Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday appointed seven Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers implicated in a high-profile slush fund scandal as senior or parliamentary vice ministers, reversing the approach of her predecessors in…
Category: Asia
32-year-old man arrested for shoving commuter onto tracks at train station in Yamanashi
A 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly pushing a man in his 60s onto the tracks at a train station in Kofu, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Sunday, causing him to suffer serious…
LDP-Japan Innovation Party marriage of convenience may face rocky future
Following the historic coalition deal between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, unease is growing within both over the new partnership, despite it likely delivering the country its long-awaited…
Sanae Takaichi Poised to Become Japan’s First Female Prime Minister as Diet Vote Nears
Japan’s Diet is expected to elect Sanae Takaichi as the country’s next prime minister on Tuesday, October 21, marking a historic moment as she becomes Japan’s first female premier. The vote follows her victory in the Liberal…
Japan should raise defense capabilities to counter assertive China: expert
Japan should raise its defense capabilities to a level that would prevent an assertive China from using force in the future, while making its non hostile stance clear, an international relations expert…
China’s ruling Communist Party meets to map out plans for the next 5 years
One of China’s most important meetings begins Monday, as leader Xi Jinping and other ruling Communist Party elites gather in Beijing to map out the goals for the next five years. The…
Japan eyes hike in visa fees for international visitors
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya says that the government is considering raising visa fees for foreign visitors, as current fees remain low compared with those in the United States and European countries….
LDP, Japan Innovation Party effectively strike policy deal for coalition
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the major opposition Japan Innovation Party have effectively agreed to form a coalition, with the JIP to offer support from outside the cabinet, senior officials from…
Japan’s Fractured Politics Threaten to Undermine Takaichi’s Ambitious Economic Revival Plan
Japan’s fractured politics are likely to complicate Sanae Takaichi’s economic plans significantly. After becoming the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Takaichi lost the support of the coalition partner Komeito,…
Rare woman yakuza on path to redemption in Japan
A missing fingertip offers a clue to Mako Nishimura’s criminal past as one of Japan’s few women yakuza. But after clawing her way out of the underworld, she now spends her days…