2024-12-04 23:42:00
Prime Minister Ishiba met with Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson, who is visiting Japan, and issued a joint statement in which they upgraded the relationship between the two countries to a "strategic partnership" and announced that they would strengthen cooperation in a wide range of areas, including politics, economy, and security.
2024-12-04 21:14:00
Regarding tax reforms for next fiscal year, LDP Tax System Research Committee Chairman Miyazawa indicated that the ruling coalition will first finalize the content of the reforms, with the exception of items such as a review of the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier," and then hold discussions among the three parties, including the Democratic Party for the People.
2024-12-04 20:57:00
The Democratic Party for the People held a general meeting of both houses of parliament on the 4th of this month and decided to suspend Representative Tamaki, whose affair with a woman has been reported, for three months from the 4th, citing political ethics as a violation of the party's responsibilities. During the suspension, Acting Representative Furukawa will assume the duties of the representative.
2024-12-04 20:38:00
Regarding the treatment of probation officers, who support the rehabilitation of people who have completed their prison sentences, former LDP president and former Minister of Justice, Tanigaki Sadakazu, visited the party headquarters and requested an increase in the budget, citing the need to create an environment in which probation officers can carry out their work with peace of mind, in light of incidents in which they have been victimized.
2024-12-04 20:03:00
Regarding political reform, seven opposition parties, including the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, have jointly submitted a bill to the House of Representatives that includes the abolition of "policy activity expenses," citing the need to increase transparency in political funding and restore trust in politics.
2024-12-04 19:53:00
Following the November sentence of a former executive of a Communist Party-affiliated newspaper to seven years in prison after he was detained immediately after meeting with Japanese Embassy officials in Beijing and charged with espionage, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reassured the Chinese side that the activities of Japanese diplomats were legitimate business.
2024-12-04 19:31:00
Representative questions were asked in the afternoon plenary session of the House of Councillors, with debates taking place on issues such as wage increases, tax reform, and the relationship between politics and money.
2024-12-04 19:26:00
Regarding the issue of politics and money, a meeting of steering committee members of the House of Councillors Political Ethics Committee was held, and it was reported that of the 27 LDP members who had indicated their intention to attend the committee due to non-disclosure in their income and expenditure reports, 23 had requested that their accounts be kept confidential.
2024-12-04 18:50:00
The Democratic Party for the People held a general meeting of both houses of parliament on the 4th of this month and decided to suspend Representative Tamaki, whose affair with a woman has been reported, for three months from the 4th, citing political ethics as a violation of the party's responsibilities. During the suspension, Acting Representative Furukawa will assume the duties of the representative.
2024-12-04 18:31:00
Representative questions were asked in the afternoon plenary session of the House of Councillors, with debates taking place on issues such as wage increases, tax reform, and the relationship between politics and money.
2024-12-04 17:24:00
As efforts to establish international rules to prevent countries from competing to lower corporate taxes, the government and ruling parties plan to strengthen measures against tax evasion by expanding the scope of the tax system that Japan introduced this fiscal year to include companies with parent companies overseas.
2024-12-04 17:05:00
The government has decided to establish a new council, with all cabinet ministers as members, to work together to dispose of soil produced during decontamination work following the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.
2024-12-04 15:51:00
In preparation for further revision of the Political Funds Control Act, the Liberal Democratic Party has drawn up the outline of a bill that would abolish policy activity expenses, while including provisions for the National Diet's Political Funds Committee to audit expenditures that require special consideration regarding disclosure, such as those related to diplomatic secrets.
2024-12-04 15:49:00
At a House of Representatives ruling and opposition party council meeting to discuss the nature of the former correspondence expenses, now known as the "research, study and public relations living expenses," a chairperson's proposal was presented that would require the disclosure of how the funds were used every year and the return of any remaining amounts. Discussions will now be held with the aim of amending the law during the current Diet session.
2024-12-04 14:45:00
The Democratic Party for the People held a general meeting of both houses of parliament on the 4th of this month and decided to suspend Representative Tamaki, whose affair with a woman has been reported, for three months from the 4th, citing political ethics as a violation of the party's responsibilities. During the suspension, Acting Representative Furukawa will assume the duties of the representative.
2024-12-04 14:16:00
The Democratic Party for the People held a general meeting of both houses of parliament on the 4th of this month and decided to suspend Representative Tamaki, whose affair with a woman has been reported, for three months from the 4th, citing political ethics as a violation of the party's responsibilities. During the suspension, Acting Representative Furukawa will assume the duties of the representative.
2024-12-04 14:10:00
Regarding the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, the ruling party's project team began work on the 4th to select one of three route proposals for the "Obama-Kyoto Route." They plan to hold hearings with JR West and local governments along the line and make a selection by the end of the year.
2024-12-04 13:55:00
Regarding the review of the "High-cost Medical Care System," the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has presented a trial calculation of how raising the upper limit of patients' out-of-pocket expenses would affect those who pay insurance premiums. It has estimated that a maximum increase of 15% would reduce the burden from 1,200 yen to 5,600 yen per person per year.
2024-12-04 13:36:00
The ruling and opposition parties have formally agreed to begin deliberations on this year's supplementary budget bill, which will serve as the backing for new economic measures, with a fiscal speech and question-and-answer session from each party at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on the 9th of next week.
2024-12-04 13:18:00
Regarding the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka, the ruling party's project team began work on the 4th to select one of three route proposals for the "Obama-Kyoto Route." They plan to hold hearings with JR West and local governments along the line and make a selection by the end of the year.
2024-12-04 13:04:00
The Democratic Party for the People has decided to suspend its leader, Tamaki, from his posts for three months, effective from the 4th, after reports of an affair with a woman emerged.
2024-12-04 12:51:00
Seven ruling and opposition parties held talks on political reform, and with regard to the handling of corporate and group donations, the Liberal Democratic Party expressed the view that transparency should be increased rather than banned, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan insisted that the law be amended in the current Diet session to ban them, and the two parties were unable to reach an agreement.
2024-12-04 12:36:00
In the Diet, the House of Councillors held a representative question session on Prime Minister Ishiba's policy speech, following the one held on the 3rd. In response to the opposition parties' pointing out the need to thoroughly investigate the facts regarding the politics and money issue at the Political Ethics Committee, which is expected to be attended by 27 LDP lawmakers, Prime Minister Ishiba reiterated his recognition that it is important for each and every lawmaker to fulfill his or her responsibility to explain.
2024-12-04 12:19:00
Seven ruling and opposition parties held talks on political reform, and with regard to the handling of corporate and group donations, the Liberal Democratic Party expressed the view that transparency should be increased rather than banned, while the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan insisted that the law be amended in the current Diet session to ban them, and the two parties were unable to reach an agreement.
2024-12-04 12:13:00
In the Diet, the House of Councillors held a representative question session on Prime Minister Ishiba's policy speech, following the one held on the 3rd. In response to the opposition parties' pointing out the need to thoroughly investigate the facts regarding the politics and money issue at the Political Ethics Committee, which is expected to be attended by 27 LDP lawmakers, Prime Minister Ishiba reiterated his recognition that it is important for each and every lawmaker to fulfill his or her responsibility to explain.
2024-12-04 12:02:00
Minister for Foreign Affairs Iwasaki delivered a speech at a forum to discuss issues between Japan and China, and expressed his intention to visit China as soon as possible to meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi in order to resolve outstanding issues between the two countries and expand cooperation, and to arrange for Foreign Minister Wang Yi to visit Japan at an appropriate time.
2024-12-04 11:55:00
The Democratic Party for the People is making arrangements to suspend Representative Tamaki from his posts for three months, in accordance with the party rules and regulations, following reports of an extramarital affair with a woman.
2024-12-04 09:26:00
(Prime Minister Ishiba's Activities, December 3, 2024) 06:13 Departure from House of Representatives accommodation in Akasaka, Tokyo 06:16 Arrival at the Prime Minister's Official Residence 06:17 Meeting with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki Kazuhiko (until 07:33) 07:34 Departure from the Prime Minister's Official Residence on foot 07:35 Arrival at the Prime Minister's Official Residence 07:43 Meeting with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki (until 07:57) 07:58 Meeting with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tachibana Keiichiro (until 08:56) 09:01 Cabinet meeting (until 09:12) 09:17 Noto Peninsula Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction Support Headquarters (until 09:28) 09:52 Departure from the Prime Minister's Official Residence 09:53 Arrival at the Diet 09:55 Enters the House of Councillors Speaker's reception room 09:57 Leaves the room 09:58 Enters the House of Councillors plenary session hall 09:59 Talked with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (until 10:00). 10:01. Opening of the House of Councillors plenary session. 11:56. Adjourned. Leaves the plenary session hall. 11:58. Leaves the Diet. 12:00. Arrives at the Prime Minister's Office. 12:02. Receives a resolution calling for a fundamental strengthening of diplomatic power from LDP Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Takeshi Hoshino and Foreign Affairs Research Council Chairman Hirofumi Nakasone (until 12:18). 13:01. Met with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Tachibana (until 13:25). 13:51. Leaves the Prime Minister's Office. 13:53. Arrives at the Diet. 13:54. Enters the House of Representatives Speaker's reception room. 14:00. Leaves the room. Enter the House of Representatives plenary session 14:02 House of Representatives plenary session opens 18:04 House of Representatives plenary session adjourns 18:05 Leave the House of Representatives plenary session 18:06 Leave the Diet 18:08 Arrive at the Prime Minister's Office 18:21 Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy (until 19:02) 19:11 Courtesy call from World Economic Forum President Brende (until 19:26) 19:30 Meeting with Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Aoki (until 20:30) 20:31 Meeting with the LDP Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi (until 20:38) 22:19 Leave the Prime Minister's Office 22:24 Arrive at the LDP Diet accommodation
2024-12-04 08:11:00
Foreign Minister Iwaki spoke by telephone with European Union High Representative Kallas and confirmed the intention to work closely together, taking into account the ongoing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea.
2024-12-04 06:13:00
Regarding the treatment of corporate and group donations, which is a focus of discussion on political reform, the ruling party is prepared to take time to reach a conclusion, stating that the opinions of experts should also be heard, while many opposition parties are arguing that the law should be amended in the current Diet session to ban donations, making it difficult to reach an agreement at the ruling and opposition party talks on the 4th.
2024-12-04 06:11:00
The Democratic Party for the People is planning to decide on a response on the 4th regarding its leader, Tamaki, who has been reported to have had an affair with a woman, based on the results of an investigation by the party's ethics committee.
