The Japan Innovation Party is touting itself as the axle of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration — and not its brake — as it unveils its manifesto to woo supporters of her Liberal Democratic Party. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/jip-manifesto/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #sanaetakaichi #ldp #fumitakefujita #osaka
The Centrist Reform Alliance, Japan's new political party, will start with over 160 House of Representatives lawmakers and is set to hold its inaugural meeting on Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/cra-160-members/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cra #nipponishinnokai #ldp #dpp #komeito #sanaetakaichi
Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura resigned Friday morning to call a snap gubernatorial and mayoral election in the hope of winning local support for a third referendum on merging the city’s wards. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/osaka-referendum/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #osaka #nipponishinnokai #hirofumiyoshimura
The Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party won’t coordinate candidates in a snap election — an unusual and potentially risky move for the coalition partners as they seek to expand their seat count. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/15/japan/politics/ldp-jip-election-competition/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #komeito
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is believed to be eyeing a snap election as early as next month, with the co-leader of the LDP's ruling coalition partner saying her thinking on the matter had "shifted to a new stage." https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/11/japan/politics/japan-takaichi-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #diet #ldp #nipponishinnokai #diet #lowerhouse #dpp #chinajapanrelations #jip #osakaishinnokai
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering calling a snap parliamentary election in the first half of February, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Friday, citing government sources. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/10/japan/politics/takaichi-possible-snap-poll/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #diet #ldp #nipponishinnokai
Several municipalities in Japan are giving Osaka a run for its money in the race toward winning the designation as the country’s secondary capital. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/09/japan/politics/back-up-capital-cities/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #disasterpreparedness #cities #nipponishinnokai #osaka #ldp #hirofumiyoshimura #fukuoka #kumamoto #saitama #nagoya
Recent remarks of senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party-Japan Innovation Party coalition have put the topic of a snap election back into focus. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/08/japan/politics/diet-dissolution-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #sanaetakaichi #hirofumiyoshimura #koichihagiuda
The Liberal Democratic Party’s Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki said having the Democratic Party for the People join the ruling bloc would help achieve “political stability.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/07/japan/politics/dpp-ldp-rengo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #dpp #ldp #nipponishinnokai #rengo #tomokoyoshino #unions #yuichirotamaki #shunichisuzuki #cdp #yoshihikonoda #sanaetakaichi
After more than three decades, there is a growing debate in parliament about returning the current Lower House electoral system to what it once was. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/02/japan/politics/election-system/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #diet #lowerhouse #ldp #nipponishinnokai #dpp #cdp
Since taking office, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi seems to have enjoyed a tailwind. Yet amid a cost-of-living crisis, perilous coalition ties and weak party support, there’s no shortage of challenges. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/01/japan/politics/political-outlook-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #ldp #nipponishinnokai #komeito #taroaso #diet
While the government's fiscal 2026 budget bill calls for record-high spending on social security, its efforts to reduce the health insurance premium burden on the working generation are still limited. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/society/burden-working-generation/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #health #sanaetakaichi #ldp #nipponishinnokai #budgets #debt #elderly #medicine
With parliament set to close on Wednesday, the ruling coalition agreed this week to hold off discussions on a bill reducing Lower House seats by 10% until next year. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/16/japan/politics/ldp-jip-bill-put-off/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #nipponishinnokai #ldp #hirofumiyoshimura #dpp #cdp #komeito #diet #lowerhouse
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, have decided to reconsider the route of the planned Hokuriku Shinkansen section. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/16/japan/hokuriku-shinkansen-route-change/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mlit #hokurikushinkansen #bullettrains #rail #fukui #osaka #kyoto #ldp #nipponishinnokai #environment
With just days left in the current Diet session, a key ruling-bloc bill to reduce the number of Lower House seats by 10% faces an uncertain future. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/12/japan/politics/ldp-ishin-seat-reducing-bill-uncertain/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #nipponishinnokai #ldp #hirofumiyoshimura #dpp #cdp #komeito #sanaetakaichi
The government and ruling coalition are considering capping tax-free holdings at ¥6 million for a new investment program planned to be launched for minors under the NISA framework. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/10/nisa-tax-free-cap-minors/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #nisa #taxes #children #investments #ldp #nipponishinnokai
The transport ministry will likely delay starting work to extend the Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train line to link Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture and Shin-Osaka Station in Osaka Prefecture, sources said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/09/japan/hokuriku-shinkansen-extension-delay/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #mlit #hokurikushinkansen #bullettrains #rail #fukui #osaka #kyoto #ldp #nipponishinnokai #environment
The government, in its sixth basic program for promoting gender equality, will stipulate that it will consider legislation to legalize the use of pre-marriage family names. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/06/japan/society/japan-surname-gender-equality-program/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #familyregistry #familylaw #marriage #names #nipponishinnokai #ldp #women039sissues #diet
After a bumpy negotiation process, the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, submitted a bill that would cut at least 45 Lower House seats by the end of next year. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/05/japan/politics/seat-reduction-bill-submitted/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #katsunobukato #hirofumiyoshimura #ldp #nipponishinnokai #diet #lowerhouse
The government and ruling parties are considering doing away with as early as next spring a defense equipment transfer rule that limits exports to five types of defense equipment such as rescue and transport gear. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/05/japan/politics/defense-equipment-export-restrictions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #defense #trade #nipponishinnokai #ldp