After a crushing debut defeat, Japan’s Centrist Reform Alliance faces a long road back to relevance — starting with a change in leadership. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/japan/politics/cra-long-recovery/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #cra #yoshihikonoda #diet
The LDP's Lower House electoral triumph stunned even the most optimistic observers. But the result is less a master stroke of the party than a success of its indisputable architect: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi herself. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/09/japan/politics/sanae-takaichi-ldp-lower-house-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #ldp #2026lowerhouseelection #diet
Nikkei 225 hit a record after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's big win on Sunday, with the benchmark index up more than 5% in the first 30 minutes of trade on Monday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/09/markets/nikkei-takaichi-record/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #markets #sanaetakaichi #diet #ldp #tse #nikkei #stocks #2026lowerhouseelection
Momentum for political reform in Japan is faltering, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sidesteps the topic in her campaigning for Sunday's Lower House election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/07/japan/politics/political-reform-stalls-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sanaetakaichi #diet #cra #2026lowerhouseelection
Several parties are taking a hard-line stance in relation to foreign residents in Japan ahead of the country’s general election, including by proposing population caps. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/05/japan/politics/foreigner-measures-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #diet #expats #immigration #livinginjapan #nationality #foreignworkers #nipponishinnokai #sanseito #cra #2026lowerhouseelection
A total of 117 lawmakers said they believed Japan should sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, a survey by atomic bomb survivor group Nihon Hidankyo has shown. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/politics/hidankyo-survey-lawmakers-nuclear-ban-treaty/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #nuclearweapons #surveys #atomicbombings #diet
The new opposition centrist force that was supposed to upend Japan’s political calculus isn’t gaining any ground. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/how-unpredictable-is-the-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #cdp #komeito #cra #dpp #sanseito #jip #china #us #indopacific #eastasia #senkakus #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #nipponishinnokai #diet
In the runup to Sunday's general election, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears to be avoiding discussing a proposed reduction in the number of House of Representatives seats. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/04/japan/politics/lower-house-seats-cut-plan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #lowerhouse #2026lowerhouseelection #diet
The Japanese parties that best navigate the shortened campaign period will cement their place in the new political landscape. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/04/japan/cheat-sheet-for-japans-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #cra #jip #2026lowerhouseelection #sanseito #dpp #diet
Campaigning for the Feb. 8 Lower House election kicked off Tuesday, with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi facing off against a transformed opposition as she seeks a mandate from voters. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/japan/politics/lower-house-campaing-starts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishin #cra #sanaetakaichi #diet #lowerhouse #2026lowerhouseelection #taxes
Dare I repost the first two in this series? 🤔 ⌛
The leaders of the ruling LDP and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are expected to jointly deliver their first campaign speeches for the Feb. 8 Lower House election, in Tokyo on Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/24/japan/politics/ldp-jip-campaign-speeches-tuesday/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #hirofumiyoshimura #ldp #nipponishinnokai #2026lowerhouseelection #diet
Japanese consumers have expressed worries about rising prices of goods ahead of the Feb. 8 general election for the Lower House, the all-important lower chamber of parliament. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/24/japan/politics/consumers-inflation-worries-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2026lowerhouseelection #diet #inflation #food
The LDP pledged in its election manifesto to secure a stable supply of rare earths, as it looks to counter “economic coercion,” an apparent reference to recent moves by China to halt the flow of the minerals to Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/ldp-election-manifesto/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #sanaetakaichi #rareearths #china #chinajapanrelations #2026lowerhouseelection #diet #defense #inflation #japaneseeconomy #familyregistry #marriage #familylaw #names #women039sissues
The government revised its ministerial code Tuesday, urging Cabinet ministers, state ministers and parliamentary vice ministers to refrain from holding political fundraising events while in office. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/political-appointees-fundraising-events/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #cabinet #diet #2026lowerhouseelection #politicalfunds
Takaichi might surprise markets that are bracing for an unrestrained fiscal dove after the election in Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/19/economy/takaichi-fiscal-policy-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #sanaetakaichi #diet #ldp #tse #nikkei #stocks #budgets #debt #economicindicators
Ruling and opposition parties clashed during a Sunday debate, a day ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s widely expected announcement of a February snap election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/18/japan/politics/japan-political-parties-tug-of-war/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #lowerhouse #ldp #jip #komeito #cdp #centristreformalliance #diet #sanaetakaichi
Yoshihiko Noda, leader of the main opposition CDP, is likely to be the prime minister candidate of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the new party jointly formed by the CDP and Komeito. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/17/japan/politics/noda-pm-candidate-centrist-reform-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #yoshihikonoda #cra #cdp #komeito #ldp #diet #lowerhouse #sanaetakaichi #nipponishin
Former Japanese Communist Party leader Kazuo Shii — who led the party for 23 years until 2024 — has announced that he will not run in the next Lower House election. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/17/japan/politics/jcp-kazuo-shii-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #jcp #kazuoshii #diet #lowerhouse