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June 18, 2026
 

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Gabriele Ninivaggi
Nobuyasu Nikai, the Liberal Democratic Party's candidate for the October 2024 Lower House election, shakes hands with supporters in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics / First person
Feb 13, 2026
Looking at politics from a different perspective
Three campaigns in 15 months showed how fragile support can be ¡ª and how national power begins far from Tokyo.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leader Yoshihiko Noda (right) speaks at the party's plenary assembly in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 11, 2026
CRA soul-searching begins with vote to elect new leader
After its disastrous defeat on Sunday, the fledgling Centrist Reform Alliance is hoping a new face at the top will help it find its bearings.
Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, poses with his supporters during an election campaign event on the first day of campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election, in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 27.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 10, 2026
Takaichi¡¯s big win leaves opposition dividing unequal shares of the pie
Right-leaning parties and those with fresh ideas gained some ground, while those seen as touting the ¡®same-old¡¯ politics saw their fortunes decline.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who also serves as president of the Liberal Democratic Party, stands next to LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and party Election Strategy Chief Keiji Furuya, placing a red paper rose on the name of an elected candidate at LDP headquarters in Tokyo during the Lower House election on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 9, 2026
It¡¯s Sanae Takaichi¡¯s Japan, as PM¡¯s persona powers LDP to electoral success
Sunday¡¯s electoral triumph by the Liberal Democratic Party is less a master stroke of the party than a success of its indisputable architect: Takaichi herself.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Liberal Democratic Party headquarters in Tokyo on Sunday night
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
LDP secures two-thirds supermajority in Lower House election victory
Results early Monday showed the LDP had won 316 seats, giving it a higher proportion of representatives in the body than any other party in postwar Japan.
People gather at an election campaign event on Tuesday in Higashimatsuyama, Saitama Prefecture.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 8, 2026
Voting kicks off for Lower House election seen as referendum on Takaichi
The prime minister¡¯s Liberal Democratic Party has kept the make-or-break line low, saying its coalition with the Japan Innovation Party is aiming for a simple majority.
Centrist Reform Alliance candidate in Hyogo¡¯s No. 8 district, Yoshie Hirokawa (center), stands on the stage after pitching her candidacy to Komeito¡¯s supporters in the Sonoda district of Amagasaki together with members of Hyogo Prefectural Assembly and Amagasaki City Assembly.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 5, 2026
Where will Komeito¡¯s votes go? The answer might come from this Hyogo district
Amagasaki is now a heated battleground as campaign teams rush to woo supporters of the ruling party¡¯s former coalition partner.
The Centrist Reform Alliance¡¯s Yosuke Suzuki speaks to his supporters in Otsuka, Toshima Ward, Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 1, 2026
A tale of two Suzukis: Lower House election sets up fourth duel between Tokyo candidates
The Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s Hayato Suzuki has been beating the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan¡¯s Yosuke Suzuki since 2017, but new party backing could turn the tables.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (second from left) and Tetsuo Saito (third from left) cheer at the launch of their party at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2026
Centrists vs. conservatives? It¡¯s not that simple.
Beyond the labels that they use for themselves, the policy proposals of candidates and their parties show that their differences are more nuanced ¡ª and confusing.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures during the Panel Discussion by the Leaders of 7 Parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 26, 2026
Takaichi fends off criticism over snap election goal
The prime minister argues that the ruling coalition¡¯s razor-thin majority in the Lower House made it difficult to pass crucial bills.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announces her will to dissolve the Lower House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 20, 2026
In calling a snap election this soon, Takaichi is making it personal
The prime minister enjoys a level of popularity that appears to be unrivalled by any other political leader.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a news conference at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 19, 2026
Will Takaichi¡¯s carpe diem moment pay off?
The prime minister said the snap poll will essentially be a referendum on who leads the country ¡ª herself or an opposition chief.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (right) and Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito hold a meeting in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2026
CDP and Komeito agree to form new centrist party
The move, coming ahead of a snap election likely to take place in February, is set to remodel Japan¡¯s political landscape.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the start of their meeting in the city of Nara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 13, 2026
Takaichi and South Korea¡¯s Lee to take ties to ¡®new heights¡¯ amid Japan-China rift
The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on economic security and reached a deal on DNA testing for Korean wartime laborers who perished in Japan.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party head Hirofumi Yoshimura speak to reporters in Tokyo on Dec. 16, 2025.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 8, 2026
Speculation over potential snap election resurfaces
Recent remarks of senior members of the ruling coalition appear to have gotten many talking again about the possibility of a dissolution of the Lower House in the near future.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Dec. 17.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 1, 2026
Will tailwinds become headwinds for Takaichi in 2026?
This year the prime minister must show the electorate she can meet its expectations, with steady leadership and tangible answers to the country¡¯s challenges.
Komeito leader Tetsuo Saito says the party's rupture with the Liberal Democratic Party has given new life to its support base.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Dec 29, 2025
Komeito forced to chart new path after divorce from LDP
The party faces an urgent need to redefine its identity and set itself apart from its competitors.
Itsunori Onodera (center right), the chief of the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s tax committee, and Japan Innovation Party counterpart Satoshi Umemura (center left) hold up the two party's tax reform proposal in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2025
Tax reform proposal lifts income tax threshold and reroutes funding to defense
The ruling coalition¡¯s proposal includes using a levy once used to fund reconstruction work in the Tohoku region to now fund defense spending.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura hold a joint news conference in parliament in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 16, 2025
Decision on Lower House seat-reduction bill postponed to next year
The delay could impact the ruling coalition, as the JIP had made passing the bill this year a key plank of its October tie-up with the LDP.
Under a new law, Google and Apple will have to allow third parties to run independent app stores and offer their own payment options.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 15, 2025
What will change with Japan¡¯s first attempt at regulating Big Tech?
While a previous law urged platforms to improve business practices and regularly report their endeavors, the new bill may alter the rules of the game.
¡®Customer harassment¡¯ continues in Japan despite moves to end it
A "customer harassment" prevention awareness poster at the entrance of an Aoki Super supermarket in Aichi Prefecture
Magnitude 5.5 quake jolts Tokyo area
Seismic intensity information about Tuesday evenning's earthquake
Five fall ill from E. coli outbreak at Nagoya Costco store
At least five people, including a child in serious condition, fell ill after eating ¡°high rollers¡± deli wraps sold a Costco store in Nagoya, according to media reports.
Chinese bombers put Japan¡¯s defense strategy in jeopardy, report finds
Chinese H-6N bombers fly in formation during a rehearsal in Beijing last August, ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Number of bookstores in Japan drops below 10,000 for the first time
Only 102 new bookstores were opened in Japan during fiscal year 2025, which began in April last year, while 499 shops closed.
As his centennial nears, Osamu Tezuka gets a global reintroduction
Seen here in an archival shot, Osamu Tezuka's influence on Japanese anime has been monumental.
Why more bears are entering urban areas
Hikers walk past a bear warning sign in the Okutama area in western Tokyo on Sunday as local authorities urge visitors to take precautions following increased reports of bear sightings in the region.
In Tokyo¡¯s Mitaka, a search for traces of Osamu Dazai
Cafe Phosphorescence, owned by Osamu Dazai fan Miyuki Daba, is located about 15 minutes away from where the novelist used to live.
How Kojima made a destination out of denim
Across Kojima, production facilities handle different stages of denim-making, from sewing and washing to finishing and quality control.
Chinese bombers put Japan¡¯s defense strategy in jeopardy, report finds
Chinese H-6N bombers fly in formation during a rehearsal in Beijing last August, ahead of a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Social camouflaging can help neurodivergent people navigate social situations, but researchers say the effort often comes with significant emotional and mental strain.
The challenge of being neurodivergent in Japan¡¯s culture of conformity
By Tomoko Otake

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