Backers of ex-Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai grilled over 2019 Upper House election scandal
Local supporters of former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai have been questioned by prosecutors on suspicion they received cash from him in connection with last summer's Upper House election, which saw his wife, Anri Kawai, win a seat, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday. Members ...
Tokyo Olympics delay rekindles debate over Abe’s political future
Speculation over when Abe might dissolve the Lower House for a snap election has resurfaced.
LDP lawmaker Anri Kawai faces possible ouster from Diet as aides indicted
Close aides to former Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai and his wife, Anri Kawai, both ruling party lawmakers, were indicted Tuesday over unlawful rewards paid to Anri Kawai's campaign staff during the Upper House election last summer, raising the possibility she will lose her parliamentary ...
LDP mulls support for Yuriko Koike's re-election as Tokyo governor
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering supporting the re-election of Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike in the July 5 gubernatorial poll, sources familiar with the matter said Tuesday. LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai, who sees Koike as "a candidate who can win," apparently overrode the wish ...
Japan mulls ¥30 trillion in economic stimulus to counter coronavirus impact
Spending by the government is likely to surpass the ¥15 trillion it earmarked during the 2008 global financial crisis.
Virus brings Japan's debate on constitutional revision to a standstill
Until the pandemic settles down, the government’s call for restraint on big events means no meetings, rallies or snap elections for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s revision-minded LDP.
Japanese government weighs cash handouts to households to ease coronavirus impact
The government and the ruling coalition are considering providing cash to households in an effort to boost personal spending amid the coronavirus outbreak, sources have said. Officials and lawmakers are studying the possibility of extending more than ¥12,000 ($112) per person, a level the government ...
Suicide note reignites Moritomo scandal that rocked Abe administration
The wife of a former Finance Ministry official who killed himself filed a lawsuit against the ministry and the former chief of its financial bureau, seeking damages of ¥110 million.
Opposition unites behind single candidate in Shizuoka by-election
Major opposition parties have decided to support a single candidate in a House of Representatives by-election set to be held in Shizuoka Prefecture on April 26. The by-election in the prefecture's No. 4 constituency is now likely to be a de facto one-on-one race between ...
Japanese Cabinet minister says virus may be worse for economy than 2008 financial crisis
The effect of the new coronavirus on the economy could be worse than the 2008 financial crisis, economic revitalization minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said. Speaking on Fuji TV, Nishimura called Sunday for strong measures to protect the economy and said proper consideration should be given to ...
Japan's Diet unites, on surface at least, to pass coronavirus emergency bill
The state-of-emergency legislation is an amendment to a law covering influenza and new infectious diseases passed in 2012.
Japan ruling bloc considering third batch of measures against COVID-19
A plan to provide ¥30,000 each to households with children is being discussed as part of the third package.
