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LDP

LDP Upper House lawmaker Hiroshige Seko announces his exit from the party in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Apr 5, 2024
Kishida sought scapegoats and allies with LDP reprimands, experts say
Despite Kishida’s hopes, however, the results are unlikely to raise his support rate or strengthen his position within the party.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at a meeting of the Lower House Cabinet Committee on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 5, 2024
Kishida denies ex-PM Mori's involvement in LDP fund scandal
Many believe that Mori was involved in the scandal, as he had previously served as head of the Abe faction.
Hiroshige Seko, former Liberal Democratic Party Upper House secretary-general, announces Thursday his intention to leave the LDP after receiving an official recommendation he do so following the party's political funds scandal.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 5, 2024
Five takeaways from the funding scandal punishments
Political compromise was involved in the LDP punishment process, with many politicians caught up in the scandal remaining in relatively good positions.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left) attends a disciplinary panel in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 4, 2024
LDP announces formal punishment for scandal-tainted lawmakers
An LDP disciplinary panel handed down the reprimands following weeks of debate among the leadership and several rounds of internal investigations.
Toshimitsu Motegi, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 3, 2024
LDP not to field candidates in two Lower House by-elections
The ruling party will not field candidates in two of three upcoming by-elections amid headwinds the party faces over a slush fund scandal.
Former Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Hakubun Shimomura attends a Lower House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 3, 2024
LDP eyes membership suspension for Shimomura and Nishimura
It also plans to ask Shionoya and Seko to leave the party over the slush funds scandal involving certain factions.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi (left), Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center), and Taro Aso, the party's vice president, meet in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 2, 2024
LDP’s formal punishment likely to spark discontent
Exempting Kishida and Nikai from any reprimands over the slush funds scandal will likely deepen rifts within the party, experts say.
A boy watches Self-Defense Forces live-fire drills in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture, in 2017. Japan’s defense posture is shifting, as the government’s recent approval of new arms export regulations signals.  
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 1, 2024
Is Japan leaving pacifism behind?
How a previous generation of Japanese leaders, those who made defense budget and arms export limits a national credo, would view the current shift.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida may recommend some members of the LDP to leave the party because of a political funds scandal.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 31, 2024
Kishida seen urging scandal-mired LDP members to leave party
The recommendation is the second harshest of the eight penalties under the party's disciplinary rules.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has expressed his eagerness to revise the political funds law in the current session of parliament, slated to end on June 23.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Mar 29, 2024
Spotlight on political reform after budget clears Japan's parliament
Ruling and opposition parties are eager to outline a bolder plan for reform to raise their profile among voters amid growing political disenchantment.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends an Upper House Budget Committee session on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Ex-PM Yoshiro Mori may face LDP probe over kickback scheme
The target and scope of such an investigation has yet to be decided, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says.
Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai addresses a news conference Monday after he announced that he will not run in the next general election amid the political funds scandal engulfing his party.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 28, 2024
Why LDP elder Nikai's announcement is a big deal (and isn't)
Despite portraying it as a move to preserve Nikai's legacy, it's seen as a proactive attempt to insulate himself and his associates from further scrutiny.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) and Yuichiro Tamaki (right), leader of the Democratic Party for the People, hold a party leaders' debate in June 2021.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 28, 2024
Is Japan-style 'question time' facing abolition in parliament?
Both ruling and opposition parties have shown a lack of enthusiasm for holding such events, with some forces even advocating for its abolition.
Takashi Kimura (center) won the Kumamoto gubernatorial election on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Ex-vice governor wins Kumamoto gubernatorial election
Backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, Takashi Kimura will be the first new governor of Kumamoto in 16 years.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
LDP heavyweight Nikai says he won't run for reelection
Toshihiro Nikai, 85, said he had conveyed his decision to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as the LDP grapples with an ongoing political funds scandal.
Nobuyuki Baba, head of Nippon Ishin no Kai (front, center), and party members attend a party convention in the city of Kyoto on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 25, 2024
Nippon Ishin to take aim at LDP-Komeito Lower House majority
Nippon Ishin has maintained its existing goal of becoming the largest opposition party in the next Lower House election.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech during during the party's 91st convention in Tokyo on March 17.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 23, 2024
LDP secretary-general vows to dole out tough punishments over funds scandal
The remarks came at the first session of the LDP's regional roundtable dialogue on political reform, aimed at reflecting the voices of its local branches.
The opposition has no means to force the six current and former Liberal Democratic Party members to testify in parliament without the agreement from the party's leadership, starting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who concurrently serves as party president.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 20, 2024
Kishida weighs demand for sworn testimonies to clear air on scandal
Opposition parties want six current and former LDP members to testify before parliament on their knowledge of party fundraising kickbacks.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Mar 18, 2024
Japan’s eased defense export rules open door to more changes
The speed at which the Kishida administration has been pushing through defense reforms has stunned many even as the regional security environment worsens.
Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party President Fumio Kishida delivers a speech during the LDP's 91st party convention in Tokyo on Sunday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2024
What is being missed about the funding scandal
In discussions about the LDP funding scandal, certain considerations are missing. Beyond lambasting the party, these must be addressed for a clear vision.

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