The Japan Times newsroom selected the following domestic news stories as the most important of 2017. Blast threat: An intermediate-range ballistic missile
The Japan Times newsroom selected the following domestic news stories as the most important of 2017.
Blast threat: An intermediate-range ballistic missile test is conducted by North Korea on May 14.| KYODO
1. The tension builds: North Korea launched a spate of ballistic missiles, including two that flew over Hokkaido, as the reclusive state swapped barbs with the United States. The threat to Japan prompted many municipalities to hold their first-ever evacuation drills in preparation for a possible attack.
2. Abe wins: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition won by a landslide in October’s general election, securing more than two-thirds of the seats in the Lower House. Abe’s fifth straight triumph in the national poll raised the 63-year-old’s chances of winning a third term as the head of the Liberal Democratic Party.
3. Kake and Moritomo: Cronyism scandals involving the Okayama-based Kake Gakuen school run by Abe’s friend and a highly discounted sale of state land to Moritomo Gakuen, a school operator once linked to Abe’s wife, rocked the administration and eroded the Cabinet’s support rate.
4. Conspiracies everywhere: The prime minister’s ruling coalition rammed a contentious conspiracy bill through the Diet on June 15 amid staunch criticism that the law could curtail privacy and free speech rights.
