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Gabriele Ninivaggi
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2024
Tamaki suspended for three months as DPP leader following affair
An internal committee judged Tamaki’s conduct as having contravened the party’s ethics regulations and damaged its honor and trust.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks in the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2024
Ishiba questioned on political reform, social issues and the economy
The prime minister reiterated his skepticism about abolishing corporate donations to political parties.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers his policy speech at the Lower House of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 29, 2024
Ishiba sticks to the basics in second policy speech
Rather than expand on his broader vision, Ishiba chose to focus on less-contentious individual policy matters.
DPP leader Yuichiro Tamaki in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 27, 2024
DPP’s Tamaki leverages new position with energy proposal
Yuichiro Tamaki has been a long-time advocate of nuclear power and the reactivation of Japan’s halted nuclear power plants.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba addresses a meeting at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Thursday to discuss political reform.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 25, 2024
Corporate donations remain sticky point in political reform talks
The opposition wants such donations banned but the ruling coalition maintains that a ban would curtail the political freedom of the private sector.
DPP policy chief Makoto Mahaguchi speaks at the party's policy gathering in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 20, 2024
Ruling coalition and DPP strike last-minute deal over economic policy
The package will include cash handouts to lower-income households and subsidies to help families cope with rising utility bills.
Digital minister Masaaki Taira, who has jurisdiction over a bill to introduce an “active cyberdefense” system, speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2024
Government set to postpone submission of cyberdefense bill to next year
The delay in the bill to introduce an "active cyberdefense" system follows the ruling bloc's election drubbing, which drained the prime minister's political capital.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who doubles as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a gathering on the party's political reform plans on Tuesday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 12, 2024
Ishiba's minority government begins first day of business with focus on reform
With the ruling coalition no longer having a majority, Ishiba will likely be forced to make significant concessions to the opposition camp.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba votes to elect the prime minister at the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 11, 2024
Ishiba holds on to PM role as tricky parliamentary session looms
Ishiba was forced into a runoff after no candidate for prime minister was able to secure a simple majority in the first round of voting.
Outgoing Komeito leader Keiichi Ishii speaks at the party's executive meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 8, 2024
Komeito pins hopes on new leader after dismal electoral performance
Transport minister Tetsuo Saito, 72, is set to formally succeed party leader Keiichi Ishii.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during a party meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 7, 2024
LDP lawmakers urge Ishiba to step down after budget passage next year
But neither the prime minister, nor LDP Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, said they would step down.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki (left) and his counterpart in the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 5, 2024
Opposition parties band together to shape Lower House agenda
Four main opposition parties have agreed to jointly request the opening of a session of the budget committee and a special committee on political reform.
Democratic Party for the People chief Yuichiro Tamaki’s personal YouTube channel has more than 326,000 subscribers, by far the highest number among party leaders.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 1, 2024
How Japan’s new kingmaker party won over young voters
The Democratic Party for the People's election gains can be traced to two different factors: its youth-oriented policies and skillful use of social media platforms.
DPP head Yuichiro Tamaki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. Tamaki has reportedly rejected a request for a meeting with Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 30, 2024
All eyes on DPP ahead of prime minister vote in Lower House
The party — which has quadrupled its seats to 28 — is expected to sway the outcome of the vote, potentially in a way that would benefit Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks during a news conference a day after the Lower House election, at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 28, 2024
Questions swirl over Ishiba’s future after torrid first month as PM
Ishiba’s gamble on calling an early snap election has exacerbated his already precarious standing within the LDP.
A man votes in the Lower House election at a polling station set up at a school  in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024
Voters head to the polls across Japan in crucial test for ruling coalition
Recent polls have indicated the coalition might lose its majority in the powerful Lower House of parliament for the first time in 15 years.
Liberal Democratic Party candidate Nobuyasu Nikai speaks in front of a crowd in the district of Aridagawa, Wakayama Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024
Election wildcard in Wakayama puts rural district in national spotlight
Former LDP member Hiroshige Seko's decision to seek a Lower House seat as an independent candidate highlights the fractured state of the ruling party.
Koichi Hagiuda, former economy minister, shakes hands with his supporters in Hachioji, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 18, 2024
In western Tokyo, national scandals rub up against local politics
In the Tokyo No. 24 district, the LDP is grappling with a backlash, but the opposition is struggling to capitalize on the public’s lingering dissatisfaction.
A board for election posters in Tokyo's Chuo Ward on Monday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 15, 2024
Election to test Ishiba's ability to build a strong political base
The PM must mitigate the reputational damage caused by the LDP's recent funds scandal and persuade voters that the party is still their best choice.
Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) leader Yoshihiko Noda speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 13, 2024
Amid skepticism, CDP faces once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Oct. 27 polls
The party can capitalize on dissatisfaction against the ruling Liberal Democratic Party over a recent scandal, but it must battle voters' deep-seated doubts against it.

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