Japan PM | DD News

January 19, 2026 9:36 PM

Japan’s snap election and tax pledge keep nation’s finances in spotlight

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Monday called a snap general election with a vow to suspend an 8% food levy for two years, echoing proposals by her rivals despite the potential strain on the country's already precarious finances. A consumption tax cut that many opposition parties have also proposed would create a huge hole in state revenue at a time when concern over Japan's fiscal health is pushing up bond yields to multi-decade highs. Japan levies an 8% consumption tax on food and ...

January 14, 2026 6:34 PM

Why Japan’s Takaichi is gambling on an early election?

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve parliament's lower house next week, triggering a national election to decide all 465 seats in her first major election test since taking office in October. She will announce details of the election on Monday, ruling Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shunichi Suzuki said. WHY CALL AN ELECTION NOW? Japan's first female premier inherited a battered government, with the LDP having lost its majority in both houses of parliament after...

January 14, 2026 5:54 PM

Japan PM readies snap election, February 8 ballot eyed

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi plans to dissolve parliament next week and call a snap parliamentary election, the secretary general of her party said on Wednesday, as she seeks public backing for spending plans that have rattled financial markets. Takaichi is considering holding the election on February 8, two ruling party lawmakers said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter. "We need to seek a fresh mandate," Shunichi Suzuki, secretary general of the Liberal Democr...

October 21, 2025 12:25 PM

PM Modi congratulates Japan’s newly-elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended congratulations to Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s newly-elected and first woman Prime Minister. He emphasized that the ever-strengthening partnership between India and Japan plays a vital role in ensuring peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific region and beyond. In a post on X, PM Modi said, “Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan. I look forward to working closely with you to fur...

October 10, 2025 5:45 PM

Japan ruling party outlook darkens after coalition partner quits

Japan's Komeito quit the ruling coalition on Friday, dealing a blow to new Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi's premiership bid and potentially to her party's grip on power in the world's fourth-largest economy. TAKAICHI'S PM BID JUST GOT HARDER The LDP-Komeito coalition had lost its combined majority in both houses of parliament over the past year under outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Takaichi, however, was widely expected to have a solid chance of becoming Japan's first ...

September 30, 2025 6:34 PM

South Korea’s Lee, outgoing Japan PM Ishiba hold talks on global trade, North Korea

The leaders of South Korea and Japan agreed on Tuesday to work together to tackle global trade turmoil while reaffirming their commitment to denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula, a South Korean presidential spokesperson said. President Lee Jae Myung hosted Japan's outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on a goodwill visit to highlight the neighbours' commitment to improve once-frosty ties and cooperate more closely on trade. "The two leaders shared the view that ... Korea and Japan, as nei...

September 8, 2025 8:37 AM

Japan PM Shigeru Ishiba resigns after party’s poor poll performance

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Sunday announced his decision to step down, bowing to mounting pressure within the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to take responsibility for back-to-back electoral setbacks, thus bringing an end to his 11-month tenure, according to local media reports. "I have decided to resign from my position as president of the Liberal Democratic Party," 68-year-old Ishiba declared during a televised press conference. "I have told Secretary-General Moriyama to carry...

August 29, 2025 4:57 PM

PM Modi, Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba participate in India-Japan Annual Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shigeru Ishiba on Friday participated in the 15th India–Japan Annual Summit at Kantei, the official residence of the Japanese PM. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, India’s Ambassador to Japan Sibi George, and other senior officials were also present. PM Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome and a Guard of Honour at Kantei before the summit discussions. Earlier in the day, PM Modi and Prime ...

July 21, 2025 9:39 AM

Japan’s shaky government loses upper house control

Japan's ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in an election on Sunday, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power even as he vowed to remain party leader, citing a looming tariff deadline with the United States. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Ishiba's administration will fall, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition pa...

September 27, 2024 1:03 PM

Veteran lawmaker Ishiba set to become Japan PM

Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba was set on Friday to become Japan's next prime minister after winning a closely fought contest in his fifth and final attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The 67-year-old prevailed over hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote in what was one of the most unpredictable leadership elections in decades with a record nine candidates in the field. The leader of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war era, is e...