No swift end to US-Japan tariff dispute regardless of Japan's Prime Minister: Expert
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UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
Japan's PM faces pressure as ruling coalition set to lose majority
Japan 's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech during the graduation ceremony for Japan's National Defense Academy in Yokosuka, Kanagawa-prefecture, Japan on Saturday, March 22, 2025. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo July 20 (UPI) -- Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who assumed office in October 2024, could face mounting political pressure as his ruling coalition is projected to lose its majority during elections for the House of Councilors on Sunday. Ishiba acknowledged Sunday night to public broadcaster NHK that it would be difficult for the ruling coalition, an alliance of his Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito Party, to secure the 50 seats in the House of Councilors election to maintain a majority. Before the election, the LDP-Komeito coalition together held 66 of 125 seats up for grabs this cycle, but exit polls conducted by NHK with other national news outlets showed they are expected to only win somewhere between 32 and 51 seats in the upper house. "The situation is severe, and we must accept it humbly and sincerely," Ishiba said in remarks to NHK. He added that his party has a "responsibility" to fulfill the promises it made to voters, including raising wages more than inflation and measures to combat population decline. The country's national legislature, called the Diet, is comprised of two houses: the House of Councilors, and the more powerful lower house, called the House of Representatives, which is responsible for selecting the prime minister. Ishiba became Japan's prime minister last fall after winning the ruling LDP's internal leadership election, replacing Fumio Kishida, who stepped down amid declining approval and scandal ties. Because the LDP held a majority in the lower house of parliament at the time, through its longstanding coalition with the Komeito party, Ishiba's victory secured his elevation to the country's top office. Days after taking power, he called a snap general election in October 2024 in an effort to strengthen his mandate. Instead, voters handed his party a historic defeat: the LDP-Komeito coalition lost its majority in the lower chamber for the first time in over a decade, forcing Ishiba to lead a fragile minority government. Now, Ishiba's leadership is facing another major test in Sunday's upper house election, where exit polls suggest the ruling coalition is also on track to lose control of the legislature's second chamber, which would make it difficult for the government to pass legislation. Under Japanese law, a minority government can continue to rule as long as it avoids a no-confidence vote in the House of Representatives and because Japan's opposition is often fragmented, it could be hard to oust a weakened ruling party. Still, it could lead to the possibility that Ishiba may choose to resign less than a year after becoming prime minister. Masataka Furuya, chairman of the Central Election Management Committee, released a statement before voting Sunday, encouraging the public to participate in the voting process. As of 7:30 p.m. local time, the nationwide voter turnout rote for the election was 29.9%, lower than the previous election three years ago. The back-to-back losses reflect growing voter dissatisfaction with the LDP under Ishiba, driven by economic stagnation, public frustration over immigration policy, and fatigue with the party's decades-long grip on power. "We hope that all voters will fully understand the significance of this regular election of the House of Councilors, actively participate in the voting, and exercise their precious vote with care," the office of the Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications said in a statement Sunday. "We also ask that those involved in the voting and counting of the elections take strict and fair action and take the utmost care in managing and executing the elections."
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Japan Launches Task Force To Deal With Foreign Nationals
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Japan's government has launched a task force to deal with concerns about an uptick in foreign nationals living there. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi announced the "Office for the Promotion of a Society of Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals" on July 15. The move comes as the issue of a record number of foreign nationals living there has become an election topic. Why it Matters The task force's establishment marked the most visible government response to growing public concerns as the number of foreign residents reached about 3.8 million as of the end of 2024, according to the Japanese data site Nippon. This is the third consecutive record high, increasing by 10.5 percent year-on-year. But foreign nationals still only make up just 3 percent of Japan's total population of 120 million. What To Know Hayashi explained the reason for the task force in a press meeting on July 15, saying there are "situations in which the people feel anxious and unfair due to crimes and nuisances committed by some foreigners and inappropriate use of various systems." "Realizing an orderly coexistence society with foreigners is one of the important policy issues that the government must address," he said. Tasks will include creating a shared data information system for central and local governments to use and reviewing existing immigration rules and practices that do not take into account how much more globalized Japan currently is. Japan has long had strict immigration laws, but the country has slowly eased them as its population has aged and birth rates have declined. The influx of foreigners does seem to be a concern for many Japanese citizens, with public opinion polls showing a rise in support for a small "Japanese First" agenda. A February survey found that 71 percent of foreign nationals in Japan had been questioned by police on the streets in the past five years (5.6-fold higher than Japanese people), Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported. This is despite the fact that the crime rate for foreign nationals is around the same as for Japanese. Some 9,736 foreigners (this includes tourists and foreign residents) were arrested in 2023—5.3 percent of the total number of people arrested that year, according to a white paper by the Ministry of Justice. In 2012, after the U.S. Embassy posted that it has received "reports of foreigners stopped and searched by Japanese police in suspected racial profiling incidents," Japan's National Police Agency sent out an advisory to police forces, saying officers "should not base their decisions solely on how they look, such as appearance and clothing." Naomi Kawahara, the founder of the advocacy group Japan for Black Lives told Kyodo News she thinks the public is responding to an influx of foreigners and a small minority carrying out problematic behavior. File photo of Narita international airport in Narita, near Tokyo, taken Jan. 23, 2020. File photo of Narita international airport in Narita, near Tokyo, taken Jan. 23, 2020. AP What People Are Saying Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi said: "In order to ensure Japan's transition to a growth-based economy, it is essential that we incorporate overseas vitality, but we are also facing situations where citizens feel anxious due to crimes and nuisances committed by some foreigners, as well as inappropriate use of various systems. Ensuring the safety and security of our citizens is an essential prerequisite for economic growth, and realizing an orderly society in which we can coexist with foreigners is one of the important policy issues that the government must address. I believe that this is an issue that is of great interest to the public." Prime Minister Ishiba said: "We will set up a secretariat and, with this command center, will comprehensively promote a variety of policies aimed at realizing an orderly society in which we can coexist with foreign nationals." What Happens Next The outcome of Sunday's election may determine the pace and scope of these changes, especially as opposition parties seek to distinguish themselves with their own approaches on foreign resident policy.
The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
Japan heads to polls for critical election for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba
Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday to cast ballots for seats in the parliament's upper chamber, in an election that could put Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition on rocky ground. The election is for half of the 248 seats in the smaller of the two parliamentary houses. Ishiba has said he wants a simple majority of 125 seats, meaning his coalition, which includes his Liberal Democratic Party, would need to add 50 seats to the 75 seats it currently holds. Before the election, his coalition held 141 seats, but local media predict stiff losses for the prime minister's coalition. Ishiba's coalition lost the lower chamber in October, following corruption scandals and difficulty delivering legislative solutions to economic problems facing the country. Ahead of Sunday's election, a right-wing populist party, Sanseito, was surging in media predictions. Soaring prices and economic constraints have been key issues for voters, but several opposition groups have embraced anti-foreigner positions as well. Sanseito has put forward its 'Japanese First' platform and proposes a new agency to centralize policies for foreigners. The party is against globalist policies and embraces anti-vaccine views, as well as traditional gender roles. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, or CDPJ, and the DPP have also gained ground ahead of the election. If Ishiba's coalition performs poorly on Sunday, the government would not immediately change since the upper chamber lacks the authority to file a no-confidence vote against a leader, but Ishiba would likely face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner.
