Tag - diet

 
 

DIET

Komeito Secretary-General Keiichi Ishii
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2024
Keiichi Ishii set to replace Natsuo Yamaguchi as Komeito chief
The move would mark the first change in party leadership since 2009.
Four members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan who filed their candidacies for the main opposition party's Sept. 23 leadership election —  Lower House lawmaker Harumi Yoshida (left), current chief Kenta Izumi (second left), former party leader Yukio Edano (second right) and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda — attend a joint news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 7, 2024
Main opposition CDP kicks off leadership race
The candidates are former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, ex-party leader Yukio Edano, current chief Kenta Izumi and Lower House lawmaker Harumi Yoshida.
Former Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Megumi Hirose in the Upper House in April. She stepped down as lawmaker on Aug. 15.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 30, 2024
Ex-LDP lawmaker Hirose indicted over alleged pay fraud
She allegedly reported the wife of her public secretary as her second secretary although the wife did not perform any work in that capacity.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda is the second CDP lawmaker to join the leadership contest after party veteran Yukio Edano announced his decision to run last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 29, 2024
Noda announces CDP leadership bid with eye on a comeback for the opposition
The former prime minister emphasized that a certain degree of experience is required to tackle the challenges Japan is facing.
Toshihiro Nikai (left), former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, meets Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, in Beijing on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 28, 2024
Nikai expresses regret over China's airspace violation during Beijing talks
Nikai is visiting the Chinese capital as head of a delegation of a nonpartisan Japanese lawmaker group for friendship with China.
Lower House member Manabu Horii
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 28, 2024
Scandal-hit former LDP member Manabu Horii announces resignation as lawmaker
"I've ended up trampling on the trust placed on me by each vote, entirely due to my lack of law-abiding spirit. So I decided to quit," he said.
Former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi speaks to reporters in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 25, 2024
Once allies, Ishiba, Kono and Koizumi set to battle for LDP president votes
The three, dubbed the "Koishikawa coalition" after kanji characters from each of their last names, will jostle for party member support in the Sept. 27 election.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to Liberal Democratic Party members during a leadership election at its headquarters in Tokyo in September 2020.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024
Ex-defense chief Shigeru Ishiba announces fifth bid for LDP presidency
The party heavyweight underscored a commitment to clean politics, pledging to work to restore trust in the LDP after a wide-ranging slush fund scandal.
Yoshihiko Noda
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda weighs bid for CDP leadership
Some party members are pinning their hopes on Noda for his conservative beliefs and rich political experience.
Lawmakers leave a Lower House plenary session after the chamber was dissolved in October 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2024
Signs point toward November general election following LDP race
The advantage gained from the change in LDP leadership may diminish if the snap poll is not called soon after the party's presidential race.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi holds a news conference Tuesday. The party has decided to hold its leadership election on Sept. 27.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 20, 2024
Is factional support still key for aspiring LDP presidential candidates?
Despite persistent claims the groups won't play any role in the September vote, factional ties remain strong to this day.
Yukio Edano, a former leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, speaks to reporters on Aug. 9 to express his intention to run in the party's leadership race.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Aug 20, 2024
CDP faced with division as it heads into leadership race
The next CDP leader will be expected to unify the different groups within the party and cooperate with other opposition parties to increase its seats during polls.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Kenta Izumi at a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 19, 2024
CDP and JCP leaders reaffirm need for cooperation in Lower House poll
The leaders of the two parties agreed that the next election will be an important opportunity to topple the LDP-Komeito ruling coalition.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Praty hopes to capitalize on a sense of renewal stemming from the election of a new president to succeed Fumio Kishida, who has said he will not seek reelection.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 18, 2024
LDP pinning hope on boost from leader change
The LDP will hold a leadership election in September to choose the successor to President Fumio Kishida, who said last week that he will step down.
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Takayuki Kobayashi speaks to reporters during a visit to Tokyo's war-linked Yasukuni Shrine on Thursday, the 79th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 17, 2024
Takayuki Kobayashi set to announce LDP presidential bid
The 49-year-old lawmaker, serving his fourth term in the House of Representatives, has already secured support "from well over 20 people."
The parliament building in Tokyo. With concerns about summer heat rising and many elections taking place in summertime, it may not be tenable to conduct campaigns as in the past given health risks to candidates, their staff and voters.
JAPAN / Politics / Boiling Point
Aug 17, 2024
Hotter summers pose a threat to Japan's tradition of stump speeches
Balancing health concerns with legal restrictions as well as candidates' desire to be as publicly visible as possible, even in super hot weather, might be tricky.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and LDP Vice President Taro Aso attend an executive meeting in Tokyo on July 23.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2024
With resignation, Kishida looks to LDP's political future
Once it became clear that his chances of winning the September vote were minimal, Kishida chose to prioritize the party’s interests.
A by-election to fill the vacancy left by Megumi Hirose's resignation is expected to take place on Oct. 27.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2024
Former LDP member Megumi Hirose resigns as Upper House lawmaker
Her resignation comes amid allegations that one of her secretaries had fraudulently received a salary using state funds.
Nobuyuki Baba (left), the leader of Nippon Ishin no Kai, faces Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a parliamentary debate among party leaders in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 15, 2024
Japan's allowance disclosure reform for lawmakers stalled
Efforts have slowed as an agreement between two key parties on the issue lacks a specific deadline.
Digital minister Taro Kono (left), Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (center) and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba are among the potential candidates for the ruling party's presidential election next month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 14, 2024
Kishida's out. Who will likely be Japan's next leader?
The prime minister's decision not to run in the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential race has ignited discussion on who might succeed him.

Longform

A store clerk tries to cool things down in front of their shop by spraying a hose.
Is extreme weather changing the way Japan shops?