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June 30, 2026
 

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LOWER HOUSE

Kazuhiko Shigetoku (third from right), Lower House parliamentary affairs chief of the Centrist Reform Alliance, and other members submit a request to Shunichi Yamaguchi (center), chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration, regarding a bill to reduce the number of seats in the House of Representatives, at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 28, 2026
Shrinking Lower House by 45 seats to hit smaller parties hard
Debates on the LDP-JIP bill are slated to start Monday at a political reform special committee of the Lower House.
Lawmakers who proposed a bill banning the desecration of the national flag bow as the bill was approved at a meeting of the Lower House Cabinet Committee on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 26, 2026
Lower House committee approves flag bill in appeal to conservatives
The proposed law would prohibit publicly damaging, removing or defacing the national flag in a way that “causes extreme discomfort or disgust to others.”
A bill to revise the law on punishment of acts causing death or injury by automobile driving is enacted at a plenary session of the Lower House on Thursday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 25, 2026
Japan enacts bill that sets numerical standards for dangerous driving
The bill stipulates the charge of dangerous driving be uniformly applied to accidents causing death or injury by drivers exceeding the speed limit by over 50 kph on ordinary roads.
A bill to criminalize the act of damaging the national flag is among the measures the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party plan to enact during the current special Diet session under their deal to form a ruling coalition.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 24, 2026
Lower House begins discussions on flag-vandalism bill
Under the bill, those who publicly deface the flag in a way that causes the public to feel extremely uncomfortable or disgusted would be subject to imprisonment or a fine.
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.
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.
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.
Katsunobu Kato, head of the Liberal Democratic Party's task force for political system reform, speaks during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 9, 2026
LDP mulls proposal to automatically cut 45 Lower House seats
The proposal was presented by Katsunobu Kato, head of the party’s task force for political system reform.
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.
The House of Representatives passes a bill to revise the personal information protection law with support from the ruling bloc and the Democratic Party for the People on Tuesday at parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
May 26, 2026
Lower House approves bill to revise personal information protection law
The bill includes a provision requiring businesses that repeatedly commit violations to pay fines equivalent to the earned profit to state coffers.
Lawyer Hidetoshi Masunaga (left) criticizes the ruling handed down by the Fukuoka High Court in Fukuoka on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 20, 2026
Two courts find February’s Lower House election constitutional
The lawyers who filed the lawsuits claimed that the maximum vote-value disparity of 2.10 times in the election failed to meet the equal value of votes under the Constitution.
A new disaster management agency, to be placed directly under the Cabinet, will draw up basic disaster management policy and coordinate responses to large-scale calamities.
JAPAN / Politics
May 19, 2026
Japan Lower House passes bill to create disaster management agency
The bill is expected to be enacted during the current parliamentary session, with the government aiming to set up the agency this autumn.
Keiji Furuya (center rear), chair of the House of Representatives’ Commission on the Constitution, attends a meeting of senior committee members at parliament on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 13, 2026
Draft of emergency clause for Constitution includes extending lawmakers’ terms
The draft did not show an upper limit for how long lawmakers’ terms can be extended, while stating there are opinions calling for setting it to “one year” or “six months.”
A bill to revise the immigration control and refugee recognition law is approved at a Lower House plenary meeting on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 29, 2026
Japan to likely pass bill raising immigration fees
If the bill also clears the House of Councilors, the new immigration fees would be implemented within this fiscal year, which ends next March.
Japan Innovation Party co-leader Hirofumi Yoshimura and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meet in parliament on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 19, 2026
LDP less eager than JIP on Lower House seat cut
For the 10% cut, the JIP aims to reduce the number of proportional representation seats by 45 from the current 176.
Team Mirai leader Takahiro Anno speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2026
Team Mirai will consider joining ruling coalition if asked
“We would make a final decision after weighing the potential gains and losses,” party leader Takahiro Anno has said.
Members of the House of Representatives council on the electoral system meet in the parliamentary building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 17, 2026
LDP wants Lower House panel to discuss seat cuts
Reducing the number of Lower House seats is a signature policy for the Japan Innovation Party and was included in its coalition agreement with the LDP.
House of Representatives Speaker Eisuke Mori (right) and House of Councilors Speaker Masakazu Sekiguchi hold a news conference after concluding ruling and opposition party talks on securing the number of imperial family members, on Wednesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2026
Lower House head wants Imperial House Law revision this session
In the discussions so far, ruling and opposition parties have considered two proposals presented by a government expert panel.
Members of the Lower House Budget Committee meet in parliament on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 5, 2026
LDP drops proposal to conduct fiscal 2026 budget deliberations on Saturday
The ruling party had proposed the weekend session in response to opposition concerns that time spent deliberating the fiscal 2026 budget bill had been insufficient.
The Liberal Democratic Party's newly elected Lower House lawmakers attend a workshop by party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (standing) and other executives on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2026
LDP busy educating dozens of Lower House rookies
The party leadership fears that a gaffe made by any of the 66 newcomers to the all-important lower chamber of parliament may deal a blow to the Takaichi administration.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
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.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
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.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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