Heavyweights Jostle to Lead LDP into a Suga-Free Diet Election
September 15, 2021Author: Dr. Daniel M. Smith
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Dr. Daniel M. Smith, Gerald L. Curtis Visiting Associate Professor of Modern Japanese Politics and Foreign Policy, Columbia University In the previous post of Japan Political Pulse, Gerry Curtis asked whether Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga would survive, or “become yet another name on a long list of short lived Japanese prime ministers.” It didn’t take
LDP Fights Back to Win Big in Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election
June 30, 2021Author: Satohiro Akimoto
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Satohiro Akimoto, Chairman and President of Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA Campaigning for the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election began on June 25. A total of 271 candidates will vie for 127 seats in 42 electoral districts for 9 days until July 4, when voters will cast their ballots. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which currently has
From the Strawberry Fields of Akita to Prime Minister of Japan: Getting to Know Prime Minister Suga
September 29, 2020Author: Satohiro Akimoto
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
On September 16, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga became Japan’s first new leader in nearly eight years. He served as former Prime Minister Abe’s Chief Cabinet Secretary throughout the Abe administration. During his tenure, Mr. Suga held two press briefings a day as the government`s primary spokesperson. He became quite a popular politician, becoming known
Prime Minister Abe’s Early Departure? Not so Fast.
June 26, 2020Author: Satohiro Akimoto
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Abe`s popularity has been on the decline over his handling of the COVID-19 crisis (despite the relatively low number of infected cases in Japan), depressed economic activity resulting from the declaration of a state of emergency, and botched efforts to appoint Hiromu Kurokawa, former head of the Tokyo Public Prosecutor’s Office, to be the next prosecutor-general. The scandal of Katsuyuki and Anri Kawai on top of other existing political and economic hardships looks like too much for Abe to overcome to those who are predicting his early exit. However, at least in the short-run, the above does not look like the course which Japanese politics is likely to follow at this time. In this respect, there are four elements to be considered.
Tags: Katsuyuki Kawai, LDP, Prime Minister Abe
Japan’s Upper House Election Results: Implications for U.S.-Japan Relations
July 22, 2019On July 22, 2019, Sasakawa USA hosted Tobias Harris, Fellow for Economy, Trade, and Business at Sasakawa USA, and Dr. Andrew Oros, Professor of Political Science and International Studies at Washington College, for a policy lunch series event examining the results of Japan’s House of Councillors election and analyzing its impact on Japanese policy and U.S.-Japan relations. Ambassador James Zumwalt, CEO at Sasakawa USA, moderated the on-the-record discussion.
Tags: Abe administration, Japanese Diet, Japanese elections, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, us-japan relations