Langley Esquire

14/09/2022

Japan's Ministry of Defense requests a record ¥5.59 trillion budget. Find out why in the video below.

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10/08/2022

We are now live! Come join us to hear about the Cabinet reshuffle and the latest happenings in Japanese Politics:

Dan Harada joins us again to discuss the results of the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle and the implications the new appointments may have in Japan.For more updat...

09/08/2022

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, August 10th at 18:30 JST to hear the latest on the Cabinet reshuffle and the implications the new appointments may have on Japan:

Dan Harada joins us again to discuss the results of the upcoming Cabinet reshuffle and the implications the new appointments may have in Japan.For more updat...

26/07/2022

The assassination of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo shocked people around the world. His death weighs heavily on Japan and leaves a political vacuum that could plunge the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into turmoil.

Abe is unquestionably the most consequential Japanese politician of his generation. Under the slogan of “Take Back Japan,” he sought to transform the country into a self-confident and respected international actor.

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08/07/2022

BREAKING NEWS

We are deeply saddened by the death of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. Abe, who served as PM first from 2006-2007, and again from 2012-2020, was the longest serving Japanese Prime Minister in history and was one of the most important political figures of post-war Japan. He was fatally shot this morning while campaigning in Nara, Japan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Abe family.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Japan-s-ex-PM-Shinzo-Abe-dies-after-shooting

Nation's longest-serving leader killed days before upper house election

06/04/2022

PM Kishida instructed the government to accelerate one of his flagship projects, “Vision for a Digital Garden City Nation,” which aims to advance digitization in Japan’s countryside. The PM wants to see government support for local municipalities through various subsidies and grants.

In a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office, officials went through a comprehensive regulatory roadmap to be implemented within the next three years. To do so, the government has established the “Digital Extraordinary Administrative Investigation Committee,” which will be comprised of lawmakers, officials and experts from the private sector. It will oversee necessary regulatory and legal reforms to promote greater usage of digital technology by society and local governments. The committee will compile measures by May.

[Article in Japanese]

【NHK】岸田総理大臣は、みずからが掲げる「デジタル田園都市国家構想」の実現に向けて自治体の先進的な取り組みを積極的に発信するとと…

02/02/2022

Japan is making progress toward its ambitious goal of doubling solar and wind generation capacity by fiscal 2030. The government has announced that power transmission companies will be required to enable energy storage systems to be connected to grids, with the aim of developing more use of renewable energy. The government will also subsidize about half of the cost through subsidies from a 13 billion yen fund in 2021 supplementary budget. Subsidies are set to be distributed starting this fiscal year.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Energy/Japan-to-open-up-power-grids-to-battery-storage-for-renewables

Subsidies will lower installation costs to help promote wind and solar power

18/01/2022

The Japanese parliament has begun its new 150-day ordinary session. PM Kishida opened with a policy speech that focused on the government response to the omicron coronavirus variant and the government’s policy agenda. Kishida praised the government's strict border policies and said they have helped contain the virus. He also highlighted domestic actions taken to contain the virus. Regarding other policies, the ruling parties will focus on amending the infectious disease law, strengthening the healthcare system, passing the economic security bill, and economic revitalization through growth and redistribution.



Kishida in the opening of the 208th Diet ordinary session, ©Kantei 2022

09/12/2021

The Japan Financial Services Agency (FSA) is set to introduce new restrictions on the issuance of stablecoins. The FSA would like to restrict issuance to banks and wire transfer companies, institutions which are legally required to protect customer assets, lowering the risk to stablecoin users. New restrictions will also revise existing regulations to prevent money laundering, with transactions and management to be placed under the FSA’s oversight. Issuers will also need to verify user identities and report suspicious transactions. The FSA will submit the new legislation next year.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Cryptocurrencies/Stablecoins-to-face-new-restrictions-in-Japan

Only banks, wire transfer companies would issue currency-backed coins like Tether

30/11/2021

Today marked three years since George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, passed away at the age of 94. In 1995, Langley Esquire founder and CEO Timothy Langley had the honor of serving as his Chief-of-Staff on his first trip to Japan after leaving office. Read more here about Tim's memory of the man who helped the world for the better at the end of the Cold War:
https://langleyesquire.com/my-memory-of-george-h-w-bush/

I was fortunate to spend an entire week in close-quarters with America’s 41st president during his first visit to Japan after leaving office.

29/11/2021

[BREAKING NEWS] The Prime Minister just announced that Japan will again close its borders to new entries of business travelers, foreign students and technical interns due to concerns over the new COVID-19 variant omicron. The emergency measure, entering into force from tomorrow, is intended as a precautionary measure until more information about the omicron variant is available. The envisioned plan would not affect foreign residents and Japanese nationals reentering Japan, although quarantine measures are expected to be tightened in some cases.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2021/11/29/national/japan-omicron-entry-restrictions/

The measures will close the border to business travelers, foreign students and foreign interns from Tuesday but does not affect foreign residents re-entering Japan and Japanese nationals.

24/11/2021

In the midst of a global rush to relocate supply chains, the Japanese government has announced that it will allocate ¥600 billion ($5.2 billion) to support the construction and expansion of domestic semiconductor production facilities. Within that, ¥400 billion yen will go to TSMC and Sony's new plant in Kumamoto Prefecture, with the remaining funds covering other companies already in Japan, likely including Micron and Kioxia. The subsidies will be spread over several years on the condition that manufacturers accelerate and prioritize production to meet domestic demand when there is a shortage.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/Semiconductors/Japan-allocates-5.2bn-to-fund-chip-plants-by-TSMC-and-others

Micron and Kioxia set to get subsidies for domestic memory chip factories