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an hour ago
- Politics
Japan LDP Holds Key Meeting Ahead of Upper House Election
News from Japan Politics Jun 28, 2025 22:23 (JST) Tokyo, June 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party held a meeting of key officials Saturday to prepare for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. "It is the LDP that bears responsibility for how to steer the country," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told the meeting of secretaries-general of regional chapters. Other participants included party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama and Vice President Yoshihide Suga, former prime minister. Ishiba said he will ask for voter support for the continuance of the ruling coalition with Komeito and called for unity among LDP members. He aims to win at least 50 seats in the Upper House election so that the coalition can remain a majority force in the chamber with at least 125 seats, including those not to be contested this time. Ishiba, the LDP's president, reiterated his promise to realize a wage increase outpacing price rises, with measures against the persisting inflation viewed as the biggest election issue. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Japan Times
7 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Times
LDP to discuss governance plans after Upper House election, Moriyama says
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party will discuss how to best run the government after next month's House of Councillors election, as arranging a partial coalition would take time, Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama has said. "The most important thing is that we run the government as we listen to what each parliamentary group has to say on various issues," Moriyama said in an interview Thursday, when asked about the possibility of expanding the LDP-Komeito coalition after the July 20 Upper House election. Moriyama said that "arrangements take time" to forge a partial alliance under which the ruling camp asks opposition parties for cooperation on individual political issues. "We need to consider whether we will be able to continue such a framework," he added. During this year's ordinary parliament session, which ended on Sunday, the ruling coalition secured the passage of some bills through partial alliances. Regarding the Upper House election, Moriyama said, "We need to demonstrate honest politics at a time when the future is filled with uncertainties." Emphasizing the importance of sticking to policies that take responsibility for the future, he stated, "The focal point of the upcoming poll is whether people choose to pass burdens on to future generations or create a present with the future in mind." The LDP aims to build a strong economy with nominal gross domestic product of ¥1 quadrillion by 2040 and raise the average personal income by at least 50 pct from the current level, he said. At the same time, the party will support people's daily lives through planned cash handouts, he said. On opposition calls for a consumption tax cut, Moriyama said, "Our proposal (for the handouts) is the best option for people struggling right now." A consumption tax cut "would benefit low-income individuals less and higher earners more," Moriyama said. "Even if such a tax cut is decided in this autumn's extraordinary Diet session, the measure would not take effect until next April," he added. On his assessment of the administration of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the LDP, Moriyama said that Ishiba has managed to steer the government although the LDP-Komeito coalition is a minority in the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber. Moriyama said that the administration realized the enactment of the fiscal 2025 budget in time for the start of the fiscal year after discussions with some opposition parties on individual issues. "I think that the administration fulfilled its responsibilities to the people as it managed to reach a conclusion on each issue," he said. On the possible timing of a Cabinet reshuffle and an LDP executive roster revamp, Moriyama said, "I don't expect such shakeups to take place before the Upper House election because as we all know that is just unfeasible." He added that it will be up to Ishiba to decide when to implement reshuffles after the election.
The Mainichi
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Editorial: Japan gov't must reflect on illegal reduction of welfare benefits, make amends
The Japanese Supreme Court ruled June 27 that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's decision to reduce welfare payments between 2013 and 2015 was illegal. The ministry had cut "living assistance" -- funds for daily expenses such as food and utilities -- by up to 10%, significantly impacting recipients' lives. The welfare system is a crucial lifeline that guarantees a minimum standard of living for people. The latest judicial decision harshly criticizes the state for disregarding this principle. The key issue was the validity of the government's method for calculating the reduced payment amounts. The welfare ministry based its decision on prolonged deflation and used price fluctuation rates as a benchmark. However, the declining prices of TVs, computers and other items that are infrequently purchased were used to calculate the rates. Welfare recipients argued that the reductions did not reflect their actual living conditions and were excessive. The court ruled that reducing the standard amount of living assistance solely based on price fluctuation rates constituted an abuse of discretion. There was no precedent of payment adjustments based solely on price changes, and the welfare ministry's decision did not involve consultation with experts. The ministry must take this ruling seriously. As of April 2013, more than 2 million people were on welfare. The decision to reduce people's benefits affected even those who did not join in the lawsuit, and the government must promptly compensate them for the unjust reductions. It cannot be overlooked that this measure was implemented amid a growing backlash online and elsewhere against welfare recipients. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party pledged a 10% reduction in benefit levels in principle in its 2012 House of Representatives election manifesto, and the cuts were executed under the second administration of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The ministry's approach appears to have been predetermined and forceful. It cannot be denied that they lacked the self-awareness expected of a governmental body tasked with protecting people's lives. A thorough examination of the decision-making process is essential. Welfare payments are not "handouts" for those in need but the foundation for a society where all people can live with a sense of security. Anyone can lose their foundation of livelihood due to illness or accidents. It is said that only 20-30% of eligible individuals actually utilize the welfare benefit system, indicating that the safety net is not functioning sufficiently. There is also a social stigma surrounding welfare, making recipients feel ashamed. The government's aggressive reductions may have exacerbated prejudices against those on welfare. The Japanese government must deeply reflect and create an environment where those who need the welfare system can use it with peace of mind.
The Mainichi
15 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
'Awakened conservatives' in Japan targeting foreigners
OITA (Kyodo) -- As the number of inbound tourists to Japan skyrockets while the population shrinks, the country is seeing a revival of right-wing populist parties with extremist positions on immigration controls as a key plank in their conservative ideology. On social media, ultranationalist Japanese have long targeted foreigners with hate speech. In Japanese cities, ultranationalist groups blast hate speech through loudspeakers. Now, new political parties are bringing similar messaging to mainstream politics and drawing support from the long-dominant conservative Liberal Democratic Party. Like Sanseito, a right-wing anti-immigration party founded in 2020, the ultranationalist Conservative Party of Japan led by novelist Naoki Hyakuta has been edging toward a harder line. In last year's lower house election, the CPJ won three seats despite being in existence for only about a year. In 2014, Hyakuta, then a governor for public broadcaster NHK, asserted the Nanjing massacre never happened. He faced a torrent of criticism last year after suggesting that to improve Japan's birth rate, women over 30 should be subjected to hysterectomies and that single women over 25 be prohibited from getting married. That hasn't stopped some women from backing his party. A 46-year-old housewife from Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, who supports the CPJ, started watching videos featuring Hyakuta and CPJ Secretary General Kaori Arimoto on YouTube. Their words hit home. She especially identified with the party's stance toward foreign workers living in Japan. She says she is afraid when she sees foreigners hanging out in the local park, especially at night. "It's not like they have done anything to hurt me, but I'm too scared to walk at night. I used to do some walking, but I don't like to do it alone," the woman said with a downcast look. Asked not to be named, she said the "quantity and quality" of foreigners in Japan should be guaranteed. "If it is a foreigner who really cares about Japan, I welcome them," she said before adding, "They call it coexistence, but I think it will change the culture and atmosphere of the country." She had voted for the LDP but had never really thought about what conservatism meant. She now considers herself an "awakened conservative." The CPJ has been grabbing votes from the LDP, says Yoichi Shimada, a CPJ Diet member who was first elected to the House of Representatives last year. Shimada points to the ouster of lawmakers in former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's LDP faction, the largest in the party until its dissolution. It included politicians implicated in a slush fund scandal who were not endorsed by the party in the Oct. 27 lower house poll. That led to a reduction in Abe's strong nationalistic influence, and conservative voters have been alienated from the LDP, currently led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba who is widely considered a moderate, he suggested. "Mr. Abe said that the LDP would be finished if it lost 30 percent of its principled conservatives, Shimada said. "It's just as he warned." Another former LDP supporter who has turned to the CPJ is a 63-year-old self-employed woman from Kobe. She appreciated the close ties Abe built with U.S. President Donald Trump and Abe's tough diplomatic stance toward China and South Korea. She was stunned when Abe was assassinated in 2022. "I was really worried about where Japan was heading after that," she recalled. The woman, who also remained anonymous, said she feels uplifted when she hears Japan's national anthem, "Kimigayo." "It's in my blood. Always has been. If I was told to go on a suicide mission, I would go," she said. She believes Japan is rapidly collapsing under an influx of foreign workers and foreign acquisition of Japanese land. This led her to support the CPJ. Some observers suggest emerging right-wing populist parties have achieved a breakthrough in national politics. But Masaki Hata, an associate professor of political psychology at Osaka University of Economics, is uncomfortable with that term. "Sanseito has not improved its voter share since the 2022 upper house election," Hata said. "When people say 'breakthrough,' I would like to say, 'let's look at the structure of the elections more closely.'" Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications data show Sanseito garnered 3.33 percent of the votes in the proportional representation constituency in the 2022 upper house election. It netted 3.43 percent in the national proportional vote in last year's lower house election, according to preliminary results. Hata dismisses support for the CPJ as mainly backing for Takashi Kawamura, one of the party's leaders and former Nagoya mayor, but admits the LDP slush fund scandal helped Sanseito and the CPJ gain clout. According to exit polls by Kyodo News, about 2 percent of LDP supporters flowed to each of the two parties. While these new right-wing parties share anti-foreigner messaging with counterparts in Europe, especially France's National Rally led by Marine Le Pen, Hata believes their growth will be limited in Japan, which has a single-seat constituency system in which one candidate is elected from each electoral district. He emphasized, however, that not only Sanseito and the CPJ but conservative parties such as the Democratic Party for the People and the Japan Innovation Party have portrayed foreigners as enemies to gain support. "This is not something that is readily reported in the media. We have to sound the alarm on this," he said. (By Takara Sato)
Japan Today
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Veteran politician Seiko Hashimoto elected first female president of the Japanese Olympic Committee
Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, speaks during a media tour at the Olympic and Paralympic Village for the Tokyo 2020 Games, constructed in the Harumi waterfront district of Tokyo on June 20, 2021. olympics By STEPHEN WADE Seiko Hashimoto has been elected president of the Japanese Olympic Committee, becoming the first woman to head the body. She is a former Olympian and was elected late Thursday to replace Yasuhiro Yamashita, who served three terms. Hashimoto competed in cycling in three Summer Olympics (1988, 1992 and 1996), and in speedskating in four Winter Olympics (1984, 1988, 1992 and 1994). She won a bronze medal at the 1992 Albertville Games in speedskating. Hashimoto has served as a government minister for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and is currently a member of the upper house of the Japanese parliament. She also was appointed president of the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee early in 2021. She replaced Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister who was forced to resign as president of the committee after making sexist comments about women. Japanese media reported that she had met recently with outgoing International Olympic President Thomas Bach and had been encouraged to have Japan bid for another Olympics. 'I believe the JOC's mission is to bid again to host the Olympics and Paralympics,' she was quoted as saying by Japanese news agency Kyodo. The Tokyo Olympics were held in 2021 after being delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the delay, the Tokyo Games were plagued by rising costs and eventually by a bid-rigging scandal that forced Japan to drop a potential bid by the northern city of Sapporo for the 2030 Winter Olympics. Hashimoto is sure to face close scrutiny. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper, on its English-language website, reported she addressed the question of a political funding scandal linked to the ruling LDP party. 'I would not have run if there had been any suspicion over my actions,' the newspaper reported her saying. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
