Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

japanese politics

​Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo, Japan, on December 10, 2025.
Analysis

Japan’s leader has had a tricky start. But the public loves her.

Sanae Takaichi has faced plenty of turbulence in the 50 days since she took office, yet her approval rating is sky-high.

​Japanese Prime Minister and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leader Shigeru Ishiba campaigning for the Upper House election in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo, Japan, on July 18, 2025.
Analysis

Could a hard-right party swing Japan’s election?

Less than a year after losing its majority in the lower chamber, the Liberal Democratic Party-led coalition government faces another test during the Upper House elections this Sunday.

​Japanese Prime Minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shigeru Ishiba bows to LDP lawmakers onstage after a press conference, a day after Japan's lower house election, at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, Japan October 28, 2024.
What We're Watching

It’s horse-trading season in Japan after shock election

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is promising deep internal reforms to the Liberal Democratic Party after voters delivered what he called a “severe judgment” in Sunday’s elections, costing him the majority in the lower house of Parliament.

Japan’s new PM: What to expect
ask ian

Japan’s new PM: What to expect

Will there be political fallout in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene? What were the big takeaways from President Xi's speech celebrating the 75th anniversary of the People's Republic of China? As Japan's new Prime Minister assembles his government, how will he set himself apart from former PM Kishida? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

​FILE PHOTO: Japanese Yen and U.S. dollar banknotes are seen in this illustration taken March 10, 2023.
What We're Watching

How long can Japan prop up the yen?

Japan’s currency slipped to 160 yen to the dollar on Monday, its lowest rate since 1990, triggering a government intervention and threatening Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s position.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Viewpoint

Viewpoint: How Abe still casts a shadow over Kishida in Japan

U.S. President Joe Biden with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico City.
News

What We’re Watching: Biden in Mexico, Japan's Kishida on tour, Ukraine’s eastern flank

What We’re Watching: Biden in Mexico, Japan's Kishida on tour, Ukraine’s eastern flank

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference in Tokyo, Japan.
News

Japan to go the way of the samurai: Why and at what cost?

After decades of pacifism, Japan recently announced that it will double its military budget over the next five years to become the world’s third-biggest defense spender. How did Tokyo, whose commitment to pacifism is enshrined in the country’s post-war constitution, get here?

Smoke rises after a Russian drones strike on Kyiv, Ukraine.
News

What We’re Watching: Drones over Kyiv, GOP’s advantage, Kishida’s church probe

Grief & controversy in Japan for Shinzo Abe's state funeral
Quick Take

Grief & controversy in Japan for Shinzo Abe's state funeral

Ian Bremmer reports from Tokyo, Japan, following the state funeral of Shinzo Abe, the prime minister who was assassinated some 80 days ago. An astonishing couple of weeks for the world: early last week, the funeral for Queen Elizabeth, by far the most important figure for the United Kingdom in the post-war period. Then the United Nations General Assembly, where the entire world comes together in New York, and now the first state funeral held in Japan in 55 years for Abe Shinzo, who is by far the most important figure in Japan in the post-war period.