Society

Campaigning for Lower House election begins

Oct 10 (NHK) - Political candidates and party officials across Japan are filing paperwork and launching their campaigns for the Lower House election scheduled for October 22nd.

Party candidates and independents are going after the 465 seats in the Lower House. 289 lawmakers will be elected directly and 176 through a system of proportional representation.

The threshold for a majority is 233 seats. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said if his ruling coalition doesn't reach that, he'll step down.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and its coalition partner Komeito are facing stiff competition from a divided opposition. Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has formed a party called Hope which is collaborating with Nippon Ishin Japan Innovation Party.

And another upstart, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is working together with the Japanese Communist Party and Social Democratic Party of Japan.

The largest opposition party effectively split. Most of its members will be running under Hope, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or as independents.

Candidates are debating issues like the performance of the Abe administration, a consumption tax hike the government has scheduled for 2019, and amending the Constitution.

Osaka Police End 14-Hour Siege

Police in Osaka arrested a 48-year-old man on October 22nd after a tense 14-hour standoff in which he allegedly held a woman at knifepoint inside an apartment. A special tactical unit forced entry into the residence late at night, ending the standoff without injuries.

Imperial Family Pays Tribute to War Victims

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

First Snow Caps Mount Fuji, 15 Days Earlier Than Last Year

The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.

Tokyo’s Aging Expressway Reborn After Major Overhaul

After nearly a decade of construction, the newly rebuilt Haneda Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, one of Tokyo’s key arteries linking the city center with Haneda Airport, has been unveiled to the media ahead of its official switch to a new road on October 29th.

New Cabinet Takes On 'Takaichi Color'

The newly launched Takaichi Cabinet moved into full operation on October 22nd, with early personnel decisions revealing a clear conservative tone. Satsuki Katayama was appointed as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as minister in charge of foreign resident policy, underscoring what observers are calling the emergence of a distinct “Takaichi color.”

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