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LDP

New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (front center) and other Cabinet ministers pose for a commemorative photo after an appointment and certification ceremony at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 1, 2024
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba unveils Cabinet as LDP divide emerges
His Cabinet, made up of lawmakers largely untainted by an LDP political funds scandal, has appeared to open up a rift in the ruling party.
Incoming child care policy minister Junko Mihara (center) arrives at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday. Mihara is one of only two female ministers in Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 1, 2024
A very LDP Cabinet — more of the same, despite hints of a power shift
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba retained veterans in key posts and rewarded those who supported him in the LDP presidential race.
A woman holds up sign reading "defeat Ishiba," Japan's new prime minister, as a small group of protesters gather outside the parliament building in Tokyo on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2024
Japan’s new leader has barely the concept of a plan
If Ishiba follows through on some of his stated policies, that might be where the endearment ends.
Shigeru Ishiba’s Cabinet appointments reveal deep fissures within the party resulting from his victory in the leadership race.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 1, 2024
The new prime minister puts together a ‘disunity Cabinet’
While Ishiba tries to promote his policy priorities, the Cabinet's composition may create challenges for his leadership.
LDP policy chief Itsunori Onodera, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama, Vice President Yoshihide Suga, Shunichi Suzuki, chairman of the general affairs council, and Shinjiro Koizumi, chairman of the election committee, at the party's headquarters on Monday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2024
Ishiba announces new leadership lineup ahead of general election
The appointments seem to reflect Ishiba’s desire to maintain internal party harmony ahead of a general election and reward those who have supported him.
The former treasurer of the Liberal Democratic Party's former largest faction has been found guilty in a case tied to a major political funds scandal that the party has been mired in since late last year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 30, 2024
Former Abe faction treasurer given suspended three-year prison term
Junichiro Matsumoto underreported political funds totaling ¥670 million between 2018 and 2022.
Shigeru Ishiba, the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 30, 2024
Incoming PM Ishiba sets Oct. 27 as date for snap election
The newly elected Liberal Democratic Party president's announcement is highly unusual and not without controversy.
Shigeru Ishiba speaks at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo after being elected the party's new leader Friday.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 30, 2024
Tokyo stocks fall 4.8% in first day of trading after Ishiba's victory
The surprise result in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election “contributed to meaningful volatility” in the markets.
Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 29, 2024
Ishiba calls for loose monetary policy amid fragile economic recovery
On fiscal policy, Ishiba said he will aim to compile a package of measures at an early date to cushion the economic blow from rising living costs.
Shigeru Ishiba holds a news conference in Tokyo on Friday after winning the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2024
Ishiba hints at general election in late October as he starts to form Cabinet
Media reports said that preparations were underway for a snap general election to be held on Oct. 27.
Then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe celebrates in Tokyo with party rival Shigeru Ishiba after Abe won the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership vote in September 2018.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024
Shigeru Ishiba made his career as an anti-Abe
Over the years, Ishiba's opposition earned him few friends; indeed, he has a reputation for being a "traitor” due to his public criticism of party orthodoxy.
While Shigeru Ishiba’s victory suggests a shift within the Liberal Democratic Party, he still faces challenges from those who remain loyal to the old party guard. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 29, 2024
Japan’s perennial political underdog finally gets a win
Ishiba margin of victory was slim, meaning that there is still a sizable portion of the party who will be resistant to his initiatives.
Shigeru Ishiba, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party holds a news conference after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 28, 2024
Ishiba gets down to the business of forming new administration
The incoming prime minister has reportedly decided to keep Yoshimasa Hayashi in the key post of chief cabinet secretary.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba takes a seat in the Liberal Democratic Party president's office in Tokyo after being elected to the post on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 27, 2024
Ishiba wins: An unusual result for an unusual election
The very lawmakers who long shunned former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba made him president in an unexpected twist to the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race.
Shigeru Ishiba, newly-elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a news conference after winning the party's leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024
China, Taiwan and South Korea weigh in on Ishiba victory
All three of Tokyo's neighbors said they hoped for improved relations under the former defense chief, who is set to be named prime minister in the coming days.
Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba waves after he was elected as the new head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party during a leadership vote on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024
Fifth time's a charm: Shigeru Ishiba set to be Japan PM after LDP poll win
Ishiba, who has also served as party secretary-general, won the LDP presidential election on Friday, defeating economic security minister Sanae Takaichi in a runoff vote.
New Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba (right), economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (left) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Ishiba won the LDP leadership race on Friday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Markets
Sep 27, 2024
Yen rallies as Ishiba beats Takaichi in LDP race
Ishiba has shown support for the BOJ’s rate policies and the independence of the central bank.
A poster showing portraits of candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election at the party headquarters in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024
Takaichi and Ishiba head to runoff in LDP leadership election
Ishiba, 67, and Takaichi, 63, emerged as the top picks in a crowded field of nine in the race that will decide the country’s next prime minister
A Japanese Self-Defense Force jet was forced to fire flares recently as a warning to Russian aircraft that violated the country's airspace, highlighting how both China and Russia tried to test Japan’s leadership during a period of political transition.
EDITORIALS
Sep 27, 2024
China tests Japan. Are its new leaders ready?
Most of China's moves require considerable planning. That means that the signals they sent were anticipated and approved by political decision-makers.
Shoppers in Tokyo. Consumer inflation in the capital eased in September after outgoing Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reinstated energy subsidies to help households cope with one of the hottest summers on record.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 27, 2024
Tokyo inflation cools as government resumes energy subsidies
The government's energy subsidies were the biggest factors behind the deceleration, knocking 0.5 percentage point off overall inflation.

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