Society

Party of Hope to choose Diet leader by late Nov

Oct 28 (Japan Today) - The fledgling opposition Party of Hope, which performed poorly in the recent general election despite initially high expectations for the party led by Tokyo Gov Yuriko Koike, decided Friday to choose the leader of its parliamentary operations by late November.

The party also decided to back member Shu Watanabe, a former senior vice defense minister currently serving his eighth term in the lower house, in the parliament-wide vote for prime minister set for Nov 1. Party members cited Watanabe's relatively long career in parliament.

However, the vote for Watanabe from the party holding only a fraction of Diet seats will be merely a formality as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is certain to be re-elected with his Liberal Democratic Party controlling a majority of both houses of parliament.

"I take seriously the fact that you have made these decisions, and I want to go forth in unity with you all," Koike told the party's lawmakers after a meeting in which they decided on their next steps following Sunday's election.

Koike, who became the governor in 2016 after serving as a Diet member for more than 20 years, turned down requests from some party members to run in the election so as to return to national politics and become a candidate for prime minister.

The party's parliamentary leader will be an aide to Koike, who will remain party leader outside the Diet.

A special Diet session is set to run for about a week from Nov 1 to take care of procedures following the Oct 22 election of the House of Representatives.

Koike's party had absorbed the conservative wing of the collapsing Democratic Party ahead of the campaign, but ended up gaining fewer seats than the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which was formed to take on the liberal members of the Democratic Party who could not or would not join the Party of Hope.

At the Party of Hope lawmakers' meeting, former Democratic Party Secretary General Atsushi Oshima was chosen as both secretary general and policy chief and former Democratic Party member Hirofumi Ryu made chief of Diet affairs.

Do Bears Prefer Acorns or Berries?

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper Thieves Target Japanese Shrines

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

1200-Year-Old Temple on Miyajima Reduced to Ashes

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

From Bento Boxes to Garbage Bags, Rising Costs Hitting Daily Life Across Japan

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

Tochigi Robbery-Murder Suspect’s Wife Posted Dance Videos on Social Media

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Garbage Burnoff Spreads to 3 Buildings in Okayama

A fire that broke out in Kagamino, Okayama Prefecture, shortly after noon on May 20th destroyed three buildings, including a home, after flames from open burning spread to dead leaves and then to nearby structures.

Gang Members Arrested After Opening Office Near Nursery

Six people, including a senior member of a group affiliated with the Sumiyoshi-kai crime syndicate's Kohei-ikka faction, have been arrested on suspicion of opening a gang office in a prohibited area near a nursery school in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward.

Six Police Officers Injured After Man Sprays Liquid at Station

A man who visited a police station in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in the early hours of May 21st allegedly sprayed a transparent liquid inside the building, causing six police officers to complain of eye and throat pain and be taken to hospital with minor injuries.