Tag - 2024-lower-house-election

 
 

2024 LOWER HOUSE ELECTION

A polling station at a local school in Tokyo on Sunday
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024
As it happened: Japan's Lower House election 2024
Recent polls have indicated Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito bloc might lose its majority in the lower chamber for the first time in 15 years.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks with voters in Tokyo on Saturday ahead of Sunday's general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024
Japan party heads travel 84,000 km to campaign for general election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, clocked 14,387 kilometers, longer than any other party leaders over the 12 days.
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.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who serves concurrently as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, makes a speech at a campaign event for the Lower House election, in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 26, 2024
In tight Japan election, candidates make last-ditch appeals
Opinion polls have suggested the ruling bloc might fall short of a majority, delivering a potentially devastating blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Investors already rattled by economic and monetary policy uncertainty are carefully watching Sunday's election.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 25, 2024
Tokyo stocks could 'plunge' if ruling coalition loses majority in Sunday vote
Investors are already rattled by monetary-policy tightening and geopolitical concerns.
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.
Along with official videos from parties and candidates, individually produced videos are on the rise on YouTube and other platforms.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024
Short social media videos gain traction in Japan's election campaign
Both official campaign and user-generated videos are on the rise, with experts warning that the latter may present misleading or out-of-context information.
In Japan, terms like "progressive," "liberal," "conservative," and "nationalist" may sound familiar but do not align with their meanings in other democracies.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 25, 2024
How to understand labels in Japanese politics
The issues that define political labels are often unique to Japan. As a result, quite a few Western authors will pick them up and use them.
A Japan Ground Self-Defense Force battle tank fires ammunition during a live fire exercise at East Fuji Maneuver Area in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024
Defense tax hikes hinge on election results
Ruling and opposition parties share a recognition that Japan faces a tough security environment.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to voters in Aichi Prefecture on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 25, 2024
LDP rapped over funds for local chapters of scandal-tainted candidates
The LDP secretary-general said the funding was provided to the local chapters to expand the party’s influence, not to support individual candidates.
Ramen shop Menya Taisei's owner Taisei Hikage cooks ramen at his shop in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Oct 24, 2024
Japan's rising ramen prices give election voters food for thought
The problems facing ramen shop owners reflect a cost-of-living crunch that has become a top issue for voters in the general election on Sunday.
“Vote harassment” continues to be a significant barrier to women’s participation in politics, with only two prefectures having passed local ordinances aiming to eliminate the problem.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2024
1 in 4 female candidates face sexual harassment during campaigns
Despite a record 314 women running in Sunday's Lower House election, harassment continues to be a barrier to women's participation in politics.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visits Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, which was heavily damaged by the New Year's Day earthquake, on Oct. 5.
JAPAN
Oct 24, 2024
Noto residents view upcoming election with mixed hope and resignation
Only about 16% of publicly subsidized demolition work on buildings damaged in the Jan. 1 quake in Ishikawa had been completed as of the end of September.
Posters for candidates in the Tokyo No. 1 district on Wednesday in Tokyo
JAPAN / Media
Oct 23, 2024
In the heart of Tokyo, LDP and CDP rivals duke it out as election day nears
While the ruling and main opposition candidates are the clear front-runners, a third-party challenger is also hoping to wrestle his way in.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives to deliver a campaign speech in Osaka on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 23, 2024
Polls show Japan's ruling bloc could lose its majority. What would happen then?
Depending on the final count, one option for the LDP and Komeito might be to invite another party into a coalition.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party looks set for a bruising election night. The question for its leader, Shigeru Ishiba, is how bad the damage will be.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 23, 2024
Ishiba and the LDP race to stem the electoral bleeding
Weeks into Shigeru Ishiba's premiership and mere days out from a general election, red alert signals are sounding in Tokyo’s corridors of power.
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. The government aims to restart the plant to ensure stable power supplies amid an expected increase in power demand for data centers and other facilities.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2024
Japan's parties divided over nuclear energy amid rising power demand
Political parties have made various pledges on nuclear power ahead of Sunday's general election, ranging from abolishing all nuclear plants to maximizing their use.
Supporters of one of the candidates running for the Oct. 27 Lower House election applaud at a gathering in Koriyama, Fukushima Prefecture, on Oct. 12.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 23, 2024
LDP-CDP battle heats up in Fukushima after rezoning
The campaign is intensifying as LDP and CDP candidates vie for votes in Koriyama, the largest city in the new constituency.
A vehicle crashes into a barricade in front of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 22, 2024
Police drew guns at man who set minivan on fire at Prime Minister's Office
The 49-year-old suspect also threw Molotov cocktails at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters on Saturday before driving to the Prime Minister's Office.
Former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi stumps in the city of Nara on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 22, 2024
With her sights set on Ishiba's throne, will Takaichi take over the LDP?
Anything less than a comfortable victory in Sunday's general election will put the prime minister in a vulnerable position.

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