Politics
Ishiba eyes tighter oversight of foreign residents via new office
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday launched a new office within the Cabinet Secretariat tasked with reviewing and reworking government responses to perceived issues linked to Japan's growing foreign population. The new office has been established at a time when the topic of foreigners in Japan has become a hot-button… Read
Japan PM to meet Bessent on Friday, Yomiuri says
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is arranging to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Tokyo on Friday, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Tuesday, ahead of an August 1 deadline to strike a trade deal with the United States. A separate Yomiuri report said European Union leaders will visit Ishiba… Read
Japan ruling party support plunges ahead of national election in NHK poll
Japan's ruling LDP party received its lowest score in an opinion poll since returning to power in 2012 in a survey by public broadcaster NHK on Monday, underlining the prospect that the governing bloc may struggle in Sunday's upper house election. The Liberal Democratic Party's support fell 4.1 percentage points… Read
Ruling LDP member quits as upper house panel chief over gaffe
A senior ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker resigned Monday as head of the House of Councillors' powerful Budget Committee over controversial comments he made about a devastating earthquake that hit central Japan last year. The decision by Yosuke Tsuruho, who had described the quake as "fortunate" in showing how public… Read
Trump indicates Japan 'very rapidly' softening stance in tariff talks
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday claimed Japan and other major trading partners are changing their approach to tariff negotiations "very, very rapidly," indicating he believes there may soon be progress toward agreements. Trump made the claim while speaking about the current status of the administration's trade negotiations, singling out… Read
Foreigners at center of debate in Japan's tense election campaign
Ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election, policies toward foreigners in Japan have emerged as a central issue, with minor conservative opposition parties gaining momentum amid waning support for the long-dominant ruling bloc. The rise of the minor nationalist Sanseito party, which advocates stricter controls on foreign residents… Read
Japan's aid agency to issue ¥23 bil Africa-support bonds in August
The Japan International Cooperation Agency will issue bonds worth around 23 billion yen ($160 million) next month to raise funds for infrastructure, education and other development needs of African nations. The bond issuance will coincide with Japan's cohosting of the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Yokohama, near… Read
Ruling bloc's cash handouts plan risky election gambit for PM Ishiba
Anti-inflation measures proposed by the ruling parties look unappealing to voters, with their effect seen as unclear, leaving Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at risk of losing his job after the upcoming election. As campaigning for the House of Councillors election began on July 3, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and… Read
Russia warns U.S., S Korea and Japan against security alliance targeting N Korea
Russia’s foreign minister warned the U.S., South Korea and Japan against forming a security partnership targeting North Korea as he visited his country's ally for talks on further solidifying their booming military and other cooperation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke Saturday at North Korea's eastern Wonsan city, where he met the country's leader,… Read
LDP lawmaker to quit upper house panel post over quake gaffe
A senior ruling party lawmaker plans to step down from a key post in the upper house after coming under fire for describing last year's massive earthquake in central Japan as "fortunate," a source familiar with the matter said Saturday. The blunder by Yosuke Tsuruho of the Liberal Democratic Party,… Read
