Japan Press Weekly

Workers kick off 2012 Spring Struggle

Unions of the 2012 People’s Spring Struggle Joint Committee on January 17 kicked off this year’s spring wage offensive calling for expansion of domestic demand through a wage increase and putting a halt to a consumption tax hike.

Most of Japan’s payments for USMC relocation plan to Guam remain unspent

Most of the over 830 million dollars the Japanese government paid to the United States to transfer a part of the U.S. Marine Corps units from Okinawa to Guam remains unspent. Japan’s payments even earned 3.81 million dollars in interest.

After 17 years, Hanshin-Awaji quake victims still suffering

It has been 17 years since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake that caused 6,434 deaths and the partial or complete destruction of 470 thousand houses. As the 17-year long struggle of quake victims suggests, restoring livelihoods and jobs must come first in any post-reconstruction process.

DPJ moves to cut proportional representation seats by 80

Japan-U.S. military alliance lies behind a secret protection bill

Japan starts prior consultation on participation in TPP

Panel proposes ‘peace purpose only’ provision be deleted from space law

 Diet seat cuts must not be used as tool for tax hike

Conservative critics start praising PM Noda

Local papers criticize proposal to eliminate 80 Diet seats

LDP unable to show itself to be different from DPJ

Many assemblies in Akita come out against consumption tax hike

Only local business leaders invited to gov’t ‘public’ meetings on tax reform

Most of Japan’s payments for USMC relocation plan to Guam remain unspent

Unionized school teachers win retraction of disciplinary action

Workers kick off 2012 Spring Struggle

Receiving gov’t grants, large firms hire temps on fixed terms

Only 4% utilization of corporate internal reserves will create 4.66 million new jobs

Keidanren refuses to consider wage hike demands

 Efforts needed to peacefully solve alleged Iranian nuclear issue

JCP vice chair meets with PLO official

This week’s JCP international activities

After 17 years, Hanshin-Awaji quake victims still suffering

Noda Cabinet promoting NPP resumption

Over 110,000 signatures for decommissioning of Hamaoka NPP submitted