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November 07, 2025
 

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Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi answers questions from Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda regarding her policy speech at the Lower House in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi sticks to script in second day of parliamentary questioning
The prime minister remained elusive in her answers, much to the chagrin of the opposition.
JAPAN / Politics
JIP co-leader refuses to resign over ¥21 million payment to secretary’s firm
Fumitake Fujita defended his payment to his secretary’s firm, saying there was nothing illegal about placing orders for printing services.
JAPAN / Politics
Takaichi defends choices for government posts in first debate with Noda
CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda lambasted the prime minister's decision to appoint LDP lawmakers involved in the slush fund scandal to government posts.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Lin Hsin-i, Taiwan’s presidential adviser, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday in this image posted to Takaichi's official X account.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 4, 2025
Takaichi’s balancing act: Supporting Taiwan and stabilizing China ties
By Gabriel Dominguez
Sanae Takaichi has appeared to allay fears of a more hawkish approach to Beijing, but her open support for deepening ties with Taiwan could complicate the relationships.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday. Takaichi said she is prepared to “act boldly” to create a breakthrough and resolve the abductions issue with North Korea “without ruling out any options.”
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2025
Takaichi says she told North Korea of desire for summit with Kim
By Jesse Johnson
The new Japanese leader’s remarks echo those of her predecessors and come as time runs out for families of Japanese nationals abducted by Pyongyang decades ago.
Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2025
JIP co-leader Fumitake Fujita to stop using secretary’s firm
Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, said he would stop placing orders with his secretary’s company following a report of dubious spending.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi looks on during an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2025
Koizumi builds ties with partners and airs concerns with China defense chief
By Jesse Johnson
The defense minister also said that Tokyo had "identified a concrete demand" for Japanese defense gear from a number of countries.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a news conference following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2025
China hits out at Takaichi for meeting Taiwan’s presidential adviser
By Aya Wagatsuma
A number of other issues continue to test ties between Beijing and Tokyo, including China’s increasing military activity around a disputed cluster of islands.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi holds a news conference in Gyeongju, South Korea, following the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 2, 2025
Takaichi rules out dissolving Lower House for snap election
The prime minister said her government must focus on accelerating the rollout of economic measures, including steps to tackle inflation.
Executives of six ruling and opposition parties discuss scrapping the add-on levy for gasoline during their meeting in the parliament building on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 2, 2025
Japan sees no stable funding for costly policy plans
Six ruling and opposition parties broadly agreed Friday to scrap the add-on levy for gasoline on Dec. 31 and for gas oil on April 1 next year.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung shakes hands with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after taking a group photo during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2025
South Korea's Lee says 'worries vanished' after meeting Takaichi
By Jesse Johnson
At a news conference, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said that he believed the bilateral relationship would continue to improve.
Maki Takubo, mayor of Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, after the city assembly passed a second no-confidence motion against her, in the city on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2025
Scandal-hit mayor of Ito in Shizuoka finally ousted
Maki Takubo had claimed to have graduated from Toyo University but admitted in July that she had actually been expelled.
"The aim is to address public anxiety and a sense of injustice, not to exclude foreigners," Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a news conference on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2025
Japan's ministers likely to discuss policy for foreign nationals next week
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made addressing issues related to foreign nationals one of her key policy agendas.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2025
Russia says peace talks with Japan only possible if Tokyo abandons ‘anti-Russian course’
By Dmitry Antonov
Soviet troops took control of four islands off Hokkaido at the end of World War II.
Former Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano speaks at a meeting in Saitama on Oct. 25.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 31, 2025
CDP signals change of position on security legislation
Former leader Edano's remarks surprised some party members and supporters because they affect the party's foundation.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung ahead of their talks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2025
Japanese and South Korean leaders agree to boost ties in first meeting
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held her first in-person talks with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the sidelines of the APEC regional summit Thursday evening.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi speaks at an online meeting with policymakers of the party’s prefectural chapters, at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2025
LDP to propose economic measures by mid-November
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Takayuki Kobayashi vowed to reflect the opinions of regional organizations in the measures as much as possible.
National security adviser Keiichi Ichikawa (fourth from right) is seen as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump review an honor guard of the Self-Defense Forces at the Akasaka State Guesthouse in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 30, 2025
Who is Keiichi Ichikawa, Takaichi’s new national security adviser?
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Ichikawa is expected to play a leading role in the prime minister’s ambitious endeavors on the diplomatic and security front.
A meeting of officials from the Liberal Democratic Party, Japan Innovation Party and Komeito is held at the Diet building in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2025
Japan parties agree to make high school education free in fiscal 2026
The Liberal Democratic Party, the Japan Innovation Party and Komeito also agreed to raise the upper limit for existing subsidies for private high school students.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier during a visit to the U.S. Navy's Yokosuka base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 29, 2025
Takaichi buys time and builds trust with ‘near-perfect’ Trump summit
By Jesse Johnson and Gabriel Dominguez
Experts called the PM’s meeting with the U.S. president an “overwhelming success,” especially considering the tumult and uncertainty in bilateral relations over the past year.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi shake hands at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2025
Hegseth says U.S. never demanded Japan defense spending hike
By Jesse Johnson and Gabriel Dominguez
In his first meeting with Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth called Japan's current defense spending plans “wonderful.”
Haruo Kataoka (center) applauds after being reelected as mayor of Suttsu in Hokkaido, in the town on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2025
Hokkaido town mayor backing nuclear waste survey reelected
The 76-year-old independent incumbent, Haruo Kataoka, defeated former town council member Shingo Ogushi.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi speaks to reporters at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2025
LDP and JIP to set up joint policy conference
The LDP aims to make it clear that JIP is responsible for running the government as a member of the ruling coalition even though it has no Cabinet posts.

The Toyota buyout is a major test for Japan’s reforms
Akio Toyoda, chairman of Toyota Motor, speaks during a media preview at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Oct. 29. Minority investors are challenging the carmaker's bid to take affiliate Toyota Industries Corp. private.
From France to Mali, a deportee's struggle far from home
Moussa Sacko, a Malian deported from France — where he had lived since he was a young child — stands on a street in Bamako, Mali, in December. Compared with his home in France, Bamako feels like a different planet, Sacko said.
ChatGPT nickname and Trump tariffs nominated for Japan’s buzzword of 2025
Women hold toys depicting Myaku-Myaku, the official character for the 2025 Osaka Expo, during a media day ahead of the event's public opening day in Osaka in April.
SoftBank is said to have explored potential takeover of Marvell
SoftBank explored a potential takeover of U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology earlier this year, in what would have been the semiconductor industry's largest-ever deal.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
These are the hottest lower-division rikishi to watch right now
Fukazaki (right) grapples with Enho at the IG Arena in Nagoya on July 13.
Across borders and screens, Tokyo film festival finds humanity in migration
“Mother Bhumi” takes place in a multiethnic rice-farming community where Chinese, Thai and Malay lineages intertwine.
Takaichi’s balancing act: Supporting Taiwan and stabilizing China ties
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with Lin Hsin-i, Taiwan’s presidential adviser, on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Saturday in this image posted to Takaichi's official X account.
From 1973 to 2025: A Japanese American skater’s long ride to recognition
Judi Oyama at Winchester Skatepark in San Jose, California, in January 1979. The Skateboarding Hall of Fame inductee and Guinness World Record holder still skates and hopes to inspire older women.
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Waseda University in Tokyo

Podcast

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

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

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