The battle for Japan
Shinzo Abe’s fight to reshape Japan’s economy and society is entering a new phase
THE arrest on May 17th of a Japanese pop star, Aska, for possessing drugs would normally have attracted little attention. Yet the tentacles of the affair reach further. Aska is an acquaintance of Yasuyuki Nambu, founder of Pasona, a temporary-staffing agency. Following the arrest a tabloid newspaper splashed stories about sumptuous parties thrown by Mr Nambu in an impeccably appointed guesthouse in the capital. Besides Aska, revellers included glamorous hostesses and senior politicians from the government of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s prime minister. One was the labour minister, Norihisa Tamura.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The battle for Japan”
From the June 28th 2014 edition
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