Tag - reiwa

 
 

REIWA

Yasuhiko Funago (center) asks a representative question during a plenary session of the House of Councilors, inside the Diet building in January 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 12, 2025
Ex-lawmaker with ALS calls on politicians to ensure right to live
Yasuhiko Funago expressed strong concern about social pressures that could make it difficult for people with severe illnesses and disabilities to live.
Voters look at posters of candidates for an Upper House election outside a polling station in Tokyo on July 20. The young abandoned the ruling Liberal Democratic Party for other conservative and newer parties in the recent poll. REUTERS
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2025
What is a ‘Japanese conservative’ in this day and age?
My view is that younger voters saw the LDP as a group of elderly, self-absorbed elitists who were out of touch with the issues that mattered to them.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses the media at the vote-counting center in the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters in Tokyo on July 20.  
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 1, 2025
Is this the end of Japan's 'big tent' parties?
The big winners of the day in the Upper House election were newer conservative parties.
Opposition party policy chiefs discuss a gas bill in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 25, 2025
Move to abolish gasoline tax is LDP-Komeito coalition’s first post-election test
The minority government of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is under pressure to quickly decide on how to respond to the opposition push.
Reiwa Shinsengumi deputy leader Yasuhiko Funago during a news conference at the Diet building on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
Reiwa Shinsengumi lawmaker with ALS to retire
Yasuhiko Funago, 67, said that it would be difficult for him to serve another six-year term considering his age and physical strength.
Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Oct. 27. The party tripled their Lower House seats to nine in last month's general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2024
How Reiwa Shinsengumi managed to overtake JCP in the Lower House
The younger party's focus on pocketbook issues attracted younger, independent left-leaning swing voters who might have voted for the older party in the past.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks with voters in Tokyo on Saturday ahead of Sunday's general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024
Japan party heads travel 84,000 km to campaign for general election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clocked 14,387 kilometers, longer than any other party leaders over the 12 days.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at a shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024
Emperor Naruhito marks five years since enthronement
The emperor's first five years on the throne were largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida launched his administration in 2021, he has vowed to boost spending by trillions of yen to tackle some deep-rooted issues. But how exactly the government will fund such efforts remains unclear.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 8, 2023
Private group calls for independent body to monitor long-term fiscal policy
The proposal suggests future projections can help citizens think more seriously about how fiscal matters could affect future generations.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2023
Bill to promote LGBTQ understanding passes key step in Japan's Lower House
Discussions took place at an unusual speed, with the committee approving the proposal after only a few hours of debate.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2023
Japan opposition party lawmaker Hakase Suidobashi resigns
The comedian-turned-politician of Reiwa Shinsengumi had stopped his political activities in October last year after being diagnosed with depression.
JAPAN
Nov 14, 2022
With new group, prefectural governors take aim at Tokyo's dominance
Nearly half of Japan's 47 prefectural governors formed the group amid frustration with the government's slow progress in reducing the concentration of people and firms in the capital.
JAPAN
Jul 7, 2022
Japan’s oldest and youngest political parties court disaffected voters
Despite similarities in their platforms, the two parties' voting blocs come from completely different generations.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Oct 13, 2021
Major opposition parties in Japan unite in attempt to dislodge LDP
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Japanese Communist Party and two other groups have pursued unified policies and candidates, but tensions remain in some areas.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 3, 2020
‘Reiwa Uprising’: Political passions make for a compelling watch
Kazuo Hara's documentary about the Reiwa Shinsengumi political party's 2019 campaign is worth sitting through even though it's just over four hours long.
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 8, 2020
'The Japanese Linguistic Landscape': Essays on language by the man behind 'Reiwa'
For the student lost in the midst of memorizing kanji, it's easy to forget that languages are molded not just by the sharp corners of reality but also by the careful caressing of poets. What a joy it is then to have this window into the poetic beauty behind some "quintessential words."

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’