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July 10, 2026
 

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LDP

A supporter holds a flyer for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, alongside an English vocabulary book at an LDP election rally in the city of Saitama on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
How Sanae Takaichi won over disillusioned young voters
So far, the prime minister’s strategy of presenting herself as different from previous leaders seems to have struck a chord with Japan’s youth.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi joins Japan Innovation Party leaders Fumitake Fujita (right) and Hirofumi Yoshimura at an election event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
A cheat sheet to Takaichi’s snap election
Parties with traditional vote-generating architectures in place before Japan’s snap election have a significant advantage.
CRA candidate Kureha Otsuki’s campaign van. Blizzards and cold weather in Hokkaido’s 4th district has made campaigning in Otaru, a popular tourist attraction, difficult.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2026
Fiery campaigns in freezing weather: Inside Hokkaido’s No. 4 district race
Old rivals go head to head amid cold temperatures as both candidates keep a wary eye on a looming newcomer.
Sanseito supporters listen as the party’s leader, Sohei Kamiya, speaks at an election campaign event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of official campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Has Takaichi secured a win? Conservative voters are returning to the LDP.
Takaichi’s confidence in calling an election just four months into her tenure as Japan’s leader comes from high public approval and a general fragmentation in the opposition ranks.
Supporters of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend an election campaign event in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Where will Japan’s democracy go from here?
Many question the rationale for the snap election with some critics claiming that it is an election without a “just cause.”
A poster board in the Osaka No. 5 district in the city of Osaka. Candidates from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are competing against each other in all single-seat constituencies in Osaka Prefecture in Sunday's Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
In Osaka, LDP faces off against JIP despite being allies
Roughly 66,000 people who voted for Komeito in the last Lower House election are seen as kingmakers in the Osaka No. 5 district.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to voters in Aichi Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
LDP-JIP coalition on track to secure two-thirds majority, survey shows
The opposition Centrist Reform Alliance is projected to lose more than half of the seats it held before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the Lower House, a new survey shows.
Voters listen to a candidate in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Sunday, a week ahead of the upcoming Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Inflation and taxes take top billing as party bigwigs scramble for votes
Inflation is just one concern as campaigns try to reach constituents with less than a week left before the election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi displays her injured right hand while speaking in Kani City, Gifu Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi skips TV debate due to hand injury
The prime minister posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she injured her hand during her campaign activities in the past couple of days and has been receiving treatment.
Voters listen to a campaign speech for the Feb. 8 Lower House election in Kawasaki on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2026
Centrist Reform Alliance ready to join proposed national conference
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling LDP, plans to launch the conference within January.
The Centrist Reform Alliance’s Yosuke Suzuki speaks to his supporters in Otsuka, Toshima Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2026
A tale of two Suzukis: Lower House election sets up fourth duel between Tokyo candidates
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Hayato Suzuki has been beating the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s Yosuke Suzuki since 2017, but new party backing could turn the tables.
An election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday. Official campaigning for the Feb. 8 election started Tuesday as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks to solidify her majority in the Lower House of parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2026
Social media abuzz with politics as Lower House election looms
Ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election, users are airing their thoughts on topics ranging from money scandals, immigration and security.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a campaign event at Maiko Park in Kobe on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2026
Strong voter mandate could hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China
A big win on Feb. 8 will help send a message to Beijing that its attacks have not damaged her domestically, a senior Japanese government official said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside leaders of the Japan Innovation Party, Hirofumi Yoshimura (second from the left) and Fumitake Fujita (right).
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2026
Lower House election outcome could reshape political power balance
From the Liberal Democratic Party securing a majority on its own to the prime minister stepping down, a number of scenarios are at play ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
Japan is seeing growing demand for social security services as its population ages, but the burden on working generations is also rising due to the declining birth rate.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 30, 2026
Social security remains conundrum for parties ahead of Lower House election
Japan is seeing growing demand for social security services as its population ages, but the burden on working generations is growing due to the declining birth rate.
Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Sanseito party, delivers a campaign speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
Sanseito aims to win favor with conservative voters by aligning with Takaichi
The party plans to deliver on policy by positioning itself as an ally to the prime minister while targeting her left-leaning party colleagues at the ballot box.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to the audience during a stump speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
LDP on track to win standalone majority in general election
Polls suggest the ruling party may emerge from the vote strong, even without the backing of former coalition partner Komeito or coordination with the Japan Innovation Party.
An election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2026
Few women on Japan’s election ballot
The proportion of female candidates within Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling LDP is just 12.8%, according to Jiji Press.
Japanese politicians are debating ways to cut the consumption tax on food bought outside of restaurants.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 28, 2026
Food consumption tax cut plans have parties crunching the numbers
Reducing the rate to 0% from 8% is popular with politicians but expensive.
An election campaign event on the first day of campaigning for the February 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Japan kicks off campaigning for Feb. 8 Lower House election
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said she would resign if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority, is facing off against a transformed opposition.
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.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Trump says ‘Japan’ instead of Iran at meeting in Ankara
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a news conference during a NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on Wednesday.
Wakatakakage injury casts pall over July meet, but potential new stars loom
Nicholas Tarasenko trains at Minato stable in August 2024.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
‘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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.

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