Prime Minister Abe’s Early Departure? Not so Fast.
Author: 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
On 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
Cabinet reshuffle brings no boost to Abe but public support is stable as he starts third term
Author: Tobias Harris
Categories: Japan Political Pulse
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, fresh off his successful bid for a third term as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in the September 20, 2018, party election, announced a new lineup for his cabinet and for the LDP’s leadership on October 2, 2018. Three polls conducted October 2-3, after the reshuffle, found that the public’s reaction to the new cabinet was lukewarm at best.
Tags: Japan, japan political pulse, Japanese politics, Japanese polls, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris
Post-LDP Leadership Election: What’s Next for Japanese Politics?
Tobias Harris, Sasakawa USA Fellow for Business, Economy and Trade, was joined by Prof. Toshihiro Nakayama, Japan Fellow at the Wilson Center, for a September 21, 2018, policy lunch talk on the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) presidential elections held the previous day. The discussion was moderated by Sayuri Romei, Sasakawa USA’s Associate Fellow for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Tags: Abe, Abenomics, Japan, japan political pulse, LDP, Liberal Democratic Party, Shinzo Abe, tobias harris, us-japan alliance, us-japan relations
Roundtable with Diet member Katsuyuki Kawai on U.S.-North Korea Summit Diplomacy
Sasakawa USA hosted Mr. Katsuyuki Kawai, Liberal Democratic Party Diet member and Special Advisor for Foreign Affairs to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on July 2, 2018, for a speech and discussion entitled “U.S.-North Korea Summit from Japan’s Point of View: Big Shockwaves from A Small Singapore Island.” Sasakawa USA Associate Fellow for Security and Foreign Affairs, Sayuri Romei, introduced Kawai and moderated the discussion section of his visit.
Tags: Abe, foreign policy, Japan, LDP, North Korea, security, Shinzo Abe, us-japan alliance