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July 11, 2026
 

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LDP

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the end of trading of 2025 at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 11, 2026
Momentum grows for snap election as Takaichi’s views enter ‘new stage’
The co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s ruling coalition partner, has said the prime minister’s thinking on the matter had “shifted to a new stage.”
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an event in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 10, 2026
Takaichi reportedly eyeing snap election next month in bid to stabilize ruling bloc
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering dissolving the Lower House for a ‌Feb. 8 or Feb. 15 poll, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily has reported.
A march demanding the release of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 9, 2026
LDP lawmakers urge government to clarify position on U.S. attack on Venezuela
During the meeting, an official from the Foreign Ministry declined to provide a legal assessment of the U.S. strikes, which some nations say violated international law.
Shinsekai, the renowned culinary district of Osaka. Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura has called for the creation of a secondary capital in prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 9, 2026
Race to become Japan’s secondary capital heats up
As the Japan Innovation Party works to get Osaka designated the country’s secondary capital, other municipalities are looking to muscle in.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura speak to reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2025.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2026
Speculation over potential snap election resurfaces
Recent remarks of senior members of the ruling coalition appear to have gotten many talking again about the possibility of a dissolution of the Lower House in the near future.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 30.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 7, 2026
Takaichi’s political landscape for 2026
Unlike her predecessors who were consistently forced to address turmoil over the past two years, Prime Minister Takaichi will have time and capital to tackle real policy issues.
LDP secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki speaks at the party’s meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 7, 2026
LDP secretary-general eyes ‘political stability’ in courting DPP into ruling bloc
The move fits into the wider trend of growing cooperation between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party for the People in recent months.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks during a news conference in Ise, Mie Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 5, 2026
CDP to issue new perspective on Japan’s security legislation
The party may consider reviewing a clause in its basic policy platform that calls for abolishing what it claims are unconstitutional parts of the legislation enacted in 2015.
Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party officials hold talks on constitutional revision in the parliament building in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 5, 2026
LDP and JIP see different paths for constitutional revision
The Liberal Democratic Party is seeking a realistic approach for amending the Constitution while the Japan Innovation Party is more hawkish.
The Unification Church’s headquarters in Seoul
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2026
Unification Church reportedly backed 290 LDP lawmakers in 2021 poll
The figure compares with the Liberal Democratic Party’s announcement in 2022 that 180 of its lawmakers had ties with the group.
Lawmakers in kimonos attend a session of the Lower House in Tokyo in January 2023. For nearly a half century, the chamber operated under a multiseat district system. But following revisions to the election law in 1994, the current model of single-seat districts and proportional representation seats was introduced. Now, there is a growing debate in parliament about returning the body's current electoral system to what it once was.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 2, 2026
Debate grows on reforming Lower House electoral system
Some argue the flaws in the current system could be fixed by returning to the old one. Others aren’t so sure.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Sanae Takaichi speaks during a ceremony marking the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in the Japanese capital on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 1, 2026
Takaichi vows to press ahead with reforms in New Year’s message
Noting that the new year marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of Japan’s previous Showa Era, Takaichi touted the possibility of a better future.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 1, 2026
Will tailwinds become headwinds for Takaichi in 2026?
This year the prime minister must show the electorate she can meet its expectations, with steady leadership and tangible answers to the country’s challenges.
Since leaving office, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) has been openly critical of his successor, Sanae Takaichi.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 31, 2025
Critics within LDP hold fire on popular chief Takaichi
Few dare to openly criticize the prime minister, but this may change once her approval ratings decline.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito says the party's rupture with the Liberal Democratic Party has given new life to its support base.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2025
Komeito forced to chart new path after divorce from LDP
The party faces an urgent need to redefine its identity and set itself apart from its competitors.
Setsuko Kawai, a member of a group seeking state relief for civilian victims of U.S. air raids during World War II, participates in a rally outside the parliament building in Tokyo on Dec. 4.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 28, 2025
Japanese group resolved to seek air raid damage relief
In lawsuits on air raid damage, all petitions by victims seeking compensation from the government have been dismissed.
For fiscal 2026, the government plans to lower drug fees by 0.87% but raise medical service fees by 3.09%, the first increase above 3% in 30 years.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 27, 2025
Efforts to reduce burden on Japan’s working generation still limited
The budget bill allocates a record ¥39.06 trillion for social security-related expenses, up ¥760 billion from fiscal 2025, reflecting a rise in medical and nursing care costs.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 27, 2025
Japan set to see first primary balance surplus in 28 years in 2026
Securing a primary balance surplus has been a government goal for more than two decades.
Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to members of the media in Tokyo in October. Tamaki has remained noncommittal on the idea of joining the LDP-JIP coalition.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 25, 2025
How will Takaichi balance ties with the DPP and JIP?
While the benefits of interparty cooperation are clear, some LDP voices say building trust with its coalition partner is of the utmost importance.
Foreign technical interns working at a factory. Immigrants are rarely hired full-time or promoted to senior positions because they are still viewed as temporary fixes for short-term labor shortages.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 25, 2025
Stick over carrot approach doesn’t help foreign residents integrate, professor says
Regulatory proposals such as higher visa fees outnumber measures aimed at supporting integration, such as improving Japanese language education.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Japan’s southwestern islands on high alert as Typhoon Bavi approaches
A woman walks out of a shop with duct-taped windows to prevent damage from Typhoon Bavi as it approaches, in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
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