18 h. ago Why Japan’s first female PM is winning hearts – even with scandal

Sanae Takaichi has made a strong debut as Japan’s first female prime minister, with early polls showing widespread public confidence in her leadership – despite her decision to appoint several politicians who have been embroiled in scandal. A Yomiuri Shimbun survey released this week found 71 per cent of respondents backed her administration, climbing to 80 per cent among voters aged 18 to 39. That places Takaichi’s debut as the fifth most popular of any new government since 1978 – surpassing...

Politics

31 h. ago Worship or influence? Taiwan says China using religion to win hearts across the strait

Worship or influence? Taiwan says China using religion to win hearts across the strait  Malay Mail

Politics

3 d. ago ‘Stealth husband’: Japan PM Takaichi’s spouse shuns the spotlight

Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a “stealth husband”, adding, “Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here.” A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity. The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but...

Events

3 d. ago Takaichi becomes Japan’s first female PM, ending political crisis

Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday after her governing party secured a crucial coalition partner. Takaichi, 64, replaced Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tuesday’s parliamentary vote, ending Japan’s three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the coalition’s loss in the July parliamentary election. The moderate centrist Komeito party had split from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party after a 26-year-long...

Politics

5 d. ago Takaichi clears path to be Japan’s first female PM after new coalition deal

Japan’s ruling party and main opposition are set to form a coalition to enable Sanae Takaichi to become the country’s first female premier, local media reported on Sunday. Takaichi became leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party earlier this month, but her bid to become premier was derailed by the collapse of her ruling coalition. Since then, the LDP has been working to cobble together a different alliance, putting her chances back on track. Takaichi and her counterpart Hirofumi Yoshimura...

Politics

7 d. ago Japan arrests man in first AI porn case involving deepfakes of celebrities

Tokyo police have arrested a man accused of using artificial intelligence to create and sell explicit fake images of female celebrities, in what local media have called Japan’s first criminal case involving AI-generated pornography depicting public figures. The 31-year-old suspect, Hiroya Yokoi from the northeastern Japanese city of Akita, admitted he began making the deepfakes to earn pocket money and repay a student loan, authorities said on Thursday. Between last October and September this...

Events

7 d. ago Turbulent Japanese politics could slow progress with China, South Korea: analysts

Japan’s unstable political landscape is expected to cast doubt over its diplomatic commitments and could hinder progress in its trilateral summit with China and South Korea, analysts have observed. Uncertainties are mounting as the path to the Japanese premiership for recently elected Liberal Democratic Party leader Sanae Takaichi has been complicated by the abrupt exit of the LDP’s junior coalition partner, Komeito. Takaichi, aiming to be Japan’s first female prime minister, remains short of...

Politics

8 d. ago For the first time in years, Japan’s opposition sees a route to power

With Japan’s parliament poised to vote on who it wants to next lead the country, a resurgent opposition and the collapse of the ruling coalition have put the prospect of the nation’s first female prime minister in real doubt. On Tuesday, the leaders of Japan’s principal opposition factions agreed to convene in hopes of fielding a unified candidate for the top job, as they aim to break the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) 13-year grip on power. “It will be essential for us to achieve consensus on...

Politics

2 w. ago How Sanae Takaichi’s rise could reshape Japan and Asia’s future

Sanae Takaichi’s victory in Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race marks not just the rise of the country’s first female prime minister in waiting, but also a symbolic shift in Japan’s ideological compass. Long known as a staunch conservative and nationalist, Takaichi’s ascent signals the possible end of the centrist pragmatism that characterised the Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida years. Her win sets Japan on a trajectory that could reshape its domestic economy, foreign policy and...

Politics

2 w. ago Will Japan’s Sanae Takaichi prove to be a transformative force in Asia?

Sanae Takaichi’s victory in Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race marks not just the rise of the country’s first female prime minister in waiting, but also a symbolic shift in Japan’s ideological compass. Long known as a staunch conservative and nationalist, Takaichi’s ascent signals the possible end of the centrist pragmatism that characterised the Shinzo Abe and Fumio Kishida years. Her win sets Japan on a trajectory that could reshape its domestic economy, foreign policy and...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Revisionist impulses’: Japan’s new PM seeds concern in neighbouring countries

As Japan prepares to swear in its first female prime minister, old ghosts of the past are threatening to haunt her leadership. Sanae Takaichi’s hard-edged views on history and national identity have stirred anxieties from Seoul to Beijing, even though analysts believe the former security minister’s stance may be tempered by the realities of fragile coalitions in a volatile region. Takaichi’s election last weekend as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party marked a moment of both historic...

Politics

2 w. ago Japan is getting a new leader, but her government could be over before it begins

Sanae Takaichi is poised to make history as Japan’s first female prime minister, but her government may be imperilled before it even begins amid a deepening rift within the ruling coalition. The Liberal Democratic Party Takaichi now leads and its long-time junior partner, Komeito, have been in coalition for 26 years. Without Komeito’s parliamentary support, the LDP would lose its majority in the Diet, forcing its leader to seek new political allies. Yet analysts warn that Takaichi’s hardline...

Politics

2 w. ago Japan’s LDP elects Sanae Takaichi, poised to be first female PM

China hawk Sanae Takaichi won the leadership of Japan’s ruling party on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country’s first woman prime minister. The 64-year-old, whose hero is Margaret Thatcher, is charged with reviving the ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as a new anti-immigration grouping snaps at its heels. The arch-conservative will almost certainly be approved by parliament as Japan’s fifth prime minister in as many years, a step that local media say could come the week of...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘New era’: Japan’s LDP elects Sanae Takaichi, poised to be first female PM

Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era” on Saturday after winning the leadership of Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to become the country’s first woman prime minister. The 64-year-old, whose hero is Margaret Thatcher, said that a “mountain of work” lay ahead to restore the fortunes of her ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades, but it has been haemorrhaging support as backing grows for smaller parties, including the...

Politics

3 w. ago China comedian inspires many with disabilities, celebrated for ‘optimistic mindset’

A young man from southern China, who has endured brain haemorrhages three times that led to his partial paralysis, has transformed his disability into comedy and life inspiration through his short videos, winning the hearts of many internet users. Yang Tiejun, 26, who lives in Huizhou, Guangdong province, has amassed a total of 600,000 followers on two leading mainland social media platforms, as reported by the South Metropolis News. “Hello, I am your human whisk, human electric toothbrush, and...

Culture