J Update

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is still caught in her own scandal of slandering her contenders in presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last October. Takaichi changed her understandings on the details of relationship with her secretary and a creator of video footages, and she refused her answer in the Diet when she faced questions of the opposition parties. The opposition powers accuse Takaichi’s attitude as ignoring prime minister’s responsibility.   Weekly Bunshun  magazine  reported  in April that Takaichi launched a negative campaign against Shinjiro Koizumi and Yoshimasa Hayashi in LDP presidential election by posting video on social networking services. Takaichi dismissed the report, arguing that she had never defamed other campaign with posting massages with video in the SNS.   But she has not given sufficient evidence that her campaign had nothing to do with the scandal. Bunshun reported that Takaichi’s secretary had consulted with a...

A member of the Diet was found guilty on receiving kickback fund from a faction in the Liberal Democratic Party for the first time. Tokyo District Court   sentenced   on June 23 rd  600 thousand yen of fine to former member of the House of Councillors, Yasumasa Ono, for his failure in reporting political fund from former Abe faction. The court found Ono guilty for the fund in 2022 and evidence of the rest of kickback fund was regarded as insufficient. The whole structure of kickback fund scandal has not illuminated.   The LDP found that 85 of its lawmakers, who were affiliated with factions of Abe or Nikai, received 579 million yen of kickback fund, which was the sales of ticket for fundraising parties, from their factions between 2018 and 2022. The party punished 39 lawmakers who received large amount of fund. Ono, with other two lawmakers, left the party before he would be punished. He reportedly received 51.54 million yen from Abe faction and failed to report it. ...

The leading coalition of Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party, with support some opposition parties,   submitted   a bill for punishing flag-vandalism to the Diet on June 16 th . The law will penalize act of damaging national flag “in a way that causes public feeling uncomfortable or disgusted.” It is still unclear what kind of action will be punished by the law. Although most opposition parties do not understand what kind of interest will be protected by the law, the bill was   approved   by the Committee on Cabinet in the House of Representatives on June 26 th . Some conservative lawmakers, including Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, have been wondering why Japan does not have a law to punish damaging the flag of Japan, while there is a law to punish damaging foreign country’s flag. When the LDP formed leading coalition with JIP last October, conservative JIP proposed Takaichi to legislate punishing flag-vandalism. Takaichi accepted it and the LDP discu...

The Third Petty Bench of the Supreme Court   supported  a decision of Tokyo High Court that ordered dissolution of the Family Federation of World Peace and Unification (FFWPU: former Unification Church), recognizing its activity of collecting donations from its followers as illegal. The court decision of dissolving the FFWPU was finally fixed. Eighty thousand of FFWPU believers lost its organization and facilities, but they can continue their religious activities.   The suspect of assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Tatsuya Yamagami, was a son of FFWPU followers and had been suffering from poverty caused by his mother’s excessive donation seduced by the organization. Tokyo High Court found that that kind of illegal damage amounted at least 7.4 billion yen of 506 followers for forty years from 1973, and recognized it as a tort provided in Article 709 of the  Civil Code.   The Supreme Court entirely supported the decision. It made the third example ...

On June 23 rd , Okinawa had the memorial day of the end of Battle of Okinawa in 1945. In the memorial ceremony at Mabuni, where an intensive battle was taken place, the Governor of Okinawa hoped Okinawa to be the basis to build a peaceful world. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pledged to continue tireless effort for every Japanese to live in peace. However, Takaichi received a heckling of “No war” during her speech, reflecting deep skepticisms of Okinawa against the prime minister. Okinawa is known as the place where ground battle was taken place in the World War II. In the Battle of Okinawa, 200 thousand were dead on both sides of America and Japan. It is recognized that one out of four people in Okinawa died in the battle. Some people killed themselves in the cave, forced by soldiers of Japanese Imperial Army. Okinawa has a fundamental resentment against the government of Japan.   Governor Tamaki represented that resentment in his  Declaration for Peace  to the memorial c...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (president of the Liberal Democratic Party: LDP) had a   meeting  with Governor of Osaka Hirofumi Yoshimura (leader of Japan Innovation Party: JIP) at the prime minister’s official residence on June 22 nd . Receiving frustration of some LDP members, Takaichi requested revision of draft of the bill for creating “backup capital,” on which representatives of both parties had once agreed. Takaichi did not like that the bill would enable the people in a local city can intervene in a decision of another city. Japan has forty-seven prefectures which are broken down as one capital (Tokyo), one province (Hokkaido), two seats (Osaka and Kyoto) and forty-three ordinary prefectures. Project of building a backup capital is to make another capital alternative to Tokyo, for a possibility that Tokyo suffers from a major natural disaster which nobody knows when it will occur.   Before the Tokugawa Shogunate was built in Edo (currently Tokyo) in early 17 th ...

The polls conducted by news organizations showed no big change in approval rate for Sanae Takaichi Cabinet. However, they indicated sharp division in some issues which needed overwhelming approval from the people. Although Prime Minister Takaichi is ambitious to conclude “divisive issues,” the polls revealed Takaichi’s weakness in making a broad consensus in important issues. On maintaining members of Imperial Family, the parties in the Diet have been discussing two options. One is keeping female members in the family after marriage and another is to adopt male members in male line of former Imperial Families. The Speakers of both Houses recommended both options as “unanimous opinion of the legislative branch” to Takaichi government. The Diet has been demanded to conclude a unanimous opinion. Emperor Naruhito made an unusual comment that he hopes the measures to achieve understandings of the people.   The poll of  Mainichi Shimbun   showed  60 percent of approval for...

Japan Innovation Party (JIP) approved its proposal to Sanae Takaichi government on revision of three security documents, which are scheduled to be revised by the end of this year. The proposal demanded “realistic discussion” on one of the three non-nuclear principles: not permitting the introduction. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) did not propose revision of the three non-nuclear principles. Both leading parties were separated on this issue.   Former prime minister Eisaku Sato, a laureate of 1974 Nobel Peace Prize,  raised  not possessing, not producing and not permitting the introduction of nuclear weapons as his responsibility in 1967. Those three principles have since been embraced as Japan’s basic policy for international peace by Sato’s successors.   It was Shizo Abe who changed that course. He  approved  discussing over nuclear weapons from the viewpoint of deterrence of Japan in his first term as the prime minister 2006. For the first time as the...

The chairman of interparty conference on consumption tax cut made a   presentation  for introducing 1 percent of new tax rate on foods. Although Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi promised in campaign of Lower House election that the rate should be zero percent, the leading parties are pushing 1 percent for a quick start of new rate. The opposition parties argue that the proposal was not a consensus beyond the party lines.   To counter opposition parties’ policy for eliminating consumption tax on foods, Takaichi, as the president of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), proposed zero percent consumption tax on foods for two years in the Lower House election in February. After the election, Takaichi explained that two-year moratorium of consumption tax on foods would be an interim measure until the government introduces refundable tax credit.   The details of the system were discussed in National Council on Social Security, a discussion body by representatives of parties that ap...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi finished her schedule for Group of Seven summit meeting in Evian-les-Bains, France. In her   press conference  after the meeting, Takaichi stressed her achievements in discussing issues on China and North Korea with other leaders. Although she might have reminded the leaders of some agenda in Asia-Pacific region, the main topic in G7 was the deal of the United States and Iran over ending their war, on which Takaichi had no strong leverage. Through  the memorandum of understandings (MOU) , the U.S. President Donald Trump achieved termination of blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, Iran was successful in including Lebanon in termination of military operations. Iran also received assurance of 300 billion dollars of reconstruction plan, waivers for export of Iranian crude oil and availability of frozen or restricted funds and assets of Iran.   On nuclear issue, Iran promised not to develop nuclear weapons as it had been arguing that it...

The Bank of Japan   announced  that it raised its interest rate from 0.75 percent to 1.0 with 7 to 1 majority. The rate reached the highest level in these 31 years. The decision was based on their optimistic perspective for Japanese economy which is now suffering from price inflation and depreciation of Japanese yen, caused by the war in Iran. Nevertheless, foreign exchange did not show any significant surge of Japanese yen even after the policy change of BOJ.   Monetary Policy Meeting (MPM) of the BOJ was held on June 15th and 16th with an irregular posture. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda was absent, because he had been hospitalized with infectious disease, not participating in the voting for the decision on interest rate. While the decision was overwhelmingly supported by the members of MPM, one member opposed to it, being afraid of exacerbation of production and employment in the future.   Vice-governor of BOJ, Shin-ichi Uchida, showed optimistic viewpoints on Japanese e...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi embarked on her trip to Europe to participate in Group of Seven (G7) summit meeting in Evian, France, and to have bilateral meetings with world leaders in the backdrop of the event. Before arriving France, Takaichi made visits to the United Kingdom and Italy to strengthen ties with the leaders of those countries. Main topic with them were securing supply chain in this volatile world order and joint development of defense equipment.   In the meeting with the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Takaichi showed her determination to maintain international economic security, namely to keep supply chain of crucial minerals working. Both leaders  expressed  grave concerns on economic coercion and arbitrary export restrictions including on crucial minerals. The “economic coercion” and “export restrictions” implies a trade strategy exercised by China. Takaichi has exacerbated Japan’s bilateral relations with China with her irregular comment on contingen...

During her travel in Europe for bilateral meetings with the U.K. and Italian leaders and Group of Seven (G7) summit meeting in France, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi received a news that the United States and Iran reached a deal to end their fighting. It must be a good news for Takaichi who has been making every effort to find fiscal resource to support the people suffering from price inflation stemmed from the war. Now her concern is what kind of contribution Japan can do, if the deal really leads to the end of war in Iran. “I welcome this memorandum on an agreement as a major step for settlement of current situation,”  posted  Takaichi in her account of X, emphasizing her diplomatic effort as the leader of Japan. She expected implementation of the agreement and free and safe traffic in the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible. She praised efforts of the parties directly involved in the war or intervened in the negotiation.   At the beginning of the war in Iran, she ...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is surrounded by multiple scandals. In addition to defamation of contenders in presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party last October, a secretary of Chief Cabinet Secretary (CCS) reportedly spent accommodation fee of his business trip for his extramarital affairs. Takaichi has not been successful in explaining about those scandals, causing decline of approval rate for her cabinet.   Monthly  Bungei Shunju  magazine  reported  that a secretary of CCS had extramarital sexual affairs with a woman living in Osaka region, taking opportunities of business trip from Tokyo to Osaka for multiple times. He used his hotel room for his business trip to meet the woman without paying accommodation fee for two people. The report found at least five meetings of them between May and September 2025. The fee for their stay was paid as the cost of his business trip.   Moreover, the secretary is suspected to have leaked sensitive infor...

The legislative branch is required to review family registration system in Japan which mandates the people to choose one of two sexes. Osaka High Court   found  exclusion of nonbinary gender option was unconstitutional and needed to be revised. The plaintiff’s appeal to change current system was dismissed, because the court could not find any viable option to replace. The plaintiff is going to appeal to the Supreme Court.   Family register  is a public institution in Japan that certificates a person’s relationship with families and nationality as a Japanese. Article 13 of Family Register Act provides that the registration of entering a family register needs description of the person’s name, date of birth, names of natural parents and relationship with them. The relationship will be described as “son” or “daughter,” and “child” is not allowed.   The plaintiff was registered as a woman at birth. It was written as “first daughter” of the parents in the family regis...

The bill for reforming judicial system for retrial is poised to pass the Diet with support of the leading parties and an opposition party in current session. Before the bill was submitted to the Diet, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) accumulated intensive discussion against Ministry of Justice and the public prosecutors office over the system of requesting a retrial for defendants. Even with revision of the bill, it is still unsure that false charge of public prosecutors will be eliminated.   Over the bill for reforming retrial system, the LDP had unusual battle against the public prosecutors office. The LDP demanded that the law should prohibit the public prosecutors blocking defendant’s request for retrial, with lessons from false accusation on Iwao Hakamada who was detained for decades with death penalty and found innocent in a retrial. The public prosecutors insisted on their power for blocking request of retrial, being afraid of excessive requests for retrial by defen...

The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), the largest opposition party in the Lower House, is still in trouble for integrating its allies, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito in the Upper House and local assemblies all over Japan. While Komeito decided to join the CRA soon, the CDPJ still hesitates to be the member of CRA. A miserable defeat in the Lower House election in February fundamentally damaged confidence of CRA as alternative to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). After underground negotiation since last October when Komeito left the leading coalition with the LDP, the Lower House members of CDPJ and Kimeito established CRA in January, just before Prime Ministr Sanae Takaichi called a snap election. The result was catastrophic. The CRA reduced its seats from 172 to 49. The party  concluded  that the establishment of new party could not remove a criticism on instant party aimed at an election and it was a miscalculation that the merge would...

Sanae Takaichi administration embarked on discussion for revision of security strategies scheduled by the end of this year. Concerning unstable security environment in the region around Japan, it is expected that Japan will further accumulate defense budget. Modernization of weapons are contemporary requirement at wars in Ukraine and Iran. Although there is an argument that Japan should maintain its three non-nuclear principles, it is unclear whether Japan can remain as a pacifist nation that renounces war as means of settling international disputes.   Takaichi has announced her intention to revise three security documents, -- National Security Strategy, National Defense Strategy and Defense Buildup Program --, which was revised in December 2022 by former prime minister Fumio Kishida. After that Donald Trump administration demanded allies of the United States to raise their defense budget. Unexpectedly prolonged wars in Ukraine and Iran showed unprecedented aspect of modern war whi...