J Update

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) had a Joint Plenary Meeting of Party Members of Both Houses of the Diet (JPM) on August 8 th . Receiving requests of anti-Ishiba members, the meeting   decided  to ask Presidential Election Committee to confirm how many party members would want an early presidential election. It is quite unclear how an early presidential election will be set and whether anti-Ishiba group will be successful in replacing the Prime Minister. The meeting was held with decision of the party board. The board determined the subject of JPM as review of Upper House election in July and revitalization of the party, to block requests from anti-Ishiba groups for replacement of the president Shigeru Ishiba. Although Ishiba referred to his willingness to stay in his position, discussion at the JPM was focused on whether LDP presidential election should be held before Ishiba’s term as the president expires. Chairwoman of the meeting, Haruko Arimura, wrapped up the discussio...

Ministry for Internal Affairs and Communications released its demographic survey, or   the Vital Survey , of Japan at the time of October 1 st , 2023. Population of Japan declined for sixteen consecutive years, while foreigners in Japan showed significant increase. It is likely that xenophobic sentiment among the Japanese is further growing as some news conservative parties promote policies excluding foreign people from Japan. The statistics were based on demographic data recorded on the Basic Resident Register, total sum of records in the cities, towns and villages all around Japan. Although Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has annual survey of Future Population Estimate, the Vital Statistics annually wraps up the basic contemporary demographic situation.   The population of Japanese citizens was 120,653,227 in October 2023. It declined by 908,574 from the previous year, marking 0.75 percent of reduction. Both the number and ratio of demographic shrinking were the bigge...

The National Council for Minimum Wage submitted a guideline that minimum wage in Japan in 2025 would be 1,118 yen per hour, 63 yen higher than last year. It marked a record hike, with 6.0 percent of growth, in the history of the council. It reflected the policy of Shigeru Ishiba administration to support workers more than employers, succeeding basic policy from his predecessor, Fumio Kishida. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has national and prefectural councils for minimum wage, which are set for negotiation between employers and workers with mediation of public experts such as professors or media leaders. The national council determines a guideline for prefectural councils every year. The prefectural council decides minimum wage in their region with consideration of guideline offered by the national council. New minimum wage is applied to each prefecture normally on October 1 st . An employer cannot hire any workers with a wage lower than determined minimum wage.   In the t...

Hiroshima marked the 80 th   anniversary from atomic bombing on August 6 th , 1945. In the Peace Memorial Ceremony, the Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui, asked political leaders in the world to embrace “heart of Hiroshima,” which sincerely hopes world peace. However, his remarks clarified significant gap between Hiroshima and the world in which threat of using nuclear weapons remains. In his  Peace Declaration  in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on 8:15 a.m. of August 6 th , the exact time an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima 80 years ago, Matsui criticized a notion that nuclear weapons can be possessed for protecting a country, referring to military empowerment as seen in Russian invasion to Ukraine or in the Middle East. He urged political leaders in the world to come to Hiroshima and witness the truth of the city suffered from a nuclear weapon.   Matsui stressed necessity for nations to “look beyond narrow self-interest to consider the circumstances of other...

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba took questions from party leaders on the issues he is in charge at Committee on Budget in the House of Representatives on August 4 th . It was the first opportunity for Ishiba, since a serious defeat in the Upper House election in July, to discuss the policies for which he needed some cooperation with the opposition parties. The opposition leaders focused on implementing their own policies rather than on putting pressure for Ishiba to step down.   It is unusual for a committee in the Diet to have intensive discussion on policies in a short session right after an election in one of the two Houses. Although current extraordinary session was convoked for replacing the chairs and members of each committee in the Upper House, reflecting the result of election, the leading and opposition parties have agreed on having unusual discussion on some issues.   After the ordinary session was closed in late June, Ishiba administration reached a deal with the Uni...

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is thinking about how to deliver a message at the 80 th   anniversary from the end of the World War II. While he considered issuing his personal statement without Cabinet Decision on August 15 th , it would invite a firm opposition from the conservative lawmakers in the Liberal Democratic Party. Ishiba still deliberates to release his message later this year. It has been usual for a prime minister to issue memorial statement every decade. Former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama delivered  a statement  at the 50 th  anniversary in 1995, which touched on Japan’s “colonial rule and aggression” following mistaken national policy, and expressed “feeling of deep remorse” and “heartfelt apology” to neighboring countries. Jun-ichiro Koizumi mostly followed Murayama Statement at the 60 th  anniversary in 2005.   Shinzo Abe tried to change the course at the 70 th  anniversary in 2015. It  described  “deep remorse and heart...

A major earthquake with magnitude 8.7   occurred   in seabed close to Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, on July 30 th . The quake caused tsunami in broad coastal area in Japan. The government of Japan issued information about approach of tsunami in the region facing the Pacific Ocean. The government has been enhancing preventive measures against possible great tsunami in Japan. The Kamchatka quake offered an opportunity to review its plan to reduce damages from disaster. The government issued tsunami warning to thirteen prefectures which faced the Pacific Ocean one hour after the earthquake. Japan Meteorological Agency announce that it was possible that tsunami with maximum three meters high may arrive in the coastal area. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the United States also warned that tsunami would arrive on the coast of Alaska or Hawaii.   Although the epicenter was 1,500 kilometers away from the eastmost point of Hokkaido Island of Japan, tsunami event...

An extraordinary session of the Diet with terms of only five days was convoked on August 1 st . Given the result of Upper House election, in which the leading coalition lost its majority, balance of power among the parties was significantly changed. Shigeru Ishiba administration is likely to spend more political energy than ever to implement its policies, asking cooperation from the opposition parties.   It is usual that an extraordinary session is convoked right after the election. The parties have been discussed which post of committees they would take. They finally  agreed  on distributing 8 chairs out of 17 standing committees to the Liberal Democratic Party and 2 to Komeito, while 3 went to the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), 2 to the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and one each to Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin-no Kai) and Sanseito.   The LDP reduced 2 posts from pre-election status. Instead, the DPP and Sanseito gained one seat eac...

Major six parties in the Diet   agreed  on gasoline tax cut by the end of this year. Although a bill for gasoline tax cut was dismissed by the leading coalition in the ordinary session of the Diet earlier this year, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) made a concession, given serious defeat in the Upper House election in July. It marked the first post-election policy deal after the election. The chairs on Diet affairs committee of the LDP, Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Japan Innovation Party (Nippon Ishin-no Kai) and Japan Communist Party (JCP) signed on an agreement that they would abolish the temporary tax rate on gasoline as early as possible within this year. It is likely that related bill will be submitted to the extraordinary session of the Diet, whish is supposed to be convoked to discuss economic stimulus package this fall. The CDPJ hopes to abolish it by November 1 st .   The temporary gaso...

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that starting of retrieving highly radioactive debris remaining at the bottom of crippled reactors in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) will be delayed as late as FY2037. Although the company does not change the schedule of ending decommissioning process, which will be 2051, the change of schedule for retracting debris represents difficulty of decommissioning process in Fukushima with no precedent in the world. Losing water to cool reactors after being soaked in tsunami caused by East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, nuclear fuel in three reactors in FDNPP melted down and remains untouched. The debris amounts to 880 metric ton. Thirteen years after the severe accident, TEPCO for the first time was able to take out a small amount of debris, less than teaspoonful amount, last November.   TEPCO had a plan to start removing the debris by early 2030s. It assumes to crack debris down into small pieces and retrieve from the hole in...

The Ministry of Defense (MOD) promotes enhancement of defense capability in Kyushu Island which is located southwest of Japan and closest to China among four main islands. The equipment for deployments includes fighter jet F-35B, long-range stand-off missiles which are capable to strike enemy’s bases and tiltrotor aircraft V-22 Osprey. As China frequently invades Japan’s territory in East China Sea, including the area around Senkaku Islands, Japan looks to be hasted for building up its defense capability, possibly raising tension in the region.   MOD  announced  to neighbor local governments that it would begin deployment of F-35B to Japan Air Self-defense Force Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture, on August 7 th . Nyutabaru base is located on east side of Kyushu island. The deployment is aimed at enhancing air defense for Nansei Archipelago, including islands of Okinawa and Senkaku.   F-35B has high stealth capability. As it is able to takeoff with short runni...

To discuss the reason why it lost seats in the election of Upper House and to realize who was responsible for it, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held   unofficial meeting   by the members of both Houses of the Diet on July 28. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba insisted on staying as the premier, most speakers demanded the party to determine who was responsible, effectively requested Ishiba to step down. Secretary General Hiroshi Moriyama indicated his resignation after reviewing the election in August.   Anti-Ishiba lawmakers in the LDP were collecting signatures to have an official Joint Plenary Meeting (JPM) by Diet Members, in which LDP members can discuss presidential election. The board members led by LDP president Ishiba decided to have unofficial meeting on July 28, instead of official JPM.   At the beginning of the meeting, Ishiba apologized serious defeat in the Upper House election on July 20 th . Having said that, he insisted on staying at his current posi...

In the poll conducted by newspapers, approval rate for Shigeru Ishiba Cabinet marked obvious low under 30 percent. Large number of people are thinking that Prime Minister Ishiba should resign as the result of Upper House election. The support for ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) also declined. It is not clear, however, which is responsible for the defeat in the election: prime minister or leading party.   In the poll of  Asahi Shimbun  conducted on July 26 th  and 27 th , approval rate for Ishiba Cabinet declined from 32 percent in June to 29 percent. The responders with non-approval increased from 52 percent to 56 percent. Support for the LDP dropped from 23 percent to 20 percent, as Sanseito achieved 10 percent, occupying top position among the opposition parties. It was followed by Democratic Party for the People (DPP) with 8 percent and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) with 7 percent.   Strange enough, the responders who thought Ishiba di...

The parties in the Diet   agreed   on convoking an extraordinary session of the Diet on August 1 st . The House of Councillors will elect new speaker in the session, following the Upper House election in which the leading coalition lost its majority. The opposition parties are united to pass a bill to freeze temporary gasoline tax to support the consumers suffering from persistent price inflation, as the first attempt for them to pressure the leading coalition. Since the leading coalition, the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, lost majority in the Upper House at the election on July 20 th , it is possible that the opposition parties elect their own speaker, if they are united to elect one name. However, it is unclear whether fragmented opposition parties, from communists to new ultra-right party, can agree on voting for a common speaker, even though the biggest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), hopes other opposition parties to elect on...

The White House announced details of its   tariff deal   with Japan, which both countries agreed on July 22 nd . Japan pledged in the deal $550 billion investment to the United States and $8 billion purchase of U.S. agricultural products. In return, the U.S. will reduce “reciprocal” tariff rate on Japan from announced 25 percent to 15 percent. The White House named it “a historical trade and investment agreement,” hoping it to work as a model for deals with other countries.   The White House welcomed that $550 billion investment as “the single largest foreign investment commitment ever secured by any country” and expected it to “generate hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs, expand domestic manufacturing, and secure American prosperity for generations.” Japan is going to endorse the investment by private sectors with financial support by creating new framework for loans in governmental financial institutions in Japan.   The investment will be promoted in various area. ...

Post-election movement against leadership of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is expanding inside the Liberal Democratic Party. Replacing the top leader has been a routine work for the party to re-boost popularity after terrible defeat in elections. This time, old style politics relying on secret fund was one of the major reasons of great setback in the Upper House election. However, the lawmakers who had been accepting secret funds from factions are joining anti-Ishiba movement in the LDP.   Ishiba told the media in the night of voting day that he would stay as the prime minister, despite serious reduction of seats in the Upper House. He had set a target to maintain simple majority in the House with its coalition partner, Komeito. The result was three seats short of majority. Former prime minister, Taro Aso, reportedly told his aids that Ishiba would not be able to stay.   Ishiba held  a meeting  with former premiers, including Aso, Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida on ...

Japan and the United States reached   a deal  on tariffs. The both governments agreed on reducing tariff on Japanese products to the U.S. from announced 25 percent to 15 percent. Tariff on Japanese cars will be reduced from 27.5 percent to 15 percent. U.S. President trump recognizes that Japan would make $550 billion of investment to the U.S. and it would receive 90 percent of its profit. The government of Japan will take measures to support Japanese companies affected by the deal. Trump sent a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on July 7 th  which unilaterally noticed that the U.S. would impose 25% of “reciprocal tariff” on Japanese products starting August 1 st . Trump agreed on cutting off the rate to 15 percent.   On cars, the U.S. already imposed additional 25 percent of tariff on all imported cars including from Japan since April 3 rd , making tariff on Japanese cars 27.5 percent in addition to 2.5 percent of basic tariff. After the deal with Japa...

Despite major setback of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, the opposition parties except two internet-friendly small parties could not gain an outstanding victory in the Upper House election. Most independent voters seemed to be resonant with populism, rather than the policies alternative to the leading coalition. It is inevitable for the traditional opposition parties to reconsider their strategy to achieve leading position in Japanese politics.   The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) was not successful in syphoning votes frustrated with the LDP politics. The CDPJ obtained 22 seats in the Upper House election, the same number of CDPJ lawmakers who were up to the election. It was surprising that the CDPJ lagged the Democratic Party for the People (DPP) and Sanseito in the achieved votes in proportional constituency. Counting in the seats without election this year, CDPJ is still the biggest opposition party in the Upper House.   The CDPJ sought cooperatio...