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July 01, 2026
 

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Himari Semans
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her policy speech during the House of Representatives plenary session in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2026
Touting ‘responsible and proactive’ fiscal policy, Takaichi seeks to reassure markets
In her policy speech to parliament, the prime minister attempted to alleviate concerns that her policies are overly expansionary.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in a news conference Wednesday night at the Prime Minister’s Office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 19, 2026
Takaichi’s rocky road ahead to eliminate consumption tax on groceries
Before the Feb. 8 Lower House election, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to eliminate consumption tax on groceries for two years. How will she deliver?
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is applauded after being reelected as prime minister in the Lower House on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 18, 2026
Takaichi heads into parliament with key agenda points in mind
Passing the budget, setting up an intelligence agency, and cutting the consumption tax are all top priorities for Sanae Takaichi, who was reelected as prime minister.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Feb. 9
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2026
LDP retains high approval rating post election, Nikkei poll shows
While the Liberal Democratic Party’s high approval ratings continued after its Feb. 8 election win, support for the Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito stayed sluggish.
Newly elected Centrist Reform Alliance leader Junya Ogawa speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 13, 2026
Junya Ogawa elected leader of Centrist Reform Alliance
The former CDP lawmaker pledged to strengthen the CRA’s internal structure as the party reels from its election defeat.
Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura speaks at a news conference on Monday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 12, 2026
Why coalition partner JIP is now set to take a Cabinet post
A JIP member is expected to take up a ministerial post sometime later this year.
The streets of the Kabukicho district in Tokyo in July 2021. Overseas, many countries — including most U.S. states — criminalize both those who sell and buy sex.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 10, 2026
Japan mulls revising anti-prostitution law to penalize sex buyers
The revision would close what critics say is a loophole to the law, which currently only penalizes sellers who solicit sex for money.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito during a news conference on Monday in Tokyo
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 9, 2026
The long road to recovery after the CRA’s election loss
The new party must find new leadership after a crushing debut defeat.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito speak during a live TV program Sunday in Tokyo following the party's defeat in the Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
CRA’s Noda and Saito hint at resignations after electoral drubbing
The Centrist Reform Alliance’s poor performance in Sunday’s Lower House election could force co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuo Saito to resign.
Sanseito, a party led by Sohei Kamiya (second from right), opposes the long-term settlement of foreign nationals but supports the use of short-term foreign labor.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2026
Conservative parties push for capping of foreign resident population
The Japan Innovation Party, Sanseito and the Conservative Party of Japan are taking a hard-line stance while other parties are proposing alternative measures.
Team Mirai leader Takahiro Anno stumps in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Jan. 27, the first day of campaigning for the Lower House election slated for Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
Team Mirai could overtake more established parties in Lower House
The 9-month-old party could win up to 10 seats, more than the Japanese Communist Party’s nine and Reiwa Shinsengumi’s six, according to a weekend poll.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to voters in Aichi Prefecture on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
LDP-JIP coalition on track to secure two-thirds majority, survey shows
The opposition Centrist Reform Alliance is projected to lose more than half of the seats it held before Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the Lower House, a new survey shows.
Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Sanseito party, delivers a campaign speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
Sanseito aims to win favor with conservative voters by aligning with Takaichi
The party plans to deliver on policy by positioning itself as an ally to the prime minister while targeting her left-leaning party colleagues at the ballot box.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to the audience during a stump speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
LDP on track to win standalone majority in general election
Polls suggest the ruling party may emerge from the vote strong, even without the backing of former coalition partner Komeito or coordination with the Japan Innovation Party.
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 and Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the newly formed Centrist Reform Alliance, participate in a debate with other party leaders on an internet program on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 25, 2026
Takaichi plays down concerns over feasibility of two-year consumption tax cut
The issue is expected to take center stage in the Feb. 8 Lower House election, as reining in rising prices remains a top priority in the minds of voters.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (far left) speaks in a meeting of ministers on policies regarding foreign nationals and immigration at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Jan 23, 2026
Government unveils tighter policies on immigration and foreign residents
“We drafted this policy package to respond to citizens’ sense of anxiety and unfairness,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara.
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.
Supporters of Sanseito, which ran with a party platform of “Japanese First” in the Upper House election, during the party’s rally in Tokyo in July 2025
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 20, 2026
Will foreign-national policies return to the spotlight in the snap election?
So far, ruling and opposition parties scrambling to prepare for the sudden snap election in February have put foreign-national issues on the backburner.
CDP Secretary-General Jun Azumi (left) and his Komeito counterpart, Makoto Nishida, announce the CRA's policies in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 19, 2026
CRA unveils platform adopting Komeito line on security and nuclear energy
The party outlined its position on security legislation and nuclear energy and pledged to permanently scrap the consumption tax on food.
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.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
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.
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.

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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