https://www.scmp.com/rss/522925/feed The latest news and top stories on Hiromi Murakami. An Adjunct Associate Professor at Temple University Japan Campus, she specialises in public policy, political economy, international relations and Japanese politics. She is also a Visiting Scholar at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, leading its Japan challenge program. With a PhD from Johns Hopkins SAIS, she authored "Resilience and Autonomy in Prewar and Wartime Japan" and contributes to policy discussions on gender and... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Reports of friction inside Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party suggest Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s biggest political challenge may now lie not with the opposition, but within her own party. Despite her strong public standing following February’s general election, reports have grown louder that Takaichi is clashing with the LDP’s influential old guard – notably former prime minister Taro Aso. Japanese tabloids, which are often more willing than the mainstream press to air insider... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350767/why-japans-takaichi-already-facing-resistance-inside-her-own-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350767/why-japans-takaichi-already-facing-resistance-inside-her-own-party?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 01:30:23 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Israel’s ambassador to Japan and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have condemned a Japanese political commentator over remarks he made on a morning news programme that were widely criticised as suggesting Jared Kushner should not be involved in negotiations with Iran because he is Jewish. Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, joined Vice-President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Islamabad over the weekend for talks aimed at ending the war between the US, Israel and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350037/israel-envoy-protests-japanese-tv-commentators-remarks-about-kushners-jewish-identity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350037/israel-envoy-protests-japanese-tv-commentators-remarks-about-kushners-jewish-identity?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 08:56:24 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s famed cherry blossom season has become the latest battleground in a broader debate over overtourism, etiquette and how foreign visitors are portrayed when trouble flares. That debate sharpened this week after the conservative Sankei newspaper ran a report accusing “unruly crowds” of foreigners of misbehaving during hanami – or cherry blossom viewing parties – across Japan, prompting renewed calls for visitors to show greater respect for local customs. In an echo of wider demands to rein... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3349441/cultural-clashes-unruly-crowds-japans-cherry-blossom-parties-stir-overtourism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3349441/cultural-clashes-unruly-crowds-japans-cherry-blossom-parties-stir-overtourism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Gavin Yeung Gavin Yeung I WAS BORN outside Philadelphia and I lived a typical American East Coast suburban childhood. My grandparents had a business selling African violets, so we would help out in the greenhouses on school holidays. It wasn’t so much art, but it was very much about putting something beautiful into people’s lives. I WENT TO an all-boys’ Jesuit high school in Philadelphia, then I went to Duke University, in North Carolina, as an undergrad. My major was literature and history, but I started to study... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3348136/philip-tinari-his-journey-through-art-and-culture-and-tai-kwuns-potential?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3348136/philip-tinari-his-journey-through-art-and-culture-and-tai-kwuns-potential?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 22:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald Trump in the spot reserved for his predecessor Joe Biden – during summit talks last week. The clip, posted on the official White House website, shows Takaichi pointing at the framed picture, then laughing and covering her mouth. It was filmed on the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a gallery unveiled by Trump... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:40:50 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall When Sanae Takaichi strode into her first press conference as Japan’s reappointed prime minister on Wednesday, she delivered a clear message to the economists and editorial boards warning her away from her signature tax pledge. Food consumption tax is going to be scrapped, and nothing is going to stop her. Formally confirmed in office after the Diet voted to reappoint her – following a landslide victory in the House of Representatives election on February 8 – Takaichi reiterated her commitment... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344015/japans-takaichi-pushes-scrap-food-tax-ignoring-economists-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344015/japans-takaichi-pushes-scrap-food-tax-ignoring-economists-warnings?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:30:18 +0000 SCMP Style Reporter SCMP Style Reporter The Louis Vuitton Monogram hardly needs an introduction. For decades, the LV initials and floral motifs have been synonymous with luxury, spotted on the likes of Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve in the 1960s, and on A-listers of today like Zendaya and Lisa from Blackpink. As the famous pattern celebrates 130 years in 2026, here’s a quick history of one of fashion’s longest lasting and most iconic motifs. Louis Vuitton was already a celebrated craftsman with years of experience and a client... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3340147/style-edit-why-louis-vuittons-monogram-one-luxurys-most-famous-motifs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3340147/style-edit-why-louis-vuittons-monogram-one-luxurys-most-famous-motifs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 02:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A former mayor who quit her job amid a scandal over an alleged affair with a married subordinate has staged a political comeback in Japan, in a result analysts say shows how attitudes towards women in public life are shifting. Akira Ogawa, 43, was re-elected as mayor of Maebashi, the capital of Gunma prefecture, on Monday, mere weeks after resigning under intense public pressure. Running as an independent, Ogawa secured nearly 63,000 votes – around 10,000 more than her closest challenger –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339733/japans-love-hotel-mayor-stages-comeback-shattering-political-taboos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3339733/japans-love-hotel-mayor-stages-comeback-shattering-political-taboos?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 00:00:16 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is no stranger to political volatility, often characterised by a rapid turnover of prime ministers, and when Sanae Takaichi took office in October, many had believed her premiership would not last long. But more than two months later, Takaichi has proved the sceptics wrong and even managed to bring back voters who abandoned the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party and rallied behind far-right groups like the anti-immigrant Sanseito party in the July election. The LDP under then prime... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338138/takaichi-shaping-japans-thatcher-amid-china-feud-can-her-popularity-last?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3338138/takaichi-shaping-japans-thatcher-amid-china-feud-can-her-popularity-last?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Nearly 70 per cent of Japanese want the law to be changed to permit an empress, with observers suggesting that the recent emergence of Princess Aiko on the international stage is fanning a groundswell of support for her to become a future monarch. A poll by the conservative Yomiuri Shimbun published last Sunday showed that 69 per cent of respondents favoured revisions to the Imperial Household Law to allow a woman to assume the Chrysanthemum Throne, with a further 24 per cent undecided on the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337076/more-japanese-favour-having-empress-princess-aikos-public-appeal-rises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3337076/more-japanese-favour-having-empress-princess-aikos-public-appeal-rises?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 03:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall When Japan’s then incoming leader Sanae Takaichi was scrambling in October for a new coalition partner so the Liberal Democratic Party could remain in power, she seemed open to requests put forth by the Japan Innovation Party in return for its support. One of the key demands of the JIP was that Osaka should be officially elevated in status to the nation’s “second capital”, with additional infrastructure for the city to enable it to become the seat of government in the event of a natural disaster... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333748/could-osaka-be-japans-second-capital-takaichi-appears-demur-allys-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333748/could-osaka-be-japans-second-capital-takaichi-appears-demur-allys-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 04:30:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The first meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung could not have gone off to a better start, with analysts noting the two leaders’ warm rapport sealed with handshakes, smiles and vows to look to the future. While they projected goodwill during their summit ahead of the Apec forum in the South Korean city of Gyeongju on Thursday, long-standing tensions over history and territorial disputes, and domestic political pressures arising from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331057/takaichi-lee-meeting-raises-hopes-japan-and-south-korea-burying-history-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331057/takaichi-lee-meeting-raises-hopes-japan-and-south-korea-burying-history-row?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:54:55 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The new Japanese government has moved swiftly to make it clear that it intends to relax the rules covering exports of weapons abroad at a time of worsening global insecurity and rising defence spending. Shinjiro Koizumi, who was named defence chief when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced her new cabinet on Tuesday, used his first press conference the following day to lay out the administration’s aims, adding that the revised policy had the full support of the ruling Liberal Democratic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330247/peace-loving-japan-ease-weapons-export-rules-amid-rising-security-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330247/peace-loving-japan-ease-weapons-export-rules-amid-rising-security-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The race to see who will head Japan’s ruling party – which will also determine the country’s next prime minister – has veered off course, with one contender mired in a scandal over orchestrated online praise and another facing accusations of xenophobia over remarks about foreigners kicking sacred deer. The internal election for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), scheduled for Saturday, has quickly crystallised into a two-way battle between Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327458/scandals-gaffes-mar-japans-ldp-leadership-race-they-have-no-policies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327458/scandals-gaffes-mar-japans-ldp-leadership-race-they-have-no-policies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 02:00:18 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is presiding over a political “house of cards” that analysts say is looking more shaky every day, as he continues to resist growing calls from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to step down. This week, the chorus demanding Ishiba’s resignation grew louder after the LDP released an internal report examining its dismal performance in July’s Upper House election. The party lost 18 seats, leaving it short of a parliamentary majority even with its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324332/japans-house-cards-ishiba-clings-power-hawks-demand-ldp-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324332/japans-house-cards-ishiba-clings-power-hawks-demand-ldp-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall South Korean President Lee Jae-myung’s push for closer ties with Tokyo has upended expectations in Japan, with analysts describing his outreach as a pragmatic shift that could reshape the tone of bilateral ties long coloured by historical disputes. Lee is due in Japan on Saturday for a two-day summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, with the two leaders expected to sign several agreements spanning trade, youth exchange and security. The visit also marks the 60th anniversary of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322845/south-korea-needs-japan-lee-and-ishiba-meet-hopes-closer-ties-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322845/south-korea-needs-japan-lee-and-ishiba-meet-hopes-closer-ties-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:33:48 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is grappling with an identity crisis, its decades-long political dominance rattled first by a humiliating electoral defeat and now, the anticipated resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ishiba, 68, on Wednesday dismissed as “completely unfounded” media reports that he had already decided to step down. But analysts contend that his departure is all but inevitable after the LDP’s second consecutive loss and the collapse of his minority... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:07 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Panda diplomacy is back in play as Japan seeks to charm visiting Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng with hopes of securing one or two of the endangered bears on loan. The gesture could help soothe bilateral ties and signal regional unity amid growing unease over US trade policy under President Donald Trump, analysts have said. He, a close adviser to President Xi Jinping, is scheduled to attend the World Expo in Osaka for “national pavilion day” at the Chinese pavilion on Friday. The Yomiuri... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317256/panda-diplomacy-boost-china-japan-ties-amid-us-tariff-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317256/panda-diplomacy-boost-china-japan-ties-amid-us-tariff-anxiety?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 00:00:10 +0000