J Update

Minister for Foreign Affairs Toshimitsu Motegi had a short conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the backdrop of ASEAN-related meetings in Manila, the Philippines. It was the first opportunity for foreign ministers of both countries to have a contact, since diplomatic relations of both governments were exacerbated with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s speech on security of Taiwan last November. Although details of the conversation have not been disclosed, it is still unlikely for both countries to immediately improve their relationship through diplomatic breakthrough.   Without acknowledging sensitivity on the issue for China, Takaichi stated that armed attack on Taiwan could construct a survival threatening situation, in which Japan can be involved with use of armed force. China firmly protested Takaichi’s comment, introducing regulation on Chinese citizens to travel Japan or restriction of exporting dual-use products. Although Takaichi insisted that she wo...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi submitted a statement of her secretary on her defamation scandal to the chairman of Committee on Budget of the House or Representatives on July 22 nd . Takaichi explained that she had not been involved in posting slander on her contenders in presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) last October. However, the statement indicates that her secretary had some contacts with a technician who created video of defamation, although he argues that he does not remember the details. Opposition parties are not satisfied with the statement.   Weekly Bunshun  magazine  reported  in April that Takaichi’s campaign for LDP presidential election distributed videos of defamation on Shinjiro Koizumi and Yoshimasa Hayashi through social networking service, which was made with consultation between her secretary Takeshi Kinoshita and internet technician Ken Matsui. It was also doubted that Kinoshita was involved in Matsui’s delivery of crypto...

Sanae Takaichi Cabinet officially authorized   Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform (Thick-boned Plan) 2026   on July 21 st . Following Takaichi’s firm conviction for building a strong economy, the plan focuses on active investment on businesses, leaving fiscal discipline behind. It is not clear, however, whether the markets will place fundamental trust in this economic policy of Takaichi government.   The plan is annual guideline of the Cabinet for important economic policies and formulation of annual budget. Former prime minister, Jun-ichiro Koizumi, started publishing the plan in 2001, which was discussed in Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy. The plan has been directing economic policy of every administration, reflecting basic idea of the prime minister.   Since she took office last October, Prime Minister Takaichi has been insisting on promoting investment for crisis management and growth. Takaichi recognizes that a longtime slowdown of J...

Insistence of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on patrilinear succession to the throne of the Emperor has taken its toll. In the polls conducted by news organizations, approval rate for Takaichi Cabinet obviously declined right after revised Imperial House Law (IHL) passed the Diet. Although she tries to pass some other bills in the Diet during extra term of current session, there is no predictable event in this summer or fall, by which she can regain popularity from general voters.   Takaichi government passed revised IHL on July 17 th  with approval of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP) and some other opposition parties. The law enables female members of the Imperial House to stay after marriage and adoption of male in the male line of former imperial families. It gives the offspring of adopted male a status of succeeding to the throne and denied imperial membership of spouse and children of female members staying in the family.   In th...

Sanae Takaichi Cabinet revised Japan’s   AI Basic Plan  to enhance risk management of artificial intelligence. While it proposes strengthening systems of the government, including formulating a guideline for using AI or regulating legislation, the revised plan does not offer any specific measure on how to deal with cyber attacks. It is not easy for the government of Japan to establish “AI sovereignty” against foreign countries.   The government firstly issued AI Basic Plan in December 2025. It was overwhelmingly focused on how to promote AI technology in Japan. Takaichi  promised  to “make Japan the world’s best country to develop and use AI” in her policy speech to the Diet in October 2025. She simply believed that promotion of AI would accelerate economic growth through active investment on it. AI was mainly considered as one of the tools for implementing her economic policies.   Development of AI Mythos by Anthropic significantly changed the situation of...

The Diet decided to extend its term of current session for eight days with approval of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Although those leading parties have been trying to pass all the bills submitted by Sanae Takaichi Cabinet before the end of the term set on July 17 th , boycott of discussions by opposition parties made it impossible. The opposition parties accused Takaichi’s misconduct to the Diet.   This is very unusual Diet session this year. Ordinary session was convoked on January 23 rd  and ended the same day, due to Takaichi’s decision to dissolve the House of Representative. After the Lower House election on early February, the government set a special session with term of 150 days, the same as an ordinary session of ordinary year, starting on February 18 th  and ending on July 17 th .   At the final weeks in current session, Takaichi was not willing to attend Diet discussion. Being criticized of defamation in her campaign...

The bill of revised Code of Criminal Procedure, which opens the way to make request of retrial easier,   passed   the Diet on July 17 th . Although the lawmakers, including some with ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), argued that dispute of public prosecutors should be completely ruled out, the law contains a loophole for prosecutors to reject retrial. Bureaucracy has a greater power than the parliament in this country. The revision was initiated by  Hakamada Case , in which a professional boxer was arrested with charge of murder in 1966, received death penalty in 1968, detained for 48 years and found innocent in a retrial in 2024. Although Hakamada requested a retrial and the court approved that, the public prosecutors blocked it with their dispute. It was found that they had been concealing some evidence that might prove Hakamada’s innocence.   That case accelerated discussion for revising current system of criminal procedure. Before submitting the bill for rev...

The Diet enacted two important laws on July 17 th , the last day of current session. One of them was the law to punish vandalism of national flag. Another one was revision of Imperial House Law which enables adoption of male in the male line of former Imperial Families. Both reflects strong preference of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi who are backed by conservative groups. To make further attempt to pass remaining bill, the leading parties pushed extension of the term of the session for 8 days.   National Flag Vandalism Punishing Act is to impose up to two years detention or up to 200 thousand yen of fine on a person who publicly damaged national flag of Japan causing extremely uneasy or disgusting feelings. The bill was  approved  in Plenary Sittings of the Upper House with support of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and Sanseito. Those parties are recognized as upholding conservative political age...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reluctantly   appeared  in the party leaders’ debate in the Diet. While opposition party leaders complained Takaichi’s negative attitude in explaining policies of her administration or her own scandal to the Diet, the prime minister insisted that she had been good enough. The opposition parties deepened their skepticisms against Takaichi government’s sense of responsibility for the Diet. Article 66 of the Constitution of Japan  stipulates  that the Cabinet is collectively responsible for the Diet. This provision has been interpreted that the prime minister, the head of Cabinet, is obliged to answer any question of lawmakers whenever the Diet requests the prime minister to attend a meeting. That is why, for instance, the prime minister has to get an approval of the Diet to go abroad during the session of the Diet.   In a Diet discussion in June, Takaichi refused answering the question of the lawmakers on her election campaign’s defam...

The top opposition party in the House of Representatives, Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), announced its   vision  for administration, which aimed at “competitive welfare state.” Countering ruling Sanae Takaichi administration that upholds “strong and prosperous Japan,” the CRA raised “strong life for individuals” as their main target. The party hopes to accelerate integration of former parties remaining in the Upper House with common policies to achieve.   The CRA was established with merge of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito in January 2026, just before the Lower House election in February. Although the CRA offered some policies to the voters in the election, they left some contradiction between the CDPJ and Komeito in such policies as attitude toward building military base in Henoko, Okinawa, or unconstitutionality of security legislation which approved exercise of collective defense right. This disintegration caused a bitter defeat in the...

The Diet   enacted   a bill for establishing Disaster Management Agency (DMA) with support of most parties across the aisle on July 13 th . The agency is going to make plans to prevent major damages from natural disasters, including earthquake, tsunami, eruption of volcano or storm. It will also work as the headquarters for management and reconstruction in the time of major disaster in Japan. The agency is expected to start its work in November.   Japan is a country frequently suffering from natural disaster. Surrounded by the seas, the country is relatively safe from foreign invasion. Instead, it is vulnerable to natural disaster. Located at periphery of some tectonic plates, Japan has suffered from great earthquakes and tsunamis caused many times. It has active volcanoes, including Mt. Fuji, all over the land. Japanese government calls itself “world’s major power on natural disaster.   Former prime minister Shigeru Ishiba hoped to have Japanese version of FEMA (Fed...

The Diet   passed   revised Individual Information Protection Act on July 10 th . The revised law enables companies to collect personal information without consent of the person. It expects to promote development of artificial intelligence (AI). While the law was established to protect individuals from unnoticed use of personal information, the government prioritized development of AI to privacy of the people, leaving concern on false use of personal data.   The Individual Information Protection Act was enacted in 2003, when information technology was rapidly spreading in Japanese society, to defend rights and interest of individuals from excessive use of personal information. A manager of personal information, such as name or address which can identify an individual, will be punished when he or she leaks professionally obtained personal information with malicious intention.   The revision this year is considered to improve commercial products or public service of lo...

The public prosecutor yelled “Do not underestimate the prosecution!” in his interrogation to an officer of real estate firm. In   the first trial  on a public prosecutor who was indicted with abuse on a criminal suspect, the defendant admitted his chanting but denied his intention of abuse. It was revealed that other prosecutor had been ignoring his interrogation with harsh words. The case is recognized as about the problem in the institution of law enforcement.   The Special Investigation Division of Osaka Public Prosecutors Office arrested president of a real estate firm, Shinobu Yamagishi, with charge of embezzlement in 2019. Yamagishi was suspected to have lent money with wrong intention to a chairperson of a school corporation. While the chairperson was arrested and found guilty, Yamagishi was found innocent in the trial in 2021.   During the investigation of the case, a public prosecutor, Daisuke Tabuchi, made interrogation on a director of Yamagishi’s company ...

The House of Representatives of the Diet passed a bill of revising the Imperial House Law (IHL), which allows adoption of males in the male lines of former imperial families. The law will give the offspring of that adopted male a status to succeed to the throne of the Emperor. Although the bill achieved approval of some opposition parties, the revision cannot be reflecting a unanimous opinion of the legislative branch.   Receiving “unanimous opinion” from the Diet, Sanae Takaichi Cabinet introduced a maneuver in it. The Diet opinion recommended that female members can stay in the Imperial Family after marriage and the family can adopt male in the male line of former Imperial Family. Although the unanimous opinion of the Diet was for securing members of the Imperial House, the draft included some measures related to succession to the throne of the Emperor.   One is to give the son of adopted male a status for succeeding to the throne. In the discussion at the Diet, adoption of ...

Although it has super majority in the Lower House, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi keeps on struggling for enacting National Flag Vandalism Punishing Act. Through the discussion in the Upper House, it became obvious that the bill was made for inducing patriotism among the Japanese people. The opposition parties are skeptical about the motivation of the legislature, recognizing a possibility that the law may violate freedom of thoughts. The bill has a highly unique definition of vandalism of national flag. According to the bill, someone who “publicly damages, removes or contaminates a national flag in a way that causes extremely uneasy or disgusting feeling on other people” will be punished with up to two years of detention or up to 200 thousand yen of fine. It is unclear whether there has been such a case in Japan.   So, what is the national flag of Japan? National Flag and National Anthem Act in 1999 defines national flag of Japan as with ra...

The leaders of fourth and fifth largest economy in the world shared common interest for security and economy in Asia-Pacific region in their summit meeting. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited India and had meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi early July. Both governments are going to deepen their relations in security cooperation, economic security and development of artificial intelligence. Takaichi has been accumulating meeting with leaders in Asia-Pacific countries. She visited Vietnam and Australia and accepted visit of president of the Philippines in May. She stressed her determination to promote a concept called Free and Open Indo-Pacific, which has been Japan’s diplomatic strategy to counter advance of China. At the same time, Takaichi sought opportunity of investment and sustainable supply chain of critical minerals.   Takaichi’s visit to India was made in the same context. She  agreed  with Modi on further bilateral cooperation in thre...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi   agreed   with the leader of Japan Innovation Party (JIP) Hirofumi Yoshimura on abandoning reduction of seats in the House of Representatives in current session of the Diet. The session is scheduled to close on July 17 th . The Lower House seat reduction has been labeled as “Political Reform 101” by Yoshimura and became one of the causes for JIP to form the leading coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party. One of the political agenda of JIP was blocked by opposition beyond the party lines. Takaichi and Yoshimura agreed in their meeting at the Diet on July 7 th  that their parties would seek legislation of the seats reduction in next session of the Diet and continue to make effort for enacting Backup Capital Act in current session. Both bills have been crucial agenda pushed by JIP to pass in current session, and JIP lost one of them. The LDP regarded the bill for seat reduction as important for maintaining the leading coalition with JIP. ...