National / Politics Jul 2, 2020
LDP heavyweight Shigeru Ishiba against dissolving Lower House early
Speculation about a possible general election this coming fall has been rife among political circles.
National / Politics | FOCUS Oct 29, 2019
With hazy plan for SDF dispatch to Mideast, is Japan pursuing contradictory goals?
by Reiji Yoshida
It was an unusual meeting starting at around 7:30 a.m. at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Oct. 23, hastily organized so government officials could get lawmakers up to speed. In the week before, the government had abruptly announced plans to dispatch ...
Commentary / Japan Sep 12, 2019
Abe shows his command over LDP in reshuffle
by Michael MacArthur Bosack
Abe demonstrated that he is clearly in the driver's seat, posturing his allies for advancement in the LDP ranks, keeping bandwagoners contained and edging out rivals altogether.
National / Politics Oct 1, 2018
Abe to give prime party posts to his close aides in LDP and Cabinet reshuffles
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has decided to offer his close aides key posts in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming reshuffles of his party leadership and Cabinet, according to government sources. Abe plans to appoint former economy minister Akira Amari as head of ...
National / Politics Sep 22, 2018
Abe likely to retain key ministers in Cabinet reshuffle, official says
The prime minister’s foreign, finance, trade and economy chiefs will stay, along with his party’s top executives, but followers of rival Shigeru Ishiba face the boot.
National / Politics | ANALYSIS Sep 21, 2018
LDP election exposes huge gap between Diet members, frustrated rank and file
by Reiji Yoshida
Despite a convincing win among Diet members, the prime minister barely beat rival Shigeru Ishiba in votes distributed to the party’s regional members.
National / Politics | ANALYSIS Sep 20, 2018
Constitutional revision, fraught with risk, tops agenda for Abe's next term
by Reiji Yoshida
As was widely expected, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won Thursday's presidential election to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, allowing him to continue as prime minister for up to three more years if all goes according to the party's plans. But now that the votes ...
National / Politics Sep 20, 2018
Abe tops Ishiba in Liberal Democratic Party election and secures historic third term
by Tomohiro Osaki
Japan’s prime minister comfortably beat his only contender, securing 553 out of a total 807 votes.
National / Politics Sep 17, 2018
Russia offers Japan time to consider Vladimir Putin's unexpected peace treaty proposal
Russia thinks Japan needs time to form a position on President Vladimir Putin’s unexpected peace treaty proposal last week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says.
National / Politics Sep 16, 2018
Abe-Ishiba debate highlights candidates' lack of concrete plans to tackle fundamental problems
by Tomohiro Osaki
A debate illustrates Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s differences on how to overcome some of the most fundamental problems Japan faces.
National / Politics Sep 16, 2018
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe holds a 20-point lead over former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election next week, a Kyodo News poll showed Saturday. Abe, who is seeking another three-year term in the Sept. 20 leadership election, was ...
National / Politics Sep 15, 2018
LDP election rivals Abe and Ishiba campaign on disaster resilience during visit to Kyoto
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba focused on the importance of building resilience to disasters as they campaigned in Kyoto on Saturday, dueling on the last weekend before the ruling party selects its leader for the next three years. It was ...