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DIET

The Lower House plenary session approves the relief bill in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2023
Bill for victims' relief in Unification Church case clears Lower House
The bill aims to prevent a religious organization's assets from being transferred overseas so that it can be set aside to provide relief.
Gen Nakatani, then-special adviser to the prime minister for international human rights, speaks at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in March 2022
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 1, 2023
Kishida’s puzzling decision to ax his human rights adviser
Why did the prime minister eliminate the post of special adviser on human rights from the Cabinet and what does this mean for Tokyo's foreign policy?
Seiji Maehara (left) speaks during a news conference in the Diet building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2023
Seiji Maehara's new party seen as move to join Nippon Ishin
The prominent lawmaker aims to achieve a change in government through a coalition of lawmakers other than those from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
Ministers gather for a Cabinet meeting on Friday at Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023
Japan enacts bill to raise annual pay of PM and ministers
The prime minister's annual salary will be raised by ¥460,000 to ¥40.61 million.
Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida take part in a news conference in September 2021 in the lead-up to the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 15, 2023
Takaichi makes another play to become the next PM
With the creation of a new study group, Cabinet minister Sanae Takaichi aims to build support for her bid for the top political job.
Ichiro Ozawa (third from right) with other members of parliament at a ceremony to launch a new party in Tokyo in July 2012.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2023
Ichiro Ozawa is once again looking for a way to defeat the LDP
The octogenarian political veteran is looking to cap his long career with another successful drive to defeat the ruling LDP at the polls.
A bill that would raise the pay for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Cabinet ministers and some civil servants was passed by the  Lower House Cabinet Committee on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2023
Bill that would hike Kishida and Cabinet's pay clears Lower House committee
The plan has been met with fierce backlash from opposition parties, with lawmakers lambasting the government for its “poor political judgment.”
Hiroyuki Hosoda is elected as Lower House Speaker in November 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 10, 2023
Former Lower House speaker and LDP heavyweight Hiroyuki Hosoda dies
The seasoned lawmaker served in key posts in the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, including as chief Cabinet secretary.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2023
Kishida rules out snap election amid record low popularity
The prime minister has once again ruled out a snap election as he faces record low popularity ratings and growing criticism from within his own party.
Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan celebrates on Oct. 23, 2017, after prevailing in a close race in a single-seat constituency in Tokyo in a general election the previous day, winning on the ticket of the then-newly created Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 3, 2023
With Naoto Kan's exit from the CDP, some see a generational shift
The exit of the former prime minister, a high-profile figure and political veteran from the CDP’s liberal wing, comes at a time of change for the party.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends an extraordinary session at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 31, 2023
Prime Minister Kishida and a month of misery
The challenges Fumio Kishida faces are eroding confidence in his leadership and are likely to influence policy decision-making.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers questions at a Lower House Budget Committee session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2023
Kishida says tax hike and tax cut policies ‘don’t contradict’
“An (income tax cut) is a temporary measure until wages increase to a level that can cover rising prices," the prime minister said.
Prince Hisahito is the only male member of the imperial family eligible to ascend the throne in the generation after Emperor Naruhito and his younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, who is the father of the 17-year-old prince.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 29, 2023
LDP to create new team on imperial succession
Prince Hisahito, Crown Prince Akishino's 17-year-old son, is the only member of his generation currently eligible.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida replies to questions at Friday's budget committee session at the Diet in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2023
Amid scrutiny, Kishida emphasizes tax cuts to pull out from deflation
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has heavily criticized the government for its belated response to rising inflation.
Plaintiffs, lawyers and supporters march to the Tokyo District Court on Nov. 30, the same day the court ruled that Japan’s lack of legal protections for same-sex couples is unconstitutional.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 27, 2023
Japan's 'failed' same-sex marriage lawsuits can still propel reform
Even unsuccessful cases challenging Japan’s failure to recognize same-sex marriage have gotten courts to acknowledge a constitutional problem.
Taro Yamada, parliamentary vice minister for education, speaks to reporters at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2023
Parliamentary Vice Minister Taro Yamada steps down over affair
The first Cabinet resignation since a mid-September reshuffle deals a blow to Kishida at a time when public support rates have plummeted.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listens as Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan chief Kenta Izumi speaks in parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2023
Tough questions for Kishida in parliament over spending plans
Japan’s main opposition party began its scrutiny of Kishida's economic stimulus package as the country struggles with inflation and stagnant wages.
Hajime Hirota is lifted up after winning the Upper House seat in the Kochi-Tokushima district by election Sunday in the city of Kochi.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 23, 2023
In blow to Kishida, LDP loses one of two seats in by-elections
An independent candidate backed by the opposition won in the Tokushima-Kochi Lower House race, while the LDP pick won in the Nagasaki Upper House poll.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida delivers a policy speech during an extraordinary session of parliament in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2023
The economy takes center stage in Kishida’s policy speech
"'The economy, the economy, the economy.’ I will focus my attention on the economy more than anything else,” Kishida said in opening remarks.
Voters fill out ballots for an Upper House by-election in the Tokushima-Kochi district, in the city of Kochi on Sunday morning.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2023
Voting kicks off in key parliamentary by-elections
The polls are the first national contests since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida revamped his Cabinet last month in a bid to bolster his government.

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Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces