Takaichi is weighing a snap election to win enough seats to govern without coalition constraints but risks repeating Ishiba’s failure if she misreads voter priorities and coalition politics. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/13/world/why-a-japan-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #liberaldemocraticparty #ldp #japaninnovationparty #jip #democraticpartyforthepeople #sanseito #shinzoabe #komeito #yurikokoike #partyofhope #shigeruishiba #snapelections
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
Japan enters 2026 with rare political stability under Prime Minister Takaichi, but her durability will depend on managing a fragile coalition, navigating U.S. pressure and delivering long-term economic solutions. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/07/japan/takaichis-2026-political-landscape/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #donaldtrump #usdefense #indopacific #japaneseeconomy
A difference of approach by the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party when it comes to constitutional revision — the latter is hawkish — might be causing delay to such a move by the coalition partners. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/japan/politics/ruling-bloc-constitutional-revision/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #constitution #diet #sdf
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
Japan's Foreign Ministry will set up by the end of March next year a new office tasked with mediating peace between third countries, sources said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/17/japan/politics/foreign-ministry-peace-office/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #foreignministry #gaza #ldp #jip
Japan should cut Upper House seats and expand the Lower House to 550 single-seat districts to end voter disparity and consolidate the 47 prefectures into nine regional blocks to make government more efficient. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/05/japan/right-sizing-the-diet/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #jip #komeito #sanseito #japanesecommunistparty #constitutionaldemocraticpartyofjapan #democraticpartyforthepeople #sanaetakaichi
The government and ruling parties have begun discussions on correcting what they say is an imbalance in tax revenues favoring Tokyo, which has led to widening regional disparities in administrative services. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/04/japan/tax-revenue-gap-regions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #taxes #ldp #jip #tokyometropolitangovernment #yurikokoike
Japan’s parliament has started deliberations on three bills related to the reform of political donations from companies and other organizations. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/04/japan/politics/japan-corporate-donation-reform-bill/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #komeito #lowerhouse
A proposed reduction in Lower House seats in a draft bill could affect single-seat constituencies in 20 prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka, Gunma and Nagano, an estimate by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/04/japan/politics/lower-house-cut-effects/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #lowerhouse
Dark clouds are hanging over the ruling coalition's plan to cut the number of seats in the House of Representatives. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/01/japan/politics/japan-lower-house-seat-cut-talks-uncertain/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #lowerhouse
The Japan Innovation Party's parliamentary affairs chief warned that his party may leave the ruling coalition if talks on reducing the number of House of Representatives seats falter. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/28/japan/politics/jip-coalition-lower-house-seats-cut/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #lowerhouse #diet
The LDP secretary-general say that consensus will be difficult regarding the reduction of Lower House seats during the current extraordinary Diet session. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/09/japan/politics/lower-house-seats-reduction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #diet #lowerhouse
Sanae Takaichi’s first speech before Japan’s parliament highlighted her focus on economic reforms, navigating a divided coalition and addressing the challenges of a shrinking population and foreign labor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/11/07/takaichi-gets-squeezed-on-every-front/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #sanseito #komeito #kimionoda #fumitakefujita
The government has yet to find ways to secure some ¥2.4 trillion in stable financial resources to fund the planned elimination of the provisional gasoline tax surcharge and a free high school education program. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/02/japan/politics/funding-on-new-japan-policies/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #jip #nipponishinnokai #komeito #taxes #energy #education #financeministry
In her first weeks as prime minister, Sanae Takaichi unified the LDP, formed a new conservative coalition, advanced Japan’s defense and trade agendas and secured strong public support. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/30/japan/four-questions-for-takaichi-after-one-week/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #fumiokishida #shigeruishiba #yoshimitsumotegi #shinjirokoizumi #yoshimasahayashi #takayukikobayashi #satsukikatayama #hirofumiyoshimura #fumitakefujita #donaldtrump #ldp #komeito #jip #dpp #sanseito
A staunch conservative who has never joined a faction and avoided scandal, she may be ideally positioned to repair past damage to her party. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/28/japan/re-building-the-ldps-big-tent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #komeito #jip #sanaetakaichi
For women in power, the pressure to prove themselves often leaves little room to focus on gender identity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/26/japan/the-glass-cliff-and-takachis-rise-to-power/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #diet #jip #japaneseeconomy #inflation #defense #fiscalspending
Opposition parties are wary of a plan by the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Japan Innovation Party to reduce the number of House of Representatives seats by 10% from the current 465. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/26/japan/politics/lower-house-seats-reduction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #lowerhouse #diet #jip
New Japanese tourism minister Yasushi Kaneko voiced concern over the concentration of foreign visitors in certain regions, calling the situation "very serious." https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/25/japan/politics/japan-tourism-minister-overtourism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #tourism #overtourism #yasushikaneko #jip #ridesharing
