Shunsuke Shigeta

Oct 23, 2023 | asia.nikkei.com | Shunsuke Shigeta

TOKYO -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces growing political headwinds after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lost one of two parliamentary by-elections on Sunday, complicating his decision on when to call a snap lower house election. Kishida, who led the LDP to victory in the lower house in 2021 and the upper house in 2022, has used the threat of a snap election to maintain his grip on the party. But the results of the latest votes could upend that strategy.

Jun 9, 2023 | asia.nikkei.com | Hiroshi Minegishi |Shunsuke Shigeta

TOKYO -- Japan and South Korea should cooperate more closely on bringing closure to past abductions by North Korea, former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said in an interview. South Korea has its own unresolved abductions blamed on Pyongyang, and Tokyo and Seoul can share information, Suga argued.

May 22, 2023 | asia.nikkei.com | Shunsuke Shigeta

TOKYO -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to resume debate on updating the country's restrictions on weapons transfers this week toward reaching an agreement this summer, as Group of Seven leaders at their summit in Hiroshima vowed to extend further assistance to Ukraine. National security dominated the agenda on Sunday, the last day of the summit, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Japan to attend the talks.