J Update

A special session of the Diet will be convoked on February 18 th . Sweeping victory of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Lower House election in earlier this month will drastically change the structure of the Diet, giving two-thirds majority to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The opposition parties are responsible for checking Takaichi administration from excessive use of power to implement her agenda.   After the election in October 2024, in which the LDP lost significant number of seats in the House, some important committee seats were occupied by opposition parties. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) chaired 10 out of 27 committees, including the Committee on Budget and Commission on the Constitution. Handling of committees by opposition chairperson irritated Takaichi, partly causing her decision to have a snap election to change the situation in the Diet.   Through discussion by their representatives, the parties agreed on which party would lead eac...

Japan Agency for Maritime Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)   announced  that it had succeeded in extracting mud which possibly included rare earths from the seabed around Minamitorishima Island. The agency is going to examine the mud. The government of Japan hopes to pave the way to supply rare earths that are indispensable for advanced technologies without depending on import from foreign countries including China.   The government started a project called  Strategic Innovation Promotion Program (SIP)  in 2014, topped by the prime minister. It gives prime minister advices on comprehensive policy-making on science and technology. The project deals with various scientific projects, including power generation through combustion of ammonia to reduce emission of greenhouse gasses or autonomous driving of cars.   Research on rare earths around Minamitorishima started as a part of SIP to develop technology for maritime research. A research group of Universi...

In the first poll by news organizations after the Lower House election, in which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi achieved a sweeping victory, Takaichi Cabinet maintained high popularity which had been shown in the election. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) also gained certain approval from the public, while small opposition parties are fragmented with low popularity. It is focused how Takaichi will reflect this advantage to her handlings of her agenda. In the  poll  of  Asahi Shimbun , approval for Takaichi Cabinet was 63 percent against 24 percent of disapproval. While approval decreased by 4 percentage points from January, just before beginning of campaign for the Lower House election, disapproval slightly increased by 1 percentage point.   Other polls showed mostly the same trend. Approval for Takaichi Cabinet was 65 percent with 7 points of increase in the  poll  of NHK. Disapproval reduced by 6 points to 20 percent.  Nikkei Shimbun  released ...

An advisory board for Miniser of Health, Labour and Welfare, Central Social Insurance Medical Council, submitted   a report  to the minister that recommended raising reward for medical services, considering price inflation and trend of wage hike in private sectors. The recommendation reflected concern on medical system in Japan, which is suffering from deficit of each medical institution and shortage of manpower. It will impose greater payment on patients. Every medical institute receives medical service fee from public organizations of medical insurance and directly from patients who owe 10 to 30 percent of the fee. Sanae Takaichi administration  decided  last December to raise the rewards from medical insurance by 3.09 percent, which was the highest rate in these three decades. Considering the positive attitude of the government, the council, which submits its report every two years, recommended hike of the rewards.   Medical fee  for the second and furth...

To reconstruct the party suffered from significant defeat in the Lower House election, the Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA)  had an election   to elect its new leader on February 13 th . Former secretary general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), Jun-ya Ogawa, won against Takeshi Shina, former Parliamentary Vice-minister for Internal Affairs and Communications. Ogawa is going to deal with an important issue for the ailing party, which is to integrate former members of the CDPJ and Komeito.   Immediately after the Lower House election on February 8 th , in which it reduced its seats from 167 to 49, co-leaders of CRA, Yoshihiko Noda and Tetsuya Saito, announced their resignation. The CRA has a rule that new leader will be elected by voting in a Joint Plenary Meeting of lawmakers in both chambers of Diet, when the leader’s seat becomes empty. As members of Upper House with the CDPJ and Komeito have not joined the CRA, the leader’s election was voted by 49 ...

One of the main reasons for historical victory of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in the Lower House election is her campaign strategy taking advantage of social media to disseminate her positive impression to the voters. Followers for Takaichi increased more than any other party leaders during the campaign. It was possible that some internet users seem to have earned some money through the video.   Yomiuri Shimbun   reported  that Takaichi increased her followers in X by 35 thousand during the campaign period, overwhelming other party leaders. It was February 1 st  when she most added her followers by 10,300. It was the day when she cancelled TV program of NHK, in which party leaders discussed campaign policies, arguing that she injured her arm when she shook hands with supporters in a local campaign rally. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) sent a deputy policy chief, Norihisa Tamura, to the program.   There rose a criticism that Takaichi escaped the discussion,...

In the slush fund scandal of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) emerged in 2023, 85 lawmakers were involved, receiving kickback from their factions for their sales of fundraising party ticket. 43 members of the House of Representatives out of them ran for the Lower House election on February 8 th , including who had lost their seats in the election in 2024. Surprisingly enough, 41 out of those 43   won  along with historical victory of the LDP led by popular Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.   Since newspaper of Japan Communist Party, Shimbun Akahata, firstly reported the scandal in November 2023, the LDP  found  85 lawmakers had been involved in. The party charged penalty on 39 lawmakers in April 2024, ranging from recommendation of leave the party for two people to simply reprimand on seven. 45 were not penalized. Most of them were from the faction led by former prime minister Shinzo Abe. Among 46 candidates who had involved in the scandal, 28 lost their seats in...

As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi achieved a historical victory in February 8 election of House of Representatives, new leading opposition party, Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), suffered from a significant setback, leaving a concern on elimination of alternative choices to a political giant, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). While its leaders   announced their resignation, the CRA has no hopeful perspective to raise a new chief who can build a viable bloc of the centrists. The CRA was established on January 16 th , three days before Takaichi’s announcement to dissolve the Lower House. The party consisted of members of the Lower House of the Diet, who were affiliated with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) and Komeito. 165 lawmakers, 144 from CDPJ and 21 from Komeito,  joined  the new party leaving their original parties. It fielded 236 candidates to districts of single-seat and proportional.   The  result  was disastrous. It reduced its se...

Following a landslide victory in the Lower House election, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had   a press conference   on February 9 th . She stressed her intention to implement policies, which she had already announced, including consideration of consumption tax cut or constitutional amendment. To reinforce her administration, Takaichi asked Japan Innovation Party (JIP) to join her cabinet.   To discuss consumption tax cut, Takaichi is going to establish a “national conference,” which would consist of lawmakers beyond party line. She hopes to discuss her idea that consumption tax rate will be zero on foods for two years without issuing governmental bonds for it. JIP has the same policy. The conference will be participated by parties which can accept introduction of refundable tax credit. Takaichi aims at wrapping up an interim report by early summer.   On enhancement of controlling intelligence in the government, Takaichi is going to establish National Intelligence Bur...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, as the president of Liberal Democratic Party,   achieved   a landslide victory in general election of the House of Representatives voted on February 8 th . The LDP obtained a record high of two-thirds majority with 316 seats out of 465 (68 percent) in the House, based on extraordinarily high popularity of Takaichi. With 36 seats of Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the leading coalition occupies 352 seats (75 percent). The LDP received so many votes beyond the number of candidates on its slate in proportional district that it gave away 14 seats to other parties.   An opposition coalition instantly established for the election, Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA), sank from 167 to 49, losing support for their cause of building centrist power. Populist parties such as Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Sanseito and new party “Team Mirai” could not make as a great progress as expected, due to a stunning advance of the LDP. Leftist parties such as Ja...

Voters in Japan voted for the Lower House election on February 8 th . The result will be fixed early morning of February 9 th . As election campaign continued, one issue was left behind in speeches of party leaders. That was selective separate surname. While the opposition parties demand to introduce selective separate surname of married couples, conservative leading parties argue that using nickname can fulfill the demands of separate surname. Nicknames, anyway, are already common in Japan. Article 750 of the Civil Code requires a married couple to use a common surname which is husband’s former family name or wife’s one. Legislative Council of Ministry of Justice  recommended  introduction of selective separate surname in 1996, concerning inconvenience in international business or insufficient assurance of individual human rights. Although the Diet started discussion over selective separate surname under minority government of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in 2025, the m...

While focusing on supporting households from price inflation, parties raise amendment of the Constitution of Japan in their platforms for the Lower House election. As polls of news organizations indicate sweeping victory of ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which demands a modern constitution, it became an important point of election whether powers for constitutional amendment occupy overwhelming number of seats. The LDP included constitutional amendment as one of five pillars in its  party platform  for this election. The party proposed four points in 2017 under the leadership of Shinzo Abe. They are 1) writing down “self-defense force (SDF)” in the constitution with change of Article 9, 2) emergency clause for major natural disaster to maintain the legislative branch, 3) guaranteeing at least one representative from every prefecture in the Upper House, and 4) enhancement of education. They are written in LDP platform for this Lower House election.   Abe argued that...

The only existing treaty over controlling nuclear weapons between the United States and Russia, or New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START),   was expired   on February 5 th . It is concerned that arms race over nuclear weapons will not only be accelerated between two major nuclear powers, but be complicated with participation of China which is ambitious to obtain hegemony in Asian region. Sufferers of atomic bombs in Japan have expressed their anxiety on unleashed nuclear powers.   Following Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) I in 1972 and II in 1979, START was signed by leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1991 and took effect in 1994. The treaty capped two countries’ possession of nuclear warheads at 6,000 each. The treaty was renewed in 2011 after it had been expired in 2009, mandating both governments to reduce their nuclear warheads through 2026.   Referring to Russia’s nuclear power since its aggression to Ukraine in 2022, Russian President Vlad...

One of the focal points in the campaign of Lower House election on February 8 th  is anti-spy law. Although Japanese government run by Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) failed in legislating an anti-spy act decades ago, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, LDP and other conservative parties advocate enhancing anti-spy regulations after the election. It is doubted that Japan cannot deal with leakage of sensitive information without new legislation which may violated privacy of the people.   In 1985, LDP administration led by prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone submitted a bill of national secrecy act to the Diet. But the bill failed to pass the Diet, because it comprehensively covered ordinary people and included death penalty as the heaviest penalty. The LDP cabinets had made attempts to legislate regulations enhancing national secrecy. Former prime ministers Shinzo Abe legislated Specially Designated Secrecy Act in 2014 and Fumio  Kishida  established Economic Security Promotio...

Number of foreign visitors to Japan recorded new high in 2025. Those visitors spent their money as consumers, contributing to economic growth of Japan. However, the travelers from China reduced in December, right after Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made a careless speech on Taiwan contingency last November. Increase of foreign travelers cannot be taken for granted with China’s decision against Japan. Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and tourism, Yasuyuki Kaneko  announced  late January that estimated number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2025 was 42.7 million, exceeding 40 million for the first time. It was far beyond the previous record in 2024, which was 36.8 million.   The interim estimation of consumption of foreign visitors in 2025 marked 9.5 trillion yen, renewing the previous record of 8.1 trillion yen in 2024. The consumption included cost for accommodation and shopping. There was no example of consumption beyond 9 trillion yen previously. ...

A survey on 1,285 candidates of the Lower House election conducted by   Mainichi Shimbun   found  that a large part of candidates of Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the coalition partner of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), hoped Japan to consider nuclear sharing, which meant joint operation of nuclear weapons with the United States. It revealed a major difference in nuclear policy between JIP and LDP, which may affect formation of the coalition after the election.   The question was whether Japan should possess nuclear weapons, should not possess them but should consider nuclear sharing or should neither possess nor consider them. Among JIP candidates, 91 percent answered that Japan should consider nuclear sharing with the U.S. The party includes in its campaign platform “beginning of discussion on nuclear sharing,” revision of Japan’s pacifistic principle, exclusively defense-oriented policy, and enhancement of Japan’s deterrence with constitutional amendment. Hawk...

Schools in Japan cannot fill their slots for teachers these years. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology   found  that the ratio of new teacher against demand marked a new record low in FY2025. Although the ministry has been taking measures to increase application for teachers, including improvement of working environment, this tendency has been accelerated every year. The research was made on education boards of all 47 prefectures and 20 major cities designated by ordinance of national government. Those local governments employ new teachers for FY2025 through the selection in FY2024.   According to the research, 37,375 teachers were recruited by elementary schools, mid-schools, high schools and special needs schools for handicapped students. It was the greatest number after FY1986, with increase of 954 from the previous year. The increase from previous fiscal year was seen in 43 education boards out of 65. However, the applications declined to 10...

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi argues that the Lower House election on February 8 th  will be a referendum for her premiership. She advocates mobilization of national budget represented by her slogan, “responsible and proactive public finances,” and nationalistic foreign and security policies called “strong Japan.” She is going to build up security capability of Japan through accumulation of defense budget, if she is reelected as the prime minister in the general election.   In her speech at extraordinary session of the Diet last fall, Takaichi proposed revision of defense plan to increase defense budget to the level of over 2 percent of GDP beyond the line drawn by former prime minister Fumio Kishida, which would be raised up to 2 percent by FY2027. It was stemming from request of the United States. U.S.  National Defense Strategy  demands its allies 5 percent of defense spending, which would be broken down to 3.5 percent for core military spending and 1.5 percent fo...