Tag - yuko-obuchi

 
 

YUKO OBUCHI

Sanae Takaichi (left) celebrates Shigeru Ishiba’s victory in becoming the head of the Liberal Democratic Party along with then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in September. Takaichi appears to be the only woman in any party who is close to breaking the glass ceiling to become the nation’s first female leader. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2024
The derailing of potential female prime ministers
Sanae Takaichi stands as the closest woman to breaking the glass ceiling and becoming Japan's first female prime minister.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida listens to voters in the city of Kumamoto in April. Liberal Democratic Party politicians are afraid that Kishida's unpopularity could seal their own fates when they stand for local elections.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 13, 2024
Calls for Kishida to step down growing among local LDP chapters
They blame their party’s unpopularity on him over the way he handled the kickbacks scandal and the political funds bill aimed at toughening up rules in its wake.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi arrives for his faction meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
Motegi faces bumpy road after faction dissolution
Motegi has never sought to conceal his aspirations for the top spot, but his prospects may now be dwindling.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2024
LDP faction shake-up damages prospects of Kishida rivals
Numerous LDP lawmakers have announced they will leave their factions, weakening faction leaders who had been seen as possible Kishida successors.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 29, 2023
Yoshiro Mori's image as LDP kingmaker rubs up against reality
While he remains a strong presence in the LDP, his actual ability to get his way on policy and personnel matters may not be as strong as it first appears.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 21, 2023
Scandal-tainted Yuko Obuchi's appointment could backfire on Kishida
Obuchi still faces questions over a nearly decade-old political funds scandal, and last week she was hit with fresh allegations of financial impropriety.
JAPAN / Politics / Notebook
Sep 13, 2023
What Kishida’s reshuffle says about female participation in politics
Political family ties of most of the female appointees speaks to the difficulty women face in entering the political arena.
Yuko Obuchi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party and the House of Representatives, speaks during the party's annual convention in Tokyo in February.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 27, 2023
Future female PM candidates in spotlight as Cabinet reshuffle looms
At present, women account for only about 10% of the lawmakers in the Lower House, while the proportion stands at some 27% in the upper chamber.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2023
Kishida looks ahead amid speculation over Cabinet reshuffle and LDP leadership changes
Both moves, if made, would be aimed at boosting the prime minister's popularity and strengthening his position within the LDP ahead of an autumn parliament session.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 1, 2023
LDP-Komeito spat spotlights deeper problems in political marriage
That, in turn, has raised questions about the state of their more than 20-year-old coalition, and whether the two sides will take steps to initiate a divorce.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 16, 2021
The LDP loses a heavyweight
Factions matter in the LDP because they are critical for selecting who becomes the party president and hence who becomes prime minister.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2015
Panel clears Obuchi over career-damaging scandal
A panel investigating former trade and industry minister Yuko Obuchi's alleged misuse of political funds ruled Monday she had no legal responsibility for the scandal that led to her resignation last year.
JAPAN / Politics / DECISION 2014
Dec 11, 2014
On the campaign trail, ex-minister Obuchi says sorry for scandal
An apologetic Yuko Obuchi reels in her stumping for the Lower House election after being stung by a fundraising scandal that abruptly ended her stint as trade minister.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 30, 2014
Funding scandals prompt veiled LDP threat to call snap election
Feeling the heat, Prime Minister Abe tells the opposition to stop revealing his Cabinet's fundraising violations and threatens to call a snap election over the 'obstruction.'

Longform

Yasuyuki Yoshida stirs a brew in a fermentation tank at his brewery in Hakusan.
The quake that shook Noto's sake brewing tradition