Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he will visit Myanmar "soon" with the aim of helping the Southeast Asian nation's economic development. "I will not hold back from any cooperation" for the development of Myanmar, which has overcome a great number of difficulties, Abe said in a speech on his government's growth strategy. The Japanese government and the public sector will "work as one" to assist Myanmar, Abe said.

Japan's premier said Friday he would slash red tape in a bid to boost corporate investment as he seeks to capitalise on the feel-good mood of a soaraway stock market and a plunging yen. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set out broadbrush outlines of the third of his "three arrows" of a plan dubbed "Abenomics", which is intended to turn around years of deflation in the world's third-largest economy. The first two "arrows" -- a colossal government spending plan and aggressive monetary easing -- have fuelled optimism in an economy that has struggled for two decades.

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Wednesday sought to clarify his remarks on a system to recruit women into sexual servitude for Japan's soldiers during World War II, saying he personally does not condone the scheme. Two days after he made controversial remarks that the so-called comfort women were "necessary to maintain discipline" in the Japanese military, Hashimoto told reporters he simply stated a fact that people at the time had that kind of view.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday it is necessary for his Liberal Democratic Party to discuss "in a respectful manner" with its coalition partner New Komeito his proposal to revise Article 96 of the Constitution. Abe's remark to reporters apparently reflects his consideration for the coalition partner, which remains cautious about the revision to make it easier to rewrite the Constitution. "Public debates over the issue have not deepened yet, and we have not yet gained sufficient support," Abe also said.