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November 04, 2025
 

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LDP

The Liberal Democratic Party’s pledges ahead of the Upper House election are in sharp contrast to those of the opposition parties, which have all promised tax cuts in various degrees.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
LDP pledges cash handouts and a better economy ahead of Upper House vote
“Driving Japan forward, enriching lives” will be the ruling party’s campaign slogan as it prepares for the upcoming Upper House election.
Tatsunori Ibayashi, a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker who was removed from his post as Lower House finance committee chair, reacts after a motion of dismissal against him cleared the chamber on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
In a first, Lower House opposition parties unite to dismiss finance committee chair
Yukihiko Akutsu, a Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan lawmaker, was chosen hours later to replace the chair in an election in the Lower House.
An Upper House plenary session earlier this month. The Upper House election is likely to take place on July 20.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2025
Upper House election likely to take place July 20
Whether the CDP will submit a no-confidence motion against the Ishiba Cabinet is set to be the main focus in the closing days of the current parliamentary session.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters last month in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
Ishiba pledges cash handout for all citizens ahead of election
The handout would be ¥20,000 per person and an additional ¥20,000 would be added on top of that per child or low-income earner, Ishiba said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet has approved this year's <i>honebuto no hōshin</i>, a document that sets economic and fiscal management guidelines for the government.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 13, 2025
Wage growth a focus of this year's honebuto no hōshin
The government's guidelines for economic and fiscal management outline the target of raising the average minimum hourly wage to ¥1,500 by 2030.
People gather for a campaign speech in Tokyo's Suginami Ward on June 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
Parties to test political waters in Tokyo election ahead of Upper House vote
The election is seen as an early indicator of how voters nationwide might cast their ballots in next month’s Upper House poll.
Kisaburo Tokai (center right), Liberal Democratic Party political reform chief, and Hiroshi Ogushi (center left), acting Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader, and others attend a meeting on political reform between ruling and opposition party officials at the Diet on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2025
Japan delays decision on reviewing political donations
Political reform chiefs from the parties concluded that it would be difficult to enact legislation on the review before the current parliamentary session ends.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center right) meets with Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (center left) in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2025
Ishiba on the counteroffensive in parliament’s final rush
A recent bump in approval ratings and a show of bipartisan unity have given the prime minister a boost in parliament.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a Liberal Democratic Party executive meeting in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2025
As election looms, Ishiba pledges ¥1 quadrillion GDP by 2040
Ahead of the Upper House election, the prime minister has unveiled the ambitious target, along with raising the average income by at least half.
Japan faces soaring rice prices, a powerful farming cooperative resistant to change, declining farmer numbers, falling rice consumption and conflicting government policies that hinder effective reform of the sector.
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2025
How ‘vintage’ rice is shaking up Japanese politics
Rice is where consumers have drawn the line. The staple rose by 98% in the past year, adding almost half a percentage point to headline inflation.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at an Upper House session in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2025
No-confidence motion against Ishiba Cabinet could lead to double election
A double election could result in more political stability if either bloc manages to capture both chambers, or continued instability if neither holds a majority.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Lower House Budget Committee meeting on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2025
Japan to hold WWII panel discussions after summer Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's administration was considering setting up the panel as early as April.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to the media as he inspects a warehouse storing stockpiled rice in Kanagawa Prefecture on May 30.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 6, 2025
From ridicule to redemption: Rice crisis returns Koizumi to the spotlight
The lawmaker, sometimes said to be long on image and short on substance, has won praise for bringing down the price of rice.
A survivor of the Tokyo air raids in 1945 points to a map showing burned areas of central Tokyo in red after the bombing, during an interview in the city in March 2015.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2025
LDP to put off WWII air raid relief bill
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is believed to be concerned that it could lead to other compensation-related issues.
A tax-free shop in Kyoto in April 2024. Last week, members of a Liberal Democratic Party study group drafted a proposal seeking to scrap the country's tax-free shopping system altogether.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 5, 2025
Japan eyes tougher rules for foreign residents and tax hike for tourists
Ideas range from stricter driver's license tests for foreign nationals to increasing taxes on foreign visitors.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and other imperial family members attend the New Year's appearance at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Jan. 2, 2020.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2025
Japan lawmakers likely to put off decision on imperial family plan
Leaders of the House of Representatives have found it difficult to reach a conclusion before the current parliamentary session is set to end on June 22.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba answers questions during a budget committee session of the House of Councilors on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2025
Ishiba eyes dissolving Lower House in wake of possible no-confidence motion
The prime minister is apparently sending a warning to the main opposition at a time when battles between the ruling and opposition camps are intensifying.
Arrows lead to the tax-free counter at a branch of discount retailer Don Quijote in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 4, 2025
Is Japan ready to say goodbye to tax-free shopping?
Amid widespread abuse of Japan’s tax-free shopping system, a group of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are mulling over its possible abolition.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba offers a flower during a ceremony to pay respects to unidentified war dead from World War II at the Chidorigafuchi National Cemetery in Tokyo on May 26.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2025
Ishiba faces political and diplomatic quandary ahead of WWII anniversary
There is fierce opposition among conservatives to any form of official reflection on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during an Upper House agriculture committee meeting on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 30, 2025
Some LDP lawmakers wary of Koizumi's aggressive price policy
There are fears that the approach may cause farmers, a key support bloc, to distance themselves from the party.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
More Japanese universities pushing toward teaching in English
Waseda University in Tokyo
A narrow Pacific waterway at heart of U.S. plans to choke China’s vast navy
Philippine and Australian troops fire an M777 howitzer during live fire exercises as part of joint military drills in Laur, Nueva Ecija, the Philippines, in August.
Trump would make U.S. Supreme Court history by attending tariffs case
There is no record in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 235-year history of a sitting president ever attending arguments, according to Clare Cushman, director of publications and resident historian at the Supreme Court Historical Society.
Dodgers clinch back-to-back World Series titles as Blue Jays downed in thriller
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and teammates celebrate after winning the World Series against the Blue Jays. Yamamoto was named MVP for the series.
How airlines are refining their in-flight food in Japan's tourism boom
All Nippon Airways' gourmet program, The Connoisseurs, showcases the Japanese concept of "shun" (peak season for ingredients), giving passengers a preview of the refined cuisine that awaits them in Japan.
The unstoppable rise of konbini tourism
Guests typically follow Ryo Ito’s lead as he weaves through the narrow, colorful aisles of convenience stores.
Anime isn’t competing with Hollywood — it’s beating it
After its July release, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — Infinity Castle,” an animated feature adapted directly from a TV arc, became the highest-grossing Japanese film ever.
Oasis returns to Japan after 16 years — and fans can still sing every word
Liam Gallagher commanded the stage with effortless charisma during Oasis' Tokyo Dome set on Saturday.
At Japan Mobility Show, BYD gears up to conquer Japan's EV market
BYD Auto Japan President Atsuki Tofukuji unveils the Racco at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes
By Alex K.T. Martin

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