Politics
Ishiba visits disaster-hit Ishikawa in 1st inspection tour as PM
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Saturday visited Ishikawa Prefecture areas devastated by a deadly earthquake in January and heavy rain in September in his first inspection tour after taking office earlier in the week. Ishiba inspected some of the areas in Ishikawa Prefecture where heavy rain late last month flooded… Read
LDP considers endorsing members punished over scandal in Diet race
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party is considering endorsing lawmakers who were punished for failing to report political funds to run as its official candidates in the upcoming general election, sources familiar with the plan said, in a setback for the party's new leader Shigeru Ishiba. The plan could draw fresh… Read
Japan opposition seeks end to ruling bloc control in next Diet election
Japan's opposition party leaders have agreed to work toward wresting the ruling bloc of their majority control of the powerful lower house as the country gears up for an election in late October, but found no consensus on whether to unify their candidates. Yoshihiko Noda, head of the largest opposition… Read
Ishiba vows to restore trust in politics, reassure public on security threats, high living costs
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday promised to restore trust in politics following a series of scandals and tried to reassure the public amid security threats from Japan's neighbors and higher living costs. The former defense minister called the security environment facing Japan "the most severe and complex since World… Read
Ishiba to announce plans for 'happiness index'
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will propose a new happiness index during his first parliamentary policy speech on Friday, local media have reported. The index, formulated by the public and private sectors, is expected to be proposed alongside Ishiba's plans for the economy and tackling the country's shrinking population. Ishiba,… Read
Japan irked by Russia's denial of alleged airspace breach
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi described Russia's denial of an alleged airspace violation late last month as "extremely regrettable" during a press conference in Tokyo on Thursday. Moscow had earlier claimed one of its military aircraft did not violate Japanese airspace near the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, with Maria Zakharova,… Read
Yoon, Ishiba in talks to meet on sidelines of ASEAN, Yonhap says
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are in talks to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit which will be hosted by Laos next week, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing Yoon's office. Yoon will also visit the Philippines and Singapore… Read
Cabinet ministers say they are not pursuing Ishiba's 'Asian NATO' proposal
Japan's foreign and defense ministers said on Wednesday they are not working on a proposal by Japan's new prime minister to establish an "Asian NATO", as the U.S. and India had rejected the idea. Shigeru Ishiba made the proposal ahead of his victory in the ruling party leadership election on… Read
Japan's new government welcomes congratulatory message from China
Japan's new government said Wednesday it hopes to improve ties with China after receiving a “forward-looking” congratulatory message from Beijing on the election of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ties between Japan and China have been strained by a territorial dispute, Japan's wartime history, and most recently, the killing of a… Read
Ishiba confirms close cooperation with other G7 leaders
Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday told his counterparts from the Group of Seven that cooperation among them is increasingly important as security issues of the Middle East, Europe, including Ukraine, and the Indo-Pacific region are closely intertwined. After joining a call with other leaders of the major… Read
