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Nov 3, 2024 | 
bangladeshpost.net | Purnendra Jain
The snap election for Japan’s Lower House on 27 October 2024 produced a hung parliament with no political party or coalition receiving a majority, throwing Japanese politics into uncertainty and potential political instability. Japan’s long-time ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior ally Komeito, suffered a crushing defeat in this election.
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Nov 3, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Purnendra Jain
The snap election for Japan’s Lower House on 27 October 2024 produced a hung parliament with no political party or coalition receiving a majority, throwing Japanese politics into uncertainty and potential political instability. Japan’s long-time ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior ally Komeito, suffered a crushing defeat in this election.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
asialink.unimelb.edu.au | Purnendra Jain |Kristy Jones
On 27 September, in a nail-biting finish, Shigeru Ishiba won Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s presidency, defeating his nearest rival, Sanae Takaichi, in a run-off as there was no clear winner in the first round with nine candidates racing. Ishiba is sure to be designated Japan’s new prime minister on 1 October, as the LDP holds a majority in the Diet, Japan’s parliament.
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Sep 6, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Abdul Rahman Yaacob |Purnendra Jain |Maria Monica Wihardja
On 22 July 2024, US Forces Japan Commander Lieutenant General Ricky Rupp announced the creation of a new joint US–Japan forum to address the endemic issue of crimes committed off base by US military personnel stationed in Okinawa — particularly sex crimes. How Rupp’s forum will differ from the Cooperative Working Team established in October 2000 to address similar concerns is not clear. The Cooperative Working Team met 27 times until petering out in April 2017.
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Jan 8, 2024 | 
orfonline.org | Purnendra Jain
Today, Japan is no longer a bystander in the international security and defence fields. Tokyo is now actively promoting and establishing defence cooperation with wide-ranging countries and has launched a new programme that provides security aid to developing countries.
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Dec 26, 2023 | 
thepressroom.info | Purnendra Jain |Takeshi Kobayashi |Kazuo Ishiguro
By Purnendra Jain and Takeshi KobayashiJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are facing one of the worst financial scandals in decades, resulting in growing public distrust of the party and threatening the stability of his government. The Kishida government, which took office in October 2021, was already facing headwinds as its cabinet’s popularity declined due to concerns about the economy, social security and the LDP’s links to the Unification Church.
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Dec 22, 2023 | 
asiatimes.com | Purnendra Jain |Takeshi Kobayashi
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are facing one of the worst financial scandals in decades, resulting in growing public distrust of the party and threatening the stability of his government. The Kishida government, which took office in October 2021, was already facing headwinds as its cabinet’s popularity declined due to concerns about the economy, social security and the LDP’s links to the Unification Church.
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Oct 17, 2023 | 
internationalaffairs.org.au | Purnendra Jain
Long-standing unresolved colonial history and territorial issues between China and Japan, as well as the two countries’ opposing world views, have increasingly manifested in the escalation of tensions. With high-level political/diplomatic communication at a standstill, the relationship has become adrift. In August 2023, the latest spate erupted when Japan decided to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
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Oct 5, 2023 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Purnendra Jain |Allison Alexy |Ying-kit Chan |Kazimier Lim
Authors: Brittany Morreale, USAF and Purnendra Jain, University of AdelaideWith the African Union (AU) becoming a permanent G20 member, 2023 marks a significant turning point in African diplomacy. Long neglected, Africa is a new frontier for major players — including Japan — in the unfolding Indo-Pacific geopolitical game that embraces the global South as key to global politics.
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Aug 30, 2023 | 
asialink.unimelb.edu.au | Purnendra Jain |Kansiree Sittipoonaegkapat
The leaders of Japan, South Korea, and the United States – meeting for the first time in a stand-alone format – created a new trilateral consultative framework in mid-August that set a new milestone of cooperation between the US and its two key allies in Asia. Previously President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and President Yoon Suk-yeol had met on the sidelines of multilateral meetings – the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh in November 2022 and the Hiroshima G-7 in May.
