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2 weeks ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Gabriele Ninivaggi |Kanako Takahara
The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) on Wednesday decided not to field former Lower House lawmaker Shiori Yamao in the forthcoming Upper House election, a day after she announced her candidacy. The move came in the wake of backlash aimed at the party for fielding Yamao, who has been mired in a series of scandals, including an extramarital affair.
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2 months ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Francis Tang |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Japan and the United States have appointed their leads for tariff negotiations, taking the first step in deescalating and resolving a trade war that has unsettled the financial markets and threatens the global economy. Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic and fiscal policy, will spearhead talks with the U.S., Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters Tuesday after the first meeting of a government task force on the tariffs.
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2 months ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Francis Tang |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday night from Tokyo to discuss tariffs that have unsettled the markets and are forecast to cause significant economic damage globally. The call was the first interaction between the two leaders since the U.S. president fired the first volley in what is quickly shaping up to be a full-scale trade war when he rolled out new tariffs targeting almost every country on the planet.
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2 months ago | 
japantimes.co.jp | Francis Tang |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Japan is pulling out all the stops to counter the effects of new U.S. tariffs and support affected industries, with the prime minister vowing to "unite the entire country" in response to what he calls a "national crisis."”We must call this a national crisis,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told the Lower House on Friday morning.
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Mar 27, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Gabriel Dominguez |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrapped up a four-day state visit to Japan on Thursday that saw Tokyo and Brasilia take their strategic partnership to new heights, with a five-year action plan and a flurry of agreements across a range of areas, including trade, security and green energy.
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Feb 5, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Francis Tang |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Japan remains noncommittal — at least for now — over the United States’ renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America,” avoiding taking sides in what has become a politically sensitive issue. Responding to questions during a Wednesday news conference, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government will continue to monitor related developments, but avoided confirming which name it will actually follow.
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Jan 15, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Gabriele Ninivaggi
Shinji Ishimaru — a candidate in last year’s Tokyo gubernatorial race who stunned many by finishing second, behind incumbent Gov. Yuriko Koike — announced Wednesday he will set up a new regional party, with the aim of fielding candidates in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in July.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Francis Tang |Gabriele Ninivaggi
Japan tried to be the adult in the room on Tuesday, avoiding making public comments on Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves’ provocative remarks over Nippon Steel’s takeover bid for U.S. Steel, one day after Goncalves described Japan as “evil.” “We are aware of the news reports, but the government would like to refrain from commenting on every single statement made by the management of single companies,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular news conference, dodging...
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Jan 10, 2025 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Gabriele Ninivaggi
Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Masataka Okano will be named as the country's next top security adviser, replacing Takeo Akiba. The decision was formally approved in a Cabinet meeting on Friday, and will come into effect on Jan. 20, the same day that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the next commander-in-chief of Japan’s most important ally.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
japantimes.co.jp | Gabriele Ninivaggi
Democratic Party for the People (DPP) chief Yuichiro Tamaki has been suspended as leader of the party for three months, starting from Wednesday, following a report about his involvement in an extramarital affair. Following a probe conducted over the course of the last month, an internal committee judged Tamaki’s conduct as having contravened the party’s ethics regulations and damaged its honor and trust, DPP Secretary-General Kazuya Shimba told reporters after a party meeting Wednesday.
