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July 05, 2025
 

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LOWER HOUSE

JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2016
Lawmakers aim to enact bill to legalize casinos by Dec. 14
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party resumes Lower House committee deliberations on the long-stalled, controversial legislation.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2016
Diet panel resumes talks on amending Constitution
Thursday's debate by the panel zeroed in on the long-standing assertion by conservative forces that Japan's supreme law was “imposed” by the Allied Powers.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2016
Ruling bloc rams TPP bill through committee
The ruling coalition steamrolls a TPP ratification bill through the Lower House Trans-Pacific Partnership panel, infuriating opposition lawmakers and sparking chaos in the Diet.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2016
Busy 2017 schedule fuels rumors of snap Lower House election in January
Speculation gained momentum after Natsuo Yamaguchi, head of Komeito, urged his peers to brace for a possible new year poll.
JAPAN
May 24, 2016
Diet passes legislation to revamp Japan's criminal justice system
New legislation increases video recording of interrogations, expands the reach of the wiretap law and introduces plea bargains.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 1, 2016
Lower House approves record ¥96.7 trillion budget
The Lower House passes a record budget, marking a turning point in Diet deliberations in which the ruling and opposition camps will switch attention to the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2016
Lower House ready to pass record ¥96.7 trillion draft budget
The Lower House is set to pass the government's fiscal 2016 budget proposals Tuesday, making enactment of the record draft totaling ¥96.7 trillion all but certain.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2016
Lawmakers can't break logjam over Japan's unequal voting districts
One month after an expert panel proposed key electoral reforms to correct wide vote-value disparities between urban and less-populated areas, major political parties remain divided on the issue.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2016
Abe eschews further delays, vows to cut 10 Lower House seats in line with census
The prime minister pledges to slash 10 seats in the Diet's House of Representatives sooner than his LDP party has proposed.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 4, 2015
The Supreme Court and the state of unconstitutionality
Do we want the Supreme Court to violate the Constitution by allowing illegally elected politicians to stay in office, or do we want something closer to real democracy?
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 25, 2015
Supreme Court says December election 'in state of unconstitutionality,' but won't nullify results
The top court decides that the last Lower House election was borderline unconstitutional due to the high level of vote-value disparities among constituencies.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2015
Ex-LDP lawmaker Takaya Muto involved in sex scandal: report
Takaya Muto, a Lower House member who quit the Liberal Democratic Party over an alleged money scandal last week, has engaged in sexual intercourse with a 19-year-old male prostitute repeatedly since last November, the latest issue of weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun reported.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 26, 2015
Lawmaker Takaya Muto denies involvement in stock fraud, says he won't resign
Embattled Lower House lawmaker Takaya Muto on Wednesday dismissed an allegation that he was involved in investment fraud and said he had no plans to resign from the Diet.
EDITORIALS
Jul 30, 2015
Upper House vote reform falls short
The recent changes to the Upper House districts fall far short of addressing in a meaningful way the disparity in vote values.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2015
Temp workers dealt blow as dispatch bill clears Lower House
Opposition lawmakers leave in protest as the Lower House passes a bill to let companies use temporary workers as long as they want instead of hiring them full time.
EDITORIALS
Dec 29, 2014
Pesky political fund problems
The return of Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc to a two-thirds majority in the Lower House has all but sidelined a spate of political fund problems that hit Cabinet members before the snap election. But it has not erased them.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 24, 2014
Abe vows to stay the course in third term as prime minister
Shinzo Abe vowed Wednesday to continue pursuing his economic, diplomatic and security policies after Diet members re-elected him to a third term as prime minister.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 17, 2014
Low voter turnout mars Abe's claim of election triumph
The Liberal Democratic Party won 43.12 million votes in Sunday's snap poll, nearly 3 million fewer than in the 2009 election, which it lost.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014
Ozawa keeps hope for regime change alive
Diet heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa, leader of Seikatsu no To (People's Life Party), admitted Monday that the opposition camp failed to give voters an alternative to the ruling bloc in the Lower House election but stressed that change is still possible if they join hands.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 15, 2014
Abe claims mandate for economic, security policies despite lowest turnout ever
Emerging as the big winner in the Lower House election, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declares he has a renewed mandate to keep pushing his policy agenda.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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