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The Japan Times: News & Business

Separate surname option
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:10:00 -0800
Justice Minister Keiko Chiba is so eager to revise the Civil Law that the government is likely to submit a related bill to the Diet next year. One of the changes proposed will be to allow all people to retain their existing surnames after getting married, if they so choose. At present, following the principle introduced in 1898, either the man or the woman must adopt the other's surname upon getting married. Ms. Chiba's move is based on a proposal made in 1996 by the Justice Ministry's Legislative Council. It proposed allowing a man and a woman, when they marry, to either each keep their own surname or follow the single-surname policy. A married couple with different surnames would choose one to be given as a surname to their children. The Democratic Party of Japan has in the past submitted bills to the Diet proposing that a couple with separate surnames be able to decide on the surname of each child at birth.
Confusing approach to goals
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:11:00 -0800
Under the slogan "Politics that values humans, not concrete," the Hatoyama administration is taking a different direction from that of the Liberal Democratic Party when it was the ruling party. Symbolic of the change are decisions to stop the Yanba dam project in Gunma Prefecture and to introduce monthly child-rearing allowances. Inevitably, perhaps, the new administration's approach to achieving its goals appears confusing and incoherent at times, but that impression must not be allowed to continue for long. A conspicuous example of such confusion is the attitudes of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada and Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa on the issue of where to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station, now in the southern part of Okinawa Island.
Recalling a saint's legacy to leprosy victims
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:12:00 -0800
In early October, "Father Damien" was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. This religious and spiritual ceremony is an opportunity to reflect on Father Damien's life and the lives of those with whom he was most closely associated — people affected by leprosy. In 1873, Father Damien, a Belgian priest, went to live among people with leprosy who had been exiled to a peninsula on Molokai Island in Hawaii. It was when leprosy was feared as a dangerous, contagious disease that had no cure.
The human rights outlook and new justice minister
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:13:00 -0800
Ever since the historic landslide victory of the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the Lower House elections, we have wondered how the new government will wield its power. In the area of human rights protection, at least, there is cause to expect dramatic change. One of the more startling appointments to the new Cabinet is that of Yokohama lawyer Keiko Chiba as minister of justice. The progressive attitude of the new minister contrasts sharply with what we've seen in the past. Her appointment will be heartily welcomed throughout the global legal community. Chiba's opposition to the death penalty has made headlines, but that's only one example of her political philosophy. Among other things, she has supported local voting rights for foreign permanent residents, clear recognition of the injuries suffered by "comfort women" and other victims of Japan's past aggressions, and admission of more refugees to Japan.
Montenegro has Ginza heist suspect
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:14:00 -0800
A suspect in a 2007 jewelry heist in Tokyo's Ginza district was arrested in Montenegro in late September on charges related to obstructing justice, Tokyo police sources said Thursday. Radovan Jelusic, 39, part of the Pink Panthers international robbery ring, was on Interpol's wanted list along with another group member for allegedly stealing a diamond tiara worth ¥200 million and a necklace worth ¥84 million from a Ginza jewelry store after spraying tear gas at a clerk on June 14, 2007.
Toyota still in the red for first half but issues rosier full-year forecast
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:15:00 -0800
Toyota Motor Corp. reported Thursday it suffered a ¥55.99 billion net loss for the first half of the business year amid slumping global demand but forecast brighter earnings for the full year. The loss contrasts with the large profit the world's largest automaker scored a year ago before the global economy went into a tailspin.

Japan Today: Japan News and Discussion

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