Yukio Hatoyama

The Japanese parliament voted Tuesday to let Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori keep his post, ensuring the continuation of his party's public-spending policies to turn around the economy. Mori appointed a new Cabinet later in the day but kept three key ministers in place--foreign affairs, finance and economic planning--in a move that appeared aimed at maintaining political stability as Japan resuscitates its economy. There was good news Tuesday on the economic front.

A leader of Japan's ruling party tried Sunday to quash a mutiny by its legislators, threatening to expel party members who support a vote in parliament to remove Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. The tough stance by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiromu Nonaka signaled that the party leadership had given up on attempts at compromise to heal the deepening rift ahead of the no-confidence motion, expected today.

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said on Wednesday he and his powerful party No. 2 would resign after a slide in the polls threatened their party's chances in an election expected next month. Calls have built up in Hatoyama's Democratic Party for him to step down to revive the party's fortunes ahead of an election for the upper house of parliament expected on July 11 that it must win to smooth policymaking. With tears in his eyes, Hatoyama told a party gathering both he and party secretary-general Ichiro Ozawa would resign their posts.

In exchange for a base salary of $3.1 million, the Dodgers have so far received 31 home runs and 103 runs batted in from Andre Ethier . Matt Kemp has been an even greater bargain, his 26 home runs and 100 RBIs costing the Dodgers only $467,000. Chad Billingsley is earning $475,000, and James Loney $465,000. But the kids are no longer kids, and the Dodgers will soon have to compensate them at a more veteran level. The Dodgers who will be eligible for salary arbitration in the off-season -- including the players mentioned above, as well as Jonathan Broxton , Russell Martin , George Sherrill and Hong-Chih Kuo -- could earn raises that total somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 million.

After weeks of political wrangling, Japanese lawmakers unveiled a plan Monday for passing banking reform legislation that many see as a vital step toward resolving this nation's protracted financial crisis. Ruling party and opposition lawmakers ironed out the accord after marathon talks during the weekend, raising hopes that bitter political debate will give way to speedy passage of the bills.

How do you say "throw the bums out" in Japanese? That's what Japanese voters did on Sunday, booting the Liberal Democratic Party that has ruled almost continuously for more than half a century and leaves now with the world's second-largest economy in sorry shape. The newly elected Democratic Party of Japan is an eclectic mix of leftists and defectors from the ruling party. Its ability to run the country is untested, and its leaders have yet to explain how to pay for their populist campaign promises.

Okinawa. Site of the largest U.S. amphibious assault in the Pacific and the final major battle of World War II. Last territory to be handed back to Japanese control -- in 1972. And now, the first point of friction between the Obama administration and the 4-month-old government of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama. As host to nearly three-quarters of the U.S. troops stationed in Japan, Okinawa residents have long felt that they shoulder more than their fair share. So it's not surprising that the future of a U.S. Marine base has become a contentious issue.

A nervous Japan on Sunday prepared for Godzilla. What it got instead was closer to the car insurance gecko. Fearing a major tsunami could be triggered by Chile's magnitude 8.8 earthquake, authorities here ordered nearly a quarter of a million households along the island nation's eastern seaboard to evacuate to higher ground. Disaster workers expected 10-foot waves or larger. Instead, by Sunday evening, only a few 6-inch to foot-high waves lapped onto Japanese-controlled shores.

Several politicians in South Korea and Japan have begun exploring the possibility of a joint history textbook between their nations and China. But given the lingering differences over issues ranging from past wars to current territorial claims, the proposal faces numerous hurdles. Members of South Korea's ruling Grand National Party met informally in Seoul this month with counterparts from the majority Democratic Party of Japan. One of the main topics was whether a joint history textbook could now be developed with government cooperation.

The United States is on the verge of permanently damaging its alliance with Japan in a dispute over a military base in Okinawa. This island prefecture hosts three-quarters of all U.S. military facilities in Japan. Washington wants to build one more base there, in an ecologically sensitive area. The Okinawans vehemently oppose it, and tens of thousands gathered last month to protest the base. Tokyo is caught in the middle, and it looks as if Japan's prime minister has just caved in to the U.S. demands.