Filipino forces and villagers struggle to live in China's shadow in disputed waters
'This is just so beautiful,' Philippines military spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said of West York Island, one of nine islands, reefs and atolls occupied by Filipino forces in the long-contested waters. 'This solidifies our resolve to fight for this place whatever happens.'
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Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
Japan Election Throws a Wrench in Trade Talks
TOKYO—Japan's ruling coalition suffered a significant loss in a parliamentary election Sunday, a setback that risks derailing delicate trade negotiations with the U.S. just weeks before punishing tariffs are set to take effect. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba had gambled that his tough stance on trade with President Trump would help cement his shaky grip on power after less than a year in the job and an electoral snub last fall.
New York Times
3 hours ago
- New York Times
Calls for Japan's Leader to Resign as His Party Faces Election Defeat
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, which has led the country for most of the last seven decades, appeared to be heading toward a major defeat in parliamentary elections on Sunday, as exit polls showed voters shifting to opposition parties that included new right-wing populist groups. The vote for the less powerful Upper House of the bicameral Diet, as Japan's Parliament is called, was being closely watched as a referendum on the governing party and its leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Under Mr. Ishiba, the Liberal Democrats have struggled to deal with a variety of issues, including the rising price of rice, a backlash against increased immigration and the threat of tariffs from Washington. After voting ended, exit polls showed the Liberal Democrats and their coalition partner unlikely to hold on to the 50 seats of their 66 up for re-election that they needed to retain control of the chamber. As many as two-thirds of the 124 seats up for re-election appeared set to go to a host of opposition parties spread across the political spectrum. Even as ballots were still being counted in dozens of close-fought races, powerful members of the governing party were already calling for Mr. Ishiba to step down to take responsibility for what seemed to be a poor showing. Taro Aso, a former deputy prime minister, said he 'couldn't accept' Mr. Ishiba staying on as prime minister, Japan's TV Asahi reported. While Mr. Ishiba said in a television interview on Sunday that his party had not done well, he said he wanted to continue as leader because he still had 'important duties to fulfill for the nation.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
Japan PM laments ‘harsh' election result as upper house control slips
Japan's shaky ruling coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, exit polls showed after Sunday's election, potentially heralding political turmoil as a tariff deadline with the United States looms. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's minority government falls, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito needed 50 seats to retain control of the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs. They are forecast to secure 32 to 51 seats, the exit poll by public broadcaster NHK showed. Other broadcasters forecast the ruling coalition would hold 41-43 seats. If the coalition holds less than 46 seats, it would mark its worst result since the coalition was formed in 1999. That comes on top of its worst showing in 15 years in October's lower house election, a vote which has left Ishiba's administration vulnerable to no-confidence motions and calls from within his own party for leadership change. Speaking two hours after polls closed to public broadcaster NHK, Ishiba said he 'solemnly' accepted the 'harsh result.' Asked whether he intended to stay on as prime minister and party leader, he said 'that's right.' 'We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States…we must never ruin these negotiations. It is only natural to devote our complete dedication and energy to realizing our national interests,' he later told TV Tokyo. Japan, the world's fourth largest economy, faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party is projected to win 18 to 30 seats, from 22 held previously, NHK's exit poll showed. The far-right Sanseito party, birthed on YouTube a few years ago, has been the surprise package with its 'Japanese First' campaign and warnings about a 'silent invasion' of foreigners. It is forecast to win 10-15 seats in the chamber, up from one held previously, yet it holds only three seats in the lower house. Opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and tougher immigration policies look set to make gains, the exit polls showed, with rising consumer prices – particularly a jump in the cost of the staple rice – a key issue for voters. 'The LDP was largely playing defense in this election, being on the wrong side of a key voter issue,' said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. 'Polls show that most households want a cut to the consumption tax to address inflation, something that the LDP opposes. Opposition parties seized on it and hammered that message home.' The LDP have been urging for fiscal restraint, with one eye on a very jittery government bond market, as investors worry about Japan's ability to refinance the world's largest debt pile. Sanseito, which first emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, has dragged once-fringe political rhetoric into the mainstream and gained wider support among frustrated voters. It remains to be seen whether the party can follow the path of other far-right parties with which it has drawn comparisons, such as Germany's AFD and Reform UK. 'I am attending graduate school but there are no Japanese around me. All of them are foreigners,' said Yu Nagai, a 25-year-old student who voted for Sanseito earlier on Sunday. 'When I look at the way compensation and money are spent on foreigners, I think that Japanese people are a bit disrespected,' Nagai said after casting his ballot at a polling station in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward. Japan, the world's oldest society, saw foreign-born residents hit a record of about 3.8 million last year. That is still just 3% of the total population, a much smaller fraction than in the United States and Europe, but comes amid a tourism boom that has made foreigners far more visible across the country.
