although Japan’s exports may seem insubstantial when compared to that of China, However, Japan still holds a large percentage of the imports in a global sense. Compared to countries like Germany and Taiwan, Japan is far ahead. The American dollar is also expected to weaken in comparison to the Yen in future years, making exports more expensive. However, the high value of it’s exports and the rising rate of customer consumption in Japan are contributing to a stronger two way trade between the economic powers.
Japanese Government Initiates Space Borne Hyperspectral Payload Program.
Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) announced recently that they would be initiating a five year program to develop next generation earth observation satellites. METI funding for this program amounts to approximately $79million. METI is also seeking a partner to help with provisions for the spacecraft. The mission is set to take place no earlier than 2011.
Over to you, big spender.