J Update

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had  a telephone conversation   with United States President Donald Trump in the morning of November 25 th   (in the evening of November 24 th  in U.S. eastern time), a half day after Trump had talked with Chinese President Xi Jinping through telephone. Although Takaichi refused to reveal the topic of her talk with Trump, it was more than obvious that they discussed Taiwan, over which Japan and China have a diplomatic row.   China has been very swift on taking advantage of Takaichi’s reference to Taiwan contingency, indicating Japan’s possible use of force. China demanded Japan to revise and retract Takaichi’s comment, recommended its citizens not to travel to Japan, resumed ban on importing Japanese seafoods and treated Japanese envoy for explaining Japan’s standpoint with arrogant manner.   Possibly knowing Japan’s sentiment that it did not want the quarrel stemming from careless statement of its prime minister to go beyond a...

One of the staffs of Sanae Takaichi Cabinet has been  rejected  by the House of Councillors with doubt on qualification. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary (DCCS), Kei Sato, has not work as a liaison between Prime Minister’s Office and the House, because he is known as involved in the kickback fund scandal in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). It is likely to be the matter of responsibility of who appointed him at the position. Obviously, it is Prime Minister Takaichi.   Sato is a member of House of Councillors with two terms from Nara electoral district, which is the home prefecture of Takaichi. As a member of firmer Abe faction in the LDP, Sato accepted the kickback fund, which was a return for ticket sales for fundraising parties, from the faction and did not report the fund as income. That amounted 3.06 million yen.   After being elected prime minister, Takaichi announced that she would appoint lawmakers who had been involved in kickback fund scandal to any position...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi showed her willingness to legislate a new law to regulate spies in her Diet discussion. Takaichi argued that she had been upholding new legislation of Spy Prevention Act in her campaign of presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in October. The legislation was included in the agreement for building new coalition with Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Takaichi insisted that she would take measures to protect Japanese citizens from foreign powers. Raising “Making Japan Strong and Prosperous” as her campaign slogan, Takaichi  promised  the LDP voters to legislate Spy Prevention Act, as well as installing National Intelligence Bureau which would lead ministries related to intelligence. She appealed xenophobic sentiment of Japanese people, arguing that deer in Nara Park was kicked by foreigners.   JIP supports Takaichi’s policy. In  the agreement  for forming a coalition, the LDP and JIP shared a notion that they would st...

Sanae Takaichi Cabinet   authorized  an economic stimulus plan as a cabinet decision on November 22. The plan includes measures to ease negative impact of price inflation, promoting investments, increasing defense budget and some tax cuts with additional governmental spending of 21.3 trillion yen as a total. It will be the biggest supplementary budget in its size of budgetary spendings, since the end of COVID in 2023. Takaichi insisted on surpassing total amount of the supplemental budget of Shigeru Ishiba Cabinet in 2024, which was 13.9 trillion yen in the general account of national budget. She accumulated measures for supporting households, as she had been arguing in presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) or her policy speech to the Diet, to 17.7 trillion yen, and the size of stimulus plan including tax cut for gasoline was swollen to 21.3 trillion yen.   The plan focuses on helping households with governmental spendings. It provides every family w...

Governor of Niigata, Hedeyo Hanazumi, announced that he would approve resumption of reactor #6 and #7 in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). It will be the first attempt for TEPCO to resume a nuclear power reactor, since it had a severe accident in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, which caused tens of thousands of evacuees from their hometowns. About a half of residents in Niigata prefecture still embrace fundamental concern on TEPCO’s operation of the plant. In a press conference in Niigata Prefectural Government’s office, Hanazumi  told  that he would approve resumption of the reactors with  seven conditions  to the national government. The conditions are: further explanations to the people in Niigata about safety of the plant, reconfirmation of safety with a new acknowledgement, laying out measures for emergency, removing snow to secure evacuation routes in winter, measures for armed attack or disposal ...

One month has passed since Sanae Takaichi Cabinet was established on October 21 st . As she keeps relatively high approval rate among past premiers, her way of handling politics begins to show three characteristics: systematic in discussion, diplomatically naïve and fiscally immodest. Her hawkish stance in policies can invite political inconsistence with former administrations’ handling of the country.   Takaichi administration is a coalition government between the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP). JIP insisted on reduction of Diet seats as an “absolute condition” for their coalition, setting a goal of submitting a bill on the seat reduction to current session of the Diet.   What Takaichi did for implementing the bipartisan agreement was establishing a discussion body. The LDP and JIP set a table to discuss Diet seat reduction. As the discussion continues in the commission, Takaichi argued that the issue  needed to be discussed in a broader ...

The trials for assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe is revealing problems of assassin’s family which was fundamentally exploited by a religious organization, Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), or former Unification Church. The mother of defendant Tetsuya Yamagami admitted that her donation for FFWPU pushed her son into a hard situation to live, identifying herself as causing the incident. Three years have passed until the trial on Yamagami started in late October, since Abe was shot to death in his campaign rally in a city of Nara prefecture on July 8 th , 2022. In the first trial at Nara District Court, Yamagami admitted that he had shot Abe. His lawyers argued that Yamagami did not spend ordinary life as his mother had heavily been obsessed with activity of the religious group.   Yamagami’s mother  appeared  to the seventh trial and later and made testimonies. She apologized to the families of Abe for her son’s deed. However, she ide...

The argument of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan contingency in the Diet discussion was developed into diplomatic disputes between Japan and China. As Beijing denounced Takaichi’s reference to use of force in Taiwan and demanded to retract the speech, Tokyo accused of provocative posting of a Chinese diplomat as inappropriate. The sudden decay of their bilateral relations does not seem to be fixed anytime soon. In discussion at Committee on Budget of House of Representatives on November 7 th , Takaichi  told  that it would be consist of “survival-threatening situation,’ in which Japan is able to use its force, when China possibly set a blockade in the sea around Taiwan and use its force against the United States coming to the area to defend Taiwan. Former prime ministers did not mention as explicitly as Takaichi did.   The Consul General of China in Osaka, Xue Jian, intimidatingly  responded  to Takaichi in social networking service three days later. “Int...

The Cabinet Office   released  Japan’s gross domestic products (GDP) in the third quarter (July to September) of 2025. The real GDP in the period marked 0.4 percent of decline from the previous quarter, causing 1.8 percent down of annualized real GDP from the previous year. It was the first time for Japan’s real GDP to turn into the negative in these six quarters, or since the first quarter of 2024. Trump tariffs, foreign travelers and housing are main elements of negative growth of Japanese economy. The quarterly estimates by Japanese government indicated 0.1 percent of growth in nominal GDP in the third quarter of 2025, which could be interpreted as 0.5 percent of annual growth. However, when it came to real GDP, which excluded effects of price fluctuation, the growth sank into a minus. Contributions of both foreign and domestic demands to GDP were also declined from the previous quarter.   Exports marked 1.2 percent of decline. Although Japan and the United States hit ...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi   considers  to include an idea of distributing “rice voucher” to consumers in her economic stimulus package in this fall. While the government of Japan has made efforts to bring down rice price, they did not produce outstanding effect. Takaichi is shifting the policy from reduction of price to back up consumers. It is still not sure whether the measure leads to affordable rice. Former Shigeru Ishiba administration intervened in rice trade market by injecting reserved rice from national storage. Although it temporary reduced the price of rice, it resurged with speculation of future shortage of rice or other reasons. Ishiba administration also changed traditional policy of regulating rice production to maintain rice price and introduced new policy to increase annual production of rice.   As soon as Takaichi administration embarked on, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Norikazu Suzuki, announced that the government should not int...

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) launched five discussion bodies to discuss policies described in the agreement for forming a coalition with Japan Innovation Party (JIP) on October 20 th . The policies were mainly proposed by JIP as the causes of joining the coalition with LDP, the party to which JIP had been criticizing as an opposition party. However, most agenda have no limit of time for fulfillment.   JIP identifies itself as a party for reform. The party imposes the LDP its own conservative policies, calling them political reform, to appeal to the voters. The LDP and JIP established councils for five themes: reduction of Diet seats, management of political donation from companies and organizations, constitutional amendment, reform of governmental systems and social security reform. The LDP is basically reluctant to promote those JIP agenda.   Both parties shared a notion that they would “try to” submit and pass a bill for reducing 10 percent of the seats in the House of...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi considers revising the Three Non-Nuclear Principles, which has been a basis of security policy of Japan. Takaichi insists on redefining a concept “not to host nuclear weapons,” one of the three principles that determines relationship between Japan and nuclear weapons. Takaichi is changing the shape of a country that is known as seeking eternal peace from the lesson of devastation with nuclear weapons in a war.   The Three Non-Nuclear Principles were established in 1967 by former Prime Minister Eisaku Sato who was awarded 1974 Nobel Peace Prize. The principles declare that Japan does not produce, possess or host nuclear weapons. It was revealed that Japan once had a secret agreement with the United Statas for accepting U.S. vessels that loaded nuclear weapons or introducing nuclear weapons in Okinawa in a contingency.   National Security Strategy (NSS) in 2022 , which consists of one of the three security documents revised by Fumio Kishida administ...

Niigata Prefectural Government made a survey to the people in Niigata on resumption of nuclear reactors in Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in the prefecture. Although the result was evenly divided, it was notable that the people in two cities mostly approved restarting the reactors. The governor of Niigata, who has an authority to turn on a green light to the resumption, is expected to make a decision by the end of November.   Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (TEPCO) is one of the biggest nuclear power plants in the world with seven reactors, which have 8.2 million kilowatts. The reactors halted its operation after a severe accident occurred at First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. Although the reason why Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant cannot resume its operation is attributed to its insufficiency of security measures, including anti-terrorism, skepticisms on its owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company, that owns crippled Fukushima plant, is another main reason against th...

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP)   started discussion  over reduction of Diet seats. While JIP demands a conclusion before the end of current Diet session, which will close on December 17, the LDP is reluctant to have an early conclusion. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the president of LDP, hopes to have a broad consensus among parties beyond the aisle.   The LDP and JIP set a table to discuss the seat reduction, headed by Katsunobu Kato with LDP and Yasuto Urano with JIP. In the first bilateral meeting, both parties agreed on starting detailed discussion for the bill of election reform from next meeting. Kato insisted that both parties would seek enactment of a law for new electoral districts within current session of the Diet. LDP decided to establish a team in the party for the seat reduction.   JIP has shown its firm determination for reduction of the Diet seats, because it had achieved a success in reducing seats of Osaka Prefe...

Hyogo Prefectural Police   arrested   the head of a populist anti-NHK party, Takashi Tachibana, with suspicion of defamation on a member of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly, who were one of the members of investigation committee on harassment by Governor of Hyogo, Motohiko Saito. Tachibana is suspected as circulating false information about Takeuchi, which caused broad criticisms against Takeuchi in social networking services. Tachibana does not dispute what he commented about Takeuchi.   Tachibana said in his campaign of mayoral election in Izumiotsu City, Osaka, in December 2024 that Takeuchi had been interviewed by police. Takeuchi killed himself with mental uneasiness January 2025, suffering from Tachibana’s offensive comments on him. Tachibana further spread false information about Takeuchi’s death that Takeuchi was scheduled to be arrested, as if Takeuchi had been concerning about it.   Tachibana’s offense on Takeuchi was related to a scandal of the governor Saito wh...

The co-leader of Japan Innovation Party (JIP), Fumitake Fujita, announced in his press conference not to request a printing company to print flyers about his political activities. The president of the company is Fujita’s first secretary. Fujita has paid 21 million yen for the company from his political fund from the government, which was titled “payment for research, study, public affairs and accommodation.” Fujita denied illegality of his activity.   The daily newspaper of Japan Communist Party, Shinbun Akahata,  reported  in late October that Fujita had circulated public money to his ally. It revealed that Fujita had paid 21 million yen for a company, run by his pubic first secretary, between June 2017 and November 2024. A law prohibits public secretary of a member of the Diet to be involved in a side business. The newspaper accused Fujita of his management of political fund which was appropriated by the government.   Fujita admitted that he had paid the money for ...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi   ordered   her ministers to begin the process of revisioning Economic Security Act, which passed three years from the activation. The revision will be made extending the basic infrastructures which are controlled by the law. Supply chain of important goods will be reinforced and overseas projects by private companies in Japan will be supported by the government. The government will launch a thinktank to oversee policies for economic security.   In the meeting of ministers of Takaichi Cabinet for economic security, Takaichi ordered Minister in charge of Economic Security, Kimi Onoda, to discuss revisioning of Economic Security Act. The law was legislated by Fumio Kishida administration in 2022. Takaichi worked in Kishida Cabinet as the Minister in charge of Economic Security.   The economic security act consisted of four pillars: securing important goods such as semiconductors through reinforcing supply chain, keeping basic infrastructur...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi   announced   at Committee on Budget in the House of Representatives on November 7 th  that she would revise the target of primary balance of national budget from annual one to multiple years. It will make easier for the government to issue governmental bonds (GB), which balance is already at the worst level among developed countries. It is concerned that fiscal discipline of Japan will be further deteriorated.   Primary balance indicates how national budget is healthy. It is drawn by deducting spendings except redemption for GB from revenue except income through issuing new GB. It means how national budget can be maintained without relying on debt.   It was former prime minister Jun-ichiro Koizumi, being serious about fiscal healthiness as setting limitation of issuing new GB at annual 30 trillion yen, who  set the target  of achieving that surplus in early 2010s in 2002. The target became FY2011 in 2006, which was not im...