Publications

Am 28. August 2020 hat der japanische Premierminister Shinzo Abe nach einer Rekord-Amtszeit von fast acht Jahren seinen Rücktritt angekündigt. Abe war bereits von 2006 bis 2007 Premierminister gewesen. In seiner ersten Amtszeit hatte er kaum etwas bewegen können und wurde in den Medien als "völliger Versager" bezeichnet. Seine zweite Amtszeit brachte zwar politische Stabilität, aber die selbst gesteckten Ziele wurden kaum erreicht.

Japan bekämpfte das Corona-Virus mit einem Teil-Lockdown ohne verbindliche Ausgangs- und Kontaktbeschränkungen. Massenentlassungen und ein wirtschaftlicher Kollaps wurden dadurch vermieden. Dennoch verlor die Regierung viel Vertrauen bei der Bevölkerung, denn bei den Menschen kam wenig Hilfe an, obwohl Konjunkturpakete mit scheinbar gigantischen Summen verabschiedet wurden.

In this article, German MP Rolf Mützenich discusses the future of nuclear sharing and the question of whether US tactical nuclear weapons stationed in Germany and Europe increase the level of safety of Germany and Europe or whether they have perhaps become obsolete.

What challenges do Japanese trade unions currently encounter? What determines the economic, social and political framework they operate in?

Over many years, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has sought to revitalize the Japanese economy, following a policy known as “Abenomics”. While Abenomics-related measures have only resulted in limited success, the COVID-19 crisis might prove to be the nail in the coffin for this economic approach.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has propagated the slogan "Towards a Beautiful Country." As seen in recent scandals, however, the most frequently employed method seems to be the dissemination of fake news.

The briefing analyses the current challenges of Japanese trade unions and their economic, social and political framework.

New concepts of digital mobility from China and Silicon Valley and the issue of environmental driving bans for diesel cars pose grave challenges to the traditional German car industry - the backbone of the German economy. German policies must support the transformation of mobility by initiating a stakeholder dialogue to forge a pact for future mobility to transform the German automotive industry.

The TV documentary "Education and Patriotism" (Kyōiku to aikoku) provides a critical look at recent debates surrounding the introduction of moral education in Japanese elementary and middle schools as a new subject and in particular focuses on the compilation, examination, approval and selection of textbooks for classes in moral education, while extending the analysis to the ongoing history textbook controversies.

This report outlines Japan’s renewable energy policy and the state of the energy transition in the country. It includes current prospects for climate change policy and the status of electrical power systems including nuclear power issues, status sand support policy of renewable energy as well as social issues and political feasibility. Furthermore, long-term vision and scenarios for promoting an energy transition are discussed, including community power and credit systems. Finally, policy recommendations are proposed for promoting energy transition in Japan.