Political News(2025/02/07)
Komeito presents multiple views on "1.03 million yen annual income barrier" and plans to resume discussions with the public
2025-02-07 22:27:00
Senior officials from the Tax System Research Councils of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss revising the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier." Komeito presented several ideas for further increasing income tax deductions, including using the rate of food price increase and welfare benefits as benchmarks, and decided to proceed with coordination toward resuming discussions with the Democratic Party for the People.
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Komeito presents multiple views on "1.03 million yen annual income barrier" and plans to resume discussions with the public
2025-02-07 21:19:00
Senior officials from the Tax System Research Councils of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss revising the "1.03 million yen annual income barrier." Komeito presented several ideas for further increasing income tax deductions, including using the rate of food price increase and welfare benefits as benchmarks, and decided to proceed with coordination toward resuming discussions with the Democratic Party for the People.
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Former Abe faction accounting officer summoned as witness over political funds: "I would like to refrain from attending"
2025-02-07 20:53:00
The accounting officer of the former Abe faction, who was called to appear as a reference person at the House of Representatives Budget Committee in the case of the LDP faction's political fundraising party, responded that he would like to refrain from attending again. At the board meeting on the 7th, the LDP indicated that it would make further efforts to see if it could set up a forum to hear the opinions of the accounting officer.
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Mayors of Niigata and Fukui "Ask the U.S. President for cooperation in resolving the abduction issue"
2025-02-07 20:46:00
The mayors of three cities in Niigata and Fukui prefectures, where abduction victims who have returned from North Korea live, met with Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi and requested that he ask President Trump for cooperation in resolving the abduction issue at the Japan-U.S. summit meeting.
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Prime Minister Ishiba plans to strengthen relations between the two countries at the Japan-U.S. summit tomorrow morning
2025-02-07 19:35:00
Prime Minister Ishiba will hold his first Japan-U.S. summit meeting with President Trump in the U.S. in the early hours of the 8th (Japan time). With President Trump promoting "America First," he hopes to share the view that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development, and to strengthen relations.
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Cabinet approves bill to "active cyber defense" that accesses the source of attacks and neutralizes them
2025-02-07 19:20:00
The government has approved a bill to introduce "active cyber defense" to prevent cyber attacks before they occur. The bill's main pillars include the police and the Self-Defense Forces gaining prior approval from an independent agency to access the source of the attack and take measures to neutralize it.
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Minister of Justice Suzuki to "consider amending the law and consult with the Legislative Council" to review the retrial system
2025-02-07 18:59:00
In order to review the retrial system, which has been criticized for prolonging proceedings, Minister of Justice Suzuki has announced that he will ask the Legislative Council to consider amending the law. The Ministry of Justice is planning to ask for advice this spring and will work quickly to determine specific items for review.
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"Government to release rice stockpile to present outline as early as next week" Agriculture Minister Eto
2025-02-07 18:37:00
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eto said that the government plans to release its stockpiles of rice as soon as possible, citing the current stagnation of rice distribution. He said that he will provide an outline of the amount to be sold at the auction next week.
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Upper House Ethics Committee: Two former Abe faction lawmakers "left it to their offices and were unaware of the failure to report tax refunds"
2025-02-07 18:17:00
Regarding the issue surrounding political fundraising parties held by LDP factions, two former Abe faction members who attended the House of Councillors Political Ethics Committee explained that they had left the sale of party tickets to their offices and were unaware that the refunds were not listed in the income and expenditure reports.
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Prime Minister Ishiba plans to strengthen relations between the two countries at the Japan-U.S. summit tomorrow morning
2025-02-07 18:12:00
Prime Minister Ishiba will hold his first Japan-U.S. summit meeting with President Trump in the U.S. in the early hours of the 8th (Japan time). With President Trump promoting "America First," he hopes to share the view that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development, and to strengthen relations.
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Democratic Party leader Noda discusses budget proposal: "We want to finalize the revised proposal by next weekend"
2025-02-07 17:36:00
Regarding deliberations on the new fiscal year budget proposal, Constitutional Democratic Party leader Noda expressed his intention to compile a revised proposal as early as next weekend, based on the amendments compiled by the party and taking into account the contents of the "ministerial review," in which specialized questioning will be conducted for each ministry.
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"Government to release rice stockpile to present outline as early as next week" Agriculture Minister Eto
2025-02-07 17:34:00
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eto said that the government plans to release its stockpiles of rice as soon as possible, citing the current stagnation of rice distribution. He said that he will provide an outline of the amount to be sold at the auction next week.
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GPIF's pension fund management results for October to December last year: 10.7 trillion yen in the black
2025-02-07 17:29:00
The Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), which manages public pension reserves, recorded a profit of over 10.7 trillion yen from October to December last year, due to rising stock prices both at home and abroad due to expectations for the policies of U.S. President Trump.
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LDP, Komeito and Nippon Ishin to discuss concrete measures to reduce social insurance premium burden
2025-02-07 17:25:00
Policy directors from the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito Party and the Japan Restoration Party met, with the Restoration Party calling for efforts to reduce the burden of social insurance premiums, such as by removing medicines with the same efficacy as over-the-counter drugs from public health insurance coverage, and confirmed that the three parties will continue to hold discussions on this issue.
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Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to consider upper limit on high-cost medical care system after hearing opinions from patient groups
2025-02-07 17:19:00
Regarding the "High-Cost Medical Care Expenses System," which aims to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of patients with high medical expenses, groups made up of cancer patients and others are calling for the government to reconsider raising the upper limit that the government is considering. Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Fukuoka has indicated his intention to directly hear the opinions of the groups in the middle of next week and consider countermeasures.
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Prime Minister Ishiba's message on Northern Territories Day: "It is regrettable that the issue has not been resolved"
2025-02-07 16:20:00
On the 7th, "Northern Territories Day," Prime Minister Ishiba sent a video message to a nationwide convention calling for the return of the islands, in which he expressed regret that the territorial issue has still not been resolved 80 years after the end of the war, and stated his intention to stick to the government's policy of resolving the issue and concluding a peace treaty.
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"Government to release rice stockpile to present outline as early as next week" Agriculture Minister Eto
2025-02-07 16:08:00
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eto said that the government plans to release its stockpiles of rice as soon as possible, citing the current stagnation of rice distribution. He said that he will provide an outline of the amount to be sold at the auction next week.
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The House of Representatives Management Committee will hold a plenary session on the 13th to hear from Prime Minister Ishiba about his visit to the United States.
2025-02-07 15:54:00
The House of Representatives' Committee on Rules and Administration met and agreed to hold a plenary session on the 13th of next week to receive a report from Prime Minister Ishiba about his visit to the United States, including the Japan-U.S. summit meeting, and to hold a question-and-answer session with each party.
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Cabinet approves bill to gradually raise teacher salary increase to 10%
2025-02-07 15:50:00
In order to improve the working conditions of teachers, the government approved a bill at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to amend the law, which includes a gradual increase in the salary surcharge provided in lieu of overtime pay from the current 4% of monthly salary to 10% over the next six years.
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Minister of Justice Suzuki to "consider amending the law and consult with the Legislative Council" to review the retrial system
2025-02-07 15:50:00
In order to review the retrial system, which has been criticized for prolonging proceedings, Minister of Justice Suzuki has announced that he will ask the Legislative Council to consider amending the law. The Ministry of Justice is planning to ask for advice this spring and will work quickly to determine specific items for review.
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Cabinet decision on amendment to "investment in Rapidus and other companies through independent administrative agencies"
2025-02-07 15:46:00
With Rapidus aiming to domestically produce advanced semiconductors in mind, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to amend the law to allow the government to invest in the company through an independent administrative institution.
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Upper House Ethics Committee: Two former Abe faction lawmakers "left it to their offices and were unaware of the failure to report tax refunds"
2025-02-07 15:05:00
Regarding the issue surrounding political fundraising parties held by LDP factions, two former Abe faction members who attended the House of Councillors Political Ethics Committee explained that they had left the sale of party tickets to their offices and were unaware that the refunds were not listed in the income and expenditure reports.
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Cabinet approves bill to "active cyber defense" that accesses the source of attacks and neutralizes them
2025-02-07 14:51:00
The government has approved a bill to introduce "active cyber defense" to prevent cyber attacks before they occur. The bill's main pillars include the police and the Self-Defense Forces gaining prior approval from an independent agency to access the source of the attack and take measures to neutralize it.
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Moritomo documents non-disclosure cancellation: focus on Ministry of Finance response
2025-02-07 14:50:00
On the 6th, the government announced that it would not appeal the ruling of the Osaka High Court, which overturned the decision not to disclose the documents related to the falsification of the Ministry of Finance's approval documents for Moritomo Gakuen without even revealing the existence of the documents. The Ministry of Finance said that it would consider whether to disclose the documents in the future, but that it would take a considerable amount of time to thoroughly examine all the documents, and therefore it would expedite the process.
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Komeito leader Saito: "Expanding the use of maiden names as common names will give couples more options"
2025-02-07 14:43:00
Komeito leader Saito reiterated his recognition of the need to introduce a system of optional separate surnames for married couples, and also showed some understanding of the expansion of the use of maiden surnames as common names, as called for within the LDP, saying that it would be an option for those who choose to have the same surname as their spouse.
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Woman who broke into Minister Iwatake Naoto's Lower House accommodation may also have visited Upper House accommodation
2025-02-07 14:26:00
In connection with an incident in January in which an unknown woman broke into the room of Foreign Minister Iwatake Naoki at the House of Representatives' members' accommodation in Akasaka, Tokyo, it was revealed at a board meeting of the House of Councillors' Rules and Administration Committee on the 7th that a person believed to be the same woman had also visited two members' accommodation in the House of Councillors.
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Government Cabinet approves amendment to Road Act to remove obstacles, etc. to strengthen disaster response
2025-02-07 13:45:00
Taking into account the fact that many roads leading to disaster-stricken areas were cut off in the Noto Peninsula earthquake, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to pass a bill to amend the Road Act, which includes provisions allowing the national government to remove road obstructions on behalf of local governments.
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"Government to release rice stockpile to present outline as early as next week" Agriculture Minister Eto
2025-02-07 12:27:00
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Eto said that the government plans to release its stockpiles of rice as soon as possible, citing the current stagnation of rice distribution. He said that he will provide an outline of the amount to be sold at the auction next week.
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Prime Minister Ishiba plans to hold Japan-U.S. summit tomorrow to strengthen relations
2025-02-07 11:57:00
Prime Minister Ishiba will hold his first Japan-U.S. summit meeting with President Trump in the U.S. in the early hours of the 8th (Japan time). With President Trump promoting "America First," he hopes to share the view that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development, and to strengthen relations.
TOP
Cabinet decision on amendment to "investment in Rapidus and other companies through independent administrative agencies"
2025-02-07 11:55:00
With Rapidus aiming to domestically produce advanced semiconductors in mind, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to amend the law to allow the government to invest in the company through an independent administrative institution.
TOP
Cabinet approves bill to "active cyber defense" that accesses the source of attacks and neutralizes them
2025-02-07 11:40:00
The government has approved a bill to introduce "active cyber defense" to prevent cyber attacks before they occur. The bill's main pillars include the police and the Self-Defense Forces gaining prior approval from an independent agency to access the source of the attack and take measures to neutralize it.
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Minister of Justice Suzuki to "consider amending the law and consult with the Legislative Council" to review the retrial system
2025-02-07 11:32:00
In order to review the retrial system, which has been criticized for prolonging proceedings, Minister of Justice Suzuki has announced that he will ask the Legislative Council to consider amending the law. The Ministry of Justice is planning to ask for advice this spring and will work quickly to determine specific items for review.
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Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to consider upper limit on high-cost medical care system after hearing opinions from patient groups
2025-02-07 11:16:00
Regarding the "High-Cost Medical Care Expenses System," which aims to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses of patients with high medical expenses, groups made up of cancer patients and others are calling for the government to reconsider raising the upper limit that the government is considering. Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Fukuoka has indicated his intention to directly hear the opinions of the groups in the middle of next week and consider countermeasures.
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Prime Minister Ishiba arrives in the US for Japan-US summit meeting tomorrow
2025-02-07 11:15:00
Prime Minister Ishiba just arrived in Washington, D.C., and will meet with President Trump for the first Japan-U.S. summit meeting in the early hours of the 8th, Japan time. As President Trump advocates a policy of "America First," he hopes to build a relationship based on the shared recognition that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development.
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Agriculture Minister Eto to present outline of government rice stockpile release next week
2025-02-07 10:51:00
At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting on the 7th, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto revealed his intention to provide an outline of the amount of rice to be sold at auction as early as next week in preparation for the release of the government's stockpiled rice. The timing of the actual bidding has not yet been decided. As rice prices continue to rise, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries last month reviewed its operation to allow the release of stockpiled rice, which had previously been limited to severe crop failures or disasters, to be allowed even in cases where it is determined that rice distribution is stagnating.
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Minister of Justice Suzuki to "consider amending the law and consult with the Legislative Council" to review the retrial system
2025-02-07 10:48:00
In order to review the retrial system, which has been criticized for prolonging proceedings, Minister of Justice Suzuki has announced that he will ask the Legislative Council to consider amending the law. The Ministry of Justice is planning to ask for advice this spring and will work quickly to determine specific items for review.
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Prime Minister Ishiba's Activities February 6, 2025
2025-02-07 10:30:00
(Prime Minister Ishiba's Activities February 6, 2025)
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Cabinet approves bill to reduce university fees for households with three or more children
2025-02-07 10:22:00
As part of measures to combat the declining birthrate, the government approved a bill at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to establish a system to reduce or waive entrance fees and tuition fees for universities and other institutions, starting in April of this year, for households with three or more dependent children.
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Cabinet approves bill to gradually raise teacher salary increase to 10%
2025-02-07 10:08:00
In order to improve the working conditions of teachers, the government approved a bill at a cabinet meeting on the 7th to amend the law, which includes a gradual increase in the salary surcharge provided in lieu of overtime pay from the current 4% of monthly salary to 10% over the next six years.
TOP
Prime Minister Ishiba arrives in the US for Japan-US summit meeting tomorrow
2025-02-07 07:27:00
Prime Minister Ishiba just arrived in Washington, D.C., and will meet with President Trump for the first Japan-U.S. summit meeting in the early hours of the 8th, Japan time. As President Trump advocates a policy of "America First," he hopes to build a relationship based on the shared recognition that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development.
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Discussions among LDP, Komeito and Nippon Ishin over timing of free high school tuition at private schools
2025-02-07 05:41:00
Discussions between the Liberal Democratic Party, the Komeito Party and the Japan Restoration Party over the free tuition for high schools have been fraught with differences in opinion over the timing of making private high schools free, and policy chiefs from the three parties will meet on the 7th. With an eye on revisions to the new fiscal year budget proposal, the focus is on whether they can come to an agreement by the middle of this month.
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Moritomo documents non-disclosure cancellation: focus on Ministry of Finance response
2025-02-07 05:10:00
On the 6th, the government announced that it would not appeal the ruling of the Osaka High Court, which overturned the decision not to disclose the documents related to the falsification of the Ministry of Finance's approval documents for Moritomo Gakuen without even revealing the existence of the documents. The Ministry of Finance said that it would consider whether to disclose the documents in the future, but that it would take a considerable amount of time to thoroughly examine all the documents, and therefore it would expedite the process.
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Prime Minister Ishiba wants to build relations with US President Donald Trump at Japan-US summit
2025-02-07 05:03:00
Prime Minister Ishiba will soon arrive in Washington, D.C., and will hold his first Japan-U.S. summit meeting with President Trump in the early hours of the 8th, Japan time. As President Trump advocates a policy of "America First," he hopes to build a relationship based on the shared recognition that cooperation between Japan and the U.S. in a wide range of fields will lead to world peace and development.
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