Japan has dissolved its parliament, this sets the stage for the general election at the end of the month. This will pit the newly elected prime minister Fumio Kishida against the unpopular opposition.

Japan dissolves lower house ahead of election

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday that he had no plans to dissolve the country's lower house because of the severity of the coronavirus situation.

Domestic media reported this week that he intended to dissolve the lower house of parliament in mid-September after a cabinet and party executive reshuffle next week. Reports also said that the premier was considering holding the general election on Oct. 17.

Suga's denial of these reports comes after several days of tense negotiations and sudden twists involving Suga and the most powerful politicians in the ruling camp as the unpopular prime minister manoeuvres to stay in the top job.

"We can't dissolve the lower house in this current situation," said Suga, speaking of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.

When asked whether that meant he would let members of the lower house of parliament serve their full terms, which end Oct. 21, Suga avoided a direct answer.

"There are no plans to push back the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, and we will work around the dates available for the general election," he said. The LDP leadership race is slated to be held on Sept. 29.

On Tuesday, media said Suga planned to remove long-term party ally and current LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai from his post. Nikai threw his backing behind Suga and helped him win the top post in the turmoil to succeed former premier Shinzo Abe last September.

But some parliamentarians have voiced their unease with the amount of power wielded by 82-year-old Nikai, who has held his post since August 2016 - the longest in the party's history.

Suga's support ratings are at record lows, as he failed to capitalise on delivering the Olympics amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections. The government has since declared a fourth state of emergency in most of Japan.

The LDP and its allies are not expected to lose their coalition majority in the powerful lower house in the next general election, but forecasts suggest that the party could lose its outright majority, an outcome that would weaken the LDP leader.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday that he had no plans to dissolve the country's lower house because of the severity of the coronavirus situation.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Wednesday that he had no plans to dissolve the country's lower house because of the severity of the coronavirus situation. Domestic media reported this week that he intended to dissolve the lower house of parliament in mid-September after a cabinet and party executive reshuffle next week. Reports also said that the premier was considering holding the general election on Oct. 17. Suga's denial of these reports comes after several days of tense negotiations and sudden twists involving Suga and the most powerful politicians in the ruling camp as the unpopular prime minister manoeuvres to stay in the top job. "We can't dissolve the lower house in this current situation," said Suga, speaking of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. When asked whether that meant he would let members of the lower house of parliament serve their full terms, which end Oct. 21, Suga avoided a direct answer. "There are no plans to push back the Liberal Democratic Party leadership election, and we will work around the dates available for the general election," he said. The LDP leadership race is slated to be held on Sept. 29. On Tuesday, media said Suga planned to remove long-term party ally and current LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai from his post. Nikai threw his backing behind Suga and helped him win the top post in the turmoil to succeed former premier Shinzo Abe last September. But some parliamentarians have voiced their unease with the amount of power wielded by 82-year-old Nikai, who has held his post since August 2016 - the longest in the party's history. Suga's support ratings are at record lows, as he failed to capitalise on delivering the Olympics amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections. The government has since declared a fourth state of emergency in most of Japan. The LDP and its allies are not expected to lose their coalition majority in the powerful lower house in the next general election, but forecasts suggest that the party could lose its outright majority, an outcome that would weaken the LDP leader.

Japanese PM Suga denies reports of plans to dissolve parliament in mid-September

Yasuhiko Funago is Japan's first lawmaker with a severe neurological disease that impairs his ability to speak.

Being a lawmaker in a country with a staggering number of people with disabilities, some even worse off than him, Yasuhiko does not wish to stop there alone.

He wants to use the platform to end the invisibility of disabled people in Japan's traditional society and herald more inclusion. 
The electoral success of two politicians - Yasuhiko Fungo and Eiko Kimura, both largely paralysed, has sparked significant debate in Japan - a nation where activists say people with disabilities often remain in the shadows.

The Upper House of Japan's Parliament pays for Kimura’s and Funago’s assistants, but the new lawmakers want the rules changed to help the 11,500 other seriously disabled people who rely on public care.

In Japan, the state pays for carers only if the disabled person is not employed - which means that disabled people simply cannot afford to work as the cost of private help exceeds their salaries.

The government says there are 9.63 million people with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities in the country, accounting for more than 7 per cent of the total population of Japan. Roughly one in 20 people in Japan has some disability or another.

Progress has been made, with accessibility improving in Tokyo and legislation setting quotas for hiring people with disabilities in government, but rights activists say more must be done.

From the 1940s to 1996, Japan's government sterilised people with a mental illness or disability because it deemed them 'inferior'.

The victims of this eugenic protection law kept silent for decades but are now speaking out and demanding an apology and compensation.

The Japanese government has been making efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities by raising employment quotas.&nbsp;

But last year, the government was even forced to apologise for padding its disability hiring data after regularly failing to meet its own quotas.

Yasuhiko Fungo and Eiko Kimura want to see inclusion rather than just acceptance of people with disabilities, because they believe a society that does not help disabled people ends up effectively hiding them.

 
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Yasuhiko Funago is Japan's first lawmaker with a severe neurological disease that impairs his ability to speak. Being a lawmaker in a country with a staggering number of people with disabilities, some even worse off than him, Yasuhiko does not wish to stop there alone.

Yasuhiko Funago is Japan's first lawmaker with a severe neurological disease that impairs his ability to speak. Being a lawmaker in a country with a staggering number of people with disabilities, some even worse off than him, Yasuhiko does not wish to stop there alone. He wants to use the platform to end the invisibility of disabled people in Japan's traditional society and herald more inclusion. The electoral success of two politicians - Yasuhiko Fungo and Eiko Kimura, both largely paralysed, has sparked significant debate in Japan - a nation where activists say people with disabilities often remain in the shadows. The Upper House of Japan's Parliament pays for Kimura’s and Funago’s assistants, but the new lawmakers want the rules changed to help the 11,500 other seriously disabled people who rely on public care. In Japan, the state pays for carers only if the disabled person is not employed - which means that disabled people simply cannot afford to work as the cost of private help exceeds their salaries. The government says there are 9.63 million people with physical, mental or intellectual disabilities in the country, accounting for more than 7 per cent of the total population of Japan. Roughly one in 20 people in Japan has some disability or another. Progress has been made, with accessibility improving in Tokyo and legislation setting quotas for hiring people with disabilities in government, but rights activists say more must be done. From the 1940s to 1996, Japan's government sterilised people with a mental illness or disability because it deemed them 'inferior'. The victims of this eugenic protection law kept silent for decades but are now speaking out and demanding an apology and compensation. The Japanese government has been making efforts to improve the lives of people with disabilities by raising employment quotas. But last year, the government was even forced to apologise for padding its disability hiring data after regularly failing to meet its own quotas. Yasuhiko Fungo and Eiko Kimura want to see inclusion rather than just acceptance of people with disabilities, because they believe a society that does not help disabled people ends up effectively hiding them.

Japan's disabled lawmakers fight to end the invisibility of people with disabilities

Japanese Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/moon-abe-hold-friendly-talks-on-asean-sidelines-259835">Shinzo&nbsp;Abe</a>&nbsp;on Friday asked his&nbsp;cabinet&nbsp;to&nbsp;compile&nbsp;a&nbsp;package&nbsp;of&nbsp;stimulus&nbsp;measures to&nbsp;support&nbsp;the&nbsp;economy&nbsp;and build infrastructure to cope with large natural disasters, the government's top spokesman said.

Chief&nbsp;Cabinet&nbsp;Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the&nbsp;package&nbsp;will include steps to promote investment for growth through aggressive use of fiscal investment and loan programmes.

The government will&nbsp;compile&nbsp;the&nbsp;package&nbsp;as soon as possible, though the size of spending will depend on proposals to be made by various ministries,&nbsp;Economy&nbsp;Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference after a regular&nbsp;cabinet&nbsp;meeting.

"I've received an instruction from the prime minister to&nbsp;compile&nbsp;a new economic&nbsp;package&nbsp;to guard against the chance overseas risks may hurt&nbsp;Japan's&nbsp;economy," Nishimura said.

Japanese policymakers have been under pressure to fend off heightening overseas risks with a diminishing tool-kit, as the<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-us-agree-tariff-rollback-if-phase-one-trade-deal-is-completed-260641"> US-China trade war </a>and soft global demand hurt the export-reliant&nbsp;economy.

Finance Minister Taro Aso said the planned economic&nbsp;package&nbsp;should help enhance productivity and achieve strong growth to overcome the pressure caused by the declining population, which he said was the "biggest problem" Japan faces in the long run.

Aso added that the size and scope of the&nbsp;stimulus&nbsp;still needed to be worked out. He suggested that a supplementary budget would be&nbsp;compiled by the year-end, along with an annual budget for the next fiscal year that starts in April 2020, to ensure the economic&nbsp;package&nbsp;would be rolled out seamlessly over a 15-month period.

Abe&nbsp;had told a top economic council on Thursday that the government will consider what policy measures it can take to prevent intensifying global risks from derailing the export-reliant economic recovery.

Japan's&nbsp;economic growth likely slowed to an annualised 0.8 per cent&nbsp;in July-September from 1.3 per cent&nbsp;in the second quarter, a Reuters poll showed this week. The data will be reported on November&nbsp;14.

An increase in the sales tax to 10 per cent&nbsp;from 8 per cent, put in place from October, may also hurt consumption, analysts say.

Slowing growth underscores the challenge for&nbsp;Abe's government as it tries to strike a delicate balance between the need to boost growth and fix the industrial world's heaviest public debt burden that is more than twice the size of&nbsp;Japan's&nbsp;$5 trillion&nbsp;economy.

Some economists worry that additional public works spending would further strain the nation's dire public finances and aggravate a labour crunch in a fast-ageing population.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday asked his cabinet to compile a package of stimulus measures to support the economy and build infrastructure to cope with large natural disasters, the government's top spokesman said.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday asked his cabinet to compile a package of stimulus measures to support the economy and build infrastructure to cope with large natural disasters, the government's top spokesman said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters that the package will include steps to promote investment for growth through aggressive use of fiscal investment and loan programmes. The government will compile the package as soon as possible, though the size of spending will depend on proposals to be made by various ministries, Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference after a regular cabinet meeting. "I've received an instruction from the prime minister to compile a new economic package to guard against the chance overseas risks may hurt Japan's economy," Nishimura said. Japanese policymakers have been under pressure to fend off heightening overseas risks with a diminishing tool-kit, as the US-China trade war and soft global demand hurt the export-reliant economy. Finance Minister Taro Aso said the planned economic package should help enhance productivity and achieve strong growth to overcome the pressure caused by the declining population, which he said was the "biggest problem" Japan faces in the long run. Aso added that the size and scope of the stimulus still needed to be worked out. He suggested that a supplementary budget would be compiled by the year-end, along with an annual budget for the next fiscal year that starts in April 2020, to ensure the economic package would be rolled out seamlessly over a 15-month period. Abe had told a top economic council on Thursday that the government will consider what policy measures it can take to prevent intensifying global risks from derailing the export-reliant economic recovery. Japan's economic growth likely slowed to an annualised 0.8 per cent in July-September from 1.3 per cent in the second quarter, a Reuters poll showed this week. The data will be reported on November 14. An increase in the sales tax to 10 per cent from 8 per cent, put in place from October, may also hurt consumption, analysts say. Slowing growth underscores the challenge for Abe's government as it tries to strike a delicate balance between the need to boost growth and fix the industrial world's heaviest public debt burden that is more than twice the size of Japan's $5 trillion economy. Some economists worry that additional public works spending would further strain the nation's dire public finances and aggravate a labour crunch in a fast-ageing population.

Japan's Abe tells cabinet to compile stimulus package to support economy

Japan's justice&nbsp;minister&nbsp;stepped down on Thursday - the&nbsp;second&nbsp;resignation&nbsp;from&nbsp;Prime&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;Shinzo Abe's<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japans-abe-shakes-up-cabinet-brings-in-rising-star-249009"> newly formed&nbsp;cabinet</a>&nbsp;in less than a&nbsp;week&nbsp;- after a media report that his office gave out gifts such as potatoes and corn to constituents.

Justice&nbsp;Minister&nbsp;Katsuyuki Kawai's abrupt resignation came six days after that of former trade and industry&nbsp;minister, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-trade-minister-resigns-over-donation-scandal-258042">Isshu Sugawara</a>, who had been accused of election law violations by allegedly giving gifts of melons and crabs to voters in his Tokyo constituency.

Both men were first-time&nbsp;cabinet&nbsp;ministers, but while their resignations may be an embarrassment to Abe just&nbsp;weeks before he becomes&nbsp;Japan's longest-serving prime&nbsp;minister, they are unlikely to cause lasting damage due a lack of strong rivals and a weak opposition, analysts said.

The report in&nbsp;weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun said that in addition to Kawai distributing produce to supporters - including mangoes, usually pricey in&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;- his wife, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Anri Kawai, had paid campaign staffers more than amounts permitted by law.

Kawai said neither he nor his wive knew anything about the reported allegations and denied breaking any laws, but added that he decided to resign promptly in order to avoid harming the justice system through a loss of public trust.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Abe apologised for the&nbsp;second&nbsp;time in a&nbsp;week, saying he bore responsibility for appointing the two in a&nbsp;cabinet&nbsp;reshuffle last month.

"As the person who appointed him, I bear responsibility for this, for which I apologise to the nation," Abe told reporters shortly after accepting Kawai's resignation.

"I will have to accept the harsh criticism of this situation and work even harder than ever.

Masako Mori, a former&nbsp;minister&nbsp;in charge of gender equality and measures to combat the declining birthrate, will replace Kawai.

Japan's opposition called the situation "a state of emergency" and said they would pursue the resignations in parliament.

"Resigning automatically because of a&nbsp;weekly magazine report on a matter that is strongly suspicious of illegality is, in a sense, tantamount to admitting it," said Tetsuro Fukuyama, secretary general of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of&nbsp;Japan.

"This should have been a matter worth a general resignation of the&nbsp;cabinet&nbsp;members."

But with the opposition in disarray and lacking strength, Abe is likely to survive unscathed as he has done before, analysts said.

In 2014, two&nbsp;ministers quit within hours of each other to quell brewing political funds scandals without damage to Abe.

"He's a Teflon PM who faces weak rivals and has weathered far worse," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University's&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;campus.

Japan's justice minister stepped down on Thursday - the second resignation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's newly formed cabinet in less than a week - after a media report that his office gave out gifts such as potatoes and corn to constituents.

Japan's justice minister stepped down on Thursday - the second resignation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's newly formed cabinet in less than a week - after a media report that his office gave out gifts such as potatoes and corn to constituents. Justice Minister Katsuyuki Kawai's abrupt resignation came six days after that of former trade and industry minister, Isshu Sugawara, who had been accused of election law violations by allegedly giving gifts of melons and crabs to voters in his Tokyo constituency. Both men were first-time cabinet ministers, but while their resignations may be an embarrassment to Abe just weeks before he becomes Japan's longest-serving prime minister, they are unlikely to cause lasting damage due a lack of strong rivals and a weak opposition, analysts said. The report in weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun said that in addition to Kawai distributing produce to supporters - including mangoes, usually pricey in Japan - his wife, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Anri Kawai, had paid campaign staffers more than amounts permitted by law. Kawai said neither he nor his wive knew anything about the reported allegations and denied breaking any laws, but added that he decided to resign promptly in order to avoid harming the justice system through a loss of public trust. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Abe apologised for the second time in a week, saying he bore responsibility for appointing the two in a cabinet reshuffle last month. "As the person who appointed him, I bear responsibility for this, for which I apologise to the nation," Abe told reporters shortly after accepting Kawai's resignation. "I will have to accept the harsh criticism of this situation and work even harder than ever. Masako Mori, a former minister in charge of gender equality and measures to combat the declining birthrate, will replace Kawai. Japan's opposition called the situation "a state of emergency" and said they would pursue the resignations in parliament. "Resigning automatically because of a weekly magazine report on a matter that is strongly suspicious of illegality is, in a sense, tantamount to admitting it," said Tetsuro Fukuyama, secretary general of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. "This should have been a matter worth a general resignation of the cabinet members." But with the opposition in disarray and lacking strength, Abe is likely to survive unscathed as he has done before, analysts said. In 2014, two ministers quit within hours of each other to quell brewing political funds scandals without damage to Abe. "He's a Teflon PM who faces weak rivals and has weathered far worse," said Jeff Kingston, director of Asian Studies at Temple University's Japan campus.

Second minister in a week resigns from Japan cabinet

Campaigning for an election to Japan&#39;s upper house of parliament begins today, as surveys give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s ruling bloc the lead, despite doubts about his growth policies and desire to revise the post-war pacifist constitution. 
 
Abe&#39;s coalition is in no danger of losing power in the election, but he needs a solid win to keep his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers in line and perhaps stay on another three years after his tenure as LDP president expires in 2018. 
 
Abe is casting the July 10 election for half the seats in the 242-member chamber as a referendum on his decision to delay a planned hike in an unpopular sales tax and his &quot;Abenomics&quot; recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy, spending and reform. 
 
&quot;Our policies have had some success, but we are still only halfway to where we want to be,&quot; Abe said in a televised debate on Tuesday. &quot;I want to accelerate Abenomics, shift up two or three gears and make sure the economy is growing.&quot; 
 
Media surveys show about twice as many voters plan to vote for Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as for the main opposition Democratic Party, but also show support for Abe and his party slipping amid growing doubt that his efforts to revive the economy are working. 
 
Turnout is expected to be weak after hitting a record low of 52.6 per cent in a 2013 upper house vote. 
 
About 2.4 million Japanese aged 18 and 19 will be able to vote for the first time, but surveys suggest the turnout of this group will be lower than among their parents and grandparents. 
 
The expected victory for the ruling bloc is thus more likely to be a vote of no-confidence in the opposition than a groundswell of support for Abe and his policies. 
 
&quot;Abenomics is not working out well and Abe&#39;s security policies are not popular. You&#39;d think he&#39;d be vulnerable,&quot; said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asia studies at Temple University&#39;s Japan campus. 
 
&quot;But the opposition is weak and discredited, and even though they will be cooperating, I don&#39;t think it will make a big difference.&quot; 
 
Some analysts, however, said the LDP could lose some of the 51 seats it held among those up for grabs, thanks to a historic move by opposition parties to join hands. 
 
The Democratic Party and three smaller parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, are backing unified candidates in 32 single-seat districts, and have support from grassroots civic groups opposed to Abe&#39;s hawkish security policies and drive to revise the constitution. 
 
But regaining public trust is a tough task for the Democrats after a 2009 to 2012 tenure many remember for infighting and unkept promises. 
 
&quot;The Democratic Party is the only opposition party that has experience governing and can learn from its mistakes and change,&quot; its policy chief, Shiori Yamao, told Reuters, adding that it was also drawing on the energy of women and the youth. 
 
&quot;We are becoming a party that cannot only take power but govern properly, so please believe in us again.&quot; 
 
Abe has set a target for his coalition of winning a majority of the 121 seats being contested. 
 
The premier has said the ruling bloc hopes to win a two-thirds majority with like-minded opposition parties to open the path to revising the postwar pacifist constitution, but has recently played down that target. 
 
Surveys show a majority of voters see no need to change the charter, which conservatives see as an obstacle to beefing up defence and a humiliating symbol of defeat in World War Two. 
 
(Reuters)

Abe's Party leads despite doubts on his economic growth policies, revision of post World War two pacifist constitution and hawkish security

Campaigning for an election to Japan's upper house of parliament begins today, as surveys give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc the lead, despite doubts about his growth policies and desire to revise the post-war pacifist constitution. Abe's coalition is in no danger of losing power in the election, but he needs a solid win to keep his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers in line and perhaps stay on another three years after his tenure as LDP president expires in 2018. Abe is casting the July 10 election for half the seats in the 242-member chamber as a referendum on his decision to delay a planned hike in an unpopular sales tax and his "Abenomics" recipe of hyper-easy monetary policy, spending and reform. "Our policies have had some success, but we are still only halfway to where we want to be," Abe said in a televised debate on Tuesday. "I want to accelerate Abenomics, shift up two or three gears and make sure the economy is growing." Media surveys show about twice as many voters plan to vote for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as for the main opposition Democratic Party, but also show support for Abe and his party slipping amid growing doubt that his efforts to revive the economy are working. Turnout is expected to be weak after hitting a record low of 52.6 per cent in a 2013 upper house vote. About 2.4 million Japanese aged 18 and 19 will be able to vote for the first time, but surveys suggest the turnout of this group will be lower than among their parents and grandparents. The expected victory for the ruling bloc is thus more likely to be a vote of no-confidence in the opposition than a groundswell of support for Abe and his policies. "Abenomics is not working out well and Abe's security policies are not popular. You'd think he'd be vulnerable," said Jeffrey Kingston, director of Asia studies at Temple University's Japan campus. "But the opposition is weak and discredited, and even though they will be cooperating, I don't think it will make a big difference." Some analysts, however, said the LDP could lose some of the 51 seats it held among those up for grabs, thanks to a historic move by opposition parties to join hands. The Democratic Party and three smaller parties, including the Japanese Communist Party, are backing unified candidates in 32 single-seat districts, and have support from grassroots civic groups opposed to Abe's hawkish security policies and drive to revise the constitution. But regaining public trust is a tough task for the Democrats after a 2009 to 2012 tenure many remember for infighting and unkept promises. "The Democratic Party is the only opposition party that has experience governing and can learn from its mistakes and change," its policy chief, Shiori Yamao, told Reuters, adding that it was also drawing on the energy of women and the youth. "We are becoming a party that cannot only take power but govern properly, so please believe in us again." Abe has set a target for his coalition of winning a majority of the 121 seats being contested. The premier has said the ruling bloc hopes to win a two-thirds majority with like-minded opposition parties to open the path to revising the postwar pacifist constitution, but has recently played down that target. Surveys show a majority of voters see no need to change the charter, which conservatives see as an obstacle to beefing up defence and a humiliating symbol of defeat in World War Two. (Reuters)

The election race for Japan's upper house of parliament begins today