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July 07, 2026
 

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LDP

Voters listen to a candidate in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on Sunday, a week ahead of the upcoming Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 2, 2026
Inflation and taxes take top billing as party bigwigs scramble for votes
Inflation is just one concern as campaigns try to reach constituents with less than a week left before the election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi displays her injured right hand while speaking in Kani City, Gifu Prefecture, on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2026
Prime Minister Takaichi skips TV debate due to hand injury
The prime minister posted on X, formerly Twitter, that she injured her hand during her campaign activities in the past couple of days and has been receiving treatment.
Voters listen to a campaign speech for the Feb. 8 Lower House election in Kawasaki on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2026
Centrist Reform Alliance ready to join proposed national conference
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, also president of the ruling LDP, plans to launch the conference within January.
The Centrist Reform Alliance’s Yosuke Suzuki speaks to his supporters in Otsuka, Toshima Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2026
A tale of two Suzukis: Lower House election sets up fourth duel between Tokyo candidates
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Hayato Suzuki has been beating the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s Yosuke Suzuki since 2017, but new party backing could turn the tables.
An election notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday. Official campaigning for the Feb. 8 election started Tuesday as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seeks to solidify her majority in the Lower House of parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2026
Social media abuzz with politics as Lower House election looms
Ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election, users are airing their thoughts on topics ranging from money scandals, immigration and security.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a campaign event at Maiko Park in Kobe on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 31, 2026
Strong voter mandate could hand PM Takaichi new clout to counter China
A big win on Feb. 8 will help send a message to Beijing that its attacks have not damaged her domestically, a senior Japanese government official said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside leaders of the Japan Innovation Party, Hirofumi Yoshimura (second from the left) and Fumitake Fujita (right).
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2026
Lower House election outcome could reshape political power balance
From the Liberal Democratic Party securing a majority on its own to the prime minister stepping down, a number of scenarios are at play ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
Japan is seeing growing demand for social security services as its population ages, but the burden on working generations is also rising due to the declining birth rate.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 30, 2026
Social security remains conundrum for parties ahead of Lower House election
Japan is seeing growing demand for social security services as its population ages, but the burden on working generations is growing due to the declining birth rate.
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 notice board displaying posters of candidates in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Jan 28, 2026
Few women on Japan’s election ballot
The proportion of female candidates within Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling LDP is just 12.8%, according to Jiji Press.
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.
Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito, co-chairs of the new Centrist Reform Alliance, shake hands at the party's founding convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2026
Japan’s new ‘Centrist Reform Alliance’ is a misnomer
The Centrist Reform Alliance is asking voters to embrace a brand label rather than a fully formed policy platform and a partnership of convenience.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan Innovation Party co-leader Fumitake Fujita and Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya at the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 27, 2026
Can Takaichi win back conservative votes?
It’s increasingly uncertain whether conservative voters will return to the Liberal Democratic Party in the upcoming Lower House election.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (second from left) and Tetsuo Saito (third from left) cheer at the launch of their party at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2026
Centrists vs. conservatives? It’s not that simple.
Beyond the labels that they use for themselves, the policy proposals of candidates and their parties show that their differences are more nuanced — and confusing.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures during the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2026
Takaichi fends off criticism over snap election goal
The prime minister argues that the ruling coalition’s razor-thin majority in the Lower House made it difficult to pass crucial bills.
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.
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Parties gear up for Lower House election after dissolution
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that the election would be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the new ruling coalition.
The National Diet Building in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
LDP and JIP heads to deliver joint campaign speeches Tuesday
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura hope to appeal to voters by highlighting the ruling coalition’s promise ahead of the Feb. 8 election.
Murakami says his novels are ‘different’ from AI literature
Haruki Murakami's first book in three years hit shelves in Japan on Friday.
Suspected Asian fraud ring exec served fresh warrant in Japan
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Osaka Prefectural Police have issued arrest warrants for three people, including a suspected fraud network leader, over alleged immigration and residency violations.
Thailand gets serious about chasing high-spending tourists
Chinese tourists at Wat Arun Ratchawararam Rathawaramahawihan in Bangkok
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.
Tokyo hospital baby hatch accepts 20 newborns in first year
Hitoshi Kato (left), head of San-ikukai Hospital in Tokyo's Sumida Ward, speaks during a news conference at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building on Thursday.
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.
‘Defense,’ not ‘warfare,’ stressed as pacifist Japan beefs up capabilities
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attends an annual training session near Mount Fuji at Higashifuji Training Field in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June 7.
Japan plans to sharply raise fees for residence permits from October
Foreign tourists walk on the path leading to the Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto in May.
X Games returns to Chiba with new team format
Skateboarder Sora Shirai practices at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Friday afternoon. X Games Chiba begins on Saturday.
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex’s culture cred
Veteran improvisers Kazuo Imai and Atsuhiro Ito brought some unruly energy to NU Festival, a three-day multimedia event held at the Takanawa Gateway City complex.  

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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