More than half of female local assembly members in Japan have experienced harassment, according to a Cabinet Office survey released on June 6th.
Tachibana, head of the NHK Party, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defaming a Hyogo prefectural assembly member during last year’s gubernatorial election campaign, according to investigative sources.
The number of applications for public assistance in fiscal 2024 rose 3.2% from the previous year to 259,353, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. This marks the fifth consecutive year of increase.
Opposition parties submitted three bills to the Diet on May 30th seeking to introduce a system allowing married couples to retain separate surnames—a topic that returned to parliamentary deliberation for the first time in 28 years.
Akie Abe, widow of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, visited the Kremlin on May 29th and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During the meeting, Akie was seen tearfully listening to Putin’s words, reflecting the emotional nature of their exchange. Following the conversation, she was invited to ride in Putin’s official limousine to the Bolshoi Theatre, where the two attended a ballet performance together.
Prime Minister Ishiba met with Montenegrin Prime Minister Spajic in Tokyo on May 28th during the latter’s official visit to Japan, marking what both leaders described as a historic occasion.