LDP politician Akamatsu Ken, who was a famous manga author before entering politics, has frequently spoken out about the importance of freedom of expression. He posted an apology for "not being able to stop" a law outlawing desecration of the flag. He joined the LDP in voting "yes" for the law.

・US Undersecretary of Defense Elbridge Colby in January 2026: South Korea is a "model ally." ・Trump in August 2026: US-ROK joint exercises are "inappropriate and hostile." North Korea, which recently test fired several missiles without warning, is "unthreatening and respectful."

PM Takaichi prayed to the war dead at the Yasukuni Shrine today...from a parking lot less than one kilometer away. If she bows and prays from outside of the actual shrine grounds, does it count as not visiting? www.jiji.com/jc/article?k...

“I’ve never seen a prime minister brag about not sleeping.” - Japan's Mainichi Shimbun reports on Takaichi Sanae's strange post announcing that she is operating on 0-3 hours of sleep many nights. It's a dangerously low level of sleep that could impair judgement. mainichi.jp/articles/202...

I was interviewed for this article about Japan's Lower House approving a bill that will ban desecration of the national flag: www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/06...

I randomly flipped through a "Florida Place Names" book at a Japanese library today and learned the horrible story of "Hongry Land."

Japan's Mire Biscuits has halted production of some of its products due to the impact of a naphtha shortage caused by the Iran War. It hasn't been able to get enough packaging materials. The Takaichi administration has told the nation there is no naphtha supply shortage. www.47news.jp/14294317.html

Japan is experiencing shortages of petroleum-based materials: •"The effects are already being felt across a wide range of everyday goods, including food products" •There is a "gap" between the PM Takaichi's claims that there are no shortages & the actual situation. www.47news.jp/14289309.html

A look at the Twitter account of the person who claimed responsibility for yesterday's Shibuya scramble crossing fire reveals past posts in which he enthusiastically supported the far-right Sanseito party. He also appeared to have positive views of Prime Minister Takaichi.

The Japanese conspiracy theorist who set a fire in Shibuya scramble crossing was a follower of the Lotus Eaters, a right-wing English language podcast hosted by Carl Benjamin (Sargon of Akkad). Prior to the crime, he left a message notifying them to take note of his actions.

The website promoted by the Shibuya arsonist reveals him to be a far-right conspiracy theorist, obsessed with the idea that Zainichi Koreans have taken over Japan with the help of the "deep state." In 2025 he wrote a letter asking Elon Musk and Trump for help.

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi is heading to Washington to meet Trump. The visit was set up before the US and Israel launched a war against Iran. She now faces a difficult situation, with Trump using quotation marks to question if "allies" will secure the Straight of Hormuz.

In October Prime Minister Takaichi's declared she would throw away work-life balance and "work, work, work." It became Japan's buzzword of the year for 2025. The media is reporting she had to cancel a diplomatic meeting yesterday because she was "sleep-deprived." news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0e1...

The LDP politician who called Abe a "traitor" and publicly rated Takaichi a 2/10 has won a seat in the Diet. Takaichi punished him by placing him at a low position on the LDP's proportional representation list, but the party got enough votes for him to win anyway. news.yahoo.co.jp/pickup/6569167

Former LDP lawmaker Sugita Mio, who is infamous for her use of hate speech against Koreans & Ainu, failed to win a seat in Osaka's 5th district. Prime Minister Takaichi didn't visit Osaka to campaign for LDP candidates(possibly to avoid friction with the Ishin party).

NHK's map of election district results shows LDP red making major gains across the country. Osaka, the home of the LDP's coalition partner, the Ishin Party, remains Ishin territory. 30 minutes after the polls have closed, they haven't called a single district for the Centrist Reform Alliance.

Takaichi successfully convinced voters to ignore unresolved scandals and cast their votes for LDP candidates. The LDP will likely win a 300+ seat majority. The opposition CRA is going to lose over a hundred seats. The far-right Sanseito continues to grow, more than doubling its seats.

The Japanese Communist Party shared this video telling voters what it stands for: •a society in which people get fair pay and healthcare •freedom, equality, and no unfair discrimination •taxing the ultra wealthy

Japan's National Doujinshi Convention Liaison Council is cooperating with the Japanese government to encourage young people to vote. Millions of people read doujinshi (fan comics) each year in Japan, but youth voter turnout is usually quite low. www.lets-go-senkyo.jp

The Japanese Communist Party has a simple slogan for the upcoming election: Tax the Rich. According to a recent NHK poll, 2.6% of Japanese voters support the JCP. About 35% of respondents supported no political party or said they did not know what party to support.

The far-right Sanseito party got Community Noted on Twitter for posting a pledge to raise Japan's food self-sufficiency rate from 38% to 100%. The note points out that it's simply unrealistic to expect that such a pledge could be achieved.

Japan's ruling LDP has politicians with conflicting views on the far-right. As you can see from these Yomiuri surveys that asked candidates to rate leaders of each political party, some rate the far-right Sanseito and CPJ leaders as 0/10, while others rate them nearly as high as Takaichi.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe was known for having a strong circle of advisors. According to tabloid Daily Shincho, Takaichi, "who regards Abe as her political mentor, is said to be sitting alone at her desk," making top-down decisions without getting much advice. www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2026...

In parts of Japan called "snow country" because of their heavy snowfall, local governments will be burdened with the responsibility of erecting hundreds or thousands of election poster boards that might not even be visible under the snow.

It's been 36 years since the last time Japan held a general election in the middle of winter, and there's a practical reason for that: many areas of the country get a lot of snow this time of the year. How do you campaign and put up posters in heavy snowfall? www.asahi.com/articles/ASV...

I was at a Japanese supermarket yesterday and saw a display of Christmas messages written by children who had visited the store. Almost all of the messages were wishes for a Merry X-mas, but one kid simply wrote the word "Roblox."

“The U.S. is a total outlier in how much people suffer.” - Keio University Prof. Ikegami comparing the Japanese universal healthcare system to the U.S. healthcare system. Japanese conservative broadly support the existing system. www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-assa...

Nissin is going to produce and sell cup curry using the special recipe of the President of the APA Hotels chain, which is known for having historical revisionist literature in its hotel rooms, denying that Japan waged a war of aggression in World War II. news.livedoor.com/article/deta...

Prime Minister Takaichi's official supporter merch shop is also selling a "Fight On!! Sanae For Japan" toothbrush for 6,600 yen ($42). They only plan to sell 200 of them, so I guess that makes this a very special toothbrush?

The official Takaichi supporter shop is selling versions of the "JAPAN IS BACK" hat she prepared for Trump's visit to Japan. It is priced at ¥13,200 ($85), which is considerably more expensive than the $55 that Donald Trump's official shop charges for MAGA hats. veanas.theshop.jp