Nihon Keizai Shimbun

[Tokugawa]

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun also known as The Nikkei is one of the big six Japanese newspapers and a newspaper of record for Japan.

 

[Tokugawa]

Empress Signs Off on Controversial 'Anti-Banditry' Laws

Members of the Yakuza at a recent illegal demonstration against the proposed laws​

Tokyo - After a difficult legal process filled with objections for both being too strict or too lenient, the Empress has today signed a set of three laws into effect. The Law on the Combatting of Criminal Organizations, the Law on the Prevention of Terrorism and the Law on the Rehabilitation of Bandits, all three together referred to as the Anti-Banditry Laws. Many of the measures in these laws have already entered into effect through emergency decrees but as the country transitions back to a peacetime state they are intended to give the government significant powers to prevent a return of chaos.

The Law on the Combatting of Criminal Organizations allows the Ministry of Justice to request the Courts to declare an organization as criminal. Any organization declared criminal must immediately disband, if it does not do so any member may be arrested. Membership of a criminal organization has been made punishable for a maximum sentence of two years of imprisonment while leadership can result in a life sentence. Any crime committed while being a member of a criminal organization will automatically add another five years to the sentence. If someone is found guilty of murder or rape while being a member of a criminal organization, their sentences will automatically be upgraded to the death penalty. Before only those convicted of multiple murders faced the death penalty in practice. Businesses are also prohibited from providing any payment or service to members of a criminal organization and business owners may be fined, have their business dissolved or even be imprisoned if found to do so. Law enforcement officials may on the reasonable suspicion that someone is a member of a criminal organization force an individual to undress as members of the Yakuza especially can often be recognized by their Irezumi.

Targeting the primary recruitment pool of the Yakuza, young persons, the law also imposes a requirement for any person below the age of 20 without a high school diploma to be registered at a public or private school. Authorities will send two warnings to parents if a person is found to not be registered and after the second warning may remove the person from their parents' custody. The law also imposes a curfew that allows the police to detain any person below the age of 18 to their home if found on the street after 22:00.

The Law on the Prevention of Terrorism allows authorities to arrest any person suspected of terrorism without charge for up to 2 months before being required to present them in front of a Court. The law also allows for special warrants to tap into communications of suspected terrorists. Finally, the law also imposes a mandatory death penalty for anyone convicted of committing an act of terrorism in which a person died or a mandatory life sentence for attempted terrorism or committing an act of terrorism in which no one died. .

While the first to laws can be considered sticks, the final law is a carrot to provide members of criminal organizations a pathway back into society. Any member of a criminal organization who has not been involved in further criminal activity may report to law enforcement to receive a certificate signifying that they are no longer a member of a criminal organization. The certificate and additional provided identity card allows individuals to show that the state has forgiven them and that they are no longer subject to the aforementioned law. If done within thirty days of an organization being declared criminal they will only need to agree to report back to their nearest police station once a week for three months and agree to enhanced surveillance for a year, during this time they may not leave Japan. If done after thirty days, the reporting period is extended to one year and the surveillance period to five years, these individuals must also agree to a 60 day educational course. The law also grants amnesty for any crimes that would normally carry a sentence up to one year of imprisonment. While members of a criminal organization convicted of more severe offenses will need to face punishment for their crimes, they are immediately eligible for the special status after their imprisonment ends.

The law also provides a range of social services for former members of a criminal organization. The government will pay for any procedure to have Irezumi removed and individuals will be provided support in finding employment, housing and education to successfully reintegrate back into society.

Opponents of the laws can be categorized into two camps, those who feel the laws go too far and those who feel they don't go far enough. The former argue that the increased surveillance, draconian punishments, and low barrier to declare organizations criminal or have businesses dissolved will grant the state a hammer it can use long after criminal organizations stop being a threat to Japan and that they go against civil rights guaranteed by the Constitution and imposed following World War 2. The latter believe that sentences should be harsher and that the Law on the Rehabilitation of Bandits in its entirely should not have been passed and that anyone should face the full force of the law even for just being a member.

Special concern has been raised by ChildFund Japan who feel the forced return of children to their homes will encourage an already worsening epidemic of domestic violence in Japanese households.

Despite the opposition raised, the laws still passed with comfortable majorities in the Diet and were immediately signed by the Empress when delivered to the Imperial Residence.

 

[Tokugawa]

Thailand's State Visit to Japan Has Begun

Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra of Thailand​

Tokyo - With the arrival of the Thai Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense, Thailand's state visit to Japan has officially begun. Thailand was one of the first states in general and the first Asian state in particular to reach out to Japan following the succession of Empress Aimi to the Chrysanthemum Throne. The Thai delegation was immediately escorted to the Imperial Residence in Tokyo where they were received by Her Imperial Majesty and Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess. Following the landing of the Thai governmental plane the General Affairs Division of the Imperial Household Agency released a press statement that Her Imperial Majesty 'Looks forward to developing close relations with Thailand as both a fellow Asian country and Asia's only current world power, that has often shown itself a friend of the Japanese people'.

The Republic of Thailand in the past decade has rapidly risen to the highest status in world politics and is considered an important element in maintaining Asian independence. In the past Thailand had also helped Japan following the New Years Massacre and in general shown itself friendly to the then State of Japan. The presence of so many high ranking government officials in the Thai delegation is considered by experts a strong indication that Thailand also has high hopes for this visit. The state visit is expected to take several days, for their security the Thai delegation will be hosted at the Imperial Residence, it is not standard for visiting governments to be allowed to stay under the same roof as the Empress and it is believed that too has in part been done to show Thailand the sincerity of Japan's interest in a close relationship.

Due to the assassination of the late Crown Prince by a reporter from the Asahi Shimbun press is not currently allowed to be in the same room as the Empress, Crown Princess and the Thai delegation, however cameras will be set up in the area usually intended for joint press conferences and the General Affairs Division of the Imperial Household Agency has committed to actively reporting any developments to the press before themselves releasing public statements.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the renewed interest in relations with Japan by so many foreign powers is a welcome indicator that confidence from the international community in the Japanese state is returning and that Japan may begin repairing her historic position of regional significance.

 

[Tokugawa]

Teikokutō Wins Diet Majority in Landslide Election

Leader of Teikokutō and presumptive Prime Minister Hideo Shimada​

Tokyo - As anticipated by earlier polls, the elections for the National Diet have resulted in a landslide victory for Teikokutō, the new Imperial Party formed by Prime Minister Shimada and other pro-monarchist forces inside Japanese politics. The victory comes mostly at the cost of the New Japan Movement which has been all but eradicated from the National Diet. Seats have also come, however, from the center-right LDP and center-left DPJ. The extraordinary elections were called following the ascension of Empress Aimi and to secure a representative legislature upon the conclusion of the State of Emergency. That State of Emergency has now come to an end.

Teikokutō's plans include providing an even greater role for the Chrysanthemum Throne while continuing on strict law and order policies. Furthermore, they seek to massively increase funding to the Japanese Armed Forces and create a strong regional power base to combat any threats foreign or domestic. On the other hand they intend to pursue an almost leftist social policy with emphasis on enhancing state pensions, disability insurance and unemployment benefits. As a result of this combination of left and right policies, they have managed to pull a significant number of members from parties to both their left and right.

Teikokutō has won 280 seats in the House of Representatives and 125 in the House of Councillors, these majorities in both Houses allow it to rule without pursuing a coalition. As the majority is incredibly slim in the House of Councillors, however, it may still benefit from cooperation with other parties. Prime Minister Shimada is the perfect candidate for this as he has experience in working with other parties as he led the transitional government during the emergency.

The Empress is expected to invite Prime Minister Shimada later today to invite him to create a Cabinet.

 

[Tokugawa]

Empress Appoints Second Shimada Cabinet

Prime Minister Shimada's Office​

Tokyo - Following the absolute Teikokutō victory in the general elections and the Empress' invitation for Prime Minister Shimada to form a government, Empress Aimi has now, only a week later, confirmed the Second Shimada Cainet. The confirmation is the final step it required to formally take office, the Cabinet can now set out on its ambitious agenda.

As the face of both pro-monarchy and pro-military movements, Prime Minister Shimada soon took up the role as a peacemaker and expert negotiator in establishing a transitional civilian government that could take over following the military intervention that saw peace and order return to Japan. The appeal and magnetism of Shimada can be seen in the large number of Ministers he managed to pull from other parties and convince to join Teikokutō, Even the Opposition is struggling to be very critical of the Prime Minister or his new appointments and it appears Japanese politics in general are looking to finally move beyond years of chaos.

The first two goals set by the Second Shimada Cabinet are to continue strengthening the Japanese military and security infrastructure, and to return international confidence into the Japanese economy. Responsible Ministers have stated they will introduce plans to achieve these goals in the National Diet befoe the end of February.

 

[Tokugawa]

National Diet Approves Abolition of NHK License Fees

Headquarters of the NHK​

Tokyo - Following heated debates by both supporters and opponents of the proposed law, the National Diet has approved Minister Suzuki's proposal to abolish all NHK license fees. Under the old system anyone who owns a device capable of receiving broadcasts from the Japan Broadcasting Corporation was required to pay these license fees, and debt collectors would often be sent by the NHK to homes to determine whether the residents owned any such device. After several reports of escalating measures by these debt collectors, even up to violence, anger among the Japanese population towards the license system has grown significantly.

Under the law introduced by the Minister of Culture, the license fee system will be replaced with full public funding. The NHK will be required to submit a budget to the Ministry of Culture annually which will after initial review be sent to the National Diet for approval. Opponents have mostly taken aim at the fact that the new system will transfer the burden of funding the public broadcaster to the taxpayer even if they do not own a television or other device capable of receiving the broadcasting signals, however economic analysts have concluded that license non-payment, debt collection agencies and other costs related to the license fee system already place a higher burden on the average taxpayer.

The NHK itself, traditionally opposed to replacing the license fee system, has not spoken out on the debate this time. It is believed that this is related to the rising trend of Japanese getting rid of traditional television in favor of computers and other devices with internet access. Eventually this trend would significantly restrict the NHK's license fee revenue, while public funding guarantees its ability to continue operating even if its programming and expenditure is placed under higher governmental scrutiny.

Now that the law has passed and the Empress has signed it, the license fee system will officially be abolished on the first of January 2005.

 

[Tokugawa]

Empress Announces Intent to Apologize for Past Japanese Crimes

Tokyo Imperial Palace​

Tokyo - Prime Minister Shimada has made an unexpected announcement on behalf of the Empress, declaring the intent of the Empress to apologize for past Japanese war crimes by performing dogeza on 2 September 2005, exactly 60 years after the surrender of Japan in the Second World War. While past Japanese governments have offered and issued numerous apologies in the past either at large or to individual countries, this would be the first time that the monarch would do so. Dogeza in particular is the ultimate form of apology in Japanese society, and many Asian countries as well.

In a separate press statement from the Imperial Palace, the Empress clarified that she feels sincerely that the crimes of Japan towards the peoples of occupied countries such as Korea, China, Indonesia, the Phillipines and many others, as well as the treatment of prisoners of war, the sexual slavery of women and girls, so called comfort women, and the unprovoked attack on Pearl Harbor have never been properly atoned for by the Chrysanthemum Throne. She hopes that by performing this gesture she can contribute to the ongoing healing process. Furthermore, she hopes that this first step will contribute to creating a cultural change in Japanese society where unlike Axis-allies like Germany there is little focus on the crimes of the past and through education making sure that Japan will never repeat such crimes again.

The government will join the Empress in her efforts through a range of policies, a new portfolio (Minister for the Reparation of Relations with China, Korea, and Other Countries Previously Occupied) has been given to Minister Miyamoto to commence the process of reaching out to these countries and normalize relations. Simultaneously the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will begin the process of evaluating all teaching materials in Japan to modify them to more accurately reflect Japan's 20th century history. Other departments will additionally begin the daunting process of analyzing their archives for any information from the Taishō and Shōwa periods that may not already be public knowledge. Finally, the Minister of Justice has been instructed to investigate whether war criminals that escaped prosecution in the past can still be prosecuted for their crimes.

While the announcement has been well-received by the political left and the Prime Minister's own Imperial Party, the right wing opposition has expressed significant criticism that Japan has already apologized and atoned for its wartime actions sufficiently and that the Empress' proposed apology is not only an embarrassment for the Empress herself and her throne, but in fact the Japanese nation at large. A Councillor from the LDP, Kichiro Fujimoto, known for his ultranationalist positions has even claimed that this is a Korean conspiracy due to the Empress' mixed Japanese-Korean heritage. The Empress' grandmother was in fact a Korean comfort woman taken to Japan who stayed after the end of the war.

While the opposition to the announcement is significant, the Imperial Party on its own already has majorities in both Houses of the Diet, and with the support of the left enjoys a supermajority, so the opponents have no method of preventing either the apology or any other related measures. The government hopes that formal negotiations with multipole countries can be concluded before the date of the apology, while the education reform should have the first changes to material made before April 2006, the start of the new school year. The full archival research and reforms to educational materials based on said research are expected to take around five years.