Latest news with #internalaffairsministry
Japan Times
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Record 26.2 million people vote early in Upper House poll
The number of people who cast their ballots under the early voting system ahead of Sunday's election for the House of Councilors came in at 26,181,865, a record high for any national poll in the country, the internal affairs ministry said. The figure, which was up by 6,568,390 voters from the previous Upper House election in 2022, accounted for 25.12% of all eligible voters. The increase in early voting apparently came since the election was scheduled for the second day of a three-day weekend. The number of early voters rose in all 47 prefectures, with Miyazaki logging the biggest increase at 49.43%. Kumamoto followed, with a climb of 44.59%, and Kochi with 43.31%. Sunday's voter turnout stood at 22.42% as of 4 p.m., down 0.57 percentage points from the 2022 election.
Japan Times
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Record 21.45 million people vote early in Upper House poll
The number of people who cast their ballots by Friday under the early voting system for Sunday's Upper House election totaled 21,450,220, a record high for an election for either chamber of parliament, government data showed Saturday. The figure accounts for 20.58% of all voters, the internal affairs ministry said. Many people may have used the early voting system because the election day was set for the middle of a three-day weekend. Early voting for the Upper House election began on July 4, a day after the start of the official campaign period. The number is expected to increase once Saturday's voters are included. The previous record for early voters was 21,379,977 in the 2017 election for the Lower House. The record high for an Upper House election was 19,613,475 in 2022.
Japan Times
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Times
Japan's households boost spending by most since summer of 2022
Household spending rose the most since the summer of 2022 amid persistent inflation, providing support for an economy that's taking a hit from U.S. tariffs. Outlays by households, adjusted for inflation, gained 4.7% from a year ago in May as spending on cars jumped, the internal affairs ministry reported Friday. The result beat the median economist estimate of a 1.2% gain. The jump in cars this year helped inflate the overall number but was largely due to comparison with low volumes last year resulting from a safety certification scandal, according to an internal affairs ministry official. Still, spending also grew for tourism both within and outside Japan while people also increased outlays on eating out.
NHK
20-06-2025
- Business
- NHK
Higher rice prices driving up Japan's CPI
High rice prices continued to drive up consumer inflation in Japan in May. The country's staple crop more than doubled in price for the first time compared to the same month a year earlier. The internal affairs ministry says the 101.7 percent jump in the price of rice was the highest since the government started keeping comparable data in 1971. It was 3.3 points higher than in April, extending a record for the eighth straight month. Consumers in Japan have continued to pay more for popular rice-based dishes. Onigiri rice balls were up over 19 percent and restaurant sushi rose more than 6 percent. Overall, Japan's Consumer Price Index, excluding prices for fresh food, rose 3.7 percent in May from a year earlier. That's two-tenths of a percentage point higher than in April, and it was the sixth straight month of a reading of 3 percent or above.
Japan Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan study group seeks review of local government tasks
Japan should review the way regional administrative tasks are carried out as some local governments are struggling with a lack of specialized personnel and expertise, a government study group said Monday. The internal affairs ministry group for reviewing regional administrative services amid the country's declining population compiled a draft report that stressed the need for reallocating tasks from a fresh perspective, including having the central and prefectural governments take on some work on behalf of municipalities. There is an "increase in administrative work primarily among municipal governments" despite personnel shortages, the draft said, adding that some municipalities "face difficulties performing such duties in an appropriate way." The current approach to administrative work is "creating challenges in light of sustainability," it said. As a countermeasure, the draft report proposed that multiple municipalities jointly carry out tasks that are outside their realm of expertise. A review should be conducted for each administrative duty according to its content and how to handle it, the draft added. It said prefectures should help municipal governments in their review process, noting that municipalities struggling with administrative work often lack ways for seeking solutions. The draft urged the central government to overhaul the systems as needed based on the results of local governments' reviews.
