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July 12, 2026
 

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NIPPON ISHIN NO KAI

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sanseito supporters listen as the party’s leader, Sohei Kamiya, speaks at an election campaign event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of official campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Has Takaichi secured a win? Conservative voters are returning to the LDP.
Takaichi’s confidence in calling an election just four months into her tenure as Japan’s leader comes from high public approval and a general fragmentation in the opposition ranks.
Supporters of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend an election campaign event in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Where will Japan’s democracy go from here?
Many question the rationale for the snap election with some critics claiming that it is an election without a “just cause.”
A poster board in the Osaka No. 5 district in the city of Osaka. Candidates from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are competing against each other in all single-seat constituencies in Osaka Prefecture in Sunday's Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
In Osaka, LDP faces off against JIP despite being allies
Roughly 66,000 people who voted for Komeito in the last Lower House election are seen as kingmakers in the Osaka No. 5 district.
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.
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 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.
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.
Leader of the Japan Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura delivers his first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 28, 2026
JIP struggles with perception and unity ahead of Lower House election
The junior member of the ruling coalition has remained unpopular nationally, while its goal of merging Osaka city’s wards is creating unexpected problems within its Osaka base.
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.
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.
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.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
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.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
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.

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