The Japan Times23h ago
Former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul to discuss Japan-South Korea relations and the international situation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/04/08/japan/ishiba-south-korea-meeting/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #southkoreajapanrelations #shigeruishiba #leejaemyung
Former prime minister Ishiba meets with South Korean president in Seoul

During their 90-minute meeting, Ishiba and Lee agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in various fields such as the economy and security.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesFeb 17
Supermajorities reduce the need for interparty compromise, but they can actually intensify intraparty competition. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/17/japan/trouble-with-winning-big-for-takaichi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #dpj #ichiroozawa #yukiohatoyama #naotokan #yoshihikonoda #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #taroaso #shigeruishiba #2026lowerhouseelection
The trouble with winning big for Takaichi and the LDP

Landslide victories in Japanese politics can conceal fragility within the ruling party.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesFeb 13
From Nagatacho’s corridors to rural paddies and local gyms, elections reveal how quickly fortunes shift. Three campaigns in 15 months showed how fragile support can be — and how national power begins far from Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/13/japan/politics/first-person-elections-recollection/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #cra #komeito #cdp #sokagakkai #sanaetakaichi #shigeruishiba #yamagata #amagasaki #wakayama
Looking at politics from a different perspective

Three campaigns in 15 months showed how fragile support can be — and how national power begins far from Tokyo.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesFeb 10
Takaichi’s landslide victory demonstrated that when candidates find compelling issues that affect their lives, young people show up. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/10/japan/japans-youth-secure-nations-future/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #dpp #shigeruishiba #2026lowerhouseelection
Japan’s youth are quietly securing their nation’s future

Young voters didn’t just express opinions in polls, they showed up at voting stations in increased numbers, many for the first time.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesFeb 6
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has energized voters and strengthened the LDP ahead of a snap election, but her inexperience and ties to the Shinzo Abe faction pose risks for governance and public trust. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2026/02/06/takaichi-ldp-poised-for-big-win/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #cra #cdp #komeito #shinzoabe #shigeruishiba #upperhouse #lowerhouse #2026lowerhouseelection
Takaichi and the LDP appear poised for a big win

Takaichi’s performance has surprised most observers. Not only did she take office with sky-high approval ratings, but she has maintained them since October.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesFeb 5
The option being talked about — whispered, actually — is the nuclear option. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/05/japan/the-list-of-japanese-security-options/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #markcarney #us #indopacific #shigeruishiba #defense #nato #sdf #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #nuclearweapons
The unthinkable is on the list of Japanese security options

In the 2016 campaign, then-candidate Trump suggested that both Japan and South Korea should consider the acquisition of nuclear weapons to counter the North Korean threat.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesJan 30
Japan’s fading global profile highlights a deeper diplomatic decline and raises questions about whether Takaichi or Japan’s next leader can restore influence in a shifting world. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/30/japan/japans-diminishing-relevance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #worldeconomicforum #davos #markcarney #canada #southkorea #us #donaldtrump #xijinping #g7 #canada #shigeruishiba #ukraine #sanaetakaichi #shinzoabe #russia #china #iran #northkorea #ukraine #greenland #asean
The cost of silence: Japan’s diminishing relevance

This diplomatic fade is more than a temporary slump. Japan is experiencing a crisis of international relevance at precisely the moment when the rules-based order is fracturing.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesJan 29
Sanseito aims to realize its policy goals by positioning itself as an ally to a popular prime minister while targeting her left-leaning party colleagues at the ballot box. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/japan/politics/sanseito-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanseito #soheikamiya #sanaetakaichi #shigeruishiba #ldp #2026lowerhouseelection
Sanseito aims to win favor with conservative voters by aligning with Takaichi

The party plans to deliver on policy by positioning itself as an ally to the prime minister while targeting her left-leaning party colleagues at the ballot box.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesJan 18
Japan's opposition politics remain fragmented as Komeito and the CDP merge to form a new party, despite policy divides and a history of electoral struggles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/18/japan/japans-rare-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #ldp #komeitolowerhouse #komeito #cdp #centristreformalliance #cra #tetsuosaito #yoshihikonoda #sokagakkai #ccp #aeon #china #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #shigeruishiba #jip
Komeito and CDP form new party, but doubts linger over political viability

The new party, the Centrist Reform Alliance, has an uninspired name and logo, suggesting a rushed and unconvincing partnership.

The Japan Times
The Japan TimesJan 13
Takaichi is weighing a snap election to win enough seats to govern without coalition constraints but risks repeating Ishiba’s failure if she misreads voter priorities and coalition politics. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/13/world/why-a-japan-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #liberaldemocraticparty #ldp #japaninnovationparty #jip #democraticpartyforthepeople #sanseito #shinzoabe #komeito #yurikokoike #partyofhope #shigeruishiba #snapelections
Why Takaichi would call a snap election

Takaichi may dissolving the Lower House of the parliament upon its mandatory convocation later this month, which would prompt a general election sometime in February.

The Japan Times