Tag - ldp

 
 

LDP

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.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi raises her fist as U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of U.S. Navy personnel on board the U.S. Navy's USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2025
At first summit with Trump, Takaichi pledges 'new golden age' for alliance
The meeting was a crucial test of Takaichi’s diplomatic chops as she seeks to elevate the Japan-U.S. alliance while staving off pressure from the U.S. on defense spending.
Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi (right) and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura pose for a picture after signing an agreement to form a coalition, at the National Diet Building in Tokyo on Oct 20.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 28, 2025
Smaller parties set to suffer most if LDP and JIP reduce Lower House seats
Smaller parties such as Komeito could lose out the most if a bill is passed to reduce Lower House seats by 10%.
Sanae Takaichi’s rise to prime minister has boosted optimism in Japan, but sustaining it will depend on her handling of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's political, ethical and electoral challenges.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2025
Takaichi’s road to rebuilding the LDP’s ‘big tent’
Sanae Takaichi’s rise to prime minister has boosted optimism in Japan, but sustaining it will depend on her handling of the LDP’s political, ethical and electoral challenges.
Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba calls for the swift restoration of a deleted section of a 1940 parliamentary record containing an anti-military speech criticizing Japan's war with China, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2025
Ishiba wants 1940 anti-military speech record restored
Lawmaker Takao Saito denounced Japan's military campaign in China, and was subsequently expelled from the lower chamber of the Diet.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Takayuki Kobayashi answers questions during the LDP presidential election candidates' joint news conference at party headquarters in Tokyo on Sept. 23.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2025
LDP policy chief ramps up moves to ease rules on exporting lethal defense gear
The LDP's Takayuki Kobayashi said that he intends to push for relaxing the regulations in order to “contribute to world peace” and strengthen Japan’s defense industry.
U.S. President Donald Trump is welcomed by Emperor Naruhito upon his arrival at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday evening.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2025
Trump arrives in Japan for security and trade talks in test for Takaichi
The prime minister will be seeking to build a solid relationship with the U.S. president as she looks to navigate increasing pressure on trade and defense issues.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama speaks at a news conference in Tokyo last week.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Oct 27, 2025
Japan’s first female finance chief is a veteran on banking policy
Satsuki Katayama joined the Finance Ministry in 1982 and reached a higher position in the influential Budget Bureau than any woman before her.
Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Oct. 14. He recently said that his party may give its backing to candidates of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in future parliamentary elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2025
Komeito executive says party may support CDP candidates
The comments follow Komeito's departure from the ruling coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, partly due to discord over regulating political donations.
Sanae Takaichi’s selection as Japan’s first female prime minister marks a historic breakthrough for women in politics, but her leadership faces significant challenges from political fragility and critics, both at home and abroad.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 26, 2025
Takaichi’s rise to power and the ‘glass cliff’
Her appointment could prove to be a “glass cliff” as she encounters hypercriticism and the inherent challenges of a shaky coalition.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her policy speech at a Lower House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2025
Concern raised over proposed cut in Lower House seats
JIP is calling for a cut of about 50 proportional representation seats in the all-important lower chamber of parliament.
Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama is scheduled to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2025
Katayama talks taxes and debt without saying too much
In comments Friday, Japan's new finance minister steered clear of controversy and commitments.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in the Lower House in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2025
Takaichi focuses on economic and security concerns in first policy speech
Over half of the new prime minister's speech was dedicated to economic policies, and she described the fight against inflation as the top priority for her administration.
Emperor Naruhito officially swears in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Oct 24, 2025
Sanae Takaichi stands tall and heads into the breach
Her Cabinet includes several rivals from the presidential campaign. It is an attempt to smooth over ill and a smart move.
The Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan announced plans to invest ¥350 billion in capital expenditures to double shipbuilding output by 2035.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 24, 2025
Japan shipbuilders to invest ¥350 billion to double output
The Shipbuilders’ Association of Japan is also preparing for Japan-U.S. cooperation in the sector.
The appointment of seven scandal-hit lawmakers to government posts, approved after the launch of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet, may draw criticism.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2025
Seven LDP slush fund lawmakers given government posts
The move may draw criticism, as public sentiment on the scandal remains strong.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2025
Polls show Takaichi Cabinet off to strong start with support for policy stance
Approval ratings were found to be especially high among younger generations and those in the Osaka and Nagoya regions.
Artworks depicting former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during Thatcher Fest in the town of Grantham, England, earlier this month. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has described Thatcher as a role model.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2025
Japan joins over 80 nations to have been led by women since WWII
While Takaichi's rise to power is a milestone for the nation, some caution it does not necessarily signal a broader advance in women's political standing in Japan.
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura sign a policy agreement between the two parties at the Diet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2025
The newly formed LDP-JIP coalition may not be as solid as it seems
The Japan Innovation Party’s insistence on passing a seat-reducing measure could prove to be a sticking point in the relationship.
A Japanese-style teacup featuring a caricature of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, on Wednesday in the city of Toki, Gifu Prefecture
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2025
Orders surge for popular caricature teacups featuring Takaichi
Preorders for the Takaichi teacup, which will also show past Japanese prime ministers, surpassed 4,000 even before she was sworn in.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell