Japan
Japanese court lands a blow to marriage equality during Pride Month

The Osaka District Court deemed that the ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional. Last year, a petition at the Sapporo District Court ruled the ban unconstitutional

Iwakuni residents fight back against US military presence

Residents of Iwakuni, which hosts one of the largest US foreign bases, recently announced that they will file a lawsuit that could have wider implications for foreign military bases in Japan

Will Japan and Russia tensions over contested Pacific Islands spill over into war?

A leaked version of Japan’s yearly text on its foreign policy suggests that its government is taking a tougher stance on its long-standing conflict with Russia

Protest against U.S. base relocation in Okinawa With rising COVID-19 cases, US bases in Japan come under scrutiny

A recent surge of COVID-19 infections in the Okinawa, Hiroshima and Yamaguchi prefectures has been connected to the presence of US military bases in Japan

Japan elections Elections in Japan end with boost to right-wing, defeat of center-left opposition

The opposition coalition of five parties led by the Constitutional Democratic Party suffered a massive defeat, while the ruling conservative coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party continues to maintain its majority in the National Diet

In Tokyo, the Olympic ethos is missing

Many have argued that holding the olympics while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on is a mistake that could have catastrophic implications

Citius, Altius, Business: The Olympic Movement is reducing itself to a farce by staging the Tokyo Games

The decision to organize the Tokyo Olympics from July 23 has opened up a Pandora’s Box of controversies related to the approach of the International Olympic Committee, holding a mega event amid a pandemic, and democracy in the world of sport

Fukushima water release Japan Progressives condemn Japan’s decision to release contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear plant

The incumbent conservative government in Japan led by Yoshihide Suga has decided to release contaminated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear reactors into the Pacific ocean

South Korean court orders Japan to compensate survivors of sexual violence during World War II

A lower court in Seoul ordered Japan to compensate 12 Korean women, who were forced to serve as “comfort women” for its military during the Second World War. The verdict is expected to pave the way for more such judgments

Nuclear plant Japan Fishermen oppose release of contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan

The company which operates the plant, Tokyo Electric Power, has collected over 1.23 million tons of contaminated water since the collapse of the nuclear plant in 2011

75 years after Hiroshima, where do we stand?

Newsclick’s Prabir Purkayastha talks about the state of the nuclear threat 75 years after the first atom bomb was dropped in Hiroshima.

Today marks 75 years since the world’s first nuclear bombing

After three quarters of a century of the nuclear bombings, the Japanese people continue to resist creeping militarism and right-ward tilt. The government of Shinzo Abe has been pushing for expanding military power