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July 03, 2026
 

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DIET

Leader of the Japan Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura delivers his first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 28, 2026
JIP struggles with perception and unity ahead of Lower House election
The junior member of the ruling coalition has remained unpopular nationally, while its goal of merging Osaka city’s wards is creating unexpected problems within its Osaka base.
An election campaign event on the first day of campaigning for the February 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Japan kicks off campaigning for Feb. 8 Lower House election
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said she would resign if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority, is facing off against a transformed opposition.
Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito, co-chairs of the new Centrist Reform Alliance, shake hands at the party's founding convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2026
Japan’s new ‘Centrist Reform Alliance’ is a misnomer
The Centrist Reform Alliance is asking voters to embrace a brand label rather than a fully formed policy platform and a partnership of convenience.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (second from left) and Tetsuo Saito (third from left) cheer at the launch of their party at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2026
Centrists vs. conservatives? It’s not that simple.
Beyond the labels that they use for themselves, the policy proposals of candidates and their parties show that their differences are more nuanced — and confusing.
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Parties gear up for Lower House election after dissolution
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that the election would be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the new ruling coalition.
The National Diet Building in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
LDP and JIP heads to deliver joint campaign speeches Tuesday
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura hope to appeal to voters by highlighting the ruling coalition’s promise ahead of the Feb. 8 election.
Packs of fresh seafood at a supermarket in Yokohama on Jan. 15. Soaring food costs are a key concern of voters in the runup to the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Japanese consumers worried about inflation ahead of general election
Some are also questioning Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decision to call a snap election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks on ahead of the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2026
Takaichi dissolves Lower House for Feb. 8 snap election
Candidates have just 16 days until election day to get their message out during what could be a snowy season in certain parts of the country.
Centrist Reform Alliance members raise their fists in unison at a ceremony marking the party's foundation Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2026
CRA bets on moderate policies to shake up Lower House race
Public confusion and policy similarities with the ruling coalition could make it difficult for the new opposition party to win over voters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flanked by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, attend a party meeting at LDP headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
LDP uses election manifesto to pledge stable rare earths supply amid China row
The ruling party says it will also accelerate talks on eliminating the current 8% consumption tax on food for two years as Japan grapples with inflation.
Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto takes part in a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in July.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Reiwa Shinsengumi leader Taro Yamamoto resigns from Upper House due to health
Yamamoto, who founded the party in 2019, said he will focus on his health for an “indefinite” period but stay on as the party’s leader.
Officials of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito show the posters for the new Centrist Reform Alliance party at the parliament building on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Centrist Reform Alliance to be launched with over 160 Lower House lawmakers
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan said 144 of its 148 lawmakers in the Lower House will join the new party ahead of the Feb. 8 general election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (center) prior to a Cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
Political appointees urged to forgo fundraising events
The move appears to be aimed at underscoring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s stance on addressing concerns over the issue of politics and money.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in a news conference Monday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 19, 2026
Takaichi might surprise markets bracing for a big spender
Some stock and bond investors are anticipating Takaichi to act as an unrestrained fiscal dove after the election.
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks to reporters on Friday at the Osaka Prefectural Government building.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2026
Major parties other than JIP to skip Osaka double election
The Liberal Democratic Party, the Constitutional Party of Japan, the Japanese Communist Party and Komeito have all indicated they will not field candidates.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2026
Parties clash as they brace for a February snap election
The LDP framed dissolving the Lower House as a chance for voters to judge the new coalition and the administration’s policies.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to CDP lawmakers from both the Lower and Upper House at parliament on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
CDP’s Noda likely to be PM candidate of new Centrist Reform Alliance party
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito has endorsed the move, noting the former prime minister’s depth of experience.
Former Japan Communist Party chief Kazuo Shii speaks during a news conference at the Diet building in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2026
Japan Communist Party’s ex-leader Kazuo Shii will not run in next election
He served as the party’s leader for 23 years from 2000, the longest tenure in JCP history, before assuming the post of chair of the Central Committee in January 2024.
A traffic sign in front of the Bank of Japan headquarters in Tokyo last month
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 17, 2026
Yen watchers face double whammy of BOJ and election uncertainty
Yen traders are on edge for the risk of renewed volatility in the currency as uncertainty over the nation’s snap election grows with a Bank of Japan meeting approaching next week.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki criticized the formation of the new party comprising the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito and expressed doubts it would last long.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Formation of new party sparks concern in the ruling LDP
LDP lawmakers who won their seats with support from Komeito voters in the last general election could find themselves at a disadvantage.
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.
‘My dream is broken’: Japan visa rules push out foreign residents
A man orders from a kebab shop in the Okubo district in Tokyo.
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
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.
Why is the yen so weak and what can Japan do about it?
Japan spent ¥11.7 trillion ($73 billion) between late April and late May to prop up the weak yen.
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.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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