J Update

Japan’s Self-defense Force for the first time possessed standoff missile capability, which can strike military bases of an enemy from the place out of enemy’s reach. The force   deployed   cutting-edge counterstrike missiles in bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka on March 31 st . Acknowledging Iran’s strikes on bases of the United States Force in Gulf countries, the residents around the bases are anxious about possibility of being targeted by the enemy. Based on Article 9 of its constitution, Japan had been maintaining exclusively defense-oriented policy, not possessing a capability of striking enemy’s bases. It was controversial that former Shinzo Abe administration included possession of standoff firearms to counter enemy ships or landing troops in the National Defense Program Guidelines in 2018. Former prime minister Fumio Kishida decided to enhance capability of standoff missile in National Defense Strategy in 2022. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi followed those decisions of her ...

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) decided to deregulate a rule for working reactors in nuclear power plants to take anti-terrorism measures. While the owners of nuclear power plants have been demanded to build anti-terrorism system in certain period of time, the NRA   extended  the deadline. The NRA changed its rule with consideration of the government of Japan that promotes resumption of nuclear reactors.   Nuclear Reactor Regulation Act  mandates power companies to build a facility to deal with serious accident, caused by natural disaster or terrorist attack, in the site of nuclear power plant. “When a power company sets up a nuclear reactor for power generation, it needs to obtain permission of NRA with description on necessary facility to deal with an accident of significant damage in reactor core,” Article 43-3-5 of the act says. This regulation was introduced after the severe accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. That anti-terrorist fa...

Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) is in trouble in its effort to extend its wing from the Lower House to the Upper House in the Diet. While CRA members in the Lower House are working together in this young party, the members of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito are still separated in the Upper House, hesitating to join the CRA. Having been fragmented into three parties, they cannot exercise their power against the leading parties led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.   Countering Takaichi’s abrupt decision for a snap election of the Lower House, the CRA was established by Lower House members of the CDPJ and Komeito which had cancelled 26-year-old coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last fall. Although the CRA was expected to integrate supporters of the CDPJ and Komeito, the result was a serious defeat for the new party. Supporters of the CDPJ and Komeito had been political enemy each other for decades and could not work together in local level. ...

Sharing growing concern on unreliability of the United States on international security and China on international economy, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi agreed with French President Emanuel Macron on bilateral cooperation based on “exceptional partnership.” They shared common views on the war in Iran and security in Indo-Pacific region, as they work together for developments in economic security or technological progress, in their meeting in Tokyo on April 1 st , At the outset of the summit meeting, Takaichi  stressed  importance of bilateral relations between Japan and France. “Amid the increasingly severe international security environment, the security of Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is closely interconnected and cooperation among like-minded countries has become even more important,” Takaichi said to Macron in the meeting. Macron hoped Takaichi to work closely within the framework in the G7, which France presides this year.   That indicated the standpoints of t...

As a month have passed since the United States and Israel started attacking Iran, Japan eventually appears to be suffering from energy shortage. Although government of Japan has been making effort to stabilize gasoline price or secure alternative route to obtain energy resources, they are not working very well. Japan reveals its inherent vulnerability to securing its own energy.   Japan is supposed to have one of the biggest  oil reserves  in the world, amounting to 470 million barrels, which corresponds to its domestic oil consumption for 254 days. It  depends  over 90 percent of its crude oil to be supplied from the Middle East, which needs to pass the Strait of Hormuz. The strait is effectively blocked by Iran since the war started. Not only oil but liquified natural gas (LNG) to Japan cannot go through the strait.   Sanae Takaichi government began releasing national oil reserve on March 23 rd . To keep gasoline price at 170 yen per litter, the governmen...

Ten years have passed since post-war Japan made a biggest change in its security policy. A series of laws for peace and security was   enforced  on March 29, 2016, under the leadership of former prime minister Shinzo Abe. The legislature changed interpretation of the Constitution of Japan, enabling Japan to exercise its collective defense right, which had been strictly restrained. Abe insisted that the legislature was necessary for security of Japan. Here is a question: Do the Japanese really feel safe now?   Article 9 of the constitution renounces war and prohibits the government to possess force, reserving its right to defend itself in the case of directly being attacked. The most controversial point has been about the case in which foreign force with close relationship with Japan is attacked. Past governments have determined that Japan cannot help that foreign force, because it must be an exercise of collective self-defense which the constitution rules out.   Faci...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi keeps high approval rate even after her failure of passing FY2026 budget bill by the end of March. Her popularity is based on her performance that she was fighting against opposition powers or her diplomatic style in dealing with powerful leaders in the world. It is likely that she introduces method of former prime minister Jun-ichiro Koizumi whose government was dubbed as “theatrical politics.”   The  poll  of Nikkei Shimbun in late March showed 72 percent of approval for Takaichi Cabinet, 3 points of increase from February, with 23 percent of disapproval. 65 percent of responders positively evaluated her meeting with President of the United States Donald Trump at White House in mid-March. Also, 65 percent thought that her measures on soaring price of oil, caused by U.S. military attack on Iran, was appropriate.   In another  poll  conducted by  Mainichi Shimbun , the approval rate was 58 percent, declined from 61 percent...

Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court accepted six lawsuits on same sex marriage and   handed them over  to Grand Bench which makes important constitutional decisions. High Courts that made decisions on those cases have mostly been supportive for marriages of couples who share the same sex. If the Supreme Court sentences approval for same sex marriage, the government of Japan will need to guarantee them a right for married couples.   Five high courts in Sapporo, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Nagoya and Osaka have made decisions on those lawsuits a couple of years ago. Tokyo High Court made different decisions in two of those six cases. Totally, five decisions recognized that the laws which do not approve same sex marriage would violate provisions of the Constitution of Japan. Only Tokyo High Court decided that current laws are constitutional in the second lawsuit in Tokyo.   Article 13 of the Constitution guarantees the people “right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” wh...

Sanae Takaichi Cabinet submitted an   interim budget bill   for eleven days at the beginning of FY2026 to the Diet on March 27 th . The interim budget will be necessary to start some projects included in FY2026 budget bill which has not passed the Upper House. Although Takaichi hoped that the annual budget bill would pass the House by the end of March, it was impossible for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), not having s majority in the Upper House, to implement it.   Annual budget bill for FY2026 was submitted to the Diet on February 20 th  and passed the Lower House on March 13 th with approval of the LDP and its coalition partner, Japan Innovation Party, which had supermajority in the House. However, the discussion in the Upper House did not go smoothly. Opposition parties which occupy majority in the Upper House demanded enough discussion over substances of the budget bill.   Not having experienced in Diet affairs, such as negotiations with opposition parti...

The National Council on Social Security started substantial discussion on consumption tax cut and introduction of refundable tax credit for low-income families. In the   hearing  from organizations of business managers and labor union, they are more supportive for refundable tax credit than temporary tax cut for foods. The council built up its chape by participation of major opposition parties. Consumption tax cut became a major issue in the campaign of Lower House election in February. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi argued that her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) would introduce refundable tax credit after two-year moratorium of consumption tax on foods. Although the LDP had been skeptical about refundable tax credit, Takaichi insisted on it as the people demanded measures to mitigate damages from current price inflation.   In the meeting on March 25 th , policy leaders of parties heard from representatives of business leaders and workers. Japan Business Federation (Keidan...

Committee on Budget in the Upper House of the Diet on March 25 th   had  an intensive discussion on Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to the United States and meeting with President Donald Trump. Takaichi explained why she praised Trump as a peacemaker, but avoided legal evaluation on U.S. attack on Iran. She did not say that Japan would or would not send troops to the Strait of Hormuz.   “Donald is the only person who can bring peace and prosperity across the world,” Takaichi said in the meeting with Trump at the White House on March 19 th . In the discussion of the committee, Takaichi explained that she had thought that it would be Trump who could lead the war in Middle East to a peace or improve international economy. She later corrected her description of “war in Middle East” to “battle in Middle East.” She revealed that she decided to use that expression while she sleeplessly deliberated on the plane from Tokyo to Washington.   From the beginning of U.S. att...

One of the focused topics in this special session of the Diet is criminalizing desecration of the national flag. While Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been a proponent of this rightwing agenda, there are lawmakers in her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who regard the legislation as too eccentric to protect human rights of the people. It is possible that the legislation will be resulted in simply patriotic declaration for paying respect to the national flag of Japan. The Penal Code  of Japan provides that damaging foreign flag is a crime. “ A person who damages, removes or defiles the national flag or other national emblem of a foreign state for the purpose of insulting the foreign state is punished by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than 200,000 yen ,”  Article 92 of the law says. However, no law in Japan penalizes destruction of Japan’s national flag.   In post-war Japan, the government could not restore public confidence, since it had led t...

Political confrontation between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the opposition parties over FY2026 budget bill in the Upper House resulted in concessive retreat of Takaichi. Her government announced that it would submit a provisional budget bill to the Diet, being afraid of its failure in passing the FY2026 budget bill within this month. It would be the first setback for Takaichi, who maintains high approval rate, after sweeping victory of her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Lower House election in February 8 th .   Minister of Finance, Satsuki Katayama,  announced  on March 24 th  that her ministry would form a provisional budget “preparing for an unpredictable event.” The leaders of LDP in the Upper House visited the Prime Minister’s Official Residence and noticed Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minoru Kihara, that they would be unable to pass the FY2026 budget bill by the end of March.   Takaichi has been insisting that the bill should pass the Diet by the end o...

The coalition partner of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP), is suffering from loss of identity, since it could not make a major progress in the Lower House election in February. Although it hopes to implement its campaign platform, including reduction of seats in the Diet, the party cannot have any viable perspective to make them happen. It cannot conclude that the decision of forming coalition with Sanae Takaichi administration has been right.   Soon after Komeito left the leading coalition with LDP last October, quibbling with Takaichi’s victory in LDP presidential election, JIP agreed with the LDP to make a new partnership. Although it had been criticizing policies of the long ruling party, JIP exchanged policy package for political reform. Leaders of the party believed that implementation of those policies would be the cause of forming a coalition with the political enemy for years.   JIP expected that being a coalition partner would contr...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi came back to Tokyo on March 21 st  from her meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at Washington, D.C. While she achieved a reputation that she suffered no major harm in the summit meeting, Takaichi exposed her unique style of diplomacy, which had not been seen in her predecessors. Although Japan made no significant progress in bilateral relationship with the U.S. in the meeting, she was successful in impressing that “charm” could build something in diplomacy with a figure of uncertainty. A video footage of Takaichi’s arrival at White House on March 19 th  was repeatedly broadcast in Japan. After getting off a car, Takaichi approached Trump, standing at the entrance, and hugged him with her arms tightly grabbed his right shoulder and left waist. It was something different from what the Japanese people thought a hugging to be. It was rather a tackling, explicitly performing a close relationship between the leaders of Japan a...

Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, had a meeting with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 19 th . In the meeting, Takaichi   explained  what Japan can do or cannot in the Middle East, where the U.S. was waging war with Iran. Receiving Japan’s offers of economic cooperation, Trump did not directly ask Japan’s contribution to its operation. Both leaders reconfirmed necessity of stabilizing situation in Taiwan Straits, as they had done five months ago.   Trump has been asking countries contribution to operation in Persian Gulf for safe transport of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. He did not directly ask Takaichi the contribution, but expected Japan to “step up,” referring to spending money for stationing of 45,000 U.S. troops in Japan and to Japan’s 90 percent dependence of its oil through the strait.   In her remarks to the press after the meeting, Takaichi  stressed  that she had explained wha...

The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), Komeito and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ)   announced   that they would participate in the National Council on Social Security, a discussion body chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) had already   decided  to join the council. With participation of major opposition parties, the council will intensively discuss reform of social security system and consumption tax cut.   Established by Lower House members of Komeito and CDPJ, CRA has been reluctant to join Takaichi-led national council, arguing that she would attribute a predictable failure in implementing consumption tax cut to opposition parties, if they join it. Those three parties, however, decided to join the council to reflect their idea to government’s policies. The DPP also announced its participation with the same reason.   While Takaichi promised two-year moratorium of consumption tax cut on food...

2026 spring labor-management negotiations for wage hike reached its peak on March 18 th , when managers of major corporations  offered answers  to wage hike demands of labor unions. Reflecting price inflation caused by volatile international relations, most managers fully accepted the demands, exceeding the target set by labor side which was 5 percent. However, it is still unsure whether wage hike will overcome current price hike. The negotiation  started  on January 27 th , when the chairman of Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), Yoshinobu Tsutsui, and the president of Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), Tomoko Yoshino, had a meeting. In the meeting, Tsutsui showed willingness for wage increase by encouraging each company to standardize raising basic salary in the negotiation, while Yoshino remarked that the federation would set its target at 5 percent of wage hike to stabilize workers’ ordinary life.   Labor unions of major corporations made proposa...