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July 11, 2026
 

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LDP

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.
Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito, co-chairs of the new Centrist Reform Alliance, shake hands at the party's founding convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2026
Japan’s new ‘Centrist Reform Alliance’ is a misnomer
The Centrist Reform Alliance is asking voters to embrace a brand label rather than a fully formed policy platform and a partnership of convenience.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan Innovation Party co-leader Fumitake Fujita and Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya at the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 27, 2026
Can Takaichi win back conservative votes?
It’s increasingly uncertain whether conservative voters will return to the Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming Lower House election.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (second from left) and Tetsuo Saito (third from left) cheer at the launch of their party at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2026
Centrists vs. conservatives? It’s not that simple.
Beyond the labels that they use for themselves, the policy proposals of candidates and their parties show that their differences are more nuanced — and confusing.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures during the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2026
Takaichi fends off criticism over snap election goal
The prime minister argues that the ruling coalition’s razor-thin majority in the Lower House made it difficult to pass crucial bills.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance, participate in a debate with other party leaders on an internet program on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 25, 2026
Takaichi plays down concerns over feasibility of two-year consumption tax cut
The issue is expected to take center stage in the Feb. 8 Lower House election, as reining in rising prices remains a top priority in the minds of voters.
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Parties gear up for Lower House election after dissolution
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that the election would be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the new ruling coalition.
The National Diet Building in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
LDP and JIP heads to deliver joint campaign speeches Tuesday
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura hope to appeal to voters by highlighting the ruling coalition’s promise ahead of the Feb. 8 election.
Yuichiro Tamaki (right), head of the Democratic Party for the People, during a news conference in the parliamentary building on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2026
DPP vows to boost take-home pay in election pledges
While listing measures to alleviate the financial burdens on taxpayers, the opposition party also pledged not to raise taxes for the time being.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks on ahead of the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2026
Takaichi dissolves Lower House for Feb. 8 snap election
Candidates have just 16 days until election day to get their message out during what could be a snowy season in certain parts of the country.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s proposed plan to cut consumption tax on food risks undermining Japan's finances in the long term, S&P Global Ratings says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 22, 2026
Takaichi’s plan to cut tax on food may worsen Japan’s finances, S&P says
The remarks come as superlong bond yields log a historic rise after the prime minister said she would lower the sales tax on food for two years if successful in a snap election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump review an honor guard ahead of a bilateral meeting at the Akasaka Palace state guest house in Tokyo on Oct. 28.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Jan 22, 2026
Takaichi’s strengths and the need for ‘strategic signaling’
The challenge facing Japanese diplomacy lies in strategic signaling: how to communicate intentions and capabilities in an increasingly unstable international environment.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flanked by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, attend a party meeting at LDP headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
LDP uses election manifesto to pledge stable rare earths supply amid China row
The ruling party says it will also accelerate talks on eliminating the current 8% consumption tax on food for two years as Japan grapples with inflation.
JIP leaders Hirofumi Yoshimura (right) and Fumitake Fujita leave the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Jan. 14.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Unveiling manifesto, JIP touts itself as Takaichi administration’s ‘accelerator’
The party seeks to woo Liberal Democratic Party supporters by highlighting their shared destination.
Officials of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito show the posters for the new Centrist Reform Alliance party at the parliament building on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Centrist Reform Alliance to be launched with over 160 Lower House lawmakers
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said 144 of its 148 lawmakers in the Lower House will join the new party ahead of the Feb. 8 general election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announces her will to dissolve the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2026
In calling a snap election this soon, Takaichi is making it personal
The prime minister enjoys a level of popularity that appears to be unrivalled by any other political leader.
Supporters of Sanseito, which ran with a party platform of “Japanese First” in the Upper House election, during the party’s rally in Tokyo in July 2025
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2026
Will foreign-national policies return to the spotlight in the snap election?
So far, ruling and opposition parties scrambling to prepare for the sudden snap election in February have put foreign-national issues on the backburner.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday, where she explained her plans to dissolve parliament ahead of a snap election on Feb. 8.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 20, 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi’s gambit: A test of leadership
Takaichi is seeking a fresh start, setting the conditions for her administration to lead the country effectively with a direct mandate from the people.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 19, 2026
Will Takaichi’s carpe diem moment pay off?
The prime minister said the snap poll will essentially be a referendum on who leads the country — herself or an opposition chief.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in a news conference Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2026
Takaichi might surprise markets bracing for a big spender
Some stock and bond investors are anticipating Takaichi to act as an unrestrained fiscal dove after the election.
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 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.
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.
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.
World’s first fully sealed vertical-farming facility opens in Tokyo
Fully sealed units are stacked on top of each other at Plantx's vertical-farming facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Wednesday.
‘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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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