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July 12, 2026
 

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LDP

The government and ruling coalition are considering a ¥6 million cap on tax-free holdings for a new investment program for minors under the revamped NISA framework, sources say.
BUSINESS
Dec 10, 2025
NISA program for minors to have ¥6 million tax-exemption cap
The cap will be introduced to address potential disparities that could arise when the assets are eventually withdrawn.
The transport ministry may delay the planned fiscal 2026 start of construction on the Hokuriku Shinkansen extension from Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture to Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka Prefecture, sources say.
JAPAN
Dec 9, 2025
Hokuriku Shinkansen extension work unlikely to start in fiscal 2026, sources say
The expected delay mainly reflects a lack of consensus within the ruling coalition regarding the route for the bullet train’s extension.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi walks inside parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 6, 2025
Japan considers bill on original surname use in gender equality program
The move is in response to a plan by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration to enact a bill on the matter during next year’s ordinary session of parliament.
The Diet building in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2025
Japanese government plans to launch new intelligence bureau in July
The envisaged bureau will be formed by upgrading the existing Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a party leaders' debate at the Upper House in Tokyo on Nov. 26.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2025
Takaichi earned most among Japanese party leaders in 2024
Takaichi had ¥255.37 million in revenue last year, a sharp increase from ¥100.1 million the previous year.
Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party lawmakers present a bill to reduce at least 45 Lower House seats by the end of next year, for submission on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2025
LDP and JIP submit bill to eliminate at least 45 Lower House seats
The path to the bill’s submission has been rough as the parties had been at loggerheads over the number of seats to cut and which ones, and the legal framework for implementation.
Liberal Democratic Party tax chief Itsunori Onodera speaks during a meeting of the party’s tax research panel last month.
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2025
LDP discussing 2027 income tax hike to fund defense spending
The tax-increase plan was included in the fiscal 2023 tax system reform outline, but the start date has not yet been set.
While media polls show a high support rate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Cabinet, the support for the LDP is not as great, meaning there’s no guarantee of a coattail effect if a snap poll is called.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 5, 2025
Will Takaichi bank on her high approval ratings to call a snap election?
Calling a snap vote ahead of next year’s parliamentary session could bring great rewards for the prime minister and her party, but the risks may outweigh them.
A surveillance radar system developed by Mitsubishi Electric and exported to the Philippines
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2025
Japan likely to scrap defense equipment export restrictions
Tokyo hopes through the move to expand security cooperation with allies and like-minded nations and bolster its defense industry.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a policy speech during an extraordinary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Oct. 24. Japan needs to right-size its parliament to match a declining population.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2025
A plan to fix voter disparity and modernize Japan’s political system
With the population continuing to decline, down 5% since 2009, and people relocating from rural to urban areas, the scale of the government should also be adjusted.
Lawmakers discuss the issue of political donations during a Lower House special committee on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2025
Japan’s political parties still apart over donation reform bills
Opposition parties criticized the political reform bills, with a Komeito lawmaker calling one of them “totally unacceptable.”
The government and ruling parties are considering reallocating a portion of local corporate and fixed-asset taxes from Tokyo to other local governments.
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2025
Government and ruling bloc seek to lessen tax revenue gap among regions
They are considering reallocating part of local corporate and fixed-asset taxes from Tokyo to other local governments.
Ruling and opposition lawmakers deliberate on bills related to political donations reform at a House of Representatives committee session in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2025
Japan’s parliament starts debates on corporate donation reform bills
Some have speculated that the ruling side is putting the bills on the back burner.
Katsunobu Kato, head of the Liberal Democratic Party's political system reform panel, speaks at a party meeting on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2025
Proposed Lower House seat reduction could affect 20 prefectures
As the 20 prefectures include areas with many conservative voters who strongly support the LDP, an increasing number of party members are voicing their opposition to the measure.
They government is mulling plans to allow withdrawals under the Nippon Individual Savings Account plan for small-lot investments once children reach the age of 12 to create more flexible asset management to meet needs, such as university enrollment.
BUSINESS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan weighs launching NISA investment program for children
The government is mulling plans to allow withdrawals under the Nippon Individual Savings Account plan for small-lot investments once children reach the age of 12.
LDP and JIP lawmakers discuss Lower House seats reduction in Tokyo on Nov. 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2025
Takaichi and JIP’s Yoshimura agree to submit bill reducing Lower House seats
Passing a bill to cut seats in the lower chamber was a key demand for the Japan Innovation Party to enter into a coalition government with the Liberal Democratic Party.
Japan has reportedly held informal talks with the Philippines on the possible export of a Type-03 Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile system to Manila.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2025
Japan defense firms saw sales boom in ’24 as Tokyo eyes end of more export curbs
Sales by Japan’s top defense firms rose 40% year-on-year in 2024, new research has shown, as Tokyo looks to further ease rules on the export of lethal defense gear.
Fumitake Fujita, co-leader of the Japan Innovation Party, speaks at a news conference on Nov. 19.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 1, 2025
Uncertainty looms over Lower House seat reduction
Frustration is increasing within the Liberal Democratic Party over the attitude of the Japan Innovation Party.
Takayuki Kobayashi speaks to fellow Liberal Democratic Party members in Gifu Prefecture on Nov. 1.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2025
LDP’s Kobayashi advocates Japan’s economic independence from China
The remark came during discussions on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remark on a potential Taiwan contingency and subsequent Chinese pressures on Japan
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya during an interview in September. Kamiya's party, which surprised many with its gains in this year's Upper House Election, increased its spending on online outreach by fourteenfold in 2024.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 28, 2025
Japan political parties boost spending on online outreach
Sanseito, which significantly expanded its seats in the July election for the Upper House, paid a total of ¥37 million in advertising fees to Google Japan in 2024.
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 scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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