Japanese lawmaker Muneo Suzuki has said that he conveyed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's stance on Japan-Russia relations to Moscow during his trip to Russia. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/politics/muneo-suzuki-takaichi-russia-stance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #russia #russiajapanrelations #muneosuzuki #sanaetakaichi

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

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the nation’s primary balance is set to return to a surplus for the first time in 28 years, in an apparent attempt to ease market concerns over her proactive stance on spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/27/economy/primary-balance-surplus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #sanaetakaichi #ldp #budgets #debt #japaneseeconomy

China's government is instructing travel agencies in the country to cut the number of group tours to Japan as the two countries' dispute following Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks about Taiwan continues to fester. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/27/japan/china-curbs-group-tours-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #chinajapanrelations #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #tourism #airlines #flights #taiwan

As the Year of the Wood Snake promised subtlety and adaptation, the U.S., China and Japan instead delivered strategic blundering, authoritarian overreach and geopolitical instability. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/26/world/good-riddance-year-of-the-serpent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #china #chinesezodiac #2025 #2026 #yearofthewoodsnake #yearofthefirehorse #indopacific #us #donaldtrump #xijinping #ishibashigeru #sanaetakaichi #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #uschinarelations

Japan’s Cabinet has approved a defense budget request exceeding ¥9 trillion for the first time ever, including some ¥100 billion to build a drone “shield” to help defend the country’s southwestern periphery. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/26/japan/japan-defense-spending-record-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #budgets #defenseministry #sdf #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi

Japan’s industry ministry is set to nearly quadruple its budgeted support for cutting-edge semiconductors and AI development to about ¥1.23 trillion for the next fiscal year. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/26/economy/ai-budget-support/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #ai #japaneseeconomy #chipmakers #meti #cabinet #us #china #sanaetakaichi #tech #budgets

Takaichi’s Cabinet is proposing record spending in the next fiscal year, including the issuing of ¥29.6 trillion of government bonds. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/26/economy/takaichi-2026-budget/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #sanaetakaichi #budgets #debts

How Takaichi’s government addresses the implementation gap for existing laws will define whether her historic appointment translates into substantive progress for women’s safety. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/26/japan/can-takaichis-tackle-violence-against-women/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #domesticviolence #women039sissues

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the door to communications with China remains open and Tokyo’s goal of building a constructive, stable relationship with Beijing has been consistent through her two months in office. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/politics/japan-pm-takaichi-china-communication-open/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #chinajapanrelations #japaneseeconomy

The Liberal Democratic Party’s recent tax agreement with an opposition party raises questions about how Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will balance ties with her party’s coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/politics/dpp-ldp-jip-coalition/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #dpp #jip #sanaetakaichi #yuichirotamaki #hirofumiyoshimura

While progressives often champion feminist rhetoric, Takaichi, Meloni and Machado have risen to prominence through conservative platforms. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/24/world/conservative-women-shatter-glass-ceilings/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #giorgiameloni #mariacorinamachado #italy #venezuela #nobelpeaceprize #margaretthatcher

The government plans to scrap its target of turning the primary budget balance at the central and local governments into a surplus in a specific fiscal year. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/25/economy/japan-primary-surplus-goal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi #budgets #debts

Japan's government revised up its economic forecast for the fiscal year to next March and projected that growth would accelerate in the following year, on the view that a massive stimulus package will boost expenditure. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/25/economy/japan-govt-economic-growth-projection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #japaneseeconomy #consumption #taxes #budgets #sanaetakaichi

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting the United States in March to hold talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/politics/japan-takaichi-us-visit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's refusal to yield to China’s demands over Taiwan remarks represents a rare pushback against decades of Beijing's rule-breaking and impunity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/24/japan/china-believed-there-would-be-no-pushback/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #defense #taiwan #covid19

Japan's government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party plan to postpone formulating the sixth basic program for promoting gender equality, initially scheduled to be compiled by the end of the year, sources said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/politics/new-gender-program-delayed/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #marriage #names #ldp #sanaetakaichi #familylaw #women039sissues

A wave of visits to Taiwan by Japanese lawmakers is underway, underscoring the close ties between Tokyo and Taipei and drawing a sharp response from Beijing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/politics/japan-lawmakers-visit-taiwan-china-anger/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #koichihagiuda #china #taiwan #chinajapanrelations #taiwanjapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #laichingte #ldp

For the first time in 36 years, United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will visit Japan as a state guest from Feb. 8 to 10, the Japanese government said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/politics/uae-president-japan-visit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #unitedarabemirates #tech #unitedarabemiratesjapanrelations #ai #sanaetakaichi

Japan adopted a strategy on regional revitalization, such as drawing more tourists to rural areas, designed to help realize a strong economy — a goal of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/local-revitalization-strategy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japaneseeconomy #sanaetakaichi #disasterpreparedness #localgovernment