Tag - ldp

 
 

LDP

Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura had sought to resume kickbacks from party fundraising revenues, according to the testimony of a former faction accountant to the Tokyo District Court on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
Shimomura asked for resumption of kickbacks, LDP ex-accountant testifies
The former LDP policy chief suggested that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had agreed to resume the practice, former Abe faction accountant Junichiro Matsumoto said.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi denies he was involved in requests for favorable online comments to be made about him.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
Koizumi apologizes over campaign's soliciting of favorable online comments
A member of the farm minister's campaign team asked supporters to post comments favorable to him on an online video.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during an interview on Sept. 20 at parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
LDP presidential candidate Hayashi sees need for backup of Tokyo
The idea has been championed by opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai, which is seeking to turn Osaka into a backup capital.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
Unruly tourists, visa overstayers and increasing land purchases by foreign nationals were some of the issues spotlighted during debates.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (center) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive for a news conference with other candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
Koizumi leads in support among LDP lawmakers, survey shows
With about a quarter of all LDP lawmakers having not decided who to back in the party's presidential election, the race is still fluid.
Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidates attend a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 26, 2025
'Speed dating' — with an LDP twist
It feels like one of the speed dating events that used to be on Japanese television years ago, where the candidates court prospective partners one after the other.
The Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2025
Will a Lower House election follow LDP’s leadership vote? Maybe not this time
Dissolving the Lower House to call a snap general election soon after the appointment of a new party leader is convention, but the current situation seems more complicated.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (left), former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (right) and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrive to attend the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates joint press conference at LDP headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 25, 2025
Newcomer or veteran? LDP faces two choices for new party chief
Whoever wins the Oct. 4 leadership race must be able to work with senior members while also showing the public that the LDP is serious about reform.
U.S. President Donald Trump will visit Japan in October, according to media reports.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 25, 2025
Trump may visit Japan during upcoming Asia trip
With Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stepping down, the U.S. president’s visit to Japan would come at a politically shaky time for the nation.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi has changed course on some economic issues.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 24, 2025
LDP presidential candidates get closer to opposition on some economic issues
They have to make more compromises as the ruling coalition no longer has the majority.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, ex-LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi and agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi pose for group photos before a Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates' debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2025
LDP presidential hopefuls failing to stand out on policy
During a two-hour debate Wednesday, each candidate's policy stance seemed to overlap with one another's, making it hard for anyone to stand out.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is preparing to issue a statement on World War II after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election on Oct. 4, government officials said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 24, 2025
Ishiba to release WWII message after LDP presidential race
To prevent the statement from impacting the LDP race, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided to release it just before his expected resignation early next month.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi addresses a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside candidates vying to become the Liberal Democratic Party's next president. The ruling party’s leadership race officially kicked off on Monday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 24, 2025
An identity crisis is haunting Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party
Dismal performances have the LDP clinging to power as a minority in both houses of parliament, and in search of its fifth leader in as many years
The candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race at a joint news conference on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2025
LDP candidates focus on reform as presidential vote approaches
Losing two national elections in the past year has made reform a top concern for the party.
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi, former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, former Internal Affairs Minister Sanae Takaichi and Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi pose after delivering speeches at the kickoff of campaigning for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in Tokyo on Monday. The five lawmakers are running to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba as LDP president.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 22, 2025
LDP race commences with mix of youth and experience
Whoever wins faces the task of rebuilding public trust in the 70-year-old LDP at a time of low public approval ratings as smaller opposition parties resonate with many voters.
(Clockwise from top left) Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi; former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi; Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Shinjiro Koizumi; former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi; and former minister of state for economic security Sanae Takaichi
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 22, 2025
Who’s who in the LDP presidential race?
Here is a brief outline of the backgrounds and policies of the five candidates vying to lead the ruling party, and ultimately, the country.
Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi arrives for a news conference in Tokyo on Saturday to talk about entering the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2025
LDP presidential race to officially start on Monday
It will be the first LDP presidential election since the party and its coalition partner, Komeito, lost their combined majority in both chambers of the country's parliament.
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks during a news conference announcing his formal entry into the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2025
Koizumi makes economic growth top priority in bid for LDP presidency
Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi used a news conference Saturday in Tokyo to unveil a raft of policies as he sought to appeal to his party’s conservative wing.
Hard-line conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi has consistently been a public favorite in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership election scheduled for Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 20, 2025
Japan may see its first female PM despite limited progress on gender gap
For a country that has seen limited progress on gender equality, a win by Takaichi could represent a watershed moment.
Veteran lawmaker Sanae Takaichi outlines her policy platform at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday as she makes another bid for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party presidency.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 19, 2025
Takaichi works to soften her image in LDP presidential bid
A long-time conservative champion, the former economic security minister had long worked to present herself as the poster child of the more hawkish wing of the LDP.

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