Shintaro Ishihara, a Japanese author and firebrand nationalist politician equally known for his misogynistic comments, racist remarks and xenophobic views, was surprisingly stoic as he lay dying from cancer at his home in Tokyo.
Although only days away from death, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto made a point of adding his voice to a campaign to block an ambitious redevelopment project that many fear will rip the soul out of the leafy Meiji Jingu Gaien complex in the heart of the capital.
Okinawan native Jinshiro Motoyama launched a hunger strike on May 9 in front of the prime minister s office in Tokyo over the contentious relocation of a U.S. military base in the southern prefecture.
The Digital Agency’s highest-ranked bureaucrat is expected to step down soon for health reasons, less than a year after the organization was set up to streamline administrative procedures, sources said.