Japan

Japanese Prime Minister

11 Nov 2024 3 2

Yoshihiko Noda

Inserted 2 months ago

“It would be best if we could have a change of government right away. However, at the very least, I think the phrase 'on the eve of a change of government' has definitely become more of a reality. I think that it is just the beginning.”

Nytimes

Former prime minister and current leader of the Constitutional Democrats

28 Oct 2024 2 3

Jiro Yamaguchi

Inserted 2 months ago

“I expected Mr. Ishiba would carry out some reforms to get rid of the corrupted image of the L.D.P. But Mr. Ishiba, previously viewed as a politician unafraid to shed party shibboleths, backtracked on several of his more prominent campaign promises. He looked to be co-opted by the old party system.”

Nytimes

Political scientist at Hosei University in Tokyo

27 Oct 2024 4 3

Yu Uchiyama

Inserted 2 months ago

“Ishiba long alienated party heavyweights with his outspoken criticism of LDP policies under Abe. But he became vocal about the need for the LDP to turn over a new leaf, which may have worked in his favor.”

Political science professor at the University of Tokyo

26 Oct 2024 5 2

Shigeru Ishiba

Inserted 2 months ago

“Peace and security in and around the Taiwan Strait are an extremely important issue for the region. Japan will carefully monitor the situation. We will prepare to respond to any development.”

Japanese Prime Minister

14 Oct 2024 3 3

Toshiyuki Mimaki

Inserted 3 months ago

“Never did I dream this could happen. It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists. For example, if Russia uses them against Ukraine, Israel against Gaza, it won't end there. Politicians should know these things. I hope that the second-generation (of atomic bomb survivors) and the general public participate in peace activities, for peace without nuclear weapons.”

Co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo

11 Oct 2024 8 2

Shigeru Ishiba

Inserted 3 months ago

“It is important to have a public verdict on the new administration as soon as possible. I will make a policy speech and conduct subsequent question-and-answer sessions appropriately. I will continue to make efforts to provide what will help the people make their decision.”

Japannews

Newly elected president of the Liberal Democratic Party

30 Sep 2024 0 1

Rafael Mestre

Inserted 4 months ago

“Covering [robotic] devices with some sort of skin - just like our organs are isolated by our skin - to protect them and ensure they have the right conditions and nutrients is one of the first steps towards their actual use. But there is still a long way to go. Tissue produced for robots will need to be carefully evaluated because research on the interaction between skin cells and robotic surfaces is still in its infancy. I suspect the first examples we see will be of some artificial skin acting as a coverture for a small-scale and simple biohybrid robot based on muscle tissue that can perform some basic form of actuation or movement, rather than in a humanoid robot with a real skin face.”

Lecturer at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom

06 Sep 2024 3 3

Shoji Takeuchi

Inserted 4 months ago

“Our cultured skin aims to replicate the full range of biological functions found in human skin, including the activity of facial muscles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, pores, blood vessels, fat, and nerves. This comprehensive functionality would enable more lifelike and interactive robotic applications. While we aim to create more lifelike robots, our goal is to enhance their utility and interaction capabilities.”

Professor at the University of Tokyo’s Biohybrid Systems Laboratory

06 Sep 2024 4 2

Mikitaka Masuyama

Inserted 4 months ago

“It has become more like an American primary race for the president due to the number of candidates. This situation is very unusual. It used to be that factions functioned as the mechanism to select candidates, so usually it's only those politicians who rank high or have become factional leaders. But factions have lost the mechanism to coordinate competition for leaders, so now we have many candidates seeing whether they have a serious chance of being elected.”

Political science professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

30 Aug 2024 2 3

Rintaro Nishimura

Inserted 4 months ago

“The scandal has also fuelled a desire for change, priming September's leadership race as a contest between the old guard and a younger generation. There's a desire within the party to see a fresh face. Not just in the sense that they need someone new at the top of the ticket, but someone who can really show the public that the LDP is changing. A lot of the attention seems to be on the fact that this is going to be a generational battle between the elder and younger candidates.”

Associate in the Japan practice at the Asia Group, a Washington-based strategic advisory firm

30 Aug 2024 2 3

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 4 months ago

“I made this heavy decision thinking of the public, with the strong will to push political reform forward.”

Japanese Prime Minister

14 Aug 2024 2 1

Takahide Kiuchi

Inserted 5 months ago

“The B.O.J. hoped that temporary inflation could lead to long-lasting inflation by pushing up wages - giving inflation second legs. But I don't see that's the case. Surprisingly weak consumer spending and the falling yen all have one root: mistakes of monetary policy made in Japan over several years. If the Bank of Japan had raised rates years earlier the yen would not have depreciated so much, consumer activity would have been more stable and the economy would likely be doing better.”

Nytimes

Executive economist at Nomura Research Institute and a former policy board member at Japan’s central bank

29 Jul 2024 7 1

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 7 months ago

“I strongly demand that North Korea cease its activities. We reaffirmed our commitment to pursue cooperation in a wide range of fields, recognizing the significant responsibility our three countries share in promoting regional peace and prosperity. And we also reaffirmed that North Korea's denuclearization and the stability of the Korean Peninsula are the common interests of the three countries.”

Koreatimes

Japanese Prime Minister

27 May 2024 2 4

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 9 months ago

“Realizing a fruitful relationship between Japan and North Korea is aligned with the interests of both sides.”

Aa

Japanese Prime Minister

28 Mar 2024 1 1

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 2 years ago

“We naturally lodged a strong protest against North Korea, which has repeated its provocations with unprecedented frequency. We have told (Pyongyang) that we absolutely cannot tolerate such actions.”

Japanese Prime Minister

18 Nov 2022 1 2

Yasukazu Hamada

Inserted 2 years ago

“Whatever the intentions are, North Korea's repeated ballistic missile launches are absolutely impermissible and we cannot overlook its substantial advancement of missile technology. North Korea's series of actions pose threats to Japan, as well as the region and the international community, and are absolutely intolerable.”

Japan's Defense Minister

14 Oct 2022 2 2

Hirokazu Matsuno

Inserted 2 years ago

“North Korea's series of actions, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, threatens the peace and security of Japan, the region, and the international community, and poses a serious challenge to the entire international community, including Japan.”

Japanese Government spokesman

04 Oct 2022 3 3

Tsai Ing-wen

Inserted 2 years ago

“I believe everyone is as surprised and sad as I am. Taiwan and Japan are both democratic countries with rule of law. On behalf of my government, I would like to severely condemn violent and illegal acts. Former Prime Minister Abe is not only a good friend of mine, but also a staunch friend of Taiwan's. He has supported Taiwan for many years and spared no effort to promote the progress of Taiwan-Japan relations.”

President of Taiwan

08 Jul 2022 3 2

Benoit Hardy-Chatrand

Inserted 2 years ago

“This is certainly not something we are used to seeing in Tokyo. We never have this kind of gun violence. [We have] one of the lowest rates of homicide in the world. So this comes as a shock to everyone, especially considering the stature of the importance of the victim of Abe Shinzo, one of the most important post-war politicians for Japan. We are hoping for the best, but as of now, given how close range all of this happened, things do not look particularly good.”

Professor at Japan’s Temple University

08 Jul 2022 3 2

Takehiro Funakoshi

Inserted 2 years ago

“The (May 25) launch, which was a combination of an ICBM class and one with irregular trajectory, this was another violation of the U.N. Security Council resolutions and we need to respond in a resolute manner.”

Koreatimes

Director-general of the Asian and Oceanian affairs bureau of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

03 Jun 2022 3 3

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 2 years ago

“Collaboration among countries sharing universal values becomes ever more vital. We must collaborate with our allies and like-minded countries, and never tolerate a unilateral attempt to change the status quo by the use of force in the Indo-Pacific [region], especially in East Asia. Ukraine may be East Asia tomorrow. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait is critical not only for Japan's security, but also for the stability of international society. Japan maintains its position to expect a peaceful resolution through dialogue to issues surrounding Taiwan, and the situation will be watched carefully from that perspective.”

Japanese Prime Minister

05 May 2022 7 4

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 2 years ago

“Japan must clearly show its position that we will never tolerate any attempt to change the status quo by force.”

Japanese Prime Minister

25 Feb 2022 2 4

Hirokazu Matsuno

Inserted 2 years ago

“North Korea's ongoing military activity, including its repeated ballistic missile launches, are threats to the peace and safety of Japan and the region, and are serious concerns for all of the international society.”

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary

14 Jan 2022 3 2

Jeffrey Hornung

Inserted 3 years ago

“There is no coded messaging here. China is the challenge and they said as much, then detailed all the ways the alliance is determined to work to counter its destabilising activities.”

Reuters

Senior political scientist at RAND Corp

06 Jan 2022 4 3

Daniel Russel

Inserted 3 years ago

“This is clearly a combined message reflecting a common concern, not a case of U.S. arm-twisting to get Japan to sign onto vague euphemisms. In particular, the expression of joint resolve to respond if necessary to destabilising activities comes across as a powerful expression of alliance solidarity and determination.”

Reuters

Top U.S. diplomat for East Asia under President Barack Obama

06 Jan 2022 2 2

Hirokazu Matsuno

Inserted 3 years ago

“Japan believes it is important that common values shared by the international community, such as freedom, human rights and the rule of law, are also respected in China. As Tokyo 2020 demonstrated to the world, the Olympics and the Paralympics are festivals of peace and sports.”

Japanese Government spokesman

24 Dec 2021 6 2

Homei Miyashita

Inserted 3 years ago

“In the Covid-19 era, this kind of technology can enhance the way people connect and interact with the outside world. The goal is to make it possible for people to have the experience of something like eating at a restaurant on the other side of the world, even while staying at home.”

Trtworld

Professor and Dean of the Department of Advanced Media Science, Faculty of Comprehensive Mathematics, Meiji University

23 Dec 2021 1 3

Keiji Furuya

Inserted 3 years ago

“Japan firmly supports the application by the ROC [Republic of China], as one of our truly vital partners, to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership [TPP] trade agreement. In moving to help negotiate Taiwanese membership in the TPP, we eagerly look forward to the resolution of a number of related issues. Among them, the ROC ban on imports of food products from a total of five Japanese prefectures.”

Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan

14 Dec 2021 4 3

Shinzo Abe

Inserted 3 years ago

“An adventure in military affairs, if pursued by such a huge economy like China's, could be suicidal to say the least. We must urge them not to pursue territorial expansion and restrain from provoking, often bullying, their neighbours because it would harm their own interests. Japan, the US and Taiwan should spare no effort in building our capabilities in all domains - from the undersea, sea surface, air space to the cyber and outer space to counter security threats in the region. Lest we forget, weakness invites provocations. With that in mind, I worked hard first to reinvest into the alliance with the US, second to widen our boundary from Asia-Pacific to Indo-Pacific, and third to launch the Quad process.”

Scmp

Former Prime Minister of Japan

14 Dec 2021 6 3

Mike Ryan

Inserted 3 years ago

“Does the virus read your passport? Does the virus know your nationality or where you are legally resident?”

Head of WHO’s emergencies programme

01 Dec 2021 2 2

Shinzo Abe

Inserted 3 years ago

“A Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency, and therefore an emergency for the Japan-US alliance. People in Beijing, [Chinese] President Xi Jinping in particular, should never have a misunderstanding in recognizing this. A stronger Taiwan, a thriving Taiwan, and a Taiwan that guarantees freedom and human rights are also in Japan's interests. Of course, this is also in the interest of the whole world. A military action targeting Taiwan would also lead to 'economic suicide' for China, despite it being one of the world's top economies, and significantly affect the global economy given China's close economic and trade ties with the rest of the world.”

Former Prime Minister of Japan

01 Dec 2021 8 4

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 3 years ago

“I will consider all options, including possessing so-called enemy base strike capability, to pursue strengthening of defence power that is necessary. The security environment surrounding Japan has been rapidly changing at an unprecedented speed. Things that used to happen only in science-fiction novels are today's reality.”

Japanese Prime Minister

27 Nov 2021 2 3

Yoshimasa Hayashi

Inserted 3 years ago

“We are seeing more serious challenges to universal values, which have sustained peace and the stability of the international community and the international order.”

Taiwannews

Foreign minister of Japan

11 Nov 2021 5 1

Kenneth McElwain

Inserted 3 years ago

“The thing I'm most surprised by is how well Ishin [Nippon Ishin no Kai] has done. Yoshimura [Hirofumi Yoshimura] developed a major national profile, which I think has also served as a tailwind for the party overall.”

Theguardian

Political science professor at Tokyo University

01 Nov 2021 4 3

Yu Uchiyama

Inserted 3 years ago

“There is a lot of interest, especially in Asia, over whether Japan will try to revise its constitution, but by the look of it that won't be possible with the (existing) ruling coalition. But the Japan Innovation party looks like it has captured a lot of seats, so we may be seeing some sort of constitution-related coalition, even if the possibility of constitutional revision remains low.”

Theguardian

Political science professor at the University of Tokyo

01 Nov 2021 4 4

Sheila A Smith

Inserted 3 years ago

“Revolving-door prime ministers is a weakness that many outside of Japan fear. Prime Minister Kishida [Fumio Kishida] will need a unified party and a strong electoral showing on Oct. 31 if he is to successfully tackle Japan's difficult national agenda.”

Senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations

31 Oct 2021 2 2

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 3 years ago

“I have not withdrawn the (idea of the) health crisis management agency. It's up to the coronavirus situation whether this command centre can be created in time for the current crisis. But in this era of infectious diseases, it is important to have such command tower-like function ready.”

Taiwannews

Japanese Prime Minister

18 Oct 2021 3 2

Fumio Kishida

Inserted 3 years ago

“Relations between Japan and South Korea continue to be in severe conditions.”

Japanese politician and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party

15 Oct 2021 1 1

Toshimitsu Motegi

Inserted 3 years ago

“Japan believes that it is crucial for the situation surrounding Taiwan to be peaceful and stable. Additionally, instead of simply monitoring the situation, we hope to weigh the various possible scenarios that may arise to consider what options we have, as well as the preparations we must make.”