National / Politics Jul 10, 2016
Voting kicks off in Japan as Abe seeks Upper House supermajority
Voting began Sunday in an Upper House election that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has billed as a chance to pass judgment on his economic policies. Opposition parties, however, are focused on preventing a resounding victory for the prime minister that would allow him to ...
National / Politics Jul 9, 2016
The government has decided to conduct a blanket survey of all 18- and 19-year-olds to check their voting rate in House of Councilors election on Sunday, a source in the internal affairs ministry said. The survey will cover all 2.4 million teenagers now eligible to ...
National / Politics | DECISION 2016 Jun 22, 2016
Battle lines drawn for July Upper House poll
by Shusuke Murai
As the campaign for the July 10 Upper House election kicked off Wednesday, the major parties unveiled their platforms to win over voters. The ruling coalition regards the House of Councilors election as a key test of its economic policies, keeping mention of its more ...
National / Politics Jun 22, 2016
Economy in focus as campaigning starts for Japan's July 10 Upper House race
Political parties kick off their official House of Councilors election campaigns around the country with speeches on the economy.
National / Politics | DECISION 2016 Jun 22, 2016
Abe plays economic card but opposition targets his 'hidden' agenda in Upper House election battle
by Tomohiro Osaki
The poll could pave the way for Abe to revise the U.S.-drafted Constitution nationalists see as a humiliating remnant of WWII.
National / Politics Apr 14, 2016
Rengo to pare support for new Democratic Party till it knows how much clout ex-Ishin ranks wield
Japan's largest labor organization, the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), is poised to pare back its support for the newly formed opposition Democratic Party, sources said Wednesday. Its decision-making central executive committee on Thursday will consider a proposal to change the wording in Rengo's statement ...
National / Politics Mar 18, 2016
Japan gets its own Democratic Party
by Tomohiro Osaki
The new opposition party formed to take on the conservative ruling coalition announces that its official English name will be the Democratic Party.
National / Politics Mar 14, 2016
Introducing Minshin To, Japan's new main opposition force
by Reiji Yoshida
In English tentatively called the Democratic Innovation Party, Japan’s new main opposition force will be named Minshin To.
National / Politics Mar 11, 2016
DPJ, Ishin no To narrow names of new opposition party down to two
by Tomohiro Osaki
After weeks of intense debate, the Democratic Party of Japan and Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) are finally on the verge of sorting out the first daunting challenge of their scheduled merger later this month: what to name their new party? After asking the ...
National / Politics Mar 4, 2016
Abe tells opposition leader's beauty queen daughter to run for LDP
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told the 20-year-old daughter of an opposition party leader to run for the LDP during a meeting Friday to celebrate her win in a beauty pageant. Mika Matsuno, a sophomore at Keio University's Faculty of Letters, visited Abe at his ...
National / Politics Mar 4, 2016
DPJ, Ishin no To invite entries for new party name
by Reiji Yoshida
The Democratic Party of Japan and Ishin no To (Japan Innovation Party) took to the Internet on Friday seeking an answer to a first key issue facing them ahead of their merger: a new name. The DPJ, the largest opposition party, and Ishin no To, ...