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Tokyo Weekender
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Government Launches New Office To Deal With Unruly Foreigners
On Tuesday, the Japanese government held an inauguration ceremony for a new office that has been set up to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners. Headed by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Wataru Sakata, the office will serve as a cross agency 'control tower,' with 78 employees, including officials from the Cabinet Office, the Justice Ministry and other bodies . List of Contents: Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' The Rise of the Far-Right Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Related Posts Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' 'Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreigners, as well as the inappropriate use of various administrative systems, have created a situation in which the public feels uneasy and cheated,' said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at Tuesday's kick-off ceremony. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, meanwhile, claimed that the establishment of the new office was not an election ploy by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). How to deal with the increasing number of foreigners in Japan has become a key issue ahead of the House of Councillors election this Sunday. The LDP has promised to 'accelerate efforts toward 'zero illegal foreigners.'' As for the Japan Innovation Party, it has pledged to 'accept foreigners for work purposes only if they can contribute to the growth of the Japanese economy.' Image and logo: Wikimedia The Rise of the Far-Right Immigration has become a hot topic mainly due to the rise of far-right parties. Sanseito, in particular, has been gaining traction with its 'Japanese First' slogan. In a recent survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun , in which respondents were asked to name their preferred party based on certain policies, the LDP led in everything except 'policy on foreign residents.' Sanseito received the most support in that section. Speaking at the FCCJ two weeks ago, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said the Japanese first approach wasn't 'based on xenophobia.' He added, 'We're not intending to exclude foreign workers who are here legally. We just believe cheap foreign labor's not the right way.' The right-wing party is forecast to win seven seats in electoral districts and about eight proportional representation seats. Other parties have made more controversial statements about foreigners during the election campaign. During a stump speech on July 5, Naoki Hyakuta , leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, said that foreign people 'disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings.' A day earlier, NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana described Black people and people of Islamic background as 'scary. ' Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Speaking at her regular news briefing on July 11, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike warned against 'hate speech and tendencies toward exclusion,' when she was asked about issues related to foreigners in Japan ahead of the House of Councillors election. Currently, foreign nationals account for around 3% of the total population in this country. However, the figure did reach a record high of 3.8 million last year. Related Posts NHK Leader Takashi Tachibana Calls Black and Muslim People 'Scary' Sanseito Leader Says 'Japanese First' Approach Is Not Based on Xenophobia Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan To Mock Sanseito
Japan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy
Sunday's Upper House vote will be an election of historic significance for the future of Japan. The Japanese Communist Party will do everything in its power to help voters drive the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito into a minority in the House of Councilors and bring an end to LDP rule. Like millions of voters, we call out the LDP-Komeito conservative coalition and call for equally harsh judgment of their complementary forces — Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People. As the oldest political party in Japan, we will resolutely fight against xenophobia and extreme right-wing trends. The LDP's politics are now in a terminal and critical state with the party unable to respond to domestic and international issues or the wishes of the people. Many people are suffering from rising prices, yet the LDP is completely ill-equipped. Its members offer only short-term repairs — not long-term solutions — to the surge in rice prices and rice shortages. Pensions, medical care, nursing care and social security — all are in a growing state of crisis and the ruling coalition is heading down a path that will only make things worse. Real wages have been negative for three consecutive years, yet no one is taking political responsibility to raise wages and provide relief for Japan's workers. At the root of all this is the distortion of politics that prioritizes the interests of the business world and large corporations. On the foreign-policy front, Japan's challenges are just as great. How should we deal with President Donald Trump's America? Should we continue down the path of military expansion as Washington tells us to? How should we respond to the Trump administration's unjust tariffs? Or being forced to construct a new U.S. military base in Okinawa and turn our backs on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons? Can we continue to be at the mercy of America? The JCP believes that if we want to realize the earnest wishes of the people, we need to reform the LDP's 'business-centered' politics and stop putting ourselves at the mercy of the person in the White House. The expansion of the JCP, which cuts into these two distortions, is a sure way to improve Japanese politics and our nation's standing in the world. Please help our party make a breakthrough in this historic election by voting for the JCP candidate in your area. Our basic policies have remained consistent throughout the years and always put the interests of the average Japanese worker first. As a party that has consistently advocated for the abolition of the consumption tax, the JCP will do its utmost to urgently reduce the consumption tax to 5% with the aim of abolishing it. The big problem is how to secure the funds for this. We propose ending the tax-cut handouts to large corporations, which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he regrets and has admitted are 'ineffective.' We will fund the abolishment of the consumption tax by correcting the tax cuts and preferential treatment for large corporations and the wealthy, including reviewing the preferential tax system for the wealthy commonly referred to as the '¥100-million wall' because tax burdens relative to income drop for earners of more than ¥100 million. In addition, we will promptly raise the minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, aiming for ¥1,700. To achieve this, we will impose a temporary tax on a portion of the internal reserves of large companies, which have accumulated to over ¥500 trillion, and use the resulting financial resources to support wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises. In conjunction with wage increases, we will reduce working hours and increase 'free time,' while improving the treatment of nonregular workers and eliminating unjust termination of employment. On the agricultural front, we will change the erroneous policy of forcing rice farmers to reduce their acreage and production, and promote increased rice production, ensuring a comfortable supply and demand, as well as price guarantees and income compensation for farmers. The politics of pitting the elderly against the working generation and cutting social security have increased the hardships of all generations, dampened consumption, stirred up anxiety about the future and contributed greatly to economic stagnation. We will change this and work to improve social security. In terms of political reform, we will ban corporate and organizational donations and eliminate money-based corruption. For younger people, we will aim to make tuition free up to university. We will increase public education spending to the OECD minimum level and improve poor educational conditions. We will also correct excessive competition and management in education, while creating a rent-reduction and rent-subsidy system and promoting the construction and supply of public housing. On the foreign-policy front, we will reject the Trump administration's demand for a massive military expansion, stop the creation of a warring nation based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and devote our efforts to diplomacy to build peace in East Asia. To address the climate crisis, we will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%-80% by 2035, phase out nuclear and coal-fired power plants and promote a shift to renewable energy and energy conservation. Last but not least, we will promote gender equality, including optional separate surnames for married couples, the early realization of same-sex marriage and the correction of the wage gap between men and women. We will also continue to work to eradicate discrimination and hate speech against foreign nationals, protect the rights of foreign workers and promote the revision of immigration laws in accordance with international human-rights law. Tomoko Tamura is the chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party. In the lead-up to the July 20 Upper House election, The Japan Times reached out to the nation's major political parties requesting an op-ed for our Opinion pages on why this election is so crucial and why their party deserves the citizens' vote. We are publishing all those who responded.
Japan Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Ishiba faces bad poll numbers with Upper House vote only days away
With just days left until Sunday's Upper House election, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Liberal Democratic Party are facing bad media poll numbers that suggest the ruling bloc may be at risk of losing its majority. An NHK poll released Monday showed Ishiba's approval rating at 31% compared to a June poll of 39%. Support for the LDP stood at 24%, down from 31.6% last month. If the ruling coalition — the LDP and its junior partner Komeito — loses its Upper House majority, Ishiba would face internal party pressure to resign and kickstart discussions on whether the two-party minority government can convince an opposition party to join it. The ruling coalition also lost its majority in the more powerful Lower House last October. Polls conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun and Nikkei showed the LDP and Komeito may end up with less than the 50 seats they need to maintain a majority, with the situation only getting worse with time. The Yomiuri poll, conducted from Saturday to Tuesday, showed that, of the 32 constituencies with one seat up for grabs, the LDP is ahead in only four, down from seven in an earlier poll. The party is expected to do better in districts with two or more seats contested. But candidates from the small right-leaning Sanseito party are pulling some conservative votes with their 'Japanese First' rhetoric — votes that may have otherwise gone to the LDP. The Nikkei poll, conducted from Sunday to Tuesday, meanwhile, also showed the LDP and Komeito were struggling more now than at the beginning of the campaign and that they are in danger of falling short of the necessary 50 seats. The LDP had a strong chance of winning in only five of the 32 constituencies with one seat contested, and is facing tough battles in 13 districts with multiple seats up for grabs, including Hokkaido, Saitama, Aichi and Fukuoka. For proportional representation seats, the poll showed the party could win less than the 18 seats it won in the previous 2022 Upper House election. Komeito, in which 14 members are facing re-election, also received bad news in both polls, with the Yomiuri poll saying the party could finish with around nine seats, and the Nikkei poll indicating it could win less than 10 seats. The Yomiuri poll, which got responses from about 140,000 people, was a mixture of an internet survey, conducted in collaboration with Line Yahoo, and a separate automated voice telephone survey conducted in collaboration with Nikkei. Nikkei's poll covered some 51,400 people. The papers independently compiled and analyzed the data. As for the NHK poll, conducted for three days through Sunday, the Ishiba Cabinet's disapproval rate stood at 53%, up from 50% two weeks ago, for reasons the survey did not offer. Should the LDP and Komeito lose their majority, one option for them would be to convince an opposition party to join the ruling coalition — an extremely difficult process but one that could, on paper, mean a majority of votes in parliament. Though no opposition party has expressed formal interest in joining the LDP and Komeito after the election, an Asahi Shimbun survey of 490 Upper House election candidates showed that 63% of LDP candidates said a tie-up with the Democratic Party for the People was possible, while 53% said the same for Nippon Ishin no Kai. But 84% said joining forces with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the largest opposition force, was 'unthinkable.' The survey, released on July 10, was conducted jointly with the research lab of Masaki Taniguchi, a professor of Japanese politics at the University of Tokyo, between the end of May and the beginning of July.
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First Post
10 hours ago
- Politics
- First Post
Will Japan see a new PM soon? Polls suggest Ishiba unlikely to pass this week's election test
The recent surveys indicate that the LDP and the smaller Komeito party's coalition could lose popular support and the upper house majority in the Sunday elections, where 125 out of 248 seats are up for grabs read more Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba attends a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump in the East Room at the White House in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. Reuters file Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is staring at widespread unpopularity as polls show he is less likely to pass the upcoming upper house elections, effectively ending his premiership after less than a year. Ishiba, 68, has led the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has dominated Japanese politics for decades, but saw its worst general election last year. Since the October debacle, Ishiba called the early elections after winning LDP leadership in September, his coalition has been in a minority. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This has obliged the prime minister to rely on opposition parties to pass legislation, and losing the upper house majority would put him in a bind there, too. What have polls shown? The recent surveys indicate that the LDP and the smaller Komeito party's coalition could lose popular support and the upper house majority in the Sunday elections, where 125 out of 248 seats are up for grabs. The poll, conducted by Kyodo News, says that Ishiba's ruling bloc is 'on course' to lose the majority, which would likely 'trigger calls for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's resignation.' Voters have expressed discontent over rising inflation, particularly the increase in rice prices. They have also not reacted favourably to LDP's internal scandals. The influential Nikkei business daily also said the ruling bloc was projected to 'lose significantly' and its prospects to keep the majority were in doubt. Small, opposition parties with anti-establishment messages are seen as peeling support away from the LDP. Why don't people like the ruling bloc? Last week, a poll by public broadcaster NHK showed Ishiba and his Cabinet's popularity dipping. Support for Ishiba's cabinet stood at 31 per cent, down from 34 per cent a week ago and 39 per cent in early June. To help the public cope with rising prices, Ishiba is proposing one-off cash handouts, while most opposition parties have pledged in their campaign platforms to cut or abolish the sales tax. The NHK survey showed 52 per cent of those polled prefer sales tax cuts or abolition of cash handouts, while 17 per cent said they prefer cash handouts. With inputs from agencies
Daily Express
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Express
Emulate Sarawak's decision to retain the youth age: LDP
Published on: Wednesday, July 16, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 16, 2025 Text Size: Chin believes that Sabah, which shares similar socio-economic structures, rural challenges and cultural values with Sarawak, must assert its own rights to decide youth policies that reflect its people's realities — not simply follow top-down federal directives. Kota Kinabalu: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Secretary General Datuk Chin Shu Ying on Tuesday called on the State Government to emulate Sarawak's decision to retain the youth age definition at 40 years and to reject the Federal Government's move to lower it to 30 years starting Jan 1, 2026. Sarawak's Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, has made it clear that Sarawak will not follow the federal redefinition. Advertisement Instead, it will maintain its current policy, recognising youths as individuals aged between 15 and 40 years old. This position by Sarawak not only reflects the State's constitutional autonomy over youth matters under the Concurrent List but also demonstrates a sound understanding of its own social, economic and developmental context. Chin believes that Sabah, which shares similar socio-economic structures, rural challenges and cultural values with Sarawak, must assert its own rights to decide youth policies that reflect its people's realities — not simply follow top-down federal directives. 'In Sabah, many individuals only begin to settle into their careers, complete their education, or start families in their early to mid-30s. 'For them, the ages between 30 and 40 are a critical phase of personal growth, leadership development and contribution to society. 'Hence, reducing the youth age limit to 30 would result in the exclusion of these individuals from youth-related opportunities, including funding schemes, leadership roles in youth organisations, training programmes and public engagement platforms,' he said in a statement. Chin said such exclusion would not only hinder their development but also destabilise many existing youth organisations in Sabah, especially in rural and indigenous communities where age-based mentorship and intergenerational continuity are essential. He emphasised that youth development is not simply about chronological age — it is about capacity building, empowerment and readiness. Prematurely capping this group's access to support and participation could stunt Sabah's long-term human capital growth, he added. Sarawak's implementation of a flexible model — where 70pc of youth leaders are between 18 and 40 years old, and 30pc may be older — offers a pragmatic and inclusive formula. Therefore, Chin said he believes Sabah should adopt a similar approach to balance renewal with continuity. 'Sabah has every constitutional right to chart its own course in youth affairs. The Federal Constitution provides states with concurrent authority on youth matters, and like Sarawak, Sabah should act in the best interests of its people. 'In indigenous and rural Sabahan societies, individuals aged 30 and above are still regarded as young, active and deeply involved in local leadership. Their roles are indispensable in preserving culture, guiding younger generations, and stabilizing community networks,' he said. Chin warned that blindly adopting a West Malaysia-centric model risks weakening the foundation of Sabah's community leadership and excluding a generation still in transition. 'Good governance must be rooted in local adaptability — not rigid standardisation. Therefore, I propose three key actions. First, the Sabah Government should publicly reaffirm its decision to retain the youth age limit at 40. 'Second, it should consider adopting a flexible leadership quota similar to Sarawak's. 'Third, it should initiate a consultation process involving youth organizations, indigenous groups, and experts to draft a Sabah-specific Youth Development Blueprint. 'The State Legislative Assembly should also table this issue for debate, allowing all stakeholders to present data, views, and on-the-ground experiences. Policy should not be formulated in isolation but with open, inclusive dialogue,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
