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October 09, 2025
 

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Himari Semans
Set to become first husband, former Lower House lawmaker Taku Yamamoto is supportive of Sanae Takaichi potentially becoming prime minister despite the political circumstances surrounding the Liberal Democratic Party.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 9, 2025
Takaichi taking office will herald arrival of Japan’s first-ever first husband
Former LDP Lower House lawmaker Taku Yamamoto has supported Sanae Takaichi’s position on surnames after marriage and her bid to lead Japan.
The LDP's newly-appointed election chief Keiji Furuya (far left), general affairs council chair Haruko Arimura (second from left), vice president Taro Aso (center left), president Sanae Takaichi (center right), secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki (second from right) and policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 7, 2025
Takaichi's leadership lineup favors Aso and his allies while shutting out rivals
The new lineup also reflects her desire to reward allies of the party’s former Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi.
Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi celebrates in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 6, 2025
Takaichi kicks off LDP presidency with polls showing strong support
Sanae Takaichi, who was elected party leader Saturday, also gave the ruling LDP a much-needed boost, one of the polls showed.
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP presidential election in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 4, 2025
Takaichi poised to become Japan's first female PM after winning LDP poll
Takaichi earned 185 votes against Koizumi’s 156 in a runoff after none of the five candidates in the party leadership race secured a majority in the first round of voting.
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi poses with supporters at Hie Shrine in Tokyo on Sept. 22.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 1, 2025
Can Takaichi win back conservative voters? Maybe not.
The conservative champion has been trying to soften her image to reach more moderate voters — the party’s largest support base.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
Unruly tourists, visa overstayers and increasing land purchases by foreign nationals were some of the issues spotlighted during debates.
U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Japan in October, according to media reports.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2025
Trump may visit Japan during upcoming Asia trip
With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stepping down, the U.S. president’s visit to Japan would come at a politically shaky time for the nation.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, ex-LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi pose for group photos before a Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates' debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2025
LDP presidential hopefuls failing to stand out on policy
During a two-hour debate Wednesday, each candidate's policy stance seemed to overlap with one another's, making it hard for anyone to stand out.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference announcing his formal entry into the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2025
Koizumi makes economic growth top priority in bid for LDP presidency
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi used a news conference Saturday in Tokyo to unveil a raft of policies as he sought to appeal to his party’s conservative wing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday about his candidacy in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2025
Hayashi pledges to carry on Ishiba and Kishida’s work if elected LDP president
The chief cabinet secretary, who served under both prime ministers, says he will follow their lead as well as add initiatives of his own.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi speaks in Tokyo on Thursday. He is attempting to become Liberal Democratic Party president for the second time.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 12, 2025
Will a more conservative leader emerge from the LDP presidential election?
Conservative members of the party are looking to elect such a leader, but there is a possibility that their votes might be split between two presidential hopefuls.
Former Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi announces he will run in the race for president of the Liberal Democratic Party at a news conference on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 10, 2025
Motegi calls for ‘new coalition’ in bid for LDP presidency
The former party secretary-general sees welcoming a new coalition member — possibly the Democratic Party for the People or Nippon Ishin no Kai — as the way forward.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends the India-Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo on Friday, Aug. 29
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 4, 2025
Darkest hour for Ishiba amid pressure to quit and executive resignations
An offer by the secretary-general to resign after the party’s poor performance in a recent election has prompted Ishiba's LDP leadership team to call time on the administration.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama speaks to reporters on Friday at party headquarters.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 29, 2025
Pressure builds on LDP's Moriyama to take the fall for election drubbing
It is customary in Japan for a party's secretary-general to quit after a poor showing at the polls.
Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. Locking Koizumi into the Cabinet is Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s way of turning a potential rival into a team player, according to one expert.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 22, 2025
As farm minister, Koizumi is held ‘hostage’ by Ishiba
By naming the popular lawmaker to his Cabinet, the beleaguered prime minister turned a potential rival into a member of his team — at least, for now.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lays a flower during the memorial service at the Nippon Budokan on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2025
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII surrender, Ishiba expresses remorse
The prime minister’s reflections about the war stood in contrast to those of his recent predecessors.
Ralph Edwards (far left), Capt. Robert Lewis (rear left), Bertha Starkey (rear center), Marvin Green (rear right), Kiyoshi (seated, left) and Chisa Tanimoto (seated, right), Koko Kondo (front left) and her three younger siblings, on the show “This Is Your Life,” on May 11, 1955
JAPAN / History / FOCUS
Aug 12, 2025
How an A-bomb survivor found forgiveness for Hiroshima bombers
Koko Kondo’s anger was extinguished when she saw the co-pilot of the Enola Gay bomber recall with regret what he and his crew had done on Aug. 6, 1945.
Top officials from the Farm Ministry bow deeply to apologize for mistakenly saying that Japan has enough rice based on faulty data at a meeting on Aug. 8 at LDP headquarters.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2025
Farm ministry apologizes over erroneous rice supply and demand forecasts
The errors came to light when Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba admitted that the government’s miscalculations had led to prices surging in the past year.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Economic Revitalization Minister and chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa attend a budget committee session on the U.S. tariff issue in the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 4, 2025
Opposition parties fume over U.S. trade deal not being put in writing
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said issuing a joint document with the U.S. will not serve the nation’s interests and may instead jeopardize the agreement.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters on Thursday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 25, 2025
Various tactics to force Ishiba out of power emerge within the LDP
The LDP has been thrown into a political power game between those who want Ishiba ousted immediately and those supporting him staying on.
How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines
Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino shakes hands with guests during a ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding at The Manila Hotel in Manila in June.
‘We have drawn lessons,’ Indian Army chief says of brief clash with Pakistan
Indian Army chief Upendra Dwivedi waves as he arrives to attend the ceremonial reception of Defense Minister Gen Nakatani in New Delhi in May.
Typhoon Halong to cause windstorms, heavy rain and high waves on the Izu islands
Typhoon Halong is moving north near the Izu Islands, with strong winds, high waves and heavy rain expected as it passes early on Thursday, prompting warnings from the weather agency.
Chemistry Nobel winner Kitagawa says downtime helped him think up new material
Susumu Kitagawa speaks to reporters at Kyoto University on Wednesday after receiving the news that he had been awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry the same day.
Takaichi's leadership lineup favors Aso and his allies while shutting out rivals
The LDP's newly-appointed election chief Keiji Furuya (far left), general affairs council chair Haruko Arimura (second from left), vice president Taro Aso (center left), president Sanae Takaichi (center right), secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki (second from right) and policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi in Tokyo on Tuesday.
With nuclear sub proposal, Japan faces array of political and tech challenges
The Jingei, the third of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Taigei-class submarines, was commissioned in March last year. It is equipped with lithium-ion batteries, enabling it to have a longer diving time and cruising distance than older models with lead-acid batteries.
OpenAI’s Sora 2 is drowning in Japanese 'AI slop'
OpenAI has rolled out a social app powered by Sora 2, its artificial intelligence video generator, which was quickly flooded with videos featuring iconic Japanese intellectual property.
Trump has his eyes on the prize — but a Nobel win looks unlikely
A protester holds a sign with an image depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the words "Nobel" written on it, as supporters and family members of hostages who were kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas, demonstrate to demand the immediate end of the war and the release of all hostages, outside the U.S. Consulate in Tel Aviv, on Sept. 2.
‘Takaichi trade’ stalls as political reality calls for wait-and-see approach
Tokyo stocks staged a powerful rally on Monday. On Tuesday, they rallied again, then retreated.
How a family-run landscaper turned the Osaka Expo green
The team at Ryokukou Garden consists primarily of a single family, including Toshiki Tanisaki (second from right), who led the company's efforts at the Osaka Expo, Chikako Tanisaki (fifth from right), who performs daily maintanence at the expo, and Takeshi Tanisaki (fourth from right), who added a nursery to the family farm more than 50 years ago.

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
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