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July 09, 2026
 

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LDP

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during an election campaign event ahead of the Feb. 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Takaichi talks tough on immigration on eve of vote
In a final appeal to voters, the prime minister pledged to make Japan “more prosperous and safer,” including through tougher immigration screening.
Hikaru Fujita, a candidate for parliament, in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture. Fujita is a standout in a country where expectant mothers rarely enter national politics.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
She’s upending Japanese politics with two words: ‘I’m pregnant’
Hikaru Fujita is a standout in a country where expectant mothers rarely enter national politics.
Analysts say an overwhelming Liberal Democratic Party victory may in the end be positive for bonds, as it would eliminate the need for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‍to negotiate ⁠with opposition parties.
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Feb 7, 2026
Decisive win for Takaichi may be best scenario for bonds and yen
A big win would eliminate the need for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‍to negotiate ⁠with opposition parties, who are touting even deeper tax cuts and broader fiscal spending.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister's Office between election campaign activities in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Takaichi overwhelming rivals in social media battle to go viral
An analysis showed that Takaichi had made 65 posts during the reporting period, garnering an average of about 5,200 reposts each.
A child cycles past posters of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and a candidate running for the upcoming Lower House election, in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Momentum for political reform stalling in Japan
Momentum for political reform in Japan is faltering as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sidesteps the topic in her campaigning for Sunday’s vote.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends an election campaign event for Sunday's snap election, in the city of Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
LDP-JIP coalition set for commanding election victory, polls show
The ruling bloc could end up with more than 300 seats, giving it a possible two-thirds majority in the Lower House.
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.
Voters listen to a stump speech by a Lower House election candidate in Sakai, Fukui Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 6, 2026
Conservative division deepens in Fukui Prefecture
The LDP’s grip is slipping ahead of Sunday’s vote, following a recent gubernatorial election that left major fractures within the ruling party.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a bilateral meeting in Tokyo on Oct. 28.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
Trump endorses Takaichi in Sunday’s election and announces March 19 summit
U.S. President Donald Trump has again broken with tradition, offering his “total endorsement” of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her ruling bloc.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi giving a campaign speech in Shiroishi Town, Saga Prefecture, on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 6, 2026
Takaichi keeps mum on tax cut and Unification Church
Hoping to turn Takaichi’s silence into a focal point of the election campaign, opposition parties have ramped up their criticism.
Former Prime Minister Taro Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a speech in the city of Osaka on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
LDP election cooperation with Komeito during 26-year tie-up ‘nonsense,’ says Aso
While the parties were in an alliance, the LDP had asked supporters to cast proportional representation votes for Komeito in exchange for Komeito supporters backing LDP candidates.
A Russian Yars intercontinental ballistic missile system during a military parade in central Moscow in May 2023.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
End of U.S.-Russia nuclear pact raises fears of unchecked arms race
The shift is also expected to impact Japan and a debate over revising its three nonnuclear principles.
The original promulgation copy of the Constitution of Japan, at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in 2017
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
Road to constitutional revision emerging as key topic
The LDP lists four desired constitutional revisions in its campaign pledges, including specifying the role of the Self-Defense Forces and establishing a state of emergency system.
A video message from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on YouTube by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has surpassed 100 million views, prompting questions over advertising spending amid reports that the surge was driven in part by promotion on social media platforms.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
Takaichi video message tops 100 million views
The video achieved the milestone number of views in about 10 days.
Centrist Reform Alliance candidate in Hyogo’s No. 8 district, Yoshie Hirokawa (center), stands on the stage after pitching her candidacy to Komeito’s supporters in the Sonoda district of Amagasaki together with members of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly and Amagasaki City Assembly.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2026
Where will Komeito’s votes go? The answer might come from this Hyogo district
Amagasaki is now a heated battleground as campaign teams rush to woo supporters of the ruling party’s former coalition partner.
Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the nation’s largest opposition party, greets supporters during a campaign event in Osaka on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
Is this election really unpredictable?
Despite media uncertainty, opposition weaknesses and recent polls suggest Takaichi and the LDP are likely headed for a strong victory.
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.
Voters listen to a stump speech in the city of Hachioji, in western Tokyo, on Jan. 29.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2026
LDP executive seeks to leave slush fund scandal behind
Koichi Hagiuda was among the five leading figures of the now-defunct LDP faction once led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which was at the center of the scandal.
A supporter holds a flyer for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, alongside an English vocabulary book at an LDP election rally in the city of Saitama on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
How Sanae Takaichi won over disillusioned young voters
So far, the prime minister’s strategy of presenting herself as different from previous leaders seems to have struck a chord with Japan’s youth.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi joins Japan Innovation Party leaders Fumitake Fujita (right) and Hirofumi Yoshimura at an election event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
A cheat sheet to Takaichi’s snap election
Parties with traditional vote-generating architectures in place before Japan’s snap election have a significant advantage.
Japan needs caregivers. Young Indians are answering the call.
Young people in India's northeast are increasingly studying Japanese in hopes of building new lives and careers in Japan.
Osaka trumps Tokyo as both ranked among world’s top 10 most livable cities
Osaka’s infrastructure earned higher marks than Tokyo’s in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest Global Liveability Index.
Japanese teen arrested for booting users off streaming service
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department has arrested a 15-year-old boy for allegedly creating a malicious program and canceling subscription accounts on the Bandai Channel.
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.
Long-stalled maglev line finally gets green light from Shizuoka Prefecture
Environmental concerns relating to the construction of Central Japan Railway’s high-speed maglev line had contributed to years of delays for the project.
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.
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
Okinawa’s prized seaweed under threat as oceans warm
Local harvesters gather <i>mozuku</i> during low tide at Hyakuna Beach in the city of Nanjo, Okinawa Prefecture. As the planet warms, rising ocean temperatures are placing increasing pressure on the seaweed industry.
Japanese nail salons are tourists’ new obsession
Tourists in Japan have always been interested in quintessentially Japanese approaches to modern culture, and, increasingly, visits to nail salons have become the new hot thing.

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