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Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 4, 2023

Myanmar junta marks Independence Day with show of force and mass pardons

The junta did not specify whether the amnesty would include those jailed as part of a crackdown on dissent.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 5, 2022

Sense of stagnation clouds Komeito after failed rejuvenation

At 70 years old, Natsuo Yamaguchi, was elected unopposed for an eighth straight term as leader, despite the party's earlier plans to replace him.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 4, 2022

Komeito wary of Unification Church issue ahead of local races

Supported largely by lay Buddhist group Soka Gakkai, the party fears that increased public attention on ties between politics and religion could harm its electoral chances.
JAPAN
Nov 18, 2022

Parliament OKs bill to redraw Lower House electoral map to curtail vote-value disparities

The revised law, which will remove one seat each from 10 prefectures and distribute 10 to five other prefectures, will be put into effect a month after its promulgation.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2022

Former members of Unification Church rail at politicians who embraced it

The assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July has opened a debate over the church and has shone a spotlight on its close ties with the ruling LDP.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Aug 29, 2022

How faith and spirituality shape modern Japan

The religious movement behind the grudge held by the man charged with Abe's assassination has cast a fresh light on how religion is perceived and practiced in the nation.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 3, 2022

Claiming risk of false arrest, Japan lawmaker skips start of parliament session

Gaasyy, who is said to be staying in the UAE, was absent from the start of the three-day session despite the Upper House rejecting his application for permission to travel overseas.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 1, 2022

Speculation grows that Komeito leader will stay for further term

Calls are apparently strengthening for Natsuo Yamaguchi to remain in his post as the party gears up for unified local elections next spring.
JAPAN
Jul 10, 2022

Polls open in Upper House election upended by Abe's death

The vote is expected to determine if Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can win the mandate he needs to push forward with his agenda in the coming years.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 26, 2022

As election nears, soaring prices hit Japan's households. Should Kishida be worried?

Many believe success for the prime minister means either retaining or adding to the 57 seats secured by his coalition in order to quell dissent and push his policies unchallenged.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2022

Fruitful parliament session for Kishida ends with some grumbles at the margins

Kishida's first session as prime minister saw a popular stance on Ukraine and a 100% record on bills passed, but inflation and a re-emerging reputation for indecision present some worries.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 8, 2022

How Australia revived the political middle

The outcome of Australia's federal election in May should help to dispel the cynicism that leads many to think that politics never changes anything.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 7, 2022

Five things to know about the LDP going into election

The LDP is enjoying a wide approval margin over the opposition, with nearly a 35-point lead over its nearest competitor, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Nov 17, 2021

The state of play for the LDP's factions after October's Lower House election

The big winner appeared to be the party's largest faction, now headed by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, while the one led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also strengthened its presence.
The Tokyo district has the highest number of candidates in the 2025 Upper House election with 32 people in the running for seven seats.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 18, 2025

In Upper House race, younger voters in Tokyo turn to DPP for new direction

Many younger voters, especially in the capital, are drawn to the party's idea that the working generation must be supported for the sake of everyone.
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya makes a stump speech in Tokyo on July 3.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2025

Sanseito third-most-popular party in Upper House race, poll shows

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party remained the front-runner at 20.9%, albeit down 3.6 points from June.
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 21, 2025

47% turn to social media and videos for voting decisions: exit poll

Of those, the largest proportion, at 23.9%, cast proportional representation votes for Sanseito.
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), speaks to the media in Tokyo on Sunday hours after voting closed for the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 21, 2025

CDP shows ‘modest’ outcome as Noda struggles to unite the opposition camp

There is speculation the opposition party might form a coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Komeito to form a stable, centrist-oriented government.
Japan’s ruling LDP-Komeito bloc lost big, smaller parties gained ground and the country now faces a more fractured, uncertain political future.
EDITORIALS
Jul 25, 2025

Voter revolt shatters Japan’s ruling coalition and empowers smaller parties

The big winners were smaller, newer parties on the right, Sanseito and the Democratic Party for the People.
Fumitake Fujita, who was elected as Nippon Ishin no Kai's co-leader, speaks at a party meeting Friday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 8, 2025

Nippon Ishin picks Fumitake Fujita for co-leader position

A former secretary-general, Fujita replaces Seiji Maehara, who resigned to take responsibility for the party’s underwhelming performance in July’s Upper House election.
Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (center) attends a Lower House session on Aug. 1. The former prime minister has signaled he’s ready to take his conciliatory approach to the government to new heights, hinting that the time for clashes with the Liberal Democratic Party is over.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2025

CDP softens stance toward LDP in bid to bolster political center

“Right-wing populism has grown too strong,” CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda said. “Unless the center gains more strength, Japanese politics won’t improve.”
Upper House lawmaker Akira Ishii
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 27, 2025

Upper House member's office raided over alleged fraud

Akira Ishii is suspected of receiving public funds by filing a report about hiring a government-paid secretary who never actually worked for him.
(From left) Tadashi Morishima,Takeshi Saiki and Hiroki Abe hold a news conference at parliament after submitting  their letters of resignation to Nippon Ishin no Kai on Sept. 8.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2025

Nippon Ishin expels three member lawmakers

Noting the three also called on other member lawmakers to leave Nippon Ishin, the party rapped the trio for engaging in acts that disrupted order within the party.
Ichiro Ozawa (left), leader of the Liberal Party, Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi (center) and Takenori Kanzaki, leader of Komeito, hold hands ahead of a three-party summit toward forming a coalition government, at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo in October 1999.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 11, 2025

LDP-Komeito coalition marked by twists and turns over 26 years

The two parties have been in a mutually dependent relationship centered on electoral cooperation.

Longform

Bear attacks have dominated Japanese news headlines in recent months, with 13 people so far having been killed by the animals.
Japan’s bears have been on their killing spree for more than 100 years