2025-03-18 23:32:00
Regarding political reform, the outline of a bill compiled by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japan Restoration Party to ban corporate and group donations has been revealed, which will completely ban donations from companies and labor unions and set an annual cap of 60 million yen on donations from political groups formed by industry associations and the like.
2025-03-18 22:23:00
Prime Minister Ishiba met with President Simina of the Pacific island nation of Micronesia, who is visiting Japan, and confirmed that the two countries will cooperate to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific, with China's strengthening maritime expansion in mind.
2025-03-18 21:39:00
Constitutional Democratic Party lawmakers, who aim to eliminate the consumption tax on food products, will be compiling a draft plan next month on the scope of coverage and funding sources, and will begin concrete discussions on the plan, in order to include it in the party's campaign pledges for the House of Councillors election this summer.
2025-03-18 20:52:00
Following the agreement reached among the three parties, the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito and the Japan Restoration Party held the first meeting of a council on the topic of social security reform, focusing on practitioners to consider specific measures such as reducing the burden of social insurance premiums, and confirmed that they would finalize their ideas by mid-May.
2025-03-18 18:53:00
Foreign Minister Iwaya announced that a Japan-China-South Korea foreign ministers' meeting will be held in Tokyo on the 22nd of this month. A Japan-China foreign ministers' meeting is also planned, and Iwaya expressed his hope that this will lead to the resolution of pending issues and strengthening cooperation.
2025-03-18 18:40:00
Senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met and pointed out that the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP lawmakers who had only been elected once is a sign of the arrogance of a long-term government, and that it is necessary to explain until the public understands. The Liberal Democratic Party also conveyed to the Constitutional Democratic Party that it is its intention that Prime Minister Ishiba will not request to appear before the House of Representatives Political Ethics Committee.
2025-03-18 17:48:00
A bill to introduce "active cyber defense" to prevent cyber attacks has been put on the floor of the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Ishiba emphasized that the government will only be able to obtain communications information if certain requirements are met, and that the information will not be used to monitor the actions of citizens.
2025-03-18 16:41:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 15:53:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 15:38:00
It has been discovered that the city of Suzaka in Nagano Prefecture has been offering non-locally produced Shine Muscat grapes as a return gift for hometown tax donations. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided to conduct detailed interviews with the city, as it is possible that the city was aware that the origin of the grapes was being falsified but continued to accept donations.
2025-03-18 15:05:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 14:45:00
As the Trump administration in the United States considers imposing reciprocal tariffs and automobile tariffs next month, the Japanese government will soon begin working-level consultations with the U.S. government. We will continue to call for Japan to be excluded from the series of tariff measures, and we also hope to explore the U.S. side's requests to Japan and find a way to avoid raising tariffs.
2025-03-18 14:27:00
Prime Minister Ishiba met with South African Vice President Mashatile, who is visiting Japan, and conveyed his desire to work together to ensure the success of events such as the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in August this year.
2025-03-18 14:04:00
Regarding the domestically produced missiles that the government plans to deploy by the end of March next year, which will also be used as a "counterattack capability," Defense Minister Nakatani said that the specific deployment locations have not been decided, but indicated that once a decision is made, appropriate information will be provided to local governments and others.
2025-03-18 13:33:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 13:31:00
Regarding the new system under which central government officials will support local government efforts to revitalize regional areas, Minister Ito expressed his hope that this will lead to local governments resolving regional issues.
2025-03-18 12:34:00
The government has decided to spend approximately 61.5 billion yen from its reserve fund to cover the costs of snow removal operations following this winter's heavy snowfall and responding to the large-scale road collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture.
2025-03-18 12:30:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 12:02:00
The government has decided to spend approximately 61.5 billion yen from its reserve fund to cover the costs of snow removal operations following this winter's heavy snowfall and responding to the large-scale road collapse in Yashio City, Saitama Prefecture.
2025-03-18 11:57:00
Senior officials from the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito Party met to discuss the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates to the offices of LDP members who have only been elected once, with the Komeito Party pointing out that this is a manifestation of the arrogance of a long-term government and that it is necessary to provide as many explanations as possible until the public understands.
2025-03-18 11:45:00
It has been discovered that the city of Suzaka in Nagano Prefecture has been offering non-locally produced Shine Muscat grapes as a return gift for hometown tax donations. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has decided to conduct detailed interviews with the city, as it is possible that the city was aware that the origin of the grapes was being falsified but continued to accept donations.
2025-03-18 11:29:00
As digitalization progresses, the government has noted an increase in complex consumer troubles involving social media and the internet. In order to prevent malicious and serious damage that exploits consumer vulnerabilities, the government decided at a cabinet meeting on the "Basic Consumer Plan" for the next five years, starting from the new fiscal year. This plan includes reviewing the legal system and promoting education to prevent such problems before they occur.
2025-03-18 11:26:00
The government has decided on a new plan to use ships to provide medical care in the event of a large-scale disaster. Prime Minister Ishiba has instructed his cabinet to expedite preparations for the launch of the system by January next year.
2025-03-18 11:17:00
Regarding the government's approval of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings' provisional business plan, which is facing a difficult business situation, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Muto stated his intention to call for continued consideration of measures to improve the company's financial situation in order to achieve stable management.
2025-03-18 10:37:00
Regarding the fact that rice prices have continued to rise even after the announcement of the release of stockpiled rice, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Eto expressed hope that distribution and prices will stabilize, including with the second release of stockpiled rice scheduled for the near future.
2025-03-18 10:29:00
As the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan reaches a record high, Prime Minister Ishiba has instructed relevant cabinet ministers to compile a new plan to achieve the goal of increasing the number of foreign tourists to 60 million by 2030.
2025-03-18 10:16:00
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) plans to continue pursuing the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing 100,000 yen worth of gift certificates to the offices of LDP lawmakers who have only been elected once, including by demanding a thorough explanation. Prime Minister Ishiba hopes to resolve the situation by continuing to provide a thorough explanation, leading to the passage of the new fiscal year budget bill within the fiscal year.
2025-03-18 10:12:00
The government has decided on a new plan to use ships to provide medical care in the event of a large-scale disaster. Prime Minister Ishiba has instructed his cabinet to expedite preparations for the launch of the system by January next year.
2025-03-18 08:50:00
Prime Minister Ishiba's Activities (March 17, 2025)
2025-03-18 04:52:00
The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) plans to continue pursuing the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing 100,000 yen worth of gift certificates to the offices of LDP lawmakers who have only been elected once, including by demanding a thorough explanation. Prime Minister Ishiba hopes to resolve the situation by continuing to provide a thorough explanation, leading to the passage of the new fiscal year budget bill within the fiscal year.
2025-03-18 00:21:00
American retail sales, which also affect stock prices and exchange rates, were announced and showed a 0.2% increase from the previous month (February). However, this was well below market expectations of an increase of around 0.6%, and there is a sense of caution in the market about an economic slowdown.
