Tag - lower-house

 
 

LOWER HOUSE

Koichi Hagiuda thanks his supporters early Monday in Tokyo after his victory in Sunday's general election became certain.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
60% of 'slush fund' candidates lose in Japan Lower House poll
The severe outcome reflected renewed criticism against the LDP that arose in the final stage of the election campaign.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during an interview with reporters at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
Japan faces political upheaval after LDP-led coalition loses majority
The electoral rout opens up a potential path for the opposition to steer the lower chamber’s agenda if they can act cohesively.
On Sunday, voters delivered the LDP its biggest electoral setback since 2009, showing their dissatisfaction with recent scandals that have ravaged the party and fundamental issues in its makeup.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2024
Japan's October surprise
The debacle facing the LDP may be the immediate result of recent scandals, but there are deeper, structural reasons why voters have lost confidence in the party.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Liberal Democratic Party's headquarters on Sunday, the day of a general election in which his party failed to secure even a simple majority together with its junior coalition party, Komeito.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 28, 2024
Breaking down the LDP’s punishing defeat
The LDP has been delivered a crushing electoral setback. How did this happen? What comes next? What does this mean for policymaking? Some of the key questions answered.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba poses for a photo with other members of the Liberal Democratic Party at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night after polls closed in the 2024 general election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
Success and scandals: the Liberal Democratic Party
The LDP remains associated with the postwar economic miracle, said Tomoaki Iwai of Nihon University.
Eiji Kidoguchi, fielded by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, won a by-election for the House of Councilors on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
CDP candidate wins Upper House by-election
Eiji Kidoguchi, elected to the chamber for the second time, focused his campaign on political reform.
Komeito chief Keiichi Ishii leaves the party's headquarters in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Sunday. Ishii, who was elected party president just one month ago, failed to secure a seat in the Upper House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 28, 2024
Komeito chief's Lower House loss raises questions about party's future
Keiichi Ishii, who was elected party leader last month and did not stand for proportional representation, fell short in his bid to win a Saitama district seat.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who is also LDP president, dissolved the Lower House only eight days after assuming office on Oct. 1
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2024
Why Ishiba’s strategy of a surprise battle backfired
His dissolution of the Lower House only eight days after assuming office and backtracking on previously touted policies left voters with little to base votes on.
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.

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Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?