Tag - shigeru-ishiba

 
 

SHIGERU ISHIBA

Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama delivers a speech during a rally in Tokyo in July 2015.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2025
Tributes pour in for former PM Murayama after his death
Mizuho Fukushima, leader of the Social Democratic Party, which succeeded Murayam's Japan Socialist Party, told reporters that Murayama was "like a guardian angel."
Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito speaks during a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in July. His party exited the ruling coalition with the ruling-LDP after 26 years, citing concerns over political donations and transparency.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2025
Is Komeito’s split with the LDP really about political funding?
Was Komeito negotiating in good faith or looking to undermine the Takaichi administration before it even commenced?
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announces his intention to resign on Sept. 7.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 15, 2025
Ishiba to leave office with a mixed record on the economy
The outgoing prime minister achieved a few successes and left some important business unfinished.
LDP head Sanae Takaichi attends an LDP meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 4.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 14, 2025
A frustrated LDP weighs its options now that Komeito is out
Having Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stay on at the helm and delaying the prime ministerial vote entirely were floated as ideas to buy time.
Newly-elected leader of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party Sanae Takaichi (right) celebrates with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba after winning the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on October 4.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 14, 2025
Number of scenarios now on the table for who might be Japan’s next prime minister
With Komeito’s exit from the ruling coalition, there is now no guarantee LDP chief Sanae Takaichi will be voted prime minister when parliament convenes.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of Democratic Party for the People, in Hiroshima on Monday
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2025
DPP and CDP chiefs likely to meet over prime minister nomination
Tamaki told reporters in Yamaguchi that he accepts Noda's proposal for them to meet for discussions on the possibility of opposition parties putting up a unified candidate.
Outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters inside the Japan Pavilion at the Osaka Expo on Sept. 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 13, 2025
As Osaka Expo comes to an end, so too does 'expo diplomacy' for Ishiba
The Osaka Expo was "a precious opportunity of diplomacy" for Japan, a senior Foreign Ministry official said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers remarks at a memorial service for Self-Defense Forces personnel who died in the line of duty, on Saturday at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 11, 2025
Ishiba attends memorial for fallen SDF members
The prime minister pledged to "do everything we can to protect the lives and the peace of the people of Japan."
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in Tokyo on Friday to deliver his statement on World War II
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 10, 2025
Ishiba statement explores Japan's failure to avoid World War II
Ishiba’s message was released in a personal capacity, without the formal approval of his entire Cabinet.
A Ground Self-Defense Force member conducts a military drill with an anti-ship missiles unit at the GSDF's Camp Miyako on Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture in April 2022.
JAPAN
Oct 8, 2025
Top Pentagon nominee says Japan has 'long underemphasized' defense spending
John Noh, the White House's nominee to be the Defense Department's top Asia official, said Tokyo “has long underemphasized spending for its own defense.”
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung before their meeting in Busan, South Korea, on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2025
Japan and South Korea tout stable ties, but concerns rise over Ishiba’s replacement
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung looked to regularize “shuttle diplomacy,” but much may hinge on Japan’s next leader.
Only two of the five candidates of the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election — Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (center) and former policy chief Toshimitsu Motegi (second from left) — own stock.
BUSINESS / Markets
Oct 1, 2025
Japan’s would-be leaders ignore call to invest in stocks
Only two of the five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election own stock, compared with five out of nine in last year's leadership race.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung before their meeting in Busan on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2025
South Korea and Japan look to cement ties before Ishiba’s exit
The two countries agreed to continue working-level discussions on low birth rates, regional growth and measures to prevent suicide, among other issues.
In his second bid for the presidency, farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi has toned down his rhetoric, avoiding controversial proposals for social and labor reform and pledging instead to carry on the work of previous administrations.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 30, 2025
Why Koizumi is toning down his calls for reform
The political scion's unsuccessful bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency last year may be influencing his shift in strategy this time.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (right) attends a joint news conference with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday.
JAPAN
Sep 30, 2025
Japan to provide about 10 surveillance drones to Sri Lanka
It will be Japan's first provision of defense equipment to Sri Lanka under its official security assistance program.
The National Diet building in Tokyo
JAPAN
Sep 29, 2025
Parliamentary vote to select new prime minister eyed for Oct. 14 or later
The parliamentary affairs chiefs of the LDP and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will begin talks on the schedule on Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi touts his own "experience and achievement" during the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election candidate debate at Nihon Kisha Club in Tokyo on September 24.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2025
Japan’s ‘Mr. 119’ might be facing his biggest challenge yet
Time is running out for Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi to convince colleagues in the Liberal Democratic Party that he is best suited to lead them.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (L) and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2025
Ishiba and Lee to discuss future of Tokyo-Seoul 'shuttle diplomacy'
The Japanese Prime Minister wants to ensure that Japan and South Korea maintain stable relations even after he steps down.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Sept. 16. All five candidates in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential race demonstrated a tougher stance on foreign tourists and nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 26, 2025
LDP presidential hopefuls take hard-line stance on immigration
Unruly tourists, visa overstayers and increasing land purchases by foreign nationals were some of the issues spotlighted during debates.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 26, 2025
A painful display at the United Nations
The U.N. will rarely actually solve problems but it can expose them.

Longform

Rock group The Yellow Monkey played K-Arena Yokohama in June as part of a nationwide tour. Concerts are increasingly popular in the age of social media as users value in-person experiences.
Inside Japan’s arena boom: Sports, sound and city-building