News On Japan

Kishida brushes aside speculation of early snap election

Mar 30, 2023 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he was not thinking about dissolving parliament, brushing aside speculation he could call a snap election in the coming months to solidify his standing within his ruling party.

“It’s not on my mind now,” Kishida told parliament, when asked about the chance of dissolving parliament and calling a snap election in the near term.

“The only thing I can say is that I will face challenges that cannot be put off, and fulfill my responsibility of explaining my decisions to the public,” he said.

Kishida’s cabinet has seen public approval ratings rebound after several diplomatic successes, such as mending strained relations with South Korea and the premier’s surprise meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

An evacuation order has been issued for the entire city of Ishinomaki and parts of Marumori in Miyagi Prefecture as heavy rain caused by the autumn rain front disrupts transportation across the region, with a linear rainband potentially forming along the Pacific side of Tohoku through the evening.

Heavy rain caused by the autumn rain front continued to disrupt rail services across the Tohoku and Kanto regions on September 7, with parts of the Shonan-Shinjuku Line and other routes remaining suspended while some major Tokyo commuter lines returned to normal operations after running reduced services earlier in the day.

Typhoon No. 24 (Krovahn) was near Minami-Daito Island, about 300 kilometers southeast of Okinawa, as of 3 a.m. on September 7, moving east-northeast at about 10 kilometers per hour and expected to weaken into a tropical depression by the afternoon, although strong winds and high waves were forecast to persist before its remnants move north and potentially intensify the autumn rain front over western and eastern Japan later in the week.

Tokyo has unveiled the design for a major redevelopment of the plaza outside Shinjuku Station's west exit, with a landmark tree, water-play area and event space planned as part of a transformation centered on "greenery, light and people" that is scheduled for completion in 2035.

A late former professor at Asahikawa Medical University has won the Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine for scientifically examining the proper way to blow the nose, extending Japan's streak of Ig Nobel winners to 20 consecutive years.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Politics NEWS

Tokyo has unveiled the design for a major redevelopment of the plaza outside Shinjuku Station's west exit, with a landmark tree, water-play area and event space planned as part of a transformation centered on "greenery, light and people" that is scheduled for completion in 2035.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said tax incentives on the Russian-held islands claimed by Japan have been successful, using a speech at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok to highlight economic development in Russia's Far East.

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said on September 3 that the economic policy of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government should not be equated with conventional reflationary policy, after returning from the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in the United States and briefing the prime minister on the talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 2 that Japan bears full responsibility for the deterioration in relations between the two countries, defending Moscow's approach following criticism from Tokyo over his first visit to Etorofu Island in August.

The leaders of the Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito have agreed to abandon plans to merge their three parties, leaving the Centrist Reform Alliance effectively split.

Japan is moving to strengthen its defenses against mass drone attacks after Terra Drone became the sole company to advance through a Defense Ministry program for a Japanese-made interceptor drone, drawing on battlefield technology and production methods developed in Ukraine while pushing for domestic production of critical components.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi moved on August 28 to contain market concern over her government’s spending plans, saying Japan will aim to cap new government bond issuance at around 40 trillion yen in the fiscal 2027 budget while still pursuing food-tax relief, growth investment and measures to support households facing higher prices.

Japan has drawn up a new policy package aimed at strengthening energy security in response to developments in the Middle East, including support for alternative oil pipelines that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz and greater use of nuclear power to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.