December 3, 2005

This is the third program in the Japan Considered Podcast series. Today we discuss the following topics:

A proposal to change the Imperial House Law to allow female succession to the throne;

The political implications of the construction inspection scandal and discovery of earthquake-prone condominiums and hotels;

The arrest of Democratic Party of Japan Lower House Member, Shingo Nishimura, on suspicion of profiting from irregularities at his law firm;

The landing of the Hayabusa space exploration craft on the asteroid Itokawa and collection of soil samples to bring back home;

And we close with music from North Carolina's progressive bluegrass band, The Wind Riders.

Links related to the program:

The Imperial Household Agency

Prime Minister Koizumi Receives Yoshikawa Report

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport

The Democratic Party of Japan

Shingo Nishimura's Web Page [in Japanese]

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

North Carolina's Progressive Bluegrass Band, "The Wind Riders"

This link takes you to the third audio program