2025-03-21 21:40:00
Prime Minister Ishiba met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yol, who are both visiting Japan, and conveyed his intention to build a future-oriented cooperative relationship with both countries through dialogue, although difficult issues sometimes arise as neighbors.
2025-03-21 20:54:00
At a press conference on the 21st, Gunma Governor Yamamoto touched on the issue of Prime Minister Ishiba distributing gift certificates, saying, "I myself was in that kind of culture, and I may have received them without question when I was a member of the House of Councillors."
2025-03-21 20:14:00
Prime Minister Ishiba met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yol, who are both visiting Japan, and conveyed his intention to build a future-oriented cooperative relationship with both countries through dialogue, although difficult issues sometimes arise as neighbors.
2025-03-21 18:58:00
Regarding the issue of gift certificate distribution, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he was explaining the situation sincerely, and indicated that if the explanation was not satisfactory, he might appear before the Political Ethics Committee. He also emphasized that he was not in a position to definitively answer whether the distribution of gift certificates had been a practice under previous cabinets.
2025-03-21 18:51:00
Mayor Atsushi Seki of Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture, who was found guilty of power harassment against employees, was voted no-confidence for the second time by the city council on the 21st and will lose his job. At a press conference, Mayor Seki stated his intention to run in the mayoral election to be held within 50 days.
2025-03-21 18:19:00
Juro Saito, who served as the President of the House of Councillors and Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, passed away on the 17th of this month. He was 85 years old.
2025-03-21 18:07:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 17:14:00
The total amount of special earthquake disaster reconstruction grants being provided this fiscal year to support the finances of local governments affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake is 75 billion yen, an increase of 4.6% from the previous fiscal year.
2025-03-21 17:07:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 17:07:00
The government has decided on a new basic plan to combat gambling addiction. In response to online casinos, the plan includes strengthening regulations on payment agents used by customers to transfer bets.
2025-03-21 16:56:00
Special grants from the national government to local governments this fiscal year increased 11.3% from the previous fiscal year to 1.2597 trillion yen, due in part to disaster-related expenses such as the recovery from the Noto Peninsula earthquake, which are the second largest ever.
2025-03-21 16:09:00
Regarding the handling of corporate and organizational donations, the House of Representatives Special Committee on Political Reform has begun deliberations on a bill jointly submitted by the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Restoration Party and others to completely ban donations from companies and labor unions.
2025-03-21 15:41:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 15:27:00
NHK's budget for the new fiscal year 2025 was approved by a majority vote from both the ruling and opposition parties at a plenary session of the House of Representatives on the 21st.
2025-03-21 15:11:00
Regarding the bill to introduce "active cyber defense" to prevent cyber attacks before they occur, Digital Minister Taira expressed the view that measures taken by the police and the Self-Defense Forces to neutralize servers and other equipment located overseas are permitted under international law.
2025-03-21 15:07:00
Regarding the handling of corporate and organizational donations, senior officials of the Komeito and Democratic Party for the People held discussions and decided to draw up a bill to strengthen regulations, including setting strict standards to narrow down the party branches that can receive donations, and then consider submitting it to the Diet.
2025-03-21 15:04:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 14:27:00
Hyogo Prefecture Governor Hiroshi Saito said he would like to carefully examine the contents of a report compiled by a third-party committee commissioned by the prefecture that acknowledged the governor's acts of power harassment and found his response to the whistleblower documents illegal, and then explain his view on the matter after the prefectural assembly closes next week.
2025-03-21 14:06:00
Liberal Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives, Toshitaka Ooka, revealed that after being first elected in the 2012 House of Representatives election, he received gift certificates in conjunction with a dinner held at the Prime Minister's official residence during the second Abe administration.
2025-03-21 13:22:00
As part of measures to combat the declining birthrate, a proposed amendment to the law to create a system to reduce or waive entrance fees and tuition fees for universities and other institutions from the new academic year for households raising three or more children was passed by a majority vote of both the ruling and opposition parties in a plenary session of the House of Representatives on the 21st and sent to the House of Councillors.
2025-03-21 13:00:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 12:03:00
On the 21st, the House of Councillors Budget Committee held an intensive debate, during which the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan pointed out that Prime Minister Ishiba may have been aware that it was illegal to hand out gift certificates prior to the dinner. In response, Prime Minister Ishiba stated that he had been careful to ensure that the gift certificates would not become baggage, and reiterated his view that there was no legal problem.
2025-03-21 11:35:00
Regarding the job-hunting process for students entering the workforce in the spring of 2027, the year after next, the government has issued a document requesting economic organizations across the nation to require that recruitment interviews begin no later than June of the previous year and to thoroughly prevent "owahara," a practice in which companies force students to end their job-hunting activities after offering them a job.
2025-03-21 11:30:00
The government has decided on a new basic plan to combat gambling addiction. In response to online casinos, the plan includes strengthening regulations on payment agents used by customers to transfer bets.
2025-03-21 11:25:00
Regarding plans to strengthen U.S. forces in Japan, U.S. media reported that the plans being considered by the Department of Defense include canceling the plans. In response, Defense Minister Nakatani stated that he confirmed that the deterrent and response capabilities of the Japan-U.S. alliance will be strengthened, and that there will be no change in policy.
2025-03-21 08:45:00
The government has decided on a new basic plan to combat gambling addiction. In response to online casinos, the plan includes strengthening crackdowns on payment agents used by customers to transfer bets.
2025-03-21 08:34:00
(Prime Minister Ishiba's Activities March 19th - March 20th, 2025)
2025-03-21 05:11:00
In response to the gift certificate distribution issue, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan plans to question Prime Minister Ishiba in the House of Councillors, where the new fiscal year budget bill is being deliberated, and then to ask him to explain himself at the Political Ethics Committee. In response, the Liberal Democratic Party has decided to do everything in its power to pass the budget bill within the fiscal year, arguing that it is the ruling party's responsibility.
