主な出来事　　12月20日-12月26日

Politics

Regarding fiscal 2016 medical fee revision, the government decided to reduce overall 0.84 percent. It is the first minus revision in the past 8 years.

Democratic, communist, the Meiji Restoration, Social Democratic parties announced to recruit the independent candidate for Kumamoto constituency at the House of Councilors election next summer.  This would virtually be the first determination of opposition unity candidate by the cooperation of main opposition parties.

Regarding Henoko relocation plan of Futenma US military base,Okinawa Prefecture sued country to Naha District Court. Country side has already filed a lawsuit against Okinawa prefecture.

Business

Toshiba, who is in restructuring due to the accounting fraud, has announced the restructuring plan. In conjunction with the semiconductor business, they will reduce 10,600 employees in total.

Kirin Holdings significantly revised the consolidated earnings forecast for the December 2015 period downward and announced that they expected the deficit of 56 billion yen. It would be the first deficit since its IPO in 1949.

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the country has registered 7 products  such as Yubari King for geographical indications protection system to protect as a regional brand.

Government Cabinet approved the draft budget in fiscal 2016. Total expenditures of general accounting would be a record high of 96 trillion 721.8 billion yen.

World

Large-scale landslide occurred in the industrial park of China Guangdong Shenzhen Guangming New District, and 33 buildings have collapsed. Land and Resources Ministry published the results of surveys that construction surplus soil was destroyed because  it was piled up at a steep angle.

At Spain House of Representatives election, emerging force of radical leftist, Bodemosu, was breakthrough in the third party.

Regarding the lawsuit that Japan-South Korea claims agreement that had been entered during Japan-Korea diplomatic normalization in 1965 is in violation of the Korean Constitution, South Korea Constitutional Court has rejected the appeal of the plaintiff.

Iraqi government forces launched a military operation to recapture Ramadi from Islamic countries.

Japan

Fukuoka University revealed that a man of 20s who was drinking caffeinated soft drink called energy drink on a daily basis died of caffeine addiction in Kyushu last year.

Regarding the trial that five bereaved families had been seeking damages for Chuo Sasago tunnel accidents in 2012,  Yokohama District Court admitted the negligence of the company and ordered a compensation of 440 million yen.

Regarding the University prospective students academic evaluation test that will be held in fiscal 2020, Expert meeting of the Ministry of Education showed a draft that descriptive test will be introduced from the national language and mathematics.

Fukui District Court canceled the temporary injunction decision that enjoined the re-run of Units 3 and 4 of Takahama Nuclear Power Plant of Kansai Electric.

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主な出来事　　12月14日-12月19日

Politics

Expert committee to consider the House of Representatives electoral system reform, decided to make the report to reduce 10 seats of the lawmakers constants.

For the expense of US forces stationed in Japan from the 2016 fiscal year for five years, The government has announced that they agreed with the US government to increase 13.3 billion yen and the total amount would be 946.5 billion yen.

The Cabinet Office has published the estimated swing width range at the top floor of the skyscraper would be 2-3m in the case of the largest earthquake expected in the Nankai Trough.

Business

Diffusion index of large manufacturers in December of corporate short-term Economic Survey by the Bank of Japan were flat, the same plus 12 level as the previous survey.

Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito determined the fiscal 2016 tax reform outline. It is clearly mentioned that when the consumption tax rate is raised to 10 percent, the food and beverage except for alcoholic beverages and dining out, is applied the reduced tax rate of 8%.

The government experts meeting to discuss the fee reduction of smart phones summarized their report that they should consider a rate plan that would be below 5,000 yen per month as a guideline.

FRB determined the interest rate hike by 0.25% a year. Rate hike is the first time in nine and a half years.

Bank of Japan decided a large-scale monetary easing strengthen measures.

World

International Atomic Energy Agency unanimously adopted a resolution to terminate the investigation against the suspicion elucidation of nuclear weapons development by Iran.

President Obama notified to the Congress that he sells weapons to Taiwan equivalent to the total 223 billion yen. Chinese Foreign Ministry protested to this .

United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution on financial assets freeze against the members of Islamic countries.

The Seoul Central District Court didn’t certified slander purpose and handed down “not guilty” to former Seoul bureau chief of Sankei Shimbun who had been accused of libel to Korean President Park.

Japan

There found at lease 26 cased in the past two years that court determined the provisional disposition of the post delete to  management companies in response to allegations by people who were written slander on Twitter.

The Supreme Court judged that the provisions of the Civil Code was constitutionality, which does not recognize the couple’s usage of separate surnames. Provision that defines the remarriage prohibition period by six month only for women was unconstitutional for the part over 100 days.

The death penalty was executed against the death prisoner who had received definite death sentence in the jury trial for the first time.

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主な出来事　　11月29日-12月5日

Politics

Pension fund management operation independent administrative corporations has announced that the quarter operational result between July to September was deficit of 7 trillion 889.9 billion yen, and the investment yields was also a minus of 5.59%. This quarter deficit  was the largest since 2001.

Regarding the notification card delivery for My number system, Japan post has announced that 6.53 million copies had not been delivered by the end of November and they were slipped in December.

The government opened the meeting of international terrorism Prevention Headquarters and determined to strengthen the anti-terrorism measures that has reflected the Paris terrorist attacks. It established the international terrorism information collection unit in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that aggregate  the relevant information centrally.

Business

IMF decided to deal with Chinese renminbi (RMB) as an international key currency from next October. Based on the composition ratio  in the major currencies of the IMF that was calculated from trade trends, RMB was positioned in the third currency, which follows the dollar and the euro.

Ministry of Finance announced in corporations statistics that the capital investment of all industries except for the financial and insurance industry between July to September quarter was 10 trillion 493.7 billion yen, 11.2% increase of year-on-year, which was 10 consecutive quarters increase.

The largest oil wholesaler JX Holdings and the third largest Tonen General Sekiyu have announced that they reached a basic agreement on management integration. They aim to improve earnings effect of more than 100 billion yen per year on a consolidated basis within five years with reviewing the rationalization by restructuring of the refinery.

World

Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the NLD, which won a sweeping victory in Myanmar general election met with the President Thein Sein and confirmed a policy to achieve smooth power transfer.

Shootings occurred at welfare facilities in San Bernardino, California, and 14 deaths have been confirmed. Police shot and killed the suspects of man and woman who fled by car. It was reported the man has been in contact with the terrorist organization.

Towards the Islamic countries devastated, House of Representatives of UK Parliament passed a government policy to expand the area of bombing in Syria by a majority vote. British fighter 4 aircrafts attacked the oil fields in eastern Syria.

Islamic countries  published the video that they were killing the Russian spy with a knife on the Internet.

Japan

Cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki's has died at the Tokyo hospital for multi-organ failure. He was 93 years old.

It was found that former Hansen's disease patient's family decided collective lawsuit seeking an apology and compensation claims against the country because the country didn’t take any measure though they underwent discrimination by forced quarantine policy.

It was found in the final report of the the third party committee that Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute in Kumamoto City had been manufacturing blood products by different methods from the one that the country approved.

It was found that 25 officials from both ministries of Defense and Foreign Affairs had refused the proper evaluation for public servants dealing with confidential, which was based on specific secret protection law.

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主な出来事　　11月22日-11月28日

Politics

Osaka Restoration Association led by Mr. Toru Hashimoto has won in the double election of the governor and the mayor of Osaka.  The national political parties, Osaka Ishin party becomes a momentum, and it's likely to affect the restructuring of opposition parties.

In order to achieve the goals such as care staff turnover zero, the government determined the emergency measures that develop the nursing care and the childcare capacities to one million persons.

The government determines the basic policy on the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympic in the Cabinet.  It clearly stated  strengthening player strategically aiming at the total number of the gold medal more than 16, the maximum in the past. In addition, it also incorporated strengthening counter-terrorism measures into it.

Business

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and Ireland giant Allergan announced that they had agreed to the merger. The new company will become the world's largest in the ethical pharmaceuticals sector.

Regarding TPP, Government determines the overall policy outline. The main measure is the mitigation of agricultural people who take a hit in the influx of cheap agricultural products from overseas.

In the form to respond to the request of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the chairman of Keidanren, Sakakibara announced a policy calling for wage increases in the '16 spring offensive to member companies.

For reduced tax rate system to be introduced at the time of consumption tax increase, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito, two parties agreed to install a simple accounting system in the beginning. Operators whose sales is 50 million yen or less can choose a special case of "deemed tax".

World

British Prime Minister, Cameron announced that it will strengthen the military power and devotes 178 billion pounds (about 32 trillion 900 billion yen) to the defense costs for the next 10 years.

Turkish troops of F16 fighters shot down a Russian military fighter-bomber because of the airspace violation. President Putin denied the airspace violation and vigorously condemned Turkey.

President of France, Hollande met with US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin separately.  They agreed to the expansion of  air strikes and sharing terrorism information with respect to the Islamic countries.

Japan

There was an explosion sound in the toilet of Tokyo Yasukuni Shrine. Since the battery case was on fire, the Metropolitan Police Department doubts that ignition device had been planted.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries launched an improved H2A rocket. It was the first domestic rocket as the commercial satellite launch.

Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission searched his relationship as alleged financial transaction law violations because the representative of the former Murakami fund, Mr.Murakami was suspicious about a market manipulation.

In the litigation that the disparity of one vote was the biggest 2.13 times at the House of Representatives election last year, the Supreme Court judged it is unconstitutional status contrary to the equality of the vote value.

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主な出来事　　11月15日-11月21日

Politics

Prime Minister Abe stated to forego the extraordinary Diet session in autumn and expressed to convene the regular Diet session on January 4.

The government has filed a lawsuit seeking the withdrawal of the landfill approved cancellation of the Henoko coastal areas by the governor Onaga.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met with President Obama and confirmed the policy to strengthen the cooperation in the South China Sea issue that China has been developing to advance the artificial island construction.

Business

Cabinet Office announced that the preliminary gross domestic product during July-September period became a year-on-year 0.2 percent down, which was 0.8% decline in annualized. It is in two consecutive quarters of negative, and it caused the downturn in corporate capital investment.

The secretary general in the Liberal Democratic Party, Tanigaki and the secretary general of the New Komeito, Inoue, discussed for the first time the reduced tax rate to be introduced during the consumption tax increase up to 10%.

Liberal Democratic Party has decided TPP measures. They will boost the farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises who are working on strengthening competitiveness, and aim to be the new export powerhouse.

World

French police conducted the gunfight against terrorism suspects in Paris suburb Saint-Denis. Two suspect were killed and eight people were detained. One person who died was identified as suspects of terrorist mastermind.

In APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, the summit declaration was adopted that it welcomed the action to cut off terrorist funding source,.

Security Council of the United Nations has adopted a resolution showing its determination to fight the Islamic countries.

An armed group attacked and barricaded at a luxury hotel in Mali, West Africa and more than 100 guests had become a temporary hostage. The end of the firefight, 19 hostages were killed and two suspects were also killed.

Japan

It is contested whether the demotion because of pregnancy for a woman who worked at a hospital in Hroshima city is contrary to the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, and the Hiroshima High Court ordered about 1.75 million yen compensation to the hospital side.

Regarding Toshiba accounting fraud issue, it was revealed that the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission had recommended to the Financial Services Agency to order a surcharge payment to Toshiba. Total penalty amount  would be expected 7 billion yen, which is the maximum in the past.

IUCN has announced the latest version of the Red List. They newly added a large fish, sunfish as  the endangered species to the list.

It was found in the investigation both by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the  Ministry of Education that the employment rate of prospective college students who will graduate next spring was 66.5 percent, down by 1.9 percent from the same period of last year.

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主な出来事　　11月9日-11月14日

Politics

Due to the expiration of the term of office, Osaka mayoral election is noticed and four rookie ran. It is Osaka Metropolis Plan that becomes the issue.

Government and LDP refuted in broadcasting ethics verification committee that they criticized the questioning and the reprimand by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the NHK executives who had been faking documentary program as “pressure”.  The opposition parties criticize this as “news intervention”.

Autumn Review was held to wash out the waste of the country's budget and the improvement of nuclear fuel carrier was requested whose maintenance cost is 1.2 billion yen a year for no transportation in the past.

Business

Toshiba published a report that examined the responsibility of management for the accounting fraud issue, and concluded to pursue liability to former five managers.

Japan's first small jet airliner MRJ was successful test flight. Development of domestic passenger aircraft is the first time in about half a century since YS11 did the first flight in 1962.

Toyo Tire & Rubber decided to take the responsibility of data falsification of seismic isolation devices rubber and vibration-proof rubber, and let the president resigned.

World

The first Election after the transition to civilian rule is carried out in Myanmar, and the largest opposition party, National League for Democracy that Aung San Suu Kyi led (NLD) has won a majority of both houses of Congress. It is supposed to be regime change and inaugurated Suu Kyi-led democratic regime next spring.

The internal document "Kim Jong Il Social foreign information science" becomes apparent that is used to educate the purpose and methods of espionage in "Kim Jong Il Political-Military University", where North Korean spies are trained.  It is found that the abduction methods are described in detail.

Succession of explosions and shootings were happened at stadium in suburb of Paris, at theaters and restaurants in the city of Paris.  Many people were died and injured.

Japan

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Technical Committee working group summarized that the "intervention" with the corrective measures and the "parents support" function that child consultation center has been responsible should be separated and  the "parents support" should be taken care of by the municipality.

It was found that Fukuoka District Court Kokura branch adopted the evidence of recorded DVD for the prosecutor’s hearing and handed down a prison sentence to gangsters.

In 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games venue plan, the International Paralympic Committee approved the 19 competition venues.

It was published that over 65 years old people exceeds 10% of all who went to prison last year.

主な出来事　　11月1日-11月8日

Politics

The prime minister, Abe met with Chinese Prime Minister Lee and President Park of South Korea, and confirmed to hold periodical summit among three countries.  They also agreed to look straight into the history with the spirit of advancing towards the future and to strive to peace and regional security.

Prime MinisterAbe met with President Park of South Korea at Seoul for the first time.  For the comfort women issue, they agreed to accelerate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs director-general level talks.

In order to operate the Self-Defense Forces and US forces together even at peacetime, the Governments of Japan and the United States established the alliance adjustment group and  began operation.

In order to avoid accidental collision between Japan and China, the minister of defense, Nakatani met with Chinese Defense Minister and agreed the early start of maritime contact mechanism.

Business

US Department of Transportation has announced that it will impose fines up to $ 200 million (24.2 billion yen) on Takata with the reason that the recall of the defective air bag was delayed.

Three companies shares of Japan Post Group are listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. As far as the market capitalization concerened, it became large listed second to NTT in 1987.

Due to TPP entry into force, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries showed its view that the price decline of  beef, pork, and dairy products would be also a concern in the long term.

Toyota Motor Corporation announced its interim consolidated financial results for the September 2015 period.  The operating profit, which shows core business profit was increased 17.1 percent year-on-year and 1 trillion 583.4 billion yen, which was two-year record high in a row as the interim results.

World

In Turkey general election, the ruling Justice and Development Party is significantly recovered from less than half seat situation and has secured seats enough to keep the Single-party administration.

18 countries, such as in the ASEAN and Japan and the United States postponed its joint declaration at the ASEAN defense ministers meeting because the adjustment of the language over the South China Sea issue was not adjusted.

As for Russian passenger plane crash in Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, the British Prime Minister's Office announced that there is a high possibility of explosives in the plane and that air services between the United Kingdom and the site were suspended. US security officials also suggested the possibility of terrorism by Islamic countries.

Chinese head of state, Shu and Taiwan President Ma had a meeting in Singapore and confirmed one-China principle. It was the first top talks between two countries since the division of China-Taiwan in 1949.

Japan

The world conference of scientists meeting aimed at the abolition of nuclear weapons called "Pugwash Conferences" was held in Nagasaki, and it announced the Nagasaki declaration seeking the abolition of nuclear weapons against the states that possess nuclear weapons.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission decided to recommend to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry to change the operating body of the fast breeder reactor "Monju", from the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.

Two cases of litigation that had been fought unconstitutional or not have been concluded: one is the Civil Code that doesn’t allow couple to use different surnames, and the other is the provisions of remarriage that only women were banned for the six months after divorce.  The Supreme Court is going to show the first Constitutional determinations by the end of the year.

Shibuya Ward began delivery of the certificate that deems same-sex couples as partnership that  corresponds to marriage. Setagaya Ward also began accepting partners oath.