Kochi gubernatorial race seen as barometer on voter attitudes toward Abe
Kochi Prefecture's gubernatorial election Sunday pitting a ruling coalition-backed candidate against an opponent supported by the main opposition parties is being seen as an important gauge of voter sentiment amid recent scandals that have engulfed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and on opposition camp unity. Two ...
LDP might delay talks on constitutional referendum bill to avoid Diet extension that could hurt Abe
The drive to change the process for revising the Constitution is being blunted by fears the opposition will get more time to dig up dirt on Abe’s cherry blossom scandal.
Abe nips Tokyo cherry-blossom party in the bud as critics cry cronyism
The government will not hold a publicly funded cherry blossom-viewing event next year after critics said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has used it to entertain his supporters.
Japanese Lower House approval of U.S. trade deal to be delayed
The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito has given up on plans to pass a recently signed trade deal with the United States through the House of Representatives by the end of this week, according to a senior LDP official. The ruling ...
LDP open to ideas on Constitution from other parties, says head of revision panel Hiroyuki Hosoda
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will respond flexibly to constitutional revision proposals from other parties, the LDP's leader on the matter said. Hiroyuki Hosoda, who made a comeback as head of the LDP Headquarters for the Promotion of Revision of the Constitution last month, mentioned ...
Abe clears decks for debate on amending Japan's Constitution
When the extraordinary Diet session convenes on Friday, 15 government-sponsored bills are expected to be submitted — one of the lowest totals since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second stint started — reflecting his administration's determination to focus its energy on revising the Constitution. But coming ...
Public split over idea of NHK scrambling broadcasts to exclude nonpaying viewers, poll shows
The public is evenly divided over whether TV broadcasts by NHK should be scrambled to make them viewable only by paid viewers, a survey shows. The survey by Jiji Press found that 39.0 percent of respondents agree with the idea, 37.1 percent disagree and 23.9 ...
'Can anyone beat Koike?' LDP and others wary ahead of 2020 Tokyo gubernatorial vote
Political parties seem undecided right now over how to contest next year's gubernatorial election in Tokyo, or even whether to field candidates at all. Gov. Yuriko Koike is expected to run for a second four-year term. Her first term of office is set to end ...
Despite winning more seats in Upper House vote, Komeito officials worry about losing support
Komeito boosted its presence in the House of Councilors in the latest election, but a sense of crisis among party officials has deepened as the number of votes it acquired under the proportional representation system fell by more than 1 million compared to the ...
To many voters, the election was a chance to endorse or repudiate the Abe administration’s performance since he returned to power in December 2012.
Liberal Democratic Party leading in poll for single-seat districts in Upper House election
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has gained a lead over opposition forces in 22 out of the country's 32 single-seat constituencies ahead of Sunday's Upper House election, the latest Kyodo News poll shows. In the prefectural-based districts where only one seat is up for grabs, ...
