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July 01, 2026
 

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LOWER HOUSE

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.
Lawmakers leave a plenary session of the Lower House on Jan. 23 following its dissolution for a snap election. A proposal to reduce the number of seats in the chamber may be put on hold following the landslide victory of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Feb. 8 election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 17, 2026
Momentum for Lower House seat cut stalls after LDP’s election win
The Japan Innovation Party had demanded a reduction in the size of the Lower House as a prerequisite for joining the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition.
Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, waves during a campaign event in Osaka on Feb. 3. The alliance suffered a crushing defeat in the Feb. 8 election.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 13, 2026
Nothing ‘unexpected’ about the left’s election blowout
The dominance of conservative parties reflects a longer-term shift in Japan’s political center of gravity.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi addresses a news conference at her ruling party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday, a day after the Liberal Democratic Party won a landslide victory in the Lower House election.
EDITORIALS
Feb 13, 2026
After another historic victory, Takaichi takes command
Not only is she the country’s first female prime minister and a symbol of a new Japan, her career also marks a break from traditional politics.
Taro Aso, vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party and a former prime minister, is the oldest winner in Sunday's Lower House election at 85 years old.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Japan’s Lower House grows younger as the average age of election winners falls
The average age of winners in Sunday’s election was 54.7 years old.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and other LDP leaders celebrate at the Diet after the dissolution of the House of Representatives on Jan. 23, days after calling for a snap election.
EDITORIALS
Feb 6, 2026
Takaichi and the LDP appear poised for a big win
Takaichi’s performance has surprised most observers. Not only did she take office with sky-high approval ratings, but she has maintained them since October.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at an LDP election rally in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2026
Takaichi seen avoiding discussing plan to cut Lower House seats
The prime minister seeming to avoid discussing the Lower House seat-cut proposal now is believed to reflect concerns within the Liberal Democratic Party about it, observers said.
Japanese politicians are debating ways to cut the consumption tax on food bought outside of restaurants.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 28, 2026
Food consumption tax cut plans have parties crunching the numbers
Reducing the rate to 0% from 8% is popular with politicians but expensive.
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.
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.
Then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga in a news conference in September 2021
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2026
Suga won’t run in next election, reports say
The former prime minister and veteran lawmaker is reportedly retiring from national politics.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first policy speech in parliament in Tokyo on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election
Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.
Social Democratic Party head Mizuho Fukushima speaks during a news conference at the parliamentary building on Dec. 24.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 14, 2026
SDP likely to delay leadership race amid talk of snap election
The Social Democratic Party is considering the postponement due to the possibility of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolving the Lower House for a snap election.
Liberal Democratic Party leader and the current prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, meets with Hirofumi Yoshimura, leader of the Japan Innovation Party, at the national Diet building in Tokyo in late October.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 13, 2026
Why Takaichi would call a snap election
Takaichi may dissolving the Lower House of the parliament upon its mandatory convocation later this month, which would prompt a general election sometime in February.
Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the Democratic Party for the People, said an early dissolution of the Lower House would violate an agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the DPP to realize the enactment of the budget by the end of this fiscal year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 12, 2026
DPP may not approve fiscal 2026 budget if there’s a snap election, Tamaki says
An early dissolution of the Lower House would violate an agreement between the Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Democratic Party for the People, Yuichiro Tamaki said.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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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