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July 09, 2026
 

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LDP

A Cabinet meeting on Friday that approved a revised bill on the retrial system
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2026
Cabinet approves revision of controversial retrial system
Critics of Japan’s retrial system have said prosecutors’ right to appeal is prolonging the court procedures needed for those seeking a retrial, with it sometimes taking decades.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa (right) addresses a meeting of a cross-party council on election campaigning held in a parliamentary building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Japan to order social media operators to combat misinformation in elections
Actions expected to be taken by social media operators include halting reward payments to users and improving their capacity to respond to content deletion requests.
Keisuke Suzuki, who heads a Liberal Democratic Party panel on the judicial system, speaks during a party meeting on retrial revisions on Wednesday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2026
LDP approves government proposal to revise retrial system
The approval paves the way for the revision — a top priority for the government — to be submitted to the current parliamentary session.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi leads one of the largest blocs in the Liberal Democratic Party and wields significant influence over intraparty dynamics, helping offset one of Sanae Takaichi’s perceived weaknesses: party management.
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2026
How a rival became one of Takaichi’s most trusted allies
Foreign ministers usually don’t command much authority. Toshimitsu Motegi is different.
Yasukazu Hamada (center) speaks at a meeting of the Liberal Democratic Party's Research Commission on Security on Wednesday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
May 14, 2026
Japan’s ruling LDP may consider spending up to 5% of GDP on security
A further increase in security spending is among issues set to be discussed as part of a plan to revise Japan’s three key security-related documents this year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi receives a policy recommendation document from Takayuki Kobayashi (center left), head of the Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for Intelligence Strategy, in March at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 14, 2026
Government ramps up push to enhance intelligence capabilities
As a first step, the government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau as early as July.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at an LDP meeting in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 12, 2026
LDP sees emergence of new political support group for Takaichi
The group is endorsed by both party heavyweights who backed her in last year’s presidential election and those who ran against her.
The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning takes part in a military drill in the Western Pacific in April 2018.
JAPAN
May 10, 2026
Japan to mull whether to call China ‘threat’ in key papers
Tensions between the two Asian countries have increased markedly since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s parliamentary remarks on a possible Taiwan contingency in November last year.
The Hokuriku Shinkansen line is due to be extended from Tsuruga in Fukui Prefecture to Shin-Osaka Station, but the chosen route remains up for debate.
JAPAN
May 7, 2026
LDP and JIP look to accelerate talks on Hokuriku Shinkansen extension route
The ruling coalition hopes to finalize the bullet train line’s route by the end of the parliamentary session and start construction in fiscal 2027.
Despite Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s sustained high approval ratings after more than six months in office, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party she leads continues to suffer losses in local elections.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 5, 2026
The LDP is losing local elections. Should Takaichi be worried?
Even as the prime minister enjoys high approval ratings, her party has been suffering a string of local electoral defeats.
Hideko Hakamata (right), the elder sister of Iwao Hakamata who was acquitted of a 1966 murder, attends a rally in Tokyo on April 18 to oppose the Justice Ministry's bill to revise the retrial system, which would continue to allow public prosecutors to appeal decisions to start a retrial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 5, 2026
Growing number of critical views expressed online over proposed retrial reforms
Many social media users took interest in the topic after the draft bill to revise the code drew severe objections — even angry outbursts — from some lawmakers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speak at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 4, 2026
Takaichi visits Australia to bolster economic and defense ties
The Japanese prime minister met with her Australian counterpart, concluding agreements on economic and energy security, as well as defense, minerals and cyber partnerships.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gives a speech in Hanoi on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 3, 2026
Article 9 in focus as Takaichi pushes for revision of Constitution
Without explicitly mentioning Article 9, Takaichi said the charter — unchanged since 1947 — must be updated to reflect today’s international environment and security realities.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi departs on an official trip to Vietnam and Australia from Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Friday.
EDITORIALS
May 1, 2026
Golden Week security assignments for Takaichi’s Cabinet
Japan has strengthened ties with countries throughout the region through aggressive security diplomacy that has revitalized agreements.
Sanae Takaichi’s economic strategy seeks to break Japan’s stagnation by boosting investment and demand despite high debt, a theory that remains promising but uncertain according to some experts.
COMMENTARY
Apr 27, 2026
Struggling to understand Sanaenomics? A new book helps.
Takaichi argues the solution is investment — with Aida proposing a “high-pressure economy” where demand outstrips supply and the government breaks the deadlock.
Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki announces his bid to run for the September gubernatorial election during a news conference in Naha on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 27, 2026
Okinawa Gov. Tamaki faces wavering support in bid for third term
Changes in the political landscape as a result of the general election have raised uncertainties over the incumbent governor’s backers and their position on a U.S. military base.
A bill to strengthen the government's intelligence capabilities was passed a Lower House plenary session on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Japan Lower House OKs bill to boost intel capabilities
The bill calls for setting up a national intelligence council to be headed by the prime minister and a national intelligence bureau.
Lower House Constitution Commission Chair Keiji Furuya (center) in a session on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
Panel on change to Constitution eyes ‘emergency’ clause to deliver breakthrough
Those favoring revision discuss streamlining policy shifts and extensions of lawmakers’ terms, while others question if changes are necessary.
Former co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance Yoshihiko Noda speaks during an interview at the Diet building in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 22, 2026
Some in LDP were positive about formation of CRA, says Noda
The former CRA co-leader says several moderate conservative members of the LDP were approached for cooperation to realize a broad political realignment.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Tomomi Inada (second from left) attends a party panel meeting on revising Japan's retrial system at the party's headquarters on April 15.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 22, 2026
LDP and Justice Ministry remain divided over how to revise retrial system
One key issue at the heart of the impasse in revising the retrial system has been whether to allow prosecutors to appeal a court decision to reopen a case.
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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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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