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July 12, 2026
 

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Bills on preservation of imperial family pass Lower House
JAPAN / Politics
Bills on preservation of imperial family pass Lower House
The pieces of legislation will now be deliberated in the Upper House, which is expected to clear them by the end of the current session of parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Reiwa Shinsengumi head Taro Yamamoto to resign, quit politics
The opposition party will change its name and hold a leadership election on July 31.
JAPAN / Politics
Power struggle unfolding among ex-Abe faction members
Those who were considered to be the five leading figures of the faction, which was at the center of the LDP’s slush fund scandal, have regained power under Takaichi.
Seiji Maehara, a 12-term lawmaker from the Japan Innovation Party, speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 9, 2026
JIP’s submarine proposal tests Japan’s nuclear red lines
By Kenji Yoshida
Senior party lawmaker Seiji Maehara says Tokyo should acquire at least eight nuclear-powered vessels “as quickly as possible.”
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (second from right) and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (third from right) join other Indo-Pacific Four officials for a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Ankara on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 8, 2026
Japan and NATO share concerns about Chinese military activities
By Jesse Johnson
Tokyo has sought to keep NATO interested in the Indo-Pacific region even as the alliance focuses on beating back claims by the U.S. that it has outlived its usefulness.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Japan Innovation Party leader Hirofumi Yoshimura meet in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 8, 2026
LDP and JIP agree to delay bill to reduce Lower House seats
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and JIP chief Hirofumi Yoshimura decided to postpone debate on the bill to a later session of parliament.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Upper House audit committee in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 7, 2026
Controversial bills threaten to push parliament session into overtime
By Eric Johnston
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is caught between honoring a promise to the Japan Innovation Party and the reality that it will be difficult to pass the bills in the Upper House.
Japanese Ambassador to NATO Osamu Izawa during an interview in Brussels on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 6, 2026
Japan’s NATO envoy highlights importance of European stability
Japan’s ambassador to NATO also said the organization’s unity, based on collective defense, is unwavering, while adding that the alliance is “rock-solid.”
Taizo Mikazuki, 55, won his fourth term as Shiga Prefecture governor in an election Sunday, defeating three rivals.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 6, 2026
Mikazuki wins fourth term as Shiga governor
The incumbent governor fended off three other rivals, one of whom ran on a platform of opposing a transportation tax he is proposing.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says his ministry plans to decide on whether to ease the evacuation advisory for Iran and other countries.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 5, 2026
Japan mulls easing travel advisory for Iran
The plan emerged as other countries move to resume business in the Middle East and Japanese companies in the region are calling to lower the travel advisory.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. holds a joint news conference with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after their meeting in Tokyo on May 28.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 5, 2026
Envoy hails growing Japan-Philippines economic and security ties
By Yuka Moriyama
Bilateral ties are now at “the highest point ever,” following Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to Japan in late May, the Philippines’ ambassador said.
Kawasaki fire department helicopters. The government may provide financial support to cover the training costs of pilots for firefighting and disaster relief helicopters.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 5, 2026
Japan eyes aid for emergency helicopter pilot training costs
More than 1,000 hours of flight experience is required to become a captain of a firefighting and disaster relief helicopter or a medical helicopter.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a parliament committee session on June 26.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 5, 2026
Takaichi holds key to breaking parliament deadlock
Political maneuvering is expected to intensify, with less than two weeks to go before the current parliament session ends on July 17.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech during a meeting with NATO permanent representatives at the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 4, 2026
Japan foreign and defense ministers to attend NATO events in Turkey
Tokyo had initially considered having Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attend the events, but decided against it because of her parliamentary commitments.
The women's restroom next to the Lower House's main chamber has only two individual toilet cubicles for women, but that number will be expanded to four.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 3, 2026
Following petition, female lawmakers in Japan get two more toilets
The cross-party petition, whose 58 signatories included Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, asked for more toilets for women in the parliament building.
Three major opposition parties are hoping to finalize a three-way merger by this fall.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
Opposition parties CRA, CDP and Komeito discuss merger
The three parties agreed that they should establish a new political structure ahead of the fall session of parliament.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before their meeting at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
Takaichi looks to India in the face of supply chain and energy concerns
By Kenji Yoshida
Takaichi and her Indian counterpart met in New Delhi to advance cooperation in artificial intelligence, economic security, clean energy and defense.
LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki before a meeting with the Centrist Reform Alliance on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
LDP to halt debate on JIP priorities to focus on imperial family bill
The LDP is ready to halt debate on controversial bills while discussions on proposed Imperial House Law revisions are underway, LDP Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki has said.
Sujan Chinoy, director-general of the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, in New Delhi on Monday
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 2, 2026
Indian defense think tank head hails Japan’s lifting of arms export ban
The defense research institute head also emphasized the need for Japan to diversify its defense equipment production sites to “trusted” partner countries.
Self-Defense Forces personnel stand guard at the entrance of the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 1, 2026
Japan weighs state ownership of defense plants to boost arms supply
By Kenji Yoshida
A draft of the government’s basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines calls for reviewing existing law to allow greater state involvement.
Masayo Tanabu, secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and a senior Upper House lawmaker, speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 1, 2026
Japan’s opposition faces a make-or-break choice over wider integration
By Kenji Yoshida
The Centrist Reform Alliance has yet to fully convince the public of its significance, said senior opposition lawmaker Masayo Tanabu.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks at a Lower House committee session in Tokyo on June 22.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
Will Takaichi invoke 60-day rule to pass controversial bills?
By Eric Johnston
The ruling coalition aims to pass bills to trim Lower House seats and establish the concept of a secondary capital in the current session of parliament, which ends in three weeks.
The bill stipulates that imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to ¥200,000 be imposed on acts that publicly damage the national flag.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 30, 2026
LDP’s flag desecration bill clears Lower House
Under the bill, desecrating the flag is punishable by up to two years of imprisonment or a fine of up to ¥200,000.

China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

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