Kyodo News Digest: July 21, 2025
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Japan ruling camp loses upper house majority, PM vows to stay on
TOKYO - Japan's ruling coalition lost its majority in the House of Councillors in Sunday's election, an outcome that will add pressure on embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who vowed to stay on despite yet another heavy blow to his party.
The cards are stacked against Ishiba, with all major opposition parties ruling out joining the Liberal Democratic Party and its partner Komeito party in an expanded coalition. Despite his intention to remain as prime minister, calls for Ishiba to resign from within the LDP may grow.
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Right-leaning group rises in Japan amid voter backlash over LDP
TOKYO - The right-leaning fringe group Sanseito and the small opposition Democratic Party for the People made significant gains in Sunday's House of Councillors election, apparently reflecting voter frustration with mainstream parties and rising cost-of-living pressures.
Sanseito, founded in 2020 through YouTube recruitment, has drawn attention with its "Japanese First" slogan and controversial rhetoric, particularly toward foreigners, raising concerns of xenophobia.
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Opposition parties to press Ishiba on tax cuts after election gains
TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba remains opposed to a consumption tax cut, but opposition parties are expected to intensify calls for such measures after gaining more seats in Sunday's House of Councillors election.
Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, suffered a major setback in the upper house election, as the ruling bloc proposed cash handouts to address inflation as a key pillar of its campaign pledges.
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FOCUS: With 2 outs, election setback raises red flag for embattled Japan PM
TOKYO - A dismal outcome in Sunday's House of Councillors election poses a difficult yet inevitable question for Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba -- whether his days at the helm of the Liberal Democratic Party and the country are numbered.
Losing majority control of the House of Representatives last year was a serious blow to Ishiba, but another setback for the LDP and its junior partner Komeito in the upper house election now severely limits his ability to advance his policy agenda without backing from an emboldened opposition.
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Ishiba vows to stay on as Japan PM despite election setback
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday expressed his intention to stay in office, as his Liberal Democratic Party is set to remain the largest force in parliament despite a potential crushing setback in the House of Councillors election.
Ishiba said on a TV program, "We must be fully aware of our responsibilities as the largest party in parliament. I want to be fully conscious of my own responsibility to properly address the issues" facing the country.
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China pressed Japan businessman to admit to spying in plea deal
TOKYO - Chinese authorities pushed a Japanese businessman, recently convicted by a Chinese court, to admit to spying in exchange for a lesser charge under a plea bargain, sources close to diplomatic ties said Sunday.
The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People's Court on Wednesday sentenced a man in his 60s working for Astellas Pharma Inc. to three years and six months in prison for espionage.
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Upper house poll results not to affect tariff talks: Japan negotiator
TOKYO - The Japanese government does not expect the outcome of Sunday's House of Councillors election to affect its tariff negotiations with the United States, the top negotiator said, even as the ruling parties struggled to retain their majority in the chamber.
The upper house election, held every three years, came at a critical time for the negotiations, with the deadline for U.S. President Donald Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs looming on Aug. 1.
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Fire in carry-on briefly halts Tokyo loop line, power bank suspected
TOKYO - All train services on the Yamanote loop line in central Tokyo were briefly suspended Sunday afternoon after a fire, likely caused by a power bank in a passenger's bag, left that passenger and four others with minor injuries, police said.
Police quoted the passenger, a woman in her 30s, as saying that "the battery became hot when charging my smartphone, and (the phone) caught fire in around 30 seconds," burning her bag. The incident disrupted train traffic in the Japanese capital, affecting around 98,000 people, JR East said.
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