On August 1st, a special session of the Diet convened, marking the first appearance of Ishin lawmaker Tai Okazaki, who was elected for the first time in July's House of Councillors election. Okazaki spoke with reporters about his determination for his new role.
"I think this is the biggest deal ever," said U.S. President Donald Trump excitedly in front of reporters.
The mayor of Joetsu City, Kanta Nakagawa, who sparked controversy by saying "Sanda's rice is bad," traveled to Hyogo Prefecture to personally apologize to the people of Sanda, including its mayor and local farmers.
A small island in the Seto Inland Sea, home to just seven registered residents, is seeing rapid changes due to land acquisitions linked to Chinese investors—raising alarm among the local community.
Voter turnout in the July 20th Upper House election rose significantly, with the nationwide average reaching 58.51%, up 6.46 points from the previous election's 52.05%, according to figures released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
In the Upper House election held on Sunday, veteran politician Muneo Suzuki, who ran under the banner of a "final battle," made a dramatic turnaround that surprised even his supporters.