News On Japan

Abe seeks hasty recovery from Tokyo election defeat

Jul 04, 2017 (the-japan-news.com) - The ruling Liberal Democratic Party suffered a historic defeat in Sunday's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe intends to quickly get the Cabinet and the LDP back on their feet.

"We have to take the election results seriously as a severe scolding of the LDP by the public and profoundly reflect upon this," Abe told reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Monday morning. "The LDP must make whole-party efforts to restore public confidence in the party by producing results."

The Cabinet's approval rating is declining, and Abe plans to reorganize the government by reshuffling the Cabinet and the LDP leadership.

Referring to the cause of his party's defeat, the prime minister said: "I think the results may reflect the public's strict criticism of the lack of discipline in this administration. We have to take it seriously."

Saying the Cabinet has many challenges to tackle, Abe said, "We have to deeply reflect on what needs to be reflected on, and we should humbly and carefully, but surely, move ahead with what needs to be done," he said. The comment apparently indicates his intention to boost his administration by steadily implementing policies.

Abe later attended an ad-hoc meeting of LDP executives at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, where he said, "The party must reflect on the results of the election seriously and make united efforts," confirming his policy to gravely accept the election results and make whole-party efforts to restore confidence.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 26 formed over the sea east of the Philippines at 9 p.m. on September 23 and is expected to strengthen as it moves westward, potentially approaching Okinawa's main island from September 28 with powerful winds.

An All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight bound for Saga Airport made an emergency landing at Naha Airport in Okinawa at 10:05 p.m. on September 23 after developing trouble with its right engine shortly after takeoff, with some passengers suffering minor injuries during an emergency evacuation.

Japan's Asian Games campaign produced another day of records and medals on September 23, with Shoon Mitsunaga setting a national record to win the men's 100-meter butterfly, both Japanese gymnastics teams taking silver behind China, and Toshikazu Yamanishi adding to the host nation's athletics medal haul.

The road leading to Otemon Gate at Tokyo's Imperial Palace was flooded on September 22 after heavy rain from a typhoon caused water in the surrounding moat to overflow.

Japan came within two runs of producing one of international cricket's biggest upsets on September 22, pushing reigning T20 world champion India to the final ball before losing a rain-shortened match at Sano International Cricket Ground in Tochigi Prefecture.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

Police in Yamagata Prefecture are working to identify a body found on the coast of a remote island on September 23, the 19th day since a 6-year-old boy went missing in Sakata, after discovering that the body was dressed in clothing similar to the Spider-Man outfit the child was wearing when he disappeared.

An emu that escaped from the home of a traveling zoo operator was captured after wandering through a residential neighborhood in Moriyama, Shiga Prefecture, on September 23, following a police report from a resident who mistook the bird for an ostrich.

People aged 65 and older accounted for a record 29.6% of Japan's population in 2026, the highest proportion among major countries worldwide, while the number of elderly people in employment also reached an all-time high as Japan marked Respect for the Aged Day on September 21.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Ghibli Park in Aichi Prefecture on September 20, touring exhibits that recreate famous scenes from Studio Ghibli films and posing for a photograph with the character No-Face.

Police in Kanagawa Prefecture have rearrested four teenagers on suspicion of murdering a 17-year-old high school student who died after being assaulted in Sagamihara in August.

Drinking parties remain a lively part of social life in Kansai even as younger generations increasingly turn away from alcohol and izakaya bankruptcies rise at a record pace, with customers describing the gatherings less as occasions to drink heavily and more as opportunities to maintain friendships, meet new people and build connections across generations.

Anonymous and fluid criminal groups known in Japan as "tokuryu" are adopting increasingly elaborate tactics, including a scheme in which elderly victims are persuaded to hide cash inside refrigerators before thieves enter their homes, as authorities struggle to combat networks whose members often have no direct contact with one another.

A luxury mansion in Bangkok described as resembling a palace was being used as a base for a specialized fraud operation targeting Japanese people, with Thai authorities detaining 14 people, including four Japanese men.