Tag - political

 
Menu
Search
 
May 07, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

POLITICAL

There are growing calls within the LDP to query former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (left) over his possible involvement in the scandal. While Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that the party would discuss hearing directly from those involved, he did not offer specific examples of who he had in mind.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 15, 2024
Shimomura to testify amid growing calls to query Mori over funds scandal
The former LDP policy chief's testimony before an ethics committee could pressure the ex-PM to disclose what he knows about the kickback scheme.
Relations between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso (right) have been strained since January, when the prime minister announced that he was dissolving his own faction, which took both of them by surprise.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 15, 2024
How can Kishida punish lawmakers involved in the slush funds scandal?
Next month's by-elections and party polls later this year put the prime minister in a tough spot.
Hiroshige Seko, a former Upper House secretary-general of the LDP, told the Upper House ethics committee in Tokyo on Thursday that he was never directly involved in the handling of the Abe faction’s funds.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 14, 2024
Upper House Abe faction members deny involvement in slush fund scandal
Opposition lawmakers targeted the lack of clarity over the decision to continue a kickback scheme after Abe’s death in 2022.
Former Olympics minister Seiko Hashimoto has announced her intention to appear before an Upper House political ethics committee scheduled to convene on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 12, 2024
Three members of Abe faction to attend Upper House ethics hearing
But other lawmakers embroiled in the LDP slush fund scandal have largely indicated that they don't intend to testify.
LDP Youth Division leaders Takashi Fujiwara (left) and Yasutaka Nakasone submitted their resignations to the party headquarters last Friday over an event hosted by the party's Wakayama chapter last November that featured female dancers in revealing outfits.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 11, 2024
After slush funds, LDP now faces fresh scandals
An event that featured dancers in revealing outfits and an affair with a Canadian saxophone player have resulted in three resignations in the past week.
The approval rating for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet has hit a fresh low of 20.1%, according to a new survey.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 10, 2024
Kishida Cabinet support rate hits fresh low at 20% over funds scandal
The poll also showed 91.4% believe LDP lawmakers involved in the funds scandal have not been held accountable.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a ruling Liberal Democratic Party meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2024
LDP to revise rules to ban traditional factions
The draft revisions include tougher penalties for political funds control law violations.
LDP secretary-general Toshimitsu Motegi has asserted that he handled his funds "appropriately" in compliance with the political funds control law.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 7, 2024
Motegi-linked organization transferred funds to group with lighter disclosure rules
A group associated with the LDP heavyweight transferred a large sum over several years, making it impossible to trace how the money was used.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives for a meeting of a parliamentary ethics committee at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Feb. 29.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Mar 7, 2024
Kishida's three challenges: Discipline, by-elections and Motegi
How the prime minister handles these matters could impact his political future as well as that of the Liberal Democratic Party.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during an Upper House Budget Committee session on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 4, 2024
Kishida denies intent to dissolve Lower House in April
The prime minister was grilled on his reason for rushing the passage of the government's fiscal 2024 draft budget last week.
The Japanese parliament building in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 3, 2024
Opposition again demands 32 Upper House members face ethics panel
Junichi Ishii, LDP parliamentary affairs chief in the Upper House, says the LDP intends to decide in early March on the plan to hold ethics panel hearings.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a Lower House plenary session on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 3, 2024
In bid to save face, Kishida sticks to his guns on budget passage schedule
The PM wants to prevent his administration's popularity from falling further but his handling of a funds scandal is widely perceived as inadequate.
Factions, cliques, caucuses — whatever they may be called, groupings in legislatures are not unusual in many countries.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Perspectives
Mar 2, 2024
Is the funding scandal unraveling the LDP?
The media is caught up in the money-politics scandal of the moment, framing factions as all good or all bad. Things are a lot more nuanced than that.
Former economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, who served as the Abe faction’s secretary-general for 10 months until August 2022, said the practice of returning portions of the income collected through fundraising parties to individual lawmakers was solely handled by the faction chairman and an administrative secretary.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 1, 2024
As ethics hearing unfolds, Diet falls into chaos over budget approval
The CDP sought to censure budget committee leader Itsunori Onodera over his decision to push through a final vote, and argued for more extensive debate.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at a Lower House ethics committee hearing in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 29, 2024
Kishida apologizes over slush funds scandal at ethics committee meeting
In a rare appearance in front of the committee, the prime minister also vowed to implement political reforms in the wake of the scandal.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tells reporters that he plans to attend a Lower House ethics committee hearing, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 28, 2024
Kishida says he will attend ethics committee hearing on funds scandal
In addition to Kishida, five senior LDP members will face the committee in front of a fully-open session of the Lower House on Thursday and Friday.
In principle, political ethics committee meetings are not open to either the media or other lawmakers. But the committee can open them to both at its discretion.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 27, 2024
What to know about the ethics committee probing the LDP funds scandal
When the committee convenes later this week, at least five senior ruling party officials are expected to testify on what they knew about the scandal.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 23, 2024
Nikkei's all-time high unlikely to serve as tailwind for Kishida
Many analysts point out that the jump in Tokyo shares is not due to the economic and monetary policies of the government and the Bank of Japan.
Lower House Budget Committee executives discuss next week's schedule in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2024
Committee probing LDP funds scandal set to open next week
The committee will likely gather next Wednesday and Thursday to interrogate five senior LDP lawmakers over their involvement in a kickback scheme.
The LDP's Takuo Komori stepped down from his post as parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs after it was revealed he had underreported political funds.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2024
Will the LDP funding scandal change Japanese politics?
What can we learn from the LDP funding scandal? One thing is certain: The saga fits a pattern that is anything but unseen in Japanese politics.
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
Tokuryū, a new crime menace in Japan, emerges from the shadows
The National Police Agency coined the term "tokuryū" to classify individuals involved in dark part time jobs and quasi-gangsters, using the words "tokumei" (anonymous) and "ryūdo" (fluid) to reflect their characteristics.
Japan's labor crunch persists despite slight improvement
Over 300 companies went out of business in fiscal 2023 due to labor shortages, according to Teikoku Databank.
Is Modi’s party heading for a stunning election loss?
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's campaign tactics have escalated, including anti-Muslim rhetoric and fearmongering, reflecting his ruling party's desperation.
How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music
A screencap of a performance of Hiroto Nagai's “String Quartet No. 1 ‘Polar Energy Budget’” by the PRT Quartet
Japan’s tween skateboarders get head start on preparations for 2028 Olympics
Ibuki Matsumoto competes at an event in Osaka on April 21.
Pentagon reveals drone types for Replicator program to counter China
A U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operator fires a Switchblade 300 loitering munition during training exercises in Fallon, Nevada, last July. The U.S. Defense Department plans to use small drones — known in the Pentagon as “all-domain attritable autonomous systems” — to help counter Chinese military systems and tactics.
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER