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August 11, 2026
 

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NIPPON ISHIN NO KAI

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi may seek to reinforce her standing in the Liberal Democratic Party by reshuffling her Cabinet and party executive lineup as early as next month.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 9, 2026
LDP secretary-general post emerges as focal point as Takaichi mulls changes
At a time when public support for her administration is falling, Takaichi may shake up her Cabinet and the LDP¡¯s executive lineup to reinforce her standing in the party.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting with Liberal Democratic Party executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 30, 2026
Takaichi announces plan to lower consumption tax rate on food to 1%
The decision comes despite opposition party criticism and concerns among fellow LDP members about how lost revenue ¡ª ?5 trillion annually ¡ª from the reduction would be covered.
A view of downtown Sapporo. Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki is pushing Sapporo as a candidate for a second capital outside Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 28, 2026
With secondary-capital bill passed, competition between cities heats up
In addition to Osaka, others including Fukuoka, Sapporo and Nagoya have indicated interest in being the fallback if a disaster strikes Tokyo and renders it unable to function.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks in a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2026
PM stands firm on LDP-JIP ties and notes public concern over foreign influx
Despite growing speculation that Takaichi is planning to reshuffle her Cabinet before the fall Diet session, she said there is nothing to comment on at this point of time.
The Upper House passes a bill to create a secondary capital for Japan, after a last-minute showdown between the ruling and opposition camps, with 123 votes in favor and 121 against at parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 26, 2026
Secondary capital bill passes after showdown at parliament
The legislation¡¯s passage ended a week of intense debate and cleared the way for parliament to end Saturday after 158 days.
An Upper House joint committee discusses a backup capital bill in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 24, 2026
Lawmakers remain divided on secondary capital, with talks of further extension
As the LDP considers its options, an opposition party leader has threatened a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Sanae Takachi¡¯s government.
An Upper House committee discusses a bill on the establishment of a secondary capital, in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 23, 2026
JIP¡¯s priorities take center stage even as household relief stalls
The Liberal Democratic Party no longer finds itself strictly needing the Japan Innovation Party¡¯s support, yet the latter¡¯s priorities continue to shape the parliamentary agenda.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing growing criticism over the lack of unity between her Liberal Democratic Party and ruling coalition partner Japan Innovation Party.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 22, 2026
Takaichi faces growing headache over LDP and JIP¡¯s lack of unity
Poor communication and mistrust were major sources of governance problems and parliamentary chaos that led to an extension of the current session of the Diet.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 19, 2026
Takaichi expected to struggle during an extended Diet session
The ruling LDP and the Japan Innovation Party hopes to enact a secondary capital bill during this limited time.
The current session of parliament has been extended for eight days through July 25.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Parliament extends current session through July 25
The extension will allow further discussion on a bill to establish the concept of a secondary capital.
A fan holds Japanese flags at a public viewing in Tokyo for a 2026 World Cup match in June.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 17, 2026
Upper House passes flag-desecration bill despite constitutional concerns
The law, to take effect in August, will punish anyone who publicly damages, removes or defaces the flag in a way deemed likely to cause ¡°extreme discomfort or disgust to others.¡±
A bill on establishing a backup capital clears the Lower House plenary session on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 16, 2026
Parliament likely to seek extension as time runs out on backup capital bill
The ruling bloc is expected to submit a request for an extension ¡ª up to 10 days ¡ª by Friday.
Seiji Maehara, a 12-term lawmaker from the Japan Innovation Party, speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 9, 2026
JIP¡¯s submarine proposal tests Â鶹´«Ã½ nuclear red lines
Senior party lawmaker Seiji Maehara says Tokyo should acquire at least eight nuclear-powered vessels ¡°as quickly as possible.¡±
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 8, 2026
LDP and JIP agree to delay bill to reduce Lower House seats
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura decided to postpone debate on the bill to a later session of parliament.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Upper House audit committee in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 7, 2026
Controversial bills threaten to push parliament session into overtime
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is caught between honoring a promise to the Japan Innovation Party and the reality that it will be difficult to pass the bills in the Upper House.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a parliament committee session on June 26.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 5, 2026
Takaichi holds key to breaking parliament deadlock
Political maneuvering is expected to intensify, with less than two weeks to go before the current parliament session ends on July 17.
LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki before a meeting with the Centrist Reform Alliance on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
LDP to halt debate on JIP priorities to focus on imperial family bill
The LDP is ready to halt debate on controversial bills while discussions on proposed Imperial House Law revisions are underway, LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki has said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House committee session in Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Will Takaichi invoke 60-day rule to pass controversial bills?
The ruling coalition aims to pass bills to trim Lower House seats and establish the concept of a secondary capital in the current session of parliament, which ends in three weeks.
According to the 2025 reports on lawmakers' incomes, the average income among nine party leaders stood at ?24.53 million.
BUSINESS
Jun 30, 2026
Takaichi tops 2025 income rankings for Japan party heads
The prime minister earned ?36.41 million in 2025 while the average income among nine party leaders stood at ?24.53 million.
The bill stipulates that imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to ?200,000 be imposed on acts that publicly damage the national flag.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
LDP¡¯s flag desecration bill clears Lower House
Under the bill, desecrating the flag is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to ?200,000.
America¡¯s cyberforces grapple with cluster of deaths by suicide
The U.S. Cyber Command building (center) stands on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Many Indonesians named after Japanese anime characters
Some people in Indonesia are named Doraemon, the name of a lead character of the blockbuster anime series with the same title.
Yasukuni Shrine introduces ban on military attire and cosplay
People gather in front of thousands of lanterns on display at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on July 15 during the Mitama Matsuri, one of the capital's largest summer o-Bon festivals.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
¡®Total whiplash¡¯: Foreign residents react to Â鶹´«Ã½ changing permanent residency rules
The entrance to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March. For some foreign residents of Japan, tightening measures for permanent residency have become one factor in a broader calculation over whether remaining in the country makes financial sense over the long term.
Â鶹´«Ã½ brewers experiment with a secret ingredient: music
At Smoke Craft, a craft beer brewery in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, music isn't just a background to the brewing process ¡ª it's an ingredient.
As countries ban social media for children, Japan mulls a different approach
Data from NTT Docomo¡¯s Mobile Society Research Institute released in June found that 55% of respondents across all age groups said they fiddled with their phones when they had nothing to do, even when another person was in front of them.
J. League enters new era as league kicks off first fall-spring campaign
Players from each J. League club pose during a kickoff event on Monday ahead of the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
Speaking Japanese at the movies with ¡®Chiikawa¡¯
A "Chiikawa The Movie" poster is seen at Toho Cinemas in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Disaster relief workers Taichi Kato (left) and Seiji Yoshimura enter the collapsed living quarters at Kyuganji temple in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture.
What Kumamoto revealed about Â鶹´«Ã½ earthquake readiness
By Alex K.T. Martin

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