The top or most interesting stories from Japan for February 10
– The leadership spill against the Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has put doubt on whether a planned submarine sale from Japan will go ahead.
Experts believe Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will look to avoid becoming embroiled in a now high-profile arms deal as he plans on pushing several reforms on Japan’s constitution regarding national security and collectivized self-defence.
– A Japanese tourist in India has been raped after the arrest last month of eight men who had held hostage another Japanese tourist; this as the country fights to deal with more and more high-profile sexual assaults. (The Japan Times, Wall Street Journal)
– Wire taps by law enforcement agencies in Japan in 2014 lead to the arrest of 72 people, in 10 different cases with nearly 14,000 wiretaps. Arrests from wiretaps in 2014 almost double 2013’s total.
– The Japanese government will look to plan for a possible eruption at Mount Fuji. Whilst dormant for 300 years, Fuji neighbours Tokyo and could cause extensive damage in the event of eruption.
– Shinzo Abe has signed an agreement with Thailand’s interim Prime Minister to assist in the construction of a shinkansen (bullet train). Thailand has recently undergone a military coup and the agreement made no mention of when the since-imposed martial law will be lifted.
