Page 2 - Japan Parliament

Japan's ruling party elects Takaichi as 1st female leader, set to become PM

Takaichi will face a parliamentary vote later this month to become premier, a contest expected to go to the LDP chief

Takaichi and Koizumi advance to run-off to choose Japan's next PM

Takaichi won the most number of votes with 183 out of the total 589 valid votes, while Koizumi came in second place with 164 votes in a field of five candidates

Japan's ruling party set to pick new chief with runoff expected today

Political scion Shinjiro Koizumi is leading in most polls of LDP supporters, with right-leaning Sanae Takaichi, who is more popular among the general public, ahead in some

Japan's ruling party faces crisis as far-right Sanseito gains influence

Sanseito warned of a "silent invasion" of foreigners, and leader Sohei Kamiya used a derogatory term for ethnic Koreans at a rally, later issuing an immediate apology

Japan's ruling party opens leadership race to choose Ishiba's successor

Outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's ruling party opened official campaigning Monday to find his replacement who can restore political stability and voter support for the beleaguered Liberal Democrats. Five candidates are vying for the Liberal Democratic Party's top job ahead of a highly unpredictable vote in early October. The race has a slogan: Change, LDP. The winner must act quickly to address rising prices if the party is to have any chance of winning back support following devastating losses to both the LDP and its junior partner Komeito in the past year that deprived their coalition of a majority in either house of parliament. Its new leader is still likely to be prime minister because the LDP remains the No. 1 party, while opposition groups are too splintered to form a coalition. Whoever becomes the LDP leader must also gain cooperation from main opposition parties or risk facing constant no-confidence motions and a cycle of short-lived leadership. Vote for L

Japan's stressed bond market, stocks brace for PM Ishiba exit reaction

Yields on super-long Japanese government bonds (JGBs) have already been hovering near record highs due to global concerns about fiscal deficits and domestic political pressure on Ishiba

How Japan will pick its next leader following PM Ishiba's resignation

The process to pick Japan's next leader is more complicated than before

Japan's PM Shigeru Ishiba to resign following party's election loss: Report

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has expressed his intention on Sunday to step down following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for its big loss in the July parliamentary election. Ishiba, who took office in October, has resisted demands from mostly rightwing opponents within his own party for more than a month. Ishiba's move comes one day before his Liberal Democratic Party will decide whether to hold an early leadership election a virtual no-confidence motion against him if approved.

Japanese PM Ishiba denies reports of resignation after poll setback

There's no truth to those reports, Ishiba said after he met with his predecessors and ruling party heavyweights Yoshihide Suga, Taro Aso and Fumio Kishida

Japan's Ishiba to decide on resignation after studying US tariff deal

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said he will make a decision on resigning over a historic defeat of his ruling party in a weekend election after closely studying the tariff deal just struck with the United States. Ishiba has been under growing pressure to step down as his ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, lost their majority in the 248-member upper house, the smaller and less powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament on Sunday, shaking his grip on power and Japan's political stability. The loss means Ishiba's ruling coalition, which also lost a majority in the more powerful lower house in October, now lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, making it even more difficult for his government to achieve any policy goals and worsening Japan's political instability. Ishiba had announced his intention Monday to stay on to tackle pressing challenges, including tariff talks with the US, without creating a political vacuum, sparking call

Japanese PM to stay on to tackle inflation, tariffs despite election loss

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's ruling coalition failed Monday to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, NHK public television said. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 seats on top of the 75 seats they already have to reach the goal. With two more seats to be decided, the coalition had only 46 seats. The loss is another blow to Ishiba's coalition, making it a minority in both houses following its October defeat in the lower house election, and worsening Japan's political instability. It was the first time the LDP has lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's foundation in 1955. Despite the loss, Ishiba expressed determination to stay on to tackle challenges such as U.S. tariff threats, but he could face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner. I will fulfill my responsibility as head of the No. 1 party and work for th

'Japanese First' party rises in election with anti-immigration, tax pitch

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house, leaving them further beholden to opposition support

Japan votes in key election as Prime Minister Ishiba faces possible loss

Japanese were voting Sunday for seats in the smaller of Japan's two parliamentary houses in a key election with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his ruling coalition facing a possible defeat that could worsen the country's political instability. Voters were deciding half of the 248 seats in the upper house, the less powerful of the two chambers in Japan's Diet. Early results were expected Sunday night. Ishiba has set the bar low, wanting a simple majority of 125 seats, which means his Liberal Democratic Party and its Buddhist-backed junior coalition partner Komeito need to win 50 to add to the 75 seats they already have. That is a big retreat from the 141 seats they had pre-election, but media surveys predict big setbacks for Ishiba. A poor performance on Sunday would not immediately trigger a change of government because the upper house lacks the power to file no-confidence against a leader, but it would certainly deepen uncertainty over his fate and Japan's political stability.

Japan PM Ishiba open to more stimulus but rules out sales tax cut

Speaking in parliament, Ishiba said the government "won't hesitate to take additional measures" to ease the pain on the economy from higher US tariffs

Japan presses US for swift tariff talks amid rising business losses

The talks come as Japan continues to push for exemptions from US tariffs, including a 25 per cent duty on global auto imports that began in early April

MP CM Mohan Yadav calls Japan trip 'extremely pleasant, successful'

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Saturday returned to India after his four-day trip to Japan ahead of the state's investor summit. Taking to social media platform X, Yadav said the four-day Japan visit was "extremely pleasant and successful". This Japan visit will create new dimensions of investment in Madhya Pradesh and the relations between the two countries will become stronger with the participation of Japan as a partner country in the 'Global Investors Summit' to be held in Bhopal in February, he wrote. During his journey, which was primarily aimed at attracting investment for the upcoming Global Investors Summit (GIS) scheduled for February 24-25 in Bhopal, Yadav engaged with leading industrialists and pitched the state's potential, inviting them to invest in Madhya Pradesh. Upon his arrival in Tokyo on Tuesday, he received a warm welcome from the Indian community, who honoured him with traditional gestures. Yadav engaged in crucial meetings with the "Friends of

Japan cabinet okays record defence budget of $55 bn amidst regional threat

The Japanese Cabinet on Friday approved a record 8.7 trillion yen ($55 billion) defence budget for 2025 as Japan accelerates building up its strike-back capability with long-range cruise missiles and starts deploying Tomahawks to fortify itself against growing threats from China, North Korea and Russia. The Cabinet-endorsed draft defence budget marks the third year of Japan's ongoing five-year military buildup under the national security strategy adopted in 2022. The defense spending is part of the more than 115 trillion yen ($730 billion) national budget bill also a record that requires parliamentary approval by March to be enacted. Japan is preparing to deploy US-made Tomahawks late in the fiscal year 2025 as part of its ongoing effort to acquire strike-back capability with long-range missiles that can hit distant targets. The budget allocates 940 billion yen ($6 billion) for the so-called standoff defence system that also includes long-range missiles, satellite constellation and

Japan to unveil record $735 bn budget with ramped-up defence spending

The increase from the current fiscal year's initial annual budget of ¥112.6 trillion is around 2.6 per cent, largely in line with the government's forecast for overall inflation in this fiscal year

Japan's budget to hit record, but with reduced new bond issuance: Report

Tax revenue is projected to rise 8.8 trillion yen from this year's initial estimate to a record 78.4 trillion yen, thanks in part to a recovery in corporate profits, according to the draft

Japan's reelected PM Ishiba vows to step up reform against funds misuse

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba pledged to take tougher measures against misuse of political funds after he was reelected by parliament Monday following a major loss in the polls last month by his governing coalition. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito together lost a majority in the 465-seat Lower House, the more powerful of Japan's two-house parliament, in the October 27 election. The defeat was blamed on voter outrage over financial misconduct by his party. We must remind ourselves of the basics that politics is for the people, as we tackle political and party reforms," Ishiba said. He said that in response to the poor election results, "We must be able to have empathy for the pain, sorrow and anger of the people. A special parliamentary session convened Monday to pick a new leader in a vote required within 30 days of a general election. Ishiba beat top opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda 221-160 in the first runoff in 30 years. In his second ...