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July 05, 2025
 

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POLITICAL FUNDS

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2024
LDP eyes larger tax breaks for individual political donations
The move is designed to lower the share of political donations from companies and organizations, which have been subject to public criticism.
The Japanese government and the ruling coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party are discussing a plan to set the date for convening an extraordinary session of parliament on Nov. 28.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2024
Japan eyes extraordinary session of parliament from Nov. 28
The session will be convened to discuss a fiscal 2024 supplementary budget that will finance a planned economic package.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito (left) urged Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to resolve the slush funds scandal during their meeting on Saturday at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2024
Upper House LDP members hope to face ethics panel over scandal
LDP lawmakers in the Lower House are generally opposed to such moves.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (third from left in the front row) posing for a commemorative photo with vice ministers of the second Ishiba Cabinet at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2024
No scandal-tainted LDP lawmakers appointed to senior government posts
The exclusion of lawmakers involved in the slush fund scandal is apparently aimed at avoiding criticism from the opposition camp and the public.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who doubles as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a gathering on the party's political reform plans on Tuesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2024
Ishiba's minority government begins first day of business with focus on reform
With the ruling coalition no longer having a majority, Ishiba will likely be forced to make significant concessions to the opposition camp.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutor's Office will reinvestigate the case against the former secretary of lawmaker Koichi Hagiuda and consider again whether to seek criminal punishment.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 6, 2024
Citizen panel nixes decision not to indict Hagiuda's secretary
The panel said it is unreasonable not to prosecute the secretary in view of the maliciousness of the acts relating to the Liberal Democratic Party's slush funds scandal.
A front page announcement for Hideki Yukawa's Nobel Prize win in the fields of physics informs readers of Japan's first-ever Nobel laureate.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Nov 4, 2024
Japan Times 1949: Yukawa wins Nobel award
Along with Japan receiving its first Nobel Prize 75 years ago, a lengthy write-up on the man who sought to kill the emperor appeared on our front pages.
The Liberal Democratic Party's seats in the House of Representatives fell to 191 from 256 in Sunday's election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2024
LDP will likely have a 2.5% cut in its subsidies from the government
The LDP's subsidies are expected to total ¥15.65 billion for the year.
Koichi Hagiuda thanks his supporters early Monday in Tokyo after his victory in Sunday's general election became certain.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
60% of 'slush fund' candidates lose in Japan Lower House poll
The severe outcome reflected renewed criticism against the LDP that arose in the final stage of the election campaign.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, makes a speech at a campaign event for the Lower House election, in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2024
In tight Japan election, candidates make last-ditch appeals
Opinion polls have suggested the ruling bloc might fall short of a majority, delivering a potentially devastating blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to voters in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024
LDP rapped over funds for local chapters of scandal-tainted candidates
The LDP secretary-general said the funding was provided to the local chapters to expand the party’s influence, not to support individual candidates.
Hiroshi Moriyama, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, is interviewed at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2024
LDP says it will abolish policy activity funds in the future
"There is no doubt about moving toward abolishing the allowances," the LDP's secretary-general said in an interview.
Of the potential candidates at present, more than 1,060 are preparing for battle in 289 single-seat constituencies.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2024
Over 1,170 people plan to seek Lower House seats
Over 1,170 people are currently planning to run in the Oct. 27 election for the House of Representatives.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba listens as Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (right) speaks during a one-on-one debate in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 9, 2024
Opposition clashes with Ishiba over political reform
Political reform and the LDP slush fund scandal took center stage during the prime minister's showdown with opposition party leaders.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a Lower House session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 7, 2024
Ishiba fends off questions on endorsement of scandal-tainted LDP members
The prime minister was grilled in parliament on the extent of support the ruling party will give those implicated in a recent slush funds scandal in upcoming polls.
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.

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