In his bid for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has pledged to continue the work of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his predecessor, Fumio Kishida. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/japan/politics/hayashi-ldp/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #yoshimasahayashi #ldp #shigeruishiba #fumiokishida #sanaetakaichi

Polls suggest a Koizumi–Takaichi showdown for LDP leadership, but internal powerbrokers may push aside veteran candidates to engineer a youth-versus-youth race between Koizumi and Kobayashi. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/18/japan/whiteboarding-the-ldp-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi #yoshimasahayashi #toshimitsumotegi #takayukikobayashi #shigeruishiba #fumiokishida

Stitching the Liberal Democratic Party back together again will be no easy task, no matter who wins the presidential race on Oct. 4. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/18/japan/politics/ldp-breakup/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #shigeruishiba

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting South Korea later this month for talks with President Lee Jae-myung, Japanese government sources said Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/16/japan/politics/ishiba-south-korea-trip/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #japansouthkorearelations #shigeruishiba #leejaemyung

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has declared he is running for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency in a move expected to appeal to party members who would prefer a more moderate candidate. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/16/japan/politics/yoshimasa-hayashi-ldp-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp#yoshimasahayashi#fumiokishida #shigeruishiba

Agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi voiced his intention to run in the Oct. 4 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election during a meeting with supporters in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Saturday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/13/japan/politics/shijiro-koizumi-ldp-race-supporters/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shinjirokoizumi #ldp #shigeruishiba

Japan is looking to finalize its basic plan for the use and development of artificial intelligence by the end of 2025, with the aim of creating the best environment in the world for such efforts. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/12/japan/politics/ai-government-discussion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ai #shigeruishiba

Disinformation is filling the vacuum left by an absence of a national discussion on Japan's growing influx of foreign nationals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/12/japan/japan-needs-a-serious-immigratiuon-discussion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #immigration #shigeruishiba #japaneseeconomy #demographics

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Portuguese counterpart, Luis Montenegro, have agreed to elevate relations between their two countries to a strategic partnership. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/11/japan/japan-portugal-upgrade-ties/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #shigeruishiba #luismontenegro #portugal #portugaljapanrelations

Tokyo stocks achieved a record close on Wednesday after a strong performance on Wall Street overnight and days after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/10/markets/nikkei-closing-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #tariffs #japaneseeconomy #nikkei #stocks #tse #shigeruishiba

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after less than a year in office highlights Japan’s deepening political fragility even as its global role and importance in the U.S.–Japan alliance continue to grow. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/10/japan/the-future-of-japan-us-relations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #us #usjapanrelations #shigeruishiba #donaldtrump

Shigeru Ishiba never really had a chance to succeed as prime minister, facing a fractured party, entrenched rivals and unfavorable political conditions that made his resignation inevitable. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/09/japan/ldps-internal-coup-is-complete/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #shigeruishiba #ldp#sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi #2025upperhouseelection

The Liberal Democratic Party will pick its next leader through a full-scale vote, a process that is likely to favor some more than others. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/09/japan/politics/presidential-election-schedule/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #shigeruishiba#sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi#toshimitsumotegi#yoshimasahayashi #takayukikobayashi#fumiokishida #yoshihidesuga

Internal LDP factional battles have weakened the party, set up a bitter upcoming leadership contest and raised questions about Japan’s political stability and the future of its conservative wing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/09/japan/battle-for-the-ldps-soul/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #shigeruishiba #ldp#sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi#yoshimasahayashi #2025upperhouseelection

After weeks of speculation, Shigeru Ishiba is finally stepping down. Has the embattled ruling party learned its lesson? https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/09/09/japan/japan-deserves-better-leadership/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #shigeruishiba #ldp#sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi #2025upperhouseelection

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba might release his message commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II during a U.N. General Assembly session set for this month, a government official said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/09/japan/politics/ishiba-wwll-message-un/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #shigeruishiba #un #wwii

The Nikkei 225 hit a record high, breaking 44,000 just days after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/09/markets/nikkei-record-ishiba/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #tariffs #japaneseeconomy #nikkei #stocks #tse #shigeruishiba

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back have agreed to make mutual visits a regular practice and stake out areas of high-tech defense cooperation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/08/japan/politics/japan-south-korea-defense-ministers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #southkorea #southkoreajapanrelations #gennakatani #ahngyuback #defenseministry #defense #northkorea #shigeruishiba#leejaemyung

Japan-U.S. trade deal expected to hold up post-Ishiba, as inertia and fear of Trump fury work in agreement’s favor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/08/economy/post-ishiba-tariff/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #shigeruishiba #tariffs #us #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations

The race to replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has kicked off, with LDP heavyweight Toshimitsu Motegi on Monday becoming the first to announce his candidacy, a day after Ishiba said he would step down. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/08/japan/politics/motegi-to-run-in-ldp-presidential-race/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics#toshimitsumotegi #ldp #shigeruishiba