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July 24, 2026
 

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Edo Naito
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a Liberal Democratic Party executive meeting at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2026
Time for Takaichi to tackle Japan¡¯s political taboos
How Takaichi spends her political capital will define her prime ministership, and she may very well be in a position to finally tackle some unresolved voting issues.
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.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda (left) and his Komeito counterpart, Tetsuo Saito, announce their coalition's new name, the Centrist Reform Alliance, at a joint news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 18, 2026
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.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's refusal to yield to China¡¯s demands to retract her remarks on Taiwan represents a rare pushback against decades of Beijing's rule-breaking and impunity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 24, 2025
China has always done as it pleased ¡ª until now
China suffered no tangible consequences from any U.S. President, regardless of political party, for breaking its commitments.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives for a party leaders' debate in the Upper House of parliament in Tokyo on Nov. 26. Takaichi has refused to back down from recent Taiwan-contingency remarks that were fiercely criticized by China.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 11, 2025
China¡¯s heavy-handed attack on Takaichi is backfiring
Japan has never formally accepted that Taiwan is part of the PRC and Taiwan has never, for one day, been under the Communist Party¡¯s control.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a policy speech during an extraordinary session of the Lower House in Tokyo on Oct. 24. Japan needs to right-size its parliament to match a declining population.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 5, 2025
A plan to fix voter disparity and modernize Japan¡¯s political system
With the population continuing to decline, down 5% since 2009, and people relocating from rural to urban areas, the scale of the government should also be adjusted.
The navies of Japan, the U.S. and South Korea take part in a combined anti-submarine exercise in waters off South Korea's Jeju Island in April 2023. The Takaichi administration is looking to strengthen alliances to coordinate responses and mitigate regional threats under a collective deterrence approach.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 26, 2025
The argument for Indo-Pacific ¡®collective deterrence¡¯
Japan¡¯s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is boosting defense, alliances and collective deterrence to protect Japan, support allies and maintain Indo-Pacific stability.
China is using threats, diplomatic pressure, economic measures and manufactured media narratives to attack new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and influence Japanese politics.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2025
Seeking good relations with Xi¡¯s CCP is a fool¡¯s errand
China has a history of favoring Japanese leaders, going back at least to Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka in the 1970s, who are inclined to comply with its ¡°red lines.¡±
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a news conference at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office on Monday. Kihara is leading a new Cabinet-level panel to review foreign-national related issues.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 18, 2025
Fixing immigration without sparking xenophobia
Don¡¯t lump long-term, law-abiding foreign residents in with new arrivals.
A maiko walks down a street crowded with tourists in Kyoto. Challenges that come with a massive influx of overseas visitors and foreign nationals buying up real estate are just some of the immigration problems that have become hot-button political issues in Japan.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 11, 2025
Government and bad actors are at the root of the foreign national issue
Japan has experienced an explosive increase in overseas tourists since the COVID-19 travel restrictions were lifted, and its global appeal as a travel destination has grown.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrives in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 30, 2025
How is Takaichi doing after a week at the helm?
The Japanese public¡¯s reaction to her first week as prime minister has been overwhelmingly positive.
Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito speaks during a debate with leaders of other political parties at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo in July. His party exited the ruling coalition with the ruling-LDP after 26 years, citing concerns over political donations and transparency.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2025
Is Komeito¡¯s split with the LDP really about political funding?
Was Komeito negotiating in good faith or looking to undermine the Takaichi administration before it even commenced?
A screen outside a Tokyo securities firm shows the Nikkei 225 Stock Average on Oct. 6. As Japan's financial markets reacted to Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party presidential win, much of the media's focus was on the falling yen, downplaying the surge in equities to record highs.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 12, 2025
Sanae Takaichi gets ¡®the Abe treatment¡¯
Given that she is frequently labeled a ¡°Shinzo Abe protege,¡± the media coverage of her so far reminds me of how they reported on Abe himself throughout his second term.
Sanae Takaichi, newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks during a news conference at the party's headquarters in Tokyo on Saturday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 6, 2025
Four questions that determine Takaichi¡¯s success
From breaking with Komeito to revisiting the U.S. trade deal, new Liberal Democratic Party President Sanae Takaichi has the potential to shake up Japanese politics.
Shinjiro Koizumi (center), Sanae Takaichi (right), and Yoshimasa Hayashi speak at a news conference for candidates taking part in the Liberal Democratic Party leadership race in Tokyo on Sept. 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2025
Is this the LDP¡¯s last presidential election?
The five LDP presidential candidates ¡ª three conservatives and two liberals ¡ª are competing to offer the most uninspiring platform.
Liberal Democratic Party presidential candidates attend a debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 26, 2025
¡®Speed dating¡¯ ¡ª with an LDP twist
It feels like one of the speed dating events that used to be on Japanese television years ago, where the candidates court prospective partners one after the other.
Demonstrators protest at the port of Mutsu-Ogawara in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, in March 1997, as a British freighter arrives with processed nuclear waste, whose fissile elements can be fabricated into new nuclear mixed-oxide fuel.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 23, 2025
Could pacifist Japan ever arm itself with nuclear weapons?
It has always been a question of having the will to act and the belief that the U.S. nuclear deterrence commitment to Japan was beyond question.
Candidates take part in the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s leadership race in September 2024 at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, including many of the contenders for next month¡¯s contest.?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 19, 2025
LDP candidates through a ¡®Japanese conservative¡¯ lens
The three key elements of Japanese conservatism are preserving national identity and traditions, sustaining the imperial succession and affirming the Self-Defense Forces¡¯ role.
Polls suggest a head-to-head contest in the Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s presidential race, but powerbrokers may sideline veteran contenders to engineer a youth-versus-youth showdown that could reshape both the party and Japan¡¯s political landscape.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 18, 2025
Whiteboarding the LDP election
As I whiteboard the election scenarios, Koizumi vs. Takaichi is the most obvious race.
Candidates for Japan¡¯s ruling Liberal Democratic Party¡¯s presidential election stand together on stage before a debate in Tokyo in September 2024. Pictured are future Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi, Shinjiro Koizumi and others.?
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 9, 2025
Ishiba¡¯s resignation triggers a battle for the soul of the LDP
To become the next prime minister, the new LDP leader will also need to secure enough support from one or two of the other larger conservative opposition parties.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.
Summer has arrived in Japan and so have hot sleepless nights
Amid the heat and humidity in Japan, a good night¡¯s sleep is growing increasingly elusive without the heavy use of air conditioning.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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