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The issue of nationality had never been discussed more seriously than it was in 2008. LDP Lower-House Member Taro Kono seeks to rectify the dual citizenship situation.
Japan is the only developed country that does not automatically grant citizenship to babies born within its territory, allow its nationals to have multiple citizenship or let foreigners vote in local-level elections.
Japan has 2 million registered foreigners, and one in every 30 babies born here has at least one foreign parent.
Article 14 of Japan’s Constitution requires that Japanese renounce other nationalities …

Zurui: I don’t know if “Made in China” has the same ring to an aircraft carrier but this is one Chinese product other than tainted gyoza that will catch the attention of Tokyo. It should also give Aso and the next prime minister (PM) of Japan (I think a new PM will be in place before Golden Week) firepower to expand the might of Japan’s Self Defense Forces (SDF). With the current fence-sitting and back-and-forth from Tokyo regarding the SDF’s role in combatting piracy off the coast of Somalia, I …

Japan needs to import some 80% of its energy requirements. 
Its first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in mid 1966, and nuclear energy has been a national strategic priority since 1973. 
Today 53 reactors provide some 30% of the country’s electricity and this is expected to increase to at least 40% by 2017.
Japan has a full fuel cycle set up, including enrichment and reprocessing used fuel for recycle.
 
Enough highly enriched U.S. uranium to make about 20 nuclear weapons was sneaked back to the United States from Japan over a 12-year period …

The Stars & Stripes reports that the Japanese government has decided to allocate $689 million during the next fiscal year for projects related to realigning U.S. forces in Japan.
According to an announcement late Wednesday by the Ministry of Defense, about $345 million will be set aside for moving about 8,000 Marines and their families to Guam, a move expected to be complete in 2014.
That’s a sharp increase from the $4 million allocated for the project in the 2008 budget.
Also included in the budget is $93.9 million for construction of a …

I received an email from a college student asking me to recommend books on Japan. Below are five books that I use for research and teaching. 

The African-American Encounter with Japan & China, Black Internationalism in Asia, 1895-1945 (Gallicchio)
African-American Views of the Japanese (Kearney)
Japan Rising (Pyle)
Japan’s Reluctant Realism (Green)
Japanese the Manga Way (Lammers)

Click here for additional recommendations, and my views, on Japan! If you are interested in purchasing any of the books, you can order via Amazon (and help Black Tokyo earn a small commission which will be used to pay …

The Japanese Foreign Ministry distributed to journalists in late November a paper titled: “Dispel five misunderstandings about the incoming Obama administration and Japan-U.S. relations.” The paper lists five growing concerns…

Observing Japan posts a follow-up to “The alliance is dead, long live the alliance.” After seeing the response to my recent post on the US-Japan alliance, I find it necessary to develop a few ideas further…
First, MTC rightly points out that an alliance based on the partnership of Japanese conservatives and their counterparts in Washington is by no means doomed, because the organizations pushing this line “deal death as a matter of course. They will not be deterred by mere logic, economic constraints or human feeling.” I fully grant this point. …

In a special to The Japan Times, Robert Dujarric (Director of the Institute of Contemporary Japanese Studies at Temple University Japan, Tokyo) writes: 
Japan’s ruling establishment hoped that John McCain, surrounded by “friends of Japan,” would win the race to the White House. Conservative commentators fear that President-elect Barack Obama will neglect Japan while paying too much attention to China.
These concerns are unfounded. There is no evidence that the Japan-U.S. alliance fares better under Republicans than Democrats. Although there are real reasons for Tokyo to worry about relations with the United …

DPJ Leaders and National Security Figures from US Democratic Party Hold Talks with an Eye on Administration Transitions

That is the headline for this Sankei report. According to the article, Naoto Kan, Yukio Hatoyama, Katsuya Okada, Seiji Maehara—the DPJ’s four ex-leaders—and other DPJ members met national security figures from the Democratic Party yesterday at a hotel in Tokyo. Hatoyama even held a press conference, where he explained, “We received a valuable piece of indication that it is important to deepen exchanges between the U.S. Democratic Party and the DPJ.”
So who were these Democratic figures? …

This is a good read but I have a few differences of opinion. Nothing new, right? I always find something to disagree with. Anyway, I will save my banter for later and will only say that the “elites” of Japan need to learn how to multitask and focus on Japan’s security by supporting a structure that is beneficial to both Japan and their allies. I am really sick and tired of the bitching and moaning from the LDP and DPJ politicians. Most of these guys need to retire anyway.
To ensure …

New U.S. travel authorization plan has airlines on edge before launch
A new border control system the United States will start using to screen short-term foreign travelers in January remains relatively unknown less than a month before launch, and people in the airline and tourism industries are worried the lack of awareness will wreak havoc at airports nationwide.
The new Electronic System for Travel Authorization requires travelers from Visa Waiver Countries who wish to stay in the U.S. for 90 days or less to use the Internet to apply for permission to …

I enjoy reading the Observing Japan blog by Tobias Harris (a self-described fledgling Japan/East Asia specialist — some have called him a “Japan hand,” although for now he is probably more of a “Japan finger” — who worked for a DPJ member of the upper house of the Diet 2006-2007) and now I get to share his 2008 review of Japanese politics.
President-elect Obama’s message of CHANGE to world took on a slightly different meaning in Japan. Harris refers to the Change most familiar and safe to those in Japan while previously …

I have previously blogged about Japan slowly returning to “normal nation” status in the international community. I believe that Japan’s Self Defense Force (SDF) will play a larger role “militarily” in the years to come, especially since there is nervous talk in Tokyo regarding the US-Japan security relationship. The article below is another example of how Japan will test the constitutional waters regarding the SDF’s use of force.

This in from the ASAHI : The government, now studying measures [to protect Japanese tankers and other commercial ships] against pirates that are rampant …

Visitors traveling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program will be required to register online prior to boarding from next January under the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
Due to concerns that passengers unaware of the system will be unable to board their flights — largely due to a lack of proactive action by the Japanese government — the Scheduled Airlines Association of Japan (SAAJ) will be launching a new PR campaign to inform passengers about the system at Narita Airport on Thursday.
View this Post in: …

When I first read Yoshinori Nakai’s (Deputy Chief Editorial Writer, Mainichi Shimbun) article answering the question: “Is U.S. President-elect Barack Obama really black?” I thought: “Okay, this is really a dumb-ass question!” but then it dawned on me that some in America had/have/may have issues with Obama and his race:

“Is he Black enough?” 
“He’s not Black, he’s mixed/biracial.”
Racial identity equation:  white + black = black
“He’s half-white/mixed/biracial/other, so Black people should stop trying to claim him!” I call this the Tiger Woods Syndrome.
The Stanley Crouch comment in a New York Daily News column entitled “What Obama Isn’t: Black Like …

I am afraid that Japan might head in a direction that will tie its hands tighter because of its masochistic view of history that is gripping Japan today. I am concerned that unless someone stops it, Japan might fall in the near future.

Zurui: Tamogami holds no punches in his interview. His view of white nations has been “quietly” discussed at various levels of government and I am extremely curious how this will play out in the Japanese media. I am also very curious curious to hear what he thinks of President-elect …

Japanese government officials believe that the Alliance Transformation and Realignment Agreement (ATARA) between the U.S. government and Japan should be revisited and reviewed, which would cause a delay in the relocation of 8,000 U.S. Marines to Guam.
And apparently, President-elect Barack Obama’s diplomatic staff agree.
Democratic Party of Japan vice president Seiji Maehara said recently that President-elect Barack Obama’s diplomatic staff considers the proposed relocation plans of Marines from the Futenma base to Camp Schwab in Nago, “unfeasible,” according to the Mainichi Shimbun. 
Maehara had met with Obama representatives during a June visit to …

DPJ holds Obama-style study sessions in order for party to “change,” too
Source - Yomiuri Shimbun (07 Dec 08):  The Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), the largest opposition party, is now trying to introduce election methods and policy measures that are similar to those used by U.S. President-elect Barack Obama too during his election campaign. Following the example of Obama, who won a landslide victory in the presidential race with “change” as the slogan, the DPJ appears to be aiming at similarly taking the reins of government.
View this Post in: …

To assess how the next U.S. administration of Barack Obama would cope with the various challenges ahead, it is essential to have an accurate understanding of the significance of his election victory, Japanese experts told a recent symposium in Tokyo.

As the first black to become U.S. president, much of the Japanese media coverage of the election tended to focus on this fact, but that is only one part of the story, they said.
Four experts took part in the Nov. 20 symposium organized by the Keizai Koho Center to discuss Obama’s …

Michael Auslin’s new report (with Christopher Griffin) is up at the AEI website: The U.S.-Japanese Alliance in a New Era.
For nearly five decades, the U.S.-Japanese alliance has underwritten peace and security in the Asia Pacific. The alliance has allowed for the forward basing of tens of thousands of American troops and cooperation between the two countries on a wide range of security issues. The alliance is being tested today by the economic and military rise of China, the continuing crisis in North Korea, and the struggle to maintain the tide of …

Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents: Viewing child porn, manga depicting such to be criminalized; Simple possession of child porn unpunishable in Japan
It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is a problem. I want Japan to seriously consider placing a ban on child porn, including viewing such as well.It has been seven years since the Yokohama congress, and Japan has yet to regulate the simple possession of child porn. This is …

OKAYAMA (Kyodo) A woman in Soja, Okayama Prefecture, who gave birth within 300 days of her divorce will file a lawsuit seeking ¥3.3 million in compensation from the city for refusing to register her baby as born to her and her current husband, the woman’s lawyer said Monday.

The city rejected the registration submitted by her current husband on Nov. 10, citing a provision in the Civil Code — Paragraph 2 of Article 772 — that says a child born within 300 days from the date of the dissolution or cancellation …

A video conference was held yesterday between college students of Japan and the United States. The event clearly exposed the difference between Japanese students, who have few hopes of politics, and their American counterparts, who have strong expectations for change. Some Japanese students reacted enviously to U.S. participants who repeatedly said that with participation, politics can be changed.
The U.S. Embassy in Tokyo hosted the event. Some 170 Japanese and American students in Tokyo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Naha, and Washington discussed “youths and politics.”
In reaction to a report that Japanese youths have …

The government is considering special legislative measures to send Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to waters off the coast of Somalia in order to guard commercial freighters against pirates. The MSDF’s antipiracy operations would be limited to offshore areas near the Somalia coast. The MSDF would guard not only Japanese commercial ships but also foreign ships. The government will decide whether to present a bill to the Diet at its next ordinary session after seeing the attitude of the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (Minshuto). The planned legislation will likely …

The Japan Times reports that Liberal Democratic Party member Taro Kono said Thursday he has submitted a proposal to an LDP panel he heads calling for the Nationality Law to be revised to allow offspring of mixed couples, one of whom being Japanese, to have more than one nationality. The panel will scrutinize the proposal, but there is no time limit to formalize it as “this is not something that needs to be done anytime soon,” he said.
Under the current system, Japan, in principle, requires Japanese nationals who also hold citizenship in another country to choose one or …