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DW
2 days ago
- Politics
- DW
What's next for Japan after far-right election surge? – DW – 07/21/2025
Despite losing his parliamentary majority after a strong showing by right-wing populists, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba wants to remain in office. Japan's coalition government led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lost its parliamentary majority in Sunday's election after large gains made by right-wing populist parties, in a sign that right-wing populism and polarization are now also undermining political stability in Japan. For now, Ishiba has vowed to hang on as prime minister, despite the second election debacle in nine months. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost a snap election last October, making it a minority party ruling with a coalition. Ishiba has said he would "humbly accept" the result and "continue to take responsibility for national affairs." However, Ishiba's continuation as prime minister no longer depends on him alone. A strengthened opposition could topple him at any time with a vote of no confidence, even if these parties are not united enough to forge a governing coalition themselves. Ishiba also faces the threat of a rebellion within the LDP, which has governed Japan almost continuously for 70 years and has always controlled at least one chamber of parliament. Conservative LDP heavyweight Taro Aso has said he "could not accept" Ishiba as prime minister. However, potential successors appear to be staying under cover for the time being. "Nobody wants to replace Ishiba in these difficult times for the LDP," political scientist Masahiro Iwasaki from Nihon University in Tokyo told DW. The ruling coalition of the LDP and the Buddhist Komei Party missed its self-imposed target of retaining a majority in the upper house of parliament, with 125 of 248 seats up for reelection. The coalition missed by only three seats, which was an unexpectedly close result. The LDP is now likely to try to win over some independent MPs to its side. Even if this succeeds, the government is still on shaky ground. One of Ishiba's options would be to expand his governing alliance. However, the major opposition parties have already declared that they would not enter into a grand coalition. Apparently, they doubt that Ishiba will remain prime minister and LDP leader in the medium term. This leaves the 68-year-old politician with the option of selective cooperation with individual opposition parties, which he has been doing since losing his majority in the more important lower house at the end of October. However, this will not succeed without painful concessions, for example, on tax issues. Before the election, Ishiba rejected opposition demands for a reduction in VAT on food. Instead, he promised every citizen a cash payment of 20,000 yen (€116/$135) by the end of the year to compensate for the loss of purchasing power due to high inflation. According to Japanese media, the LDP's election debacle comes as many voters are dissatisfied with the three-year decline in real wages caused by high inflation, along with a sharp increase in foreign workers and tourists. Two young, right-wing populist parties benefited the most from this, but the largest opposition group, the Constitutional Democratic Party of former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, hardly benefited at all. The Sanseito party, which is only five years old, increased its number of seats in the upper house from two to 14 and the Democratic Party for the People from nine to 17. The Sanseito party went into the election campaign with the openly xenophobic slogan "Japanese First" and has accused the government of pursuing a "policy of concealed immigration." The number of foreign residents in Japan grew by 10% in 2024 to just under 4 million. The Sanseito Party claims that recruiting foreigners as workers to address an ageing and shrinking population will disrupt Japan's social harmony. Founder Sohei Kamiya has said his party has been modeled after Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, and other European far-right parties. The Democratic Party for the People, with its charismatic leader Yuichiro Tamaki, is now the third strongest force in the party system, which lends political weight to its main demand for tax cuts. "Both right-wing parties were able to capitalize on the anger of the younger generations towards the political system," analyst Tobias Harris told DW, citing percieved gerontocracy, inflation and stagnant wages as key factors.
Yomiuri Shimbun
30-06-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tokyo Bridge Connects 2 Cathedrals Across Kanda River; Hijiribashi Bridge Attracts Fans of Suzume for Picture Opportunities
Hijiribashi bridge, which crosses the Kanda River, remains crowded more than 30 years after author Ryotaro Shiba wrote about it in his book 'Kaido o Yuku' (Go on the road). Meiji University and Nihon University are nearby, giving the area a relaxed student town atmosphere. The bridge gets its name from the fact that it connects two holy places on the river — Yushima Seido, also known as the Mausoleum of Confucius at Yushima, and Nikolaido, also known as the Holy Resurrection Cathedral. Hijiri means holy in Japanese. Hijiribashi bridge was built in 1927 as part of reconstruction following the Great Kanto Earthquake that struck in 1923 and destroyed both Yushima Seido and Nikolaido. The bridge, measuring 92 meters long and 22 meters wide, is made of steel and concrete and was designed by Mamoru Yamada, a modernist architect who later designed the Kyoto up from the Aioizaka slope next to Yushima Seido, the bridge is beautiful with its large, smooth half-moon arches. Four small arches adorn the bridge at each end as if they are playing a rhythm. The simple appearance of the bridge conveys its strong will to withstand earthquakes. The JR Chuo and Sobu lines and Tokyo Metro's Marunouchi Line run under the bridge. The manmade valley is deep enough for the subway to reach above the early Edo period (1603-1867), the shogunate had the Sendai clan excavate the valley for flood control. Eventually, the valley became overgrown with plants and trees, giving it the nickname 'Meikei,' and even today, the street just south of the Kanda River is still called Meikei-dori. Yoshio Awano, 84, who runs Cafe Hotaka along the street where he was born and raised, said, 'Even now, with all the buildings around, a nice breeze passes by when I walk along Hijiribashi.' When he was a child, he climbed up on the wide straight railing. 'I would be scolded now as it was so dangerous,' he said with a laugh. On weekends, people including foreign tourists line the bridge with cameras. Fans from all over the world gather to take pictures from the same angle that the main character looked down from in Makoto Shinkai's anime film 'Suzume.' The bridge, which has connected two religious structures for nearly 100 years, is now itself cherished as a sacred place. ***Hijiribashi bridge Address: Between Kanda Surugadai 4-chome, Chiyoda Ward, and Yushima 1-chome, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo Access: Near the Hijiribashi exit of JR Ochanomizu Station
Asahi Shimbun
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Japan holds first missile drill to backdrop of China tensions
SHINHIDAKA, Hokkaido—Japan conducted its first domestic drill of a long-range missile on June 24, a move that underscores Tokyo's growing focus on maritime defense in response to China's expanding military presence. The Ground Self-Defense Force launched a nonexplosive Type 88 surface-to-ship missile from a test range here on the southern coast of Hokkaido. This marks the first time that a missile with a capability exceeding a 100-kilometer range has been fired within Japan's borders. With a loud explosion and contrails of white smoke, the training round soared over the Pacific at around 12:30 p.m., heading toward a target located within a 40-km range southwest of the launch site. The exercise involved double the number typically sent to previous overseas drills in the United States with around 300 personnel. Local officials and members of the fisheries sector were notified of the test in advance. Another missile launch is scheduled by June 29, pending data analysis from this test. Until now, Japan's surface-to-ship missile training has been conducted at U.S. military facilities due to space constraints and safety concerns. However, restricted access for troops, limited time frames and types of tests, as well as a weaker yen driving up logistical costs, have prompted officials to seek domestic alternatives. The exercise is part of Japan's 'southwest shift' policy aimed at bolstering its defense capacity—particularly with surface-to-ship missiles—amid Beijing's encroaching maritime activities in the region. Tokyo is also considering establishing an additional missile test range on Minami-Torishima, a remote Pacific island that marks Japan's easternmost territory. The Type 88 missile was introduced in 1988 during the Cold War era to counter Soviet naval threats and is now viewed as a key asset in the event of a Taiwan contingency, according to Nozomu Yoshitomi, a former senior GSDF official and professor at Nihon University specializing in national security. 'This week's drill may be a precursor to future live-fire exercises at the same location, involving the longer-range Type 12 surface-to-ship missile,' Yoshitomi said. Japan is developing upgraded versions of the Type 12 missile that will boast a range of 1,000 km. Starting next March, they are expected to be deployed across seven missile regiments that stretch from Hokkaido to Okinawa Prefecture to form a nationwide network with long-range striking capabilities. (This article was written by Kenichiro Hatanaka and Daisuke Yajima.)
Asahi Shimbun
17-06-2025
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
Top court ruling denying benefits to sex industry draws outrage
Lawyers representing an escort service that has sought equal eligibility for government aid speak to reporters in Tokyo on June 16. (Yuto Yoneda) Lawyers and legal scholars blasted a Supreme Court ruling that said excluding sex-industry businesses from COVID-19 relief payments does not violate the constitutional principle of equality under the law. Upholding lower court rulings, the decision, delivered on June 16, effectively ends a lawsuit filed by an outcall escort service based in the Kansai region and marks the first time the top court has weighed in on the constitutionality of such exclusions. The ruling said the sex industry, if not properly regulated, could undermine public order and morality, potentially 'harming a respectable environment.' Therefore, the top court said, it was reasonable to exclude escort services from the benefits because such businesses endanger workers' human dignity and should not be supported with public funds. A representative of the plaintiff company described the ruling as the worst possible outcome for the industry, adding that it could potentially drive honest businesses out of the sector. 'This decision does not protect our human rights,' the representative said, holding back tears. The company had applied in September 2020 for 2.96 million yen ($20,000) in pandemic relief grants, including a rent assistance program. But the government rejected the application. In the lawsuit, the company argued that it had operated legally under the law and had been unfairly and irrationally excluded from the aid, despite suffering economic losses due to the pandemic. However, four of the five justices agreed that the government's decision to deny relief funds to sex businesses was not unconstitutional. In a dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Mitsuko Miyagawa, a former lawyer, stated that legal sex-industry businesses are distinct from illegal prostitution and that denying aid contradicted the intent of the relief programs. 'There is no rational basis for excluding the sex industry,' she said. 'The decision is unconstitutional.' The plaintiff's side was also infuriated with the ruling's argument that the sex industry endangers workers' human dignity. The plaintiff emphasized that not all individuals in the sector are forced to work there. 'The dignity of individuals who choose to work in this field of their own free will has been denied by the majority opinion,' said Michiko Kameishi, an attorney for the plaintiff. 'It's infuriating.' According to police data, more than 33,000 sex industry businesses, including outcall services like the plaintiff, were registered across Japan in 2024. Yuki Tamamushi, a constitutional law professor at Nihon University, said the top court effectively endorsed the government's moral judgment that sex work is improper. 'The court's reasoning that sex work could harm workers' human dignity is insufficient to justify the ruling,' Tamamushi said. In contrast, the professor praised Justice Miyagawa's dissent, saying it offered a persuasive and detailed critique of the unequal treatment and could help spark a broader national debate. 'This case plays a significant role in highlighting how the nation should treat its sex industry,' he said.
Japan Times
11-06-2025
- Japan Times
Ex-Nihon University weightlifting manager allegedly forced staff to give him rides
A former manager of Nihon University's weightlifting club who was arrested for fraudulently collecting school fees from scholarship students also forced coaches to drive him to and from work, Metropolitan Police said Wednesday. Kenji Nanba, 63, allegedly used his authority as manager to compel staff to give him rides. He is believed to have instructed several coaches to chauffeur him between his home in the city of Komae, Tokyo, and the university's campus in the city of Fujisawa, Kanagawa — a round trip of nearly 80 kilometers. He also allegedly made coaches greet him upon his arrival at the university, run errands such as buying lunch, and harshly reprimanded those who challenged his instructions. According to investigators, Nanba abused his influence as manager over personnel decisions, making it difficult for staff to defy his demands. Nanba was arrested Tuesday for defrauding ¥2.05 million ($14,000) from the scholarship students. Although tuition and other fees were supposed to be partially or fully waived for the students, he allegedly sent their parents inflated invoices for entrance and school fees. Under Nanba's direction, a coach in his 40s created the fraudulent invoices, determining the inflated amounts, police said. Parents were instructed to transfer the money to the club's bank account. A portion of the funds was then allegedly handed over to Nanba, with the rest paid to the university under the students' names. Police also found evidence that Nanba reviewed the invoices before they were sent. Nanba has denied the allegations, telling police: 'I received the money with the parents' consent, under the understanding it was a donation.' A graduate of Nihon University himself, Nanba became a middle school teacher in Yamagata Prefecture after graduating and was appointed manager of the weightlifting club in April 2000. He produced multiple Olympic athletes and earned a reputation as a respected manager. In parallel, he served as a professor in the university's College of Bioresource Sciences, where students reportedly viewed him as approachable and kind. However, within the weightlifting team, Nanba held what investigators and university officials described as absolute power. In a civil lawsuit demanding restitution of the funds he allegedly embezzled, Nihon University stated that Nanba had been 'an unshakable authority figure' whose word could not be opposed by either coaches or athletes. Nanba was also rumored to have had close ties with Hidetoshi Tanaka, the late former university chairman known as the 'Don of Nihon University,' a figure associated with corruption scandals. This relationship reportedly helped Nanba ascend unusually quickly to a professorship. Nanba's ability to allegedly defraud funds was facilitated by a long-standing, unauthorized practice at Nihon University which allowed coaches and managers of some athletic clubs to directly collect tuition and fees from students' families — a system that police believe may have enabled fraudulent activity. According to university officials, some clubs bypassed the school's official payment channels by asking parents to deposit entrance and tuition fees into club-controlled bank accounts. These funds were then transferred to the university, but without its oversight or approval. Despite repeated notices since around 2014 instructing all athletic departments to cease this practice, an internal probe conducted last year found that proxy collection remained in use by at least nine athletic clubs, including the weightlifting, basketball, and cycling clubs, While no personal misuse of funds was confirmed outside the weightlifting club, officials admitted the system lacked transparency. In the ongoing civil lawsuit filed by Nihon University seeking the return of improperly collected funds from Nanba, he said that it was common practice in some athletic clubs to admit underqualified students in exchange for agreed-upon 'donations.' Translated by The Japan Times
