https://www.scmp.com/rss/500297/feed Craig Mark is a professor in the Faculty of International Studies, Kyoritsu Women’s University, Tokyo en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The surprise decision by Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga not to recontest the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has thrown this month’s party leadership election wide open, with implications for the national lower house election due to follow soon after. Suga made the sudden announcement this Friday amid wrangling among the various LDP factions, as the worsening unpopularity of his government ultimately undid his premiership. Although last month’s spectator-free Tokyo... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3147537/japans-next-prime-minister-vaccine-tsar-taro-kono-shot-suga-steps?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3147537/japans-next-prime-minister-vaccine-tsar-taro-kono-shot-suga-steps?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Sep 2021 13:36:31 +0000 Shinzo Abe is now the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history. On November 20, he surpassed the record of General Taro Katsura, who served for 2,886 days over three separate terms more than a century ago. Abe’s time in office has been marked by successes in domestic politics and foreign policy – but his attempts to resuscitate Japan’s economy have had mixed results, and his administration is no stranger to scandal. So what has kept his position secure for so long, and how will his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3038417/abe-japans-longest-serving-pm-extent-his-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3038417/abe-japans-longest-serving-pm-extent-his-legacy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2019 23:00:18 +0000 Japan’s upper house election on July 21, in which 124 seats will be up for grabs, is likely to be Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s final campaign, as he has promised to not contest another term as Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader after 2021. Elections for half the upper house are fixed for every three years, so representatives serve staggered six-year terms. The number of seats has been raised from 242 to 248, to correct a voter-value disparity. For this election campaign, which officially... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3019217/explained-whats-stake-japans-2019-upper-house-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3019217/explained-whats-stake-japans-2019-upper-house-election?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2019 23:00:21 +0000 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has dominated Japanese politics ever since winning the national election in 2012 and returning from opposition for a second term in office. His supporters in the ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) publicly suggested in the Japanese media this week that the party’s rules be changed again, so that Abe can contest for an unprecedented fourth consecutive term – effectively his fifth term as LDP president – and hence possibly continue as prime minister until... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3001868/how-long-can-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-stay-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3001868/how-long-can-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-stay-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Mar 2019 04:30:11 +0000