POLITICS NEWS - 2

NHK has learned the Japanese government will likely boost economic aid for remote, inhabited islands close to the country's maritime borders. (NHK)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is unlikely to call a snap election this year to solidify his political position, Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, indicated to Nikkei. (Nikkei)

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga vowed Saturday to press forward with reconstruction efforts for areas devastated by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, as he visited the Fukushima nuclear power plant crippled by the disasters. (Japan Today)

NHK has learned that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to visit Japan as early as next month to meet his Japanese counterpart, Motegi Toshimitsu. (NHK)

The latest NHK opinion poll shows that Japan's new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has an approval rating of 62 percent. (NHK)

Japan's minister for administrative reform on Thursday ordered all national government offices to stop requiring hanko stamps on official documents as a rule. (Nikkei)

Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in to take steps to improve the strained relationship between the two countries in their first telephone conversation. (NHK)

A member of the House of Representatives has tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was admitted to a hospital, the Lower House’s secretariat said Friday, the first confirmed infection of a Japanese lawmaker. (Japan Times)

Japan's new prime minister will pursue economic structural reforms through a mixed bag of policies that target specific industries, rather than a grand strategy to reshape society and boost long-term growth. (Japan Today)

Shinzo Abe, Japan's outgoing and longest-serving prime minister, left his office in Tokyo for the last time on September 16, 2020. Abe had announced his plans to resign in August, citing health problems related to ulcerative colitis. (SCMP Clips)

Japan's new prime minister says he will prioritize measures against the coronavirus and its economic fallout. Suga Yoshihide is taking over from Abe Shinzo, a close ally who was Japan's longest-serving prime minister. (NHK)

More than half of Suga Yoshihide's cabinet ministers were part of an Abe government -- a reflection of the new leader's intentions to continue his predecessor's policies. (NHK)

Japan is on the cusp of getting a new Cabinet---and NHK is learning details about who will serve in key posts. (NHK)

Japan's newly expanded opposition Constitutional Democratic Party has been launched, with its leader vowing to challenge the new government set to start on Wednesday. (NHK)

The new leader of Japan's main governing Liberal Democratic Party appears to have decided on the lineup of the party's executive posts. (NHK)

Newly elected Liberal Democratic Party President Yoshihide Suga, who is set to become Japan's next leader later this week, has vowed to 'create a Cabinet that works for people.' (Japan Times)

Yoshihide Suga, the newly chosen leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party, will retain Taro Aso as finance minister and deputy prime minister after Suga's expected election as prime minister later this week, Nikkei has learned. (Nikkei)

Japan's main ruling party has elected Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide its new leader. (NHK)

Cell phone charges in Japan should be cut by around 40 percent from current levels, Yoshihide Suga, the frontrunner to become the next prime minister, said on Friday. (Japan Today)

Japan and Britain have reached a broad agreement on a new economic partnership. (NHK)