Tag - ldp

 
 

LDP

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2024
Ishiba questioned on political reform, social issues and the economy
The prime minister reiterated his skepticism about abolishing corporate donations to political parties.
Lower House member Hiroaki Tabata holds a news conference on Friday in Toyama.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2024
LDP member reportedly tried to hide membership scandal
Hiroaki Tabata admitted during a news conference Friday night that his office had signed people up for LDP membership without their consent.
The largest corporate donors to the ruling LDP were Toyota Motor and Sumitomo Chemical, with ¥50 million each.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2024
LDP received ¥2.4 billion in corporate donations in 2023
The figure is down 1.9% from the previous year, the first decline in three years, according to political funds records released Friday.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2024
Ishiba sticks to the basics in second policy speech
Rather than expand on his broader vision, Ishiba chose to focus on less-contentious individual policy matters.
Members of the Self-Defense Forces march at the GSDF Camp Asaka, which straddles Tokyo and Saitama, on Nov. 9. As part of a five-year defense buildup launched in 2022, the government has said it will raise personal income, corporate and tobacco taxes to cover the added costs.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2024
Japan wobbles on tax hikes to pay for historic defense buildup
A decision on raising taxes to help cover rising defense spending may be delayed again, a senior ruling coalition official has said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to face intensified pressure from opposition parties after his ruling coalition lost its majority in the powerful House of Representatives in an election last month.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2024
Japan's parliament opens extraordinary session
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expected to face intensified pressure from opposition parties.
In last month’s Lower House election, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who also serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, excluded members implicated in a slush funds scandal who refused to attend a Lower House ethics hearing earlier this year from the party’s proportional representation candidates list.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2024
More scandal-hit LDP lawmakers to attend Upper House ethics hearing
The lawmakers could be at a disadvantage in next summer's Upper House election if they do not attend the hearing.
DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2024
DPP’s Tamaki leverages new position with energy proposal
Yuichiro Tamaki has been a long-time advocate of nuclear power and the reactivation of Japan’s halted nuclear power plants.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2024
False report on Yasukuni Shrine visit 'extremely regrettable,' top spokesperson says
Kyodo news had reported on unconfirmed information that a parliamentary vice foreign minister had visited the shrine in 2022.
Sanae Takaichi (left) celebrates Shigeru Ishiba’s victory in becoming the head of the Liberal Democratic Party along with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in September. Takaichi appears to be the only woman in any party who is close to breaking the glass ceiling to become the nation’s first female leader. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2024
The derailing of potential female prime ministers
Sanae Takaichi stands as the closest woman to breaking the glass ceiling and becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Thursday to discuss political reform.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2024
Corporate donations remain sticky point in political reform talks
The opposition wants such donations banned but the ruling coalition maintains that a ban would curtail the political freedom of the private sector.
Former Lower House member Masatoshi Akimoto (center) enters the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 25, 2024
Former Japanese lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto denies accepting bribes
Akimoto said that he received the payment in question, but added that the money was "neither a reward for a job nor a benefit."
Seiji Osaka, the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan's Hokkaido chapter, has expressed concern over the finances of Rapidus, which is supposed to be in full production of cutting-edge 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
JAPAN / Politics / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Nov 25, 2024
CDP’s gains in Hokkaido raise political questions about Rapidus
The head of the party's Hokkaido chapter has expressed concern over the finances for the project, which aims to produce 2-nanometer chips by 2027.
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida gives a speech on Friday at a meeting of a newly formed group within the Liberal Democratic party to promote investments.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 24, 2024
Former Prime Minister Kishida launches new group in ruling LDP
Kishida is keen to exert his influence, saying that he has a lot of unfinished projects, sources said.
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 22, 2024
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
Combined with expected spending from the private sector, this year’s package is estimated to add a total of ¥39 trillion to the economy.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Liberal Democratic Party meeting on political reform on Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2024
LDP approves proposal to ban political activities funds
The ruling party will look to revise the political funds control law by the end of this year.
Motohiko Saito talks to reporters on Monday after his reelection as Hyogo governor. His surprising comeback highlights rising populism in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2024
Has the age of populism finally reached Japan?
Motohiko Saito's reelection in Hyogo sparks concerns over populist trends in Japan's politics.
The Cabinet of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to approve an economic stimulus package totaling ¥21.9 trillion on Friday.
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2024
Ishiba set to announce $140 billion stimulus package
The package aims address a range of challenges from inflation to wage growth, and alleviate a cost-of-living crunch.
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2024
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
The package will include cash handouts to lower-income households and subsidies to help families cope with rising utility bills.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a news conference during the Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2024
Ishiba vows to conclude talks on policy activity funds soon
The Liberal Democratic Party aims to finalize its draft of a planned revision of the political funds control law on Thursday and begin discussions with other parties.

Longform

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami