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July 12, 2026
 

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LDP

A Liberal Democratic Party faction's fundraising party in May 2023
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
LDP to lift election penalty on members involved in slush fund scandal
The LDP will allow these members to be listed on the party’s proportional representation lists while running for constituency seats.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2026
Parties clash as they brace for a February snap election
The LDP framed dissolving the Lower House as a chance for voters to judge the new coalition and the administration’s policies.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (left) and his Komeito counterpart, Tetsuo Saito, announce their coalition's new name, the Centrist Reform Alliance, at a joint news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2026
Komeito and CDP form new party, but doubts linger over political viability
The new party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, has an uninspired name and logo, suggesting a rushed and unconvincing partnership.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to CDP lawmakers from both the Lower and Upper House at parliament on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
CDP’s Noda likely to be PM candidate of new Centrist Reform Alliance party
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito has endorsed the move, noting the former prime minister’s depth of experience.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks to reporters in Yokohama on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
Former PM Suga announces retirement as lawmaker
“I’ve been considering the timing of retiring as a lawmaker since I turned 70,” Suga told reporters in Yokohama. “I will now give way to the next generation.”
A supermarket in Tokyo in March 2023
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
Takaichi reportedly considers suspending sales tax on food in election pledge
The government and Takaichi’s Liberal ‍Democratic Party will carefully assess the impact on markets before deciding.
A stock board shows major gains by the Nikkei 225, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 17, 2026
‘Takaichi trade’ faces risks from inflation, yen slump and yield jump
While Japan’s equity benchmarks are repeating a familiar pattern of rallying ahead of Lower House elections, further gains may depend on details of Takaichi’s spending plans.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki criticized the formation of the new party comprising the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito and expressed doubts it would last long.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Formation of new party sparks concern in the ruling LDP
LDP lawmakers who won their seats with support from Komeito voters in the last general election could find themselves at a disadvantage.
Then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in a news conference in September 2021
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Suga won’t run in next election, reports say
The former prime minister and veteran lawmaker is reportedly retiring from national politics.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (center) and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito (second from right) announce the name of their new party along with other party executives in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 16, 2026
Why the CDP and Komeito are forming a new party
The party is hoping that the new tie-up will attract moderate voters who are reluctant to vote for the conservatism of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Prime minister Sanae Takaichi and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama attend a budget committee session in the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Nov. 11. Their rise to the nation’s highest offices underscores the growing prominence of women in Japanese politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 16, 2026
Feminism’s failures and the secret to Takaichi’s success
A movement that cannot accommodate this complexity — that insists feminists must agree on everything or be dismissed as traitors — consigns itself to irrelevance.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura speak to reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 16.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2026
LDP and JIP won’t coordinate candidates in upcoming snap vote, officials say
The decision is highly unusual and potentially risky for the ruling coalition partners as they seek to expand their parliamentary numbers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi marks the end of trading in 2025 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 30. If she can leverage her popularity into an election win, she could restore the LDP’s majority in the Lower House that it lost in 2024. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 15, 2026
Can Japan’s popular new leader beat the heat with a snap election?
The timing makes sense, and not just for the temperature. After three months in office, her polling numbers remain off the charts.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
The possibility of an election being called has led to a surge of optimism in the equity markets and concern about debt.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 14, 2026
Nikkei 225 breaks 54,000 as ‘Takaichi trade’ dominates for another day
Ten-year yields are at 27-year highs while the currency trades at levels that triggered intervention in the past.
A man walks past an electronic quotation board displaying numbers of the Nikkei 225 stock index in Tokyo on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 13, 2026
‘Takaichi trade’ is back following reports that election will be called
Yen neared ¥159 to the dollar and 10-year Japanese government bonds fell.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a summit meeting with South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung in the city of Nara on Tuesday. Takaichi reportedly told a Liberal Democratic Party executive that she plans to call for an election next week.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
LDP executives go on standby amid reports of imminent snap election
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reportedly conveyed to a party executive her plan to dissolve the Lower House at the start of the regular session of parliament.
Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the Democratic Party for the People, speaks in the city of Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Signs of friction emerge between DPP and LDP following snap election rumors
Although the prime minister has yet to confirm a snap election will take place, Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki has gone on the offensive against her.
Liberal Democratic Party leader and the current prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, meets with Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, at the national Diet building in Tokyo in late October.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
Why Takaichi would call a snap election
Takaichi may dissolving the Lower House of the parliament upon its mandatory convocation later this month, which would prompt a general election sometime in February.
Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the Democratic Party for the People, said an early dissolution of the Lower House would violate an agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the DPP to realize the enactment of the budget by the end of this fiscal year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2026
DPP may not approve fiscal 2026 budget if there’s a snap election, Tamaki says
An early dissolution of the Lower House would violate an agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party for the People, Yuichiro Tamaki said.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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