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July 11, 2026
 

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DIET

Nihon Hidankyo executives release the results of a survey conducted on lawmakers, during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2026
117 lawmakers say Japan should join nuclear ban treaty, survey shows
The atomic bomb survivor group said that only 20% of members of parliament responded to the survey.
Yoshihiko Noda, co-leader of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the nation’s largest opposition party, greets supporters during a campaign event in Osaka on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
Is this election really unpredictable?
Despite media uncertainty, opposition weaknesses and recent polls suggest Takaichi and the LDP are likely headed for a strong victory.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at an LDP election rally in Kawagoe, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 4, 2026
Takaichi seen avoiding discussing plan to cut Lower House seats
The prime minister seeming to avoid discussing the Lower House seat-cut proposal now is believed to reflect concerns within the Liberal Democratic Party about it, observers said.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi joins Japan Innovation Party leaders Fumitake Fujita (right) and Hirofumi Yoshimura at an election event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 4, 2026
A cheat sheet to Takaichi’s snap election
Parties with traditional vote-generating architectures in place before Japan’s snap election have a significant advantage.
Sanseito supporters listen as the party’s leader, Sohei Kamiya, speaks at an election campaign event in Tokyo on Jan. 27, the first day of official campaigning for the Feb. 8 snap election. 
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Has Takaichi secured a win? Conservative voters are returning to the LDP.
Takaichi’s confidence in calling an election just four months into her tenure as Japan’s leader comes from high public approval and a general fragmentation in the opposition ranks.
Supporters of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend an election campaign event in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 3, 2026
Where will Japan’s democracy go from here?
Many question the rationale for the snap election with some critics claiming that it is an election without a “just cause.”
A poster board in the Osaka No. 5 district in the city of Osaka. Candidates from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, the Japan Innovation Party, are competing against each other in all single-seat constituencies in Osaka Prefecture in Sunday's Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 3, 2026
In Osaka, LDP faces off against JIP despite being allies
Roughly 66,000 people who voted for Komeito in the last Lower House election are seen as kingmakers in the Osaka No. 5 district.
The front page of The Japan Times on Feb. 6, 1976, carried the first of many stories aiming to get to the bottom of the Lockheed bribery scandal.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Feb 2, 2026
Japan Times 1976: Lockheed paid Kodama $7 million to win deal
This month 25 and 50 years ago saw the beginnings of stories that would go on to become significant historical moments.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers her first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday, alongside leaders of the Japan Innovation Party, Hirofumi Yoshimura (second from the left) and Fumitake Fujita (right).
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 30, 2026
Lower House election outcome could reshape political power balance
From the Liberal Democratic Party securing a majority on its own to the prime minister stepping down, a number of scenarios are at play ahead of the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to the audience during a stump speech in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 29, 2026
LDP on track to win standalone majority in general election
Polls suggest the ruling party may emerge from the vote strong, even without the backing of former coalition partner Komeito or coordination with the Japan Innovation Party.
Leader of the Japan Innovation Party Hirofumi Yoshimura delivers his first campaign speech for the House of Representatives election in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 28, 2026
JIP struggles with perception and unity ahead of Lower House election
The junior member of the ruling coalition has remained unpopular nationally, while its goal of merging Osaka city’s wards is creating unexpected problems within its Osaka base.
An election campaign event on the first day of campaigning for the February 8 snap election, in Tokyo, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 27, 2026
Japan kicks off campaigning for Feb. 8 Lower House election
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who said she would resign if the ruling coalition fails to win a majority, is facing off against a transformed opposition.
Yoshihiko Noda (left) and Tetsuo Saito, co-chairs of the new Centrist Reform Alliance, shake hands at the party's founding convention in Tokyo on Thursday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 27, 2026
Japan’s new ‘Centrist Reform Alliance’ is a misnomer
The Centrist Reform Alliance is asking voters to embrace a brand label rather than a fully formed policy platform and a partnership of convenience.
Centrist Reform Alliance co-leaders Yoshihiko Noda (second from left) and Tetsuo Saito (third from left) cheer at the launch of their party at the parliament building in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 26, 2026
Centrists vs. conservatives? It’s not that simple.
Beyond the labels that they use for themselves, the policy proposals of candidates and their parties show that their differences are more nuanced — and confusing.
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Parties gear up for Lower House election after dissolution
Takayuki Kobayashi, policy chief of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said that the election would be an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the new ruling coalition.
The National Diet Building in Tokyo on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
LDP and JIP heads to deliver joint campaign speeches Tuesday
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura hope to appeal to voters by highlighting the ruling coalition’s promise ahead of the Feb. 8 election.
Packs of fresh seafood at a supermarket in Yokohama on Jan. 15. Soaring food costs are a key concern of voters in the runup to the Feb. 8 Lower House election.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 24, 2026
Japanese consumers worried about inflation ahead of general election
Some are also questioning Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decision to call a snap election.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi looks on ahead of the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 23, 2026
Takaichi dissolves Lower House for Feb. 8 snap election
Candidates have just 16 days until election day to get their message out during what could be a snowy season in certain parts of the country.
Centrist Reform Alliance members raise their fists in unison at a ceremony marking the party's foundation Thursday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 22, 2026
CRA bets on moderate policies to shake up Lower House race
Public confusion and policy similarities with the ruling coalition could make it difficult for the new opposition party to win over voters.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, flanked by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki (left) and LDP Vice President Taro Aso, attend a party meeting at LDP headquarters in Tokyo's Nagatacho district on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 21, 2026
LDP uses election manifesto to pledge stable rare earths supply amid China row
The ruling party says it will also accelerate talks on eliminating the current 8% consumption tax on food for two years as Japan grapples with inflation.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Japan’s southwestern islands on high alert as Typhoon Bavi approaches
A woman walks out of a shop with duct-taped windows to prevent damage from Typhoon Bavi as it approaches, in Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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