Yoshihide Suga
Fumio Kishida, newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party

The 49th general election of members of the House of Representatives in Japan (Lower House) was held on 31 October 2021, as required by the Constitution of Japan. Voting took place in all Representatives constituencies including proportional blocks, ....

Floodgates Open in Japanese Politics after Suga’s Exit

In a surprise announcement on 3 September, days after Tokyo Olympics 2020 ended, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that he will not run in the upcoming Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election scheduled for 29 September. This means ....

Why it is Important for Japan to hold Olympic Games 2021

Had it not been for the COVID-19 and Abe Shizo’s ill health, Tokyo Olympic 20201 would have been a crowning glory on the political career of modern Japan’s most consequential Prime Minister. Alas! That was not to be. Showcasing Japan a....

Japan’s Four-day Workweek Proposal Unlikely to Work

Japan and Japanese are known for their famously workaholic corporate culture. There are cases in which companies have forced employees to put extra hours, thereby driving some to commit suicide and giving rise to the word karoshi or “death from ove....

The 8th ADMM Plus Meeting: Major Takeaways

Introduction
The 15th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the 8th ASEAN Plus Defence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM+) was hosted by this year’s ASEAN Chair Brunei Darussalam from 15-16 June, wherein a number of conceptual documents ....

A Case for Tokyo Olympics Cancellation

At the time of writing, the Tokyo Olympics are on but there is a strong case for its cancellation in view of the extraordinary situation before it is too late as lives are at stake. The ferocity of the rampaging pandemic shows no signs of ebbing out ....

Yoshihide Suga’s Tryst with India

When Prime Minster Abe Shinzo laid down his office in August 2020 rather suddenly it sent shock waves of anxiety among most Japan watchers, policy planners and the political elite in India. Everyone wondered as to what could be the future of this bur....

Explained: Suga-Biden Summit - Strengthening Alliance

Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was the first foreign leader to travel to the US on 16 April in this time of pandemic to meet the US President Joe Biden. This was also Suga’s first visit to the US as Prime Minister though he had earlier vis....

Japan’s Dilemma in Dealing with the Junta in Myanmar

Introduction
The military takeover of the democratically elected government and the dubious civilian-military power sharing agreement has been criticised by the global community. At a time when Myanmar was navigating through its nascent d....

2021: The Year Ahead for Japan

Although 2020 remained a challenging year for Japan due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2021 offers no alleviation from the existent troubles. The year started with a second month-long emergency, albeit a soft lockdown limited to the nation's capital an....

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