Latest Articles and Insights

Lower House dissolved, Election to be held on 22 Oct

The House of Representatives was dissolved at the beginning of the Extraordinary Diet session today.  Towards the general election held on 22 October, the ruling and opposition parties will go into a fierce battle for the house's 475 seats.  The surprise move of the Democratic Party to be merged to the newly formed party,  "Party of Hope" led by Tokyo Governor Koike, gets the whip-hand over the wild election.

PM Abe Officially Announces to Dissolve the Lower House on 9/28

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced to dissolve the House of Representatives on 28 September at a press conference held today. The general election will be officially announced on 10 October and held on 22 October. He revealed his new goal, which is the economic policy focusing on the better education and child care and the more effective productivity, as one of the main agenda of the election.   

PM Abe to Dissolve the Lower House on 9/28 and Call a Snap Election on 10/22

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe seems to have decided to dissolve the House of Representatives as he convenes the Extraordinary Diet Session on 28 September.  It was said that the House would be dissolved in mid-November, considering by-elections for the House of Representatives scheduled in October and US President Donald Trump's visit in early November.

The Extraordinary Diet Session to be Convened on 9/28

The next Extraordinary Diet Session will be convened on Thursday, 28 September.  The government and the ruling party was targeting 25 September initially; however, considering the Emperor's schedule and Prime Minister Abe's visit to the UN, they concluded to open the session later than planned.  In addition to Work-style reform, the bills on constitutional reform and the Integrated Resorts seem to be deliberated.  For more details, please see the article on Mainichi Shimbun (Japanese only) from the link below.

DP Elects Maehara as the Party's New Leader

Seiji Maehara, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was elected as a new leader of the Democratic Party (DP) today.  At the contest, Maehara won 502 points, about 60% of the votes, while his rival candidate Yukio Edano gained 332.  His predecessor, Renho, resigned from the position taking a responsibility of the party's crushing defeat in the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in July.  Maeara takes it over with an expectation to reorganize the party to win the by-elections for the House of Representatives in October.

Japan and UK Move Forward to Get Ready for Bilateral FTA Talk

Prime Minister Abe and British Prime Minister May agreed to accelerate a preparation for the bilateral free trade negotiations at the joint press conference last night. They also reached an agreement to establish a new ministerial-level framework for a tighter relationship, looking ahead Brexit.

DP Presidential Candidates Debate How They Would Reconstruct the Party

Ahead of the party's Presidential Election on 1 September, the two candidates, Seiji Maehara and Yukio Edano of the Democratic Party (DP), discussed how they would regain support for DP and lead the opposition parties against the ruling party at a press conference by the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (FCCJ) today.  They also exchanged their views on the issues on North Korea, the economic policies, and the nuclear energy.  Please see the image above for the video clip of the entire press conference (with the simultaneous Japanese interpretation).

GR Japan Analyses the Upcoming Democratic Party Presidential Election

GR Japan published an analysis on the Democratic Party Presidential Election. Followed by the sudden resignation by its president Renho on 27 July, the Democratic Party (DP) decided to cast a vote for her replacement on 1 September.  While Seiji Maehara and Yukio Edano have already announced their candidates, Yuichiro Tamaki and Akira Nagashima are rumored to run for the election. Who would  lead the party next and how will he pull it together?  For more details, please see the attached report.

GR Japan Analysis on the 3rd Abe Cabinet

GR Japan analyzed Prime Minister Abe's third cabinet, which was formed on 3 August. Looking for a fix to recover the low supporting rate, Prime Minister Abe played it safe by choosing 13 out of 19 cabinet members who have previously served as ministers. Please check the attached to learn more about the new cabinet and  GR Japan's overall analysis. 

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