J Update

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...

The 2025 Upper House election may be marked as the first major charge of a small ultra-right party with internet-friendly campaign strategy in Japan. The Sanseito, meaning political participation party with nickname of “Party of Do It Yourself,” increased its seats in the House from 2 to 15, collecting votes which were skeptical about long-time leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Despite its exclusive and discriminative speeches, Sanseito attracted the voters with live coverages through social networking services (SNS).   Sanseito was established in 2020 by its leaders, including current head, Sohei Kamiya. The party gained a seat in the Diet for the first time in the Upper House election in 2022. It added three lawmakers in the Lower House after the election in 2024. The party included another lawmaker in the Upper House in June 2025, fulfilling the condition of a political party which requires five lawmakers in the Diet.   Sanseito gained fourteen seats, seven ...

The Upper House election in Japan on July 20   resulted in  a significant defeat for ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The leading coalition of the LDP and Komeito lost a majority in the Upper House, as same as in the Lower House since last October. Although Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced that he would stay in his position, his government will be extremely instable condition in which it can immediately be broken down.   In the Upper House election, 125 members (including supplement for 1 vacancy in Tokyo district) out of all 248 seats were elected. The LDP reduced its seats from 52 before the election to 39, while Komeito also did from 14 to 8. Both parties have 75 seats without election this year. Total sum of their seats in the Upper House is 122, which is in short of a simple majority by 3 seats.   The biggest opposition party, Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), could not obtain clear victory, gaining 22 seats with no change from the pr...

Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO)   is reportedly considering  geologic research for building a new nuclear power plant in the site of Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui. After the severe accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011, the government of Japan ruled out the option of building new nuclear power plant in Japan. If KEPCO embarked on constructing new nuclear power plant, it will be challenging Japan’s basic stance with lessons of East Japan Great Earthquake in 2011, which was not relying on nuclear power for national energy.   KEPCO possesses the biggest number of nuclear power plants among power companies in Japan. Five out of its seven nuclear power plants are older than forty years, the age which was the limit of a nuclear reactor to operate in the standard set after the accident in Fukushima. The government of Japan revised that standard to let nuclear reactors live longer and even an old reactor can continue to generate electric power as l...

Kanazawa Branch of Nagoya High Court   sentenced  not guilty to a man who had been arrested and received seven years in prison with charge of murder of fifteen-year-old girl in Fukui city in 1986. The public prosecutors and the court ignored a crucial contradiction in the evidence they relied on, and the defendant requested retrial in 2004. It took more than twenty years for the court to reach a conclusion that the defendant was innocent. Shoshi Maekawa, now 60, was arrested and indicted with suspect of murder on the girl who was in her house alone. The police argued that Maekawa stubbed the girl with cooking knife for many times. Maekawa pled against the suspicion, insisting that he had no acquaintance with the girl. The discussion was focused on witnesses of six people who testified that they saw Maekawa with blood on his shirt at the night of the murder.   Kanazawa Branch of Nagoya High Court found that a man began his testimony after he heard from interviewer of the p...

The Second Middle-class Court (district court) in Beijing, China,   sentenced  to a Japanese businessman three and a half years in prison with charge of activity of espionage. The court did not explain the details of its decision about the crime of the Japanese who had been arrested in Beijing in 2023. Japanese Ambassador to China, Kenji Kanasugi, immediately expressed his regret on the court decision. A Japanese businessman in his sixties with Astellas Pharma, who worked for local subsidiary in China, was in custody in March, 2023, just before returning to Japan, and arrested in October 2023. He was indicted with charge of violating the anti-espionage act in August 2024 and the trial started in November 2024. The Chinese authority has not revealed the details of what kind of activity of the man caused the arrest or charge.   The trial finished in fifteen minutes with observers from Japanese Embassy including Ambassador Kanasugi. Kanasugi announced that the trial did not ...

The Ministry of Defense released 2025 version of defense   white paper  on July 15. The paper expressed serious concern on China’s obscure development of military capability, which may pose insecurity to Asia-Pacific region. The report emphasizes necessity for enhancement of defense capability of Japan and security cooperation with its allies and like-minded countries in Asia.   The white paper analyzes that China has been rapidly enhancing its military capability, in both terms of quality and quantity, for these thirty years. It was mainly about nuclear and missile capability in air or maritime theater, endorsed by consecutive financial support lacking transparency. “It accelerates attempts for unilateral change of status quo by force or coercion in East and South China Sea, including violation of Japan’s territory around Senkaku Islands,” describes the white paper.   The paper noted  violation  of Japan’s territorial air in Danjo Islands, Nagasaki, in Aug...

Shigeru Ishiba administration   established   a new organization which deal with issues related to foreigners in Japan in the Cabinet Secretariat on July 15 th . The organization oversees immigration, application of social insurance for foreigners or controlling real property trade by foreigners. It is likely that the administration had to manage this issue, because treatment of foreigners in Japan emerged as one of the main issues in the Upper House election.   In the election campaign, a new populist party, Sanseito, upholds policies for stricter regulation against foreigners in Japan, arguing that the government has excessively accepted foreign workers, they do not appropriately pay for social insurance, they commit crimes, or they are buying real properties located in places with security importance. Major parties, namely the Liberal Democratic Party, are threatened by Sanseito with significant surge in approval rate in polls.   The new organization was named “Of...

As Upper House election campaigns reach an end, it gets obvious that ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is likely to reduce seats. According to the polls of news organizations, the leading coalition by the LDP and Komeito would not maintain a majority in the Upper House. If the election results in that miserable defeat for the LDP, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will be precipitated in a serious jeopardy. In the  poll  of  Asahi Shimbun  conducted on July 13 th  and 14 th , the LDP will likely to reduce its seats from 52 before the election to 34. Komeito may also decline from 14 to 9. The LDP and Komeito need 50 seats in the election to maintain their majority in the Upper House, in addition to their 75 seats without election this year. If they cannot reach the line of 50, they lose majority in both Houses of the Diet.   The biggest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), is expected to gain 27 seats as a sum of prefectural...

Ministry of Defense (MOD)   announced  that its aircraft was closely approached by a bomber of Chinese Force in the air above the high sea in the East China Sea for twice in July. Japan expressed its concern on possible collision through diplomatic channel and requested measures not to repeat that kind of case. It was the second opportunity that Chinese aircraft closely approaches Japanese aircraft within about a month. Japan is analyzing China’s intention of reiterating military actions toward Japan.   According to the announcement of MOD, an intelligence-gathering aircraft affiliated to Air Self-defense Force, YS-11EB, was approached by a Chinese fighter jet, JH-7, as close as horizontal 30 meters and vertical 60 meters for 15 minutes between 10:50 and 11:05 in the morning of July 9 th . A Chinese JH-7 also approached Japanese YS-11EB for as close as horizontal 60 meters and vertical 30 meters for 10 minutes between 10:00 and 10:10 in the morning of July 10 th .   ...