Ishiba instructs LDP executive to include cash handout in election pledge
The handout would be ¥20,000 ($139) per person and an additional ¥20,000 would be added on top of that per child or low-income earner, Ishiba said.
The handout plan could add to concerns over the government's already tattered finances, as lawmakers seek to appease voters ahead of an Upper House election slated for July.
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Japan Today
42 minutes ago
- Japan Today
'#Ishiba Don't quit': unlikely support grows for Japan PM
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Japan Today
42 minutes ago
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Taiwan foreign minister made visit to Japan: ruling LDP lawmaker
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Japan Today
42 minutes ago
- Japan Today
Ishiba vows 'steady' implementation of U.S. tariff deal
Shigeru Ishiba, Japanese prime minister and head of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during a media interview at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on July 20, 2025, as the results of the House of Councillors election come in. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Friday that he wants to oversee the "steady" implementation of a recently clinched trade deal with the United States, as the embattled leader met with opposition leaders amid pressure from within his own party to resign. Yuichiro Tamaki, head of the Democratic Party for the People, told reporters after the meeting that Ishiba seemed to show a "strong desire" to stay on as premier to see the agreement take effect, despite the dismal outcome for the prime minister's ruling coalition in Sunday's upper house election. Some opposition party leaders, meanwhile, said Ishiba failed to allay their concerns about the agreement and the fact that it has not yet been put into writing. The leaders' talks, which lasted more than an hour at the Diet, were the first since Japan and the United States clinched the trade agreement in Washington on Tuesday, days after the House of Councillors election. "My worries instead deepened," Tamaki said after the meeting. "We don't know whether the negative impact on the economy and companies can be minimized with the deal." The trade deal is expected to be deliberated at a parliamentary committee during an extraordinary session on Aug. 4, lawmakers said. The trade agreement sets 15 percent auto and "reciprocal" tariffs on Japan, lower than U.S. President Donald Trump had envisioned. It also includes a scheme for $550 billion worth of Japanese investment in the United States. "We have come to an agreement with the United States that protects the national interests of both nations," Ishiba told his fellow party leaders at the Diet. The tariff deal, following rounds of talks at the ministerial and summit levels, came at a sensitive time for Ishiba, with his LDP suffering its worst election performance in years, and the ruling camp, including its junior coalition partner, Komeito, now left without a majority in both houses of parliament. He has so far sought to brush aside calls from some LDP members to step down, saying that he should tackle the challenges facing the country. The lowering of the auto and reciprocal tariffs to 15 percent from a combined 27.5 percent, and a proposed country-specific 25 percent, respectively, gave some relief to Japanese automakers and other exporters, lifting Japanese share prices. Japanese products already taxed at 15 percent or higher will not be subject to additional duties, while taxes on those with lower rates will face a uniform 15 percent levy, according to the government. Among agricultural products, the tax rates on beef and green tea are currently 36.4 percent and 10 percent, respectively, reflecting the baseline tariff of 10 percent. Under the reciprocal tariffs, beef will be taxed at 26.4 percent as it was before the baseline tax was introduced, and the rate on green tea will be 15 percent. A day after the deal was announced, however, the United States said Japan will buy $8 billion in U.S. farm and food goods, such as corn, soybeans, fertilizer and bioethanol. It also said the Asian ally will increase purchases of U.S.-made commercial aircraft, including 100 Boeing planes, and defense equipment worth "additional billions of dollars annually." Japanese government officials have said there is no discrepancy between the two nations regarding the agreement. At a government task force meeting earlier in the day, Ishiba instructed officials to take all possible steps to cope with the impact of the U.S. tariffs, which economists expect will still slow the export-driven economy. Yoshihiko Noda, head of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said the tariff agreement should be formalized in writing at a bilateral summit. Speaking to reporters, Noda, who served as prime minister for around one year through late 2012, also revealed that he stressed the need for the government to draw up an economic package to address the tariff fallout. Ishiba did not make any mention of compiling a supplementary budget for the current fiscal year through next March or whether he will step down or not, according to Noda. © KYODO