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July 11, 2026
 

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LDP

Independent Lower House lawmakers (from left) Hiroki Abe, Takeshi Saiki and Tadashi Morishima speak to reporters in parliament on Friday after meeting with Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2025
LDP-led coalition regains Lower House majority with three independents’ backing
With the three lawmakers in the LDP’s in-house group, the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will be able to pass key budget bills without opposition support.
State Minister of the Cabinet Office Hayato Suzuki (left) delivers opening remarks to the government's expert panel on policies regarding foreign nationals on Thursday. Reiko Hayashi, the director-general of the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (right), chairs the panel.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2025
Japan eyeing much higher visa fees for foreign nationals
The government is considering raising the fee for permanent residency to as high as ¥300,000.
Takashi Endo, parliamentary affairs chief of the Japan Innovation Party and special adviser to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, speaks during an interview at the parliamentary building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2025
Japan Innovation Party may leave coalition if seat-cut talks falter
Although the JIP positions seat reductions as an absolute condition for the coalition, there are still cautious voices within the LDP over the move.
In Japan, the left-right label doesn’t apply as conveniently as in the United States or Europe.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Nov 27, 2025
A guide to Japan’s political parties ... beyond the binary labels
The origins of the respective parties and who backs them — rather than left-right labels — are more consistent indicators of their leanings.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi takes part in a debate with opposition party leaders, including Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (right center), in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 26, 2025
Takaichi hints that Taiwan remarks were off the cuff
The PM has indicated that she didn’t initially intend to offer an example of what she could consider a “survival-threatening situation” that would allow the SDF to be deployed.
Lower House lawmaker Hitoshi Aoyagi from the Japan Innovation Party speaks during an interview in his parliamentary office on Nov. 20.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 26, 2025
Japan one step closer to relaxing single-surname rule for married couples
While still having married couples adopt the same surname, the ruling coalition is working on a bill that would allow the option of giving more weight to birth names.
The Lower House plenary session where the gasoline tax cut bill was approved, at the Diet on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2025
Lower House passes bill to scrap add-on gasoline tax
The legislation, adopted at a plenary meeting, also states that the provisional gas oil delivery tax surcharge of ¥17.1 per liter will be abolished April 1 next year.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, on Oct. 28.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 22, 2025
Japan set to lean on U.S., allies for support if China escalates
For now, Tokyo has stuck to its usual playbook: avoiding tit-for-tat retaliation, keeping communication channels open and hoping tensions cool over time.
Former Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato (third from left) attends a meeting with Japan Innovation Party lawmakers in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2025
LDP and JIP agree to submit bill outlining reduction of Lower House seats
The two parties are postponing reaching a conclusion on the actual number of seats to be cut and whether to cut proportional seats.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (center) in the parliament building earlier this month. Takaichi took office on Oct. 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2025
A month into her premiership, Takaichi’s style proves to be double-edged sword
The prime minister’s straight talk appears well received by the public, but other aspects of the way she works have caused a stir in other circles.
Itsunori Onodera, the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Research Commission on Security
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 21, 2025
LDP begins talks to update key national security documents
The party is expected to discuss how much to increase defense spending and how to finance the increase.
China is using threats, diplomatic pressure, economic measures and manufactured media narratives to attack new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and influence Japanese politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2025
Seeking good relations with Xi’s CCP is a fool’s errand
China has a history of favoring Japanese leaders, going back at least to Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka in the 1970s, who are inclined to comply with its “red lines.”
Ruling and opposition lawmakers gather for a meeting of the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2025
Lawmakers urge tighter rules on social media businesses
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that the European Union’s practice of imposing fines on platform operators “can serve as a reference for Japan.”
Toshihiro Nikai, then secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party (left), meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing in December 2017.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 20, 2025
Tensions highlight lack of Japan lawmakers with China connections
“There’s no one in the LDP-JIP coalition who can serve as a brake,” a young Komeito lawmaker said.
The Liberal Democratic Party is planning to add ¥20,000 to child allowances as part of an economic package, LDP policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi has said.
JAPAN
Nov 19, 2025
LDP eyes adding ¥20,000 to child allowances
The addition is expected to require funds totaling ¥400 billion, according to Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi.
Ichiro Aisawa (second from right) of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who heads the council on the all-important lower parliamentary chamber's electoral system, attends a meeting on Tuesday at the Diet building.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Opposition lawmakers voice caution on proposed Lower House seat cut
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan urged that a conclusion be reached at the council to better reflect the opinions of smaller parties.
Itsunori Onodera, chair of the Liberal Democratic Party's Tax System Research Commission said it is essential "to discuss the ideal form of our tax system from a perspective close to citizens, instead of presuming that tax increases are inevitable," at the party's headquarters in Nagatacho, Tokyo, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 18, 2025
LDP to consider adjustable income tax threshold
Itsunori Onodera, chair of the LDP’s Tax System Research Commission, said it was “natural” to link the income tax threshold with consumer prices.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday. Kihara is leading a new Cabinet-level panel to review foreign-national related issues.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2025
Fixing immigration without sparking xenophobia
Don’t lump long-term, law-abiding foreign residents in with new arrivals.
Yoshihiko Isozaki (right), the LDP's Diet affairs chief in the House of Councilors, and his CDP counterpart, Yoshitaka Saito, ahead of a meeting on Monday at the Diet building
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Takaichi’s first Diet debate with opposition leaders set for Nov. 26
The upcoming debate will also be the first since Komeito left the LDP-led ruling coalition.
The headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo's Nagatacho area
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2025
Ruling LDP marks 70th anniversary as it looks to regain footing
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment, as it looks to stage a comeback after recent electoral drubbings.
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.
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.
Japan’s southwestern islands on high alert as Typhoon Bavi approaches
A woman walks out of a shop with duct-taped windows to prevent damage from Typhoon Bavi as it approaches, in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
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.

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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