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July 04, 2026
 

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DIET

Shunichi Suzuki
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2026
Japan ruling LDP’s Suzuki negative on Diet extension
The remarks came after Hiroshi Nakatsuka, secretary-general of the JIP, called for an extension of the Diet session in talks with Suzuki on Monday.
Eisuke Mori (second from right), speaker of the House of Representatives, speaks to reporters in Tokyo's Nagatacho area on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2026
Parliament leaders OK outline of Imperial House Law amendment bill
The outline calls for allowing male members of the male line of former imperial family branches who are 15 or over to be adopted into the family.
The bill enacted by parliament on Friday calls on Japan Post, the mail and parcel delivery company wholly owned by Japan Post Holdings, to improve its operational efficiency through digital technologies and make more effective use of business resources.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 19, 2026
Bill to revise postal laws clears parliament
The development paves the way for the government to provide subsidies to preserve the nationwide post office network.
A Lower House committee votes on a revised constitutional referendum bill in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2026
Bill easing referendum procedures for constitutional amendments clears Lower House
While the bill addresses concerns about counting votes and public service announcements, the question of legislating internet and social media commercials about amendments remains.
Over 53% of respondents to a recent survey support a plan to reduce 45 of the 176 proportional representation seats in the Lower House.
JAPAN
Jun 18, 2026
38% back parliament’s proposal on imperial family, poll shows
The government and the ruling coalition aim to enact the revision during the current parliamentary session ending July 17.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya speaks to reporters in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Sanseito submits bill to create agency on policies related to foreign nationals
After submitting the bill, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya expressed his dissatisfaction with the government’s policies on foreign nationals.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2026
Japan set to enact bill criminalizing vandalism of the national flag
Backing from the opposition Democratic Party for the People paves the way for the bill’s passage through the Upper House, where the ruling bloc is a minority force.
Hirofumi Yoshimura (left), head of the Japan Innovation Party, and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also Liberal Democratic Party president, during a meeting at the Diet in Tokyo on March 17
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 15, 2026
Bills on JIP’s signature policy goals in limbo as parliamentary session nears end
The party, also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai, continues to push for the creation of a secondary capital and a reduction of seats in the Lower House.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a House of Councillors budget committee session at the Diet in Tokyo on June 5.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Japan opposition raps Takaichi over imperial law revision
Some opposition lawmakers said that her move could undermine previous discussions held by the Diet to form its consensus on the measures.
Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Jun 13, 2026
Komeito aims to merge with CRA before next parliamentary session
Informed sources say the party plans to declare its plan to join the CRA in July and formally approve the move at a party convention by September.
The Judicial Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives approves a bill to revise Japan's criminal retrial system on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 12, 2026
Lower House panel approves retrial system reform bill
The bill is expected to clear the Lower House on Tuesday and be enacted during the current Diet session ending in July.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a news conference at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 12, 2026
Japanese government starts work to draft Imperial House Law amendment
The government hopes to submit the legislation to the Diet late this month, aiming to secure its enactment during the ongoing parliamentary session.
Katsunobu Kato, head of the Liberal Democratic Party's political system reform headquarters, addresses a meeting held at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2026
LDP approves bill to cut 45 seats in Lower House
As reducing only the number of proportional representation seats could affect smaller parties more severely, some in the LDP were cautious of the idea.
Former Liberal Democratic Party President Yohei Kono, who had also served as Lower House speaker, during an interview in Tokyo in 2015. Kono was known as a dove in the party, and staunchly opposed revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 11, 2026
Late LDP dove Yohei Kono widely known for landmark apology over ‘comfort women’
As chief cabinet secretary in 1993, he issued a statement expressing Japan’s “sincere apologies and remorse,” which sparked a domestic and international controversy.
Yohei Kono (center), head of the Japanese Association for the Promotion of International Trade, shares a light moment with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, as they head to a meeting in Beijing in July 2023.
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2026
Former Lower House speaker Yohei Kono dies at 89
Kono was a leading dove within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and championed stable ties with neighbors of Japan, including China and South Korea.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako with other royal family members at the Akasaka Palace's imperial garden in Tokyo in April
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 10, 2026
Parliamentary panel approves draft proposal on revising Imperial House Law
The move paves the way toward legal amendments to help prevent the number of members of the imperial family from further dwindling.
Lower House Speaker Eisuke Mori (third from left) speaks to reporters alongside Upper House Speaker Masakazu Sekiguchi (second from left) in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 7, 2026
Parliament leaders adopt draft proposal for imperial succession
The draft calls for allowing female members of the imperial family to retain their status after marriage and male heirs to be adopted from former branches.
Digital minister Hisashi Matsumoto
JAPAN
Jun 5, 2026
Japan could end up an ‘AI colony’ if it falls behind, digital minister warns
Japan’s push to keep pace with the global AI race reflects a broader anxiety among governments worldwide, fearful of becoming ever more dependent ​on foreign technology.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki speaks during the party's meeting on political system reform in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2026
LDP considering cutting 45 proportional representation seats in Lower House
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is said to be seeking consensus within the party on reducing Lower House seats through cuts to proportional representation seats.
Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), delivers a question during a House of Representatives plenary session on May 25. Making the DPP a coalition member would make it easier for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (above left) to drive forward her legislative agenda.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 3, 2026
The LDP wants another coalition partner. Will it happen?
The Liberal Democratic Party floated the idea of inviting the Democratic Party for the People to join the ruling bloc.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
Japan triples departure tax in push to combat overtourism
Tourists in Yanaka Ginza, Tokyo, on Wednesday. Japan tripled its International Tourist Tax (departure tax) to ¥3,000 from ¥1,000 on Wednesday for all travelers leaving Japan, regardless of nationality.
Japanese-language education is at a turning point
The country is gradually transforming Japanese-language education from a volunteer-driven system into a professional, government-supported network to better serve its growing foreign population. 
More facilities in Japan placing sanitary bins in men’s restrooms
A sanitary bin with an awareness sticker placed in a men's restroom in the Nagasaki Municipal Government building
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
Six of the best: rikishi of note in each sumo division
Kazuma (right) faces off against future <i>yokozuna</i> Onosato during the All Japan Amateur Sumo Championships at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo in December 2020.
Some startups see opportunity in an aging Japan
Yasmin Baba, CTO of Amilis, wins the Grand Prize at the Pitch2Tokyo Grand Final on Feb. 19.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.

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