J Update

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited Andong, the Republic of Korea, and had a summit meeting with ROK President Lee Jae Myung on May 19 th . It marked continuance of frequent visits by both leaders in the context of “shuttle diplomacy.” Takaichi and Lee  stressed  importance of cooperation for maintaining supply chains in an unusually volatile international situation brought by the war in Iran.   Takaichi expressed her pleasure of practicing shuttle diplomacy which both leaders concurred to promote at their first meting in October 2025. Initiated by Jun-ichiro Koizumi and Roh Moo-hyun in 2004, the shuttle diplomacy between Japan and ROK symbolized stable relations of both government with some intermissions by distrust between leaders. Takaichi has been showing her willingness to build a close relationship with Lee.   In the  last meeting  when Lee visited Tokyo in January, they had a general discussion on strategic importance of their bilateral relations, ...

The Diet held a debate between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and opposition leaders, or Question Time (QT), for the first time in current session on May 20 th . Asked about measures for relief on recent economic difficulty with shortage of resource and price inflation, Takaichi unequivocally   announced  that she would deliver a supplementary budget, on which she had once been negative. She argued that she had been preparing for it.   Following the result of the Lower House election in February, the roster of opposition leaders has significantly been changed. Although the first questioner had been the leader of Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) in the last session or before, it was replaced by the leader of Democratic Party for the People (DPP).   As CDPJ formed Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) with merging with Komeito in the Lower House in January, and CDPJ and Komeito remains as themselves in the Upper House, the leaders of CRA, CDPJ and Komeito respec...

The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA)   reached   a consensus on ensuring number of the imperial family members and submitted their conclusion to a commission of party representatives in the Diet on May 15 th . The discussion on stable imperial succession is supposed to be accelerated with two options: female members remain in the family after marriage and adoption of male members in the paternal line of former family branches. With leadership of conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the discussion is leaning on the right side.   In the last meeting of the commission a month ago, all the parties except CRA have submitted their opinion. Since then, the CRA continued internal discussion and concluded to approve two options, although some were still negative on adoption of former imperial family members. The CRA expressed its conclusion that adoption of them “can be considered.”   When Yoshihiko Noda was the prime minister in 2012, the government  wrapped up ...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi   announced   that she would consider formulating a FY2026 supplemental budget for coming summer in a meeting of leaders of leading coalition on May 18 th . Although she has been reluctant to having a supplemental budget, Takaichi is turning around, facing economic difficulty stemming from prolonged war in Iran or other international relations. Concerning possible mobilization of governmental spendings, interest rate of long-term bond showed steep hike which implied decline of bond values. No supplemental budget has been Takaichi’s one of the pillars for her economic policy titled “responsible and proactive public finances.” “We will make a clean break from our current budget formulation process in which it is assumed that a supplementary budget will be compiled each fiscal year,” said Takaichi in her  policy speech  at the beginning of current session of the Diet in February.   Takaichi’s budget reform plan was aimed at enhancing p...

Harajuku Police Station of Metropolitan Police Department   sent   a case of menace on a journalist for the newspaper of Japan Communist Party (JIP), Akahata, to the public prosecutors’ office on May 13 th . A worker of a construction firm is suspected that he blackmailed the journalist indicating a damage. The suspect argues that he was motivated by a post on X in which Secretary General of Japan Innovation Party, Fumitake Fujita, exposed a name card of the journalist.   The worker for construction firm is suspected to threaten the journalist by posting to X on November 5 th , 2025. “You getting carried away need to be careful about your front and back or right and left not to be stubbed, since your face has been exposed,” posted the suspect. He admitted the suspicion on him and is reported as confessed that he hoped to get rid of his mental stress. How can this posting get rid of his stress?   Akahata scooped last October that Fujita was involved in a scandal in wh...

Parties in the Diet agreed on introducing stricter rule to election campaign using social networking services (SNS). They are going to legislate related law by the end of current session. The rules include imposing the network providers to take measures for diminishing negative impact on election and demanding the posters to explain that their posts are made by artificial intelligence. However, there are some technological difficulties to build a perfect regulation. The Information Circulation Platform Management Act in 2024 demands major platformers to prevent slanders or defamations in their SNS in election campaign. However, a lot of inappropriate posts appeared in SNS during the campaign period of Lower House election in February 2026. They include fake video of strange dancing by the leaders of Centrist Reform Alliance and artificial applause of an aged woman for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.   Parties beyond the aisle recognize necessity of further regulation on those fake p...

Sanae Takaichi Cabinet   approved  on May 15 th  the bill of revised Code of Criminal Procedure which added new rules on retrial. Although the draft includes a clause that basically prohibits public prosecutors to dispute against a request of retrial, it still allows them disputing only when they had a “sufficient reason.” Voices of some lawmakers with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who demanded complete abolition of disputing were turned down. The biggest point in discussion over retrial system has been whether the law should allow public prosecutors power to dispute a request of retrial. In the case of Iwao Hakamada who was wrongly charged with murder and sentenced death penalty, dispute by public prosecutors blocked Hakamada’s request for retrial and caused decades-long detention of him. The retrial was finally taken place and Hakamada was found innocent. The case ignited discussion over reform of the retrial system.   It is ordinary that bureaucrats in a mini...

Weekly Bunshun  magazine  reported  that campaign office of Sanae Takaichi in presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last September disseminated a TikTok video which slandered her opponent, Shinjiro Koizumi. Bunshun argued that one of the staffs in Takaichi’s office was deeply involved in the campaign strategy of circulating those kinds of video. Takaichi denied that her office had not related to that, but did not label the report of Bunshun untrue. In the presidential election voted on October 4 th , 2025, Takaichi defeated Koizumi with large number of votes from rank-and-file party members in local branches. In the first round of the election, Takaichi overwhelmed Koizumi with 119 votes to 84 in votes from local branches. It was recognized that Takaichi was successful in her campaign strategy focusing on internet.   Bunshun revealed that there appeared videos on TikTok that defamed Koizumi as incapable as the president days before the election....

Congressional office on the constitution   summarized  “talking points” on emergency clause which has been discussed for constitutional amendment by conservative parties. The points include details on maintaining the legislative branch in natural disaster or invasion of a foreign country. The most controversial point is giving the executive branch a power for legislation in emergency.   The talking points were submitted to a closed meeting of senior members in Commission on the Constitution of the House of Representatives. The leading parties, which consist of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP), have been arguing that the commission should wrap up their discussion and proceed to the next step in which actual draft of the amendment is brought on the table.   The talking points presumes a case, in which holding election of one of the Houses in the Diet is broadly incapable for a certain period. It is defined as “election difficulty situ...

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) submitted a proposal for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to revise the regulation of working time of employees, which sets limitations of hours for working. Takaichi is supposed to be willing to remove those regulations to raise productivity of companies in Japan to implement her agenda for a strong Japanese economy. Labor unions are basically negative on excessive work beyond workers’ capacity. This is a traditional dispute between conservative parties and progressive ones.   Article 32 of  Labor Standards Act  (LSA) provides that an employer must not have workers work more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, excluding break period. The law has another provision to have overtime work. Article 36 allows an employer having workers work for 45 hours a month and 360 hours a year or less. To let the workers have that extended work, the employer needs to conclude a written agreement with labor union. This is called “36 Employee-Employer Agr...

Ministry of Environment (MOE) released   data  on appearance of wild bears in human residential area in fiscal year 2025. It indicated rapid increase of bears, greatly exceeding the previous year. Number of people who suffered from assault of bears also rose significantly. Although the government of Japan is considering measures against damages by wild bears, no viable measure has been discovered, as it meanwhile seeks protection of wildlife. According to the record of MOE, appearance of wild bear counted 50,776 times between April 2025 and March 2026. The cases in the previous fiscal year were 20.513. the number does not include the data in Hokkaido, where the greatest number of wild bears are inhabiting. The appearances gradually increased year by year and doubled from FY2024 to FY2025.   The number of captured bears, including those killed, rose to 14,720 in FY 2025, from 5,345 in the previous year. The people who were injured by wild bear counted 238 in FY2025 and 13 ...

The momentum for reform of political funds is significantly lost in current session of the Diet. While opposition parties submitted a bill for restricting political donation from companies or organizations to parties, the leading coalition by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP) does not show willingness to implement more transparent politics. A scandal over inappropriate donation to Takaichi does not make a major difference in Diet discussion.   The slush fund scandal in factions of LDP ignited discussion for making party politics more transparent. The opposition parties demanded complete prohibition of donation from private companies or organizations such as labor union to political parties. The LDP has been highly reluctant to abolish them, arguing that the abolition may obstruct people’s participation to politics.   The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA) and Democratic Party for the People (DPP)  cosponsored  a bill to restrict donation...

Minister of Defense, Shinjiro Koizumi, visited Manila, Philippines, and had a meeting with Filipino Secretry of National Defense, Gilberto Teodoro on May 5 th . Both ministers signed on a statement in which both countries reached a deal to export used Japanese Abukuma-class destroyer to Philippines.  It is expected that the contract will make the first case for Japan to export its lethal defense equipment after it removed restriction of weapons sales in April.   Sanae Takaichi administration in April abolished five categories for exporting defense equipment, which had been rescue, transport, vigilance, surveillance and mine-sweeping. The decision enabled Japan to export lethal weapons for the first time in post-World War II era, leaving concern on weakening Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan, which renounces war as a solution of international conflicts.   The  statement  signed by Koizumi and Teodoro directed bilateral discussion on exporting Abukuma-class d...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi issued a joint declaration on cooperation in economic security with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on May 4 th . Both leaders signed a document for cooperation in securing supply chains of energy and critical minerals, which Japan seriously needed to maintain its economy. Believing that national security can be achieved through business context, Takaichi hopes to build a network for procurement of important materials without relying on China.   Japan-Australia Joint Declaration on Economic Security Cooperation  recognized that economic and technological resilience was a foundation to national security, evaluating their relations “special strategic partnership.” Takaichi  called bilateral relations with Australia a “quasi-alliance” in a joint press conference held after the meeting with Albanese.   “We are committed to sharing information and consulting with each other on economic security contingencies, including ...

Six months have passed since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented in the Diet last November that a contingency in Taiwan could consist of Japan’s survival threatening situation in which it could lawfully use its force. Bilateral relations between Japan and China have been deteriorated, compared to the situation in the time of a couple of her predecessors. Takaichi has shown no serious effort to rebuild normality in the relations with China.   Answering to a question of opposition lawmaker, former foreign minister Katsuya Okada, at the Committee on Budget in the Lowr House in November 7 th  2025, Takaichi  argued  that it would be a survival threatening situation around Taiwan, if the case would be accompanied with use of force by a battle ship. Previous prime ministers had not made clear how Japan would react in a contingency around Taiwan.   China immediately responded to the explicit comment of new Japanese prime minister who was recognized as a hardliner a...

Construction of Japan’s rapid train system using magnetic levitation (maglev) received a green light with basic approval from a local government. Shizuoka prefecture, which is one of the seven prefectures the train will run through, has   approved  a plan of Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) to conserve environment in late March. It is expected that the construction of the system will start in Shizuoka section within fiscal year 2026, hoping to finish it in FY2036.   The government of Japan decided a plan in 2011 to build a maglev train system that would connect two biggest cities, Tokyo and Osaka. In 2014, it embarked on construction of the eastern half of the system between Tokyo and Nagoya. Although it was expected to finish in 2027, the ex-governor of Shizuoka, Heita Kawakatsu, firmly opposed the construction in the Shizuoka section, because of negative impact on environment.   The people in Shizuoka rely their drinking water on Oi River, which flows fro...

Factions in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) revive. While five major factions out of six had dissolved after the kickback scandal of political funds were revealed and the party received criticisms from voters in 2023 and 2024, they started having meetings without any declaration of reunion of the factions. Newcomers in February Lower House election formed a group supporting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. As the president of the LDP, Takaichi has taken no action for restricting those activities. It was revealed a number of LDP lawmakers had received political fund from factions as a reward of selling ticket of fundraising parties in 2023. They did not report that income to the government. The LDP found that 85 lawmakers had received the kickback fund and punished 39 members of former Abe faction, led by late Shinzo Abe, in April 2024. All the factions except one led by former prime minister Taro Aso was dissolved to restore transparency of the politics in the leading party.   In ...