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TOKYO, June 7 (Reuters) - Japan is committed to mobilise all policy options available while putting the economy before fiscal reform, according to a draft of the government's mid-year policy framework reviewed by Reuters on Wednesday, signalling its will to keep the fiscal spigot wide open before looming elections. Kishida, who is seen as a fiscal hawk, also hopes to strike a delicate balance between fiscal stimulus and the unwinding of it, with the framework calling for normalisation from crisis-mode fiscal largesse. "We have not abandoned the flag of fiscal reform," the framework said, in a tacit reference to Kishida's aim of bringing a primary budget surplus, excluding new bond sales and debt servicing costs, by the fiscal year ending in March 2026. The target was originally set to be met in the early 2010s but has pushed back four times. Reporting by Tetsushi Kajimoto; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio, Kishida, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Reuters, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Ukraine

[1/2] Ukrainian artillery fires towards the frontline during heavy fighting amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 13, 2023. Following Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's visit to Japan during the Hiroshima G7 leaders summit last month, Kishida agreed to donate jeeps and trucks. Japan is one of dozens of friends and allies that Washington is asking to help arm Ukraine as it wrestles with stretched military supply chains. Reuters contacted 22 explosives makers listed on the Japan Explosives Industry Association's website. The only one that said it made industrial TNT was Chugoku Kayaku, an Hiroshima-based firm that supplies Japan's military.

Persons: Kai Pfaffenbach, Lloyd Austin, Washington, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy's, Kishida, Tsuneo Watanabe, Austin, Akihisa Nagashima, Tim Kelly, Nobuhiro Kubo, Yukiko Toyoda, Kaori Kaneko, Idrees Ali, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, TNT, Russian, Reuters, Panasonic, Defense, U.S, Japan's Ministry of Trade, Industry, Technology, Logistics Agency, U.S . State Department, Ukraine, TNT Washington, Japan Explosives Industry, Liberal Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Bakhmut, TOKYO, United States, Japan, Washington, U.S, Tokyo, China, Taiwan, East Asia, Kyiv, Hiroshima, Sasakawa, South Korea, Chugoku, Japan's, Russia, Seoul

☆ Japan court rules that a bar on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] People including plaintiffs' lawyers hold banners and flags, after the lower court ruled that not allowing same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, outside Nagoya district court, in Nagoya, central Japan, May 30, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. The ruling by the Nagoya District Court was the second to find a ban against same-sex marriage unconstitutional, out of four cases on the issue over the past two years. A Tokyo court later upheld the ban on same-sex marriage but said a lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights. Though opinion polls show some 70% of the public supports same-sex marriage, the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida opposes it. Kishida in February sacked an aide who sparked outrage by saying people would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was allowed, but the premier remains noncommittal about it and has said discussions must proceed "carefully".

TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a snap election, perhaps within weeks, as domestic support surges after a G7 summit that drew a surprise visit by Ukraine's president. Although Kishida said on Sunday he was not thinking of dissolving parliament now, experts feel he may not be able to resist as favourable conditions stack up. "For Kishida, Zelenskiy's visit has a unique significance that will help boost his support rating," said Shigenobu Tamura, a political analyst and former LDP staffer. On Friday, it powered to its highest since 1990. read moreCalling an early election could mean less time for the opposition to prepare. An early election might come too soon to guarantee Kishida the LDP presidency even if the party does well, as a threat looms from rising prices, said analyst Atsuo Ito.

☆ Japan PM Kishida evacuated unhurt after explosion at speech- media
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Mandatory credit Kyodo via REUTERSTOKYO, April 15 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported. A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. Kishida had just started to deliver the speech after touring the harbour when Saturday's incident occurred, NHK said. Kishida was to continue his Saturday afternoon campaign schedule after the incident, the LDP confirmed via its Twitter account. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.

☆ Japan ruling party group eyes ban on TikTok, other apps -lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, March 27 (Reuters) - A group of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers plans to compile a proposal next month urging the government to ban social networking services such as TikTok if they are used for disinformation campaigns, an LDP lawmaker said on Monday. Many U.S. lawmakers are calling on the Biden administration to ban the popular Chinese-owned social media app, alleging the app could be used for data collection, content censorship and harm to children's mental health. "If it's verified that an app has been intentionally used by a certain party of a certain country for their influence operations with malice ..., promptly halting the service should be considered," Norihiro Nakayama told Reuters in an interview. Nakayama, a senior member of a ruling party lawmakers' group looking into ways to enhance Japan's economic security, said the group plans to compile the recommendation next month, adding that the proposal will not be targeting at any particular platform. Reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

FILE PHOTO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses during his news conference in Tokyo, Japan on February 24, 2023. Stanislav Kogiku/Pool via REUTERSThe news comes as households grapple with intensifying cost-of-living pressures amid elevated inflation for items such as energy and food, hitting consumption and smaller businesses. Thanks to the energy subsidies, a leading indicator of Japan’s consumer prices rose at a slower pace in February, data showed on Friday. However, an index stripping away the effect of fuel hit a fresh three-decade high in a sign of broadening inflationary pressures. The Japanese government will consider asking major utilities to reduce price increases for households in light of recent declines in energy prices, Kyodo news agency reported on Friday.

☆ With backing from business lobby, Japan PM calls for workers' pay hikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"Above all, wage hikes that beat price hikes are needed," Kishida told an annual gathering of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which lays out its policy agenda for this year. "The wave of wage hikes must spread to small firms and local areas to enhance competitiveness amid heated competition to attract workers" amid labour shortages, Kishida said. While achieving "structural wage hikes," Kishida pledged to continue to take steps to curb energy and food prices to ease the pain of inflation on households. Masakazu Tokura, head of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, expressed support for the wage push. Moreover, the small companies that provide most of Japan's jobs generally can't increase pay, business owners, economists and officials say.

Kazuo Ueda, a 71-year-old university professor who has kept a low profile despite strong credentials as a monetary policy expert, ticked some important boxes. While he was not even on the list of dark horse candidates floated by the media, Ueda was well known in global central bank circles. The bank's preferred choices were incumbent deputy governor Amamiya, as well as former deputies Hiroshi Nakaso and Hirohide Yamaguchi, given their deep knowledge on monetary policy. Matsuno said he hoped the BOJ works closely with the government and guides monetary policy flexibly, when asked whether Ueda's appointment could lead to a retreat from Abenomics. While he warned of the rising cost of the BOJ's yield control policy, Ueda has called for the need to keep monetary policy loose to ensure Japan stably achieves the bank's 2% inflation target.

☆ Japan PM Kishida rebukes aide over same-sex couple outburst
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"His comments are outrageous and completely incompatible with the administration's policies," Kishida said in remarks aired by public broadcaster NHK. Kisihida said he may dismiss Arai, who later apologized for "misleading" comments made after Kishida had said in parliament that same-sex marriage needed careful consideration because of its potential impact on the family structure. Arai's comments are an embarrassment for Kishida as he prepares to host other leaders from Group of Seven nations in May. In a survey published by NHK in July 2021, two months before Kishida became prime minister, 57% of 1,508 respondents said they supported the legal recognition of same-sex unions. In November, a Tokyo court upheld a ban on same-sex marriage, but also said a lack of legal protection for same-sex families violated their human rights.

☆ Japan prosecutors indict Yamagami for murder of ex-Prime Minister Abe -Yomiuri
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Japanese prosecutors on Friday indicted the man suspected of killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Yomiuri newspaper reported. Nara District Public Prosecutors Office indicted Tetsuya Yamagami, 42, on murder charges as well as for violating gun laws after concluding a roughly six-month psychiatric evaluation, the newspaper reported. The Unification Church was founded in South Korea in 1954 and famous for its mass weddings, relying on its Japan followers as a key source of income. The approval rate for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government had fallen to record laws amid revelations about connections between the church and many LDP lawmakers. In November, Japan launched a probe into the church that could threaten its legal status following the assassination of Abe.

☆ Japan PM floats possibility of snap election before defence budget tax hike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday floated the possibility of calling a snap election before a tax increase aimed at funding the country's defence budget comes into place "sometime after 2024". The government is set to implement tax increases to cover a shortfall of 1 trillion yen in the defence budget, despite stiff opposition from within the ruling coalition amid Kishida's sagging popularity. "We will be asking the general public to take on the (tax) burden for an appropriate period of time, starting from sometime after 2024 up to 2027. The next national election is due by 2025, unless Kishida calls for a snap election. Kishida revealed a new national security plan in mid-December and has pledged to double defence outlay to 2% of Japan's GDP by 2027.

The draft annual tax-code revision seen by Reuters is expected to be approved by Kishida's cabinet on Friday. read moreUnder his flagship initiative aimed at redistributing income, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sought to shift Japan's 2,000 trillion yen ($14.52 trillion) in household assets away from savings and into investment. As part of this initiative, the government will make permanent a programme that offers tax breaks for households' stock investments. "It will be implemented at "an appropriate time" from 2024 onwards," LDP tax panel head Yoichi Miyazawa told reporters on Thursday. Tobacco tax will be also raised in stages by 3 yen per cigarette, the draft showed.

☆ Japan lawmaker in Taiwan says China threat needs more military spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Japan needs to increase its military spending in the face of the "grim reality" of the threat from China and North Korea, a senior member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said on Sunday during a visit to Taiwan. Although Chinese-claimed and democratically-governed Taiwan and Japan do not have formal diplomatic ties, they have close unofficial relations and both share concerns about China, especially its increased military activities near the two. Hagiuda pointed to China's massive increase in military spending, as well as North Korean missile tests, as reasons for Japan to raise its defence budget. Japan hosts major U.S. military bases, including on Okinawa, a short flight from Taiwan, which would be crucial for any U.S. support during a Chinese attack. Addressing a think-tank in Taiwan last December, the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan and the United States could not stand by if China attacked Taiwan, and Beijing needs to understand this.

☆ Taiwan pledges deeper Japan security cooperation as senior lawmaker visits
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen gives a speech on National Day in Taipei, Taiwan, October 10, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pledged on Saturday to deepen security cooperation with Japan to ensure freedom in the Indo-Pacific, during a meeting with a senior member of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Meeting in the presidential office in Taipei, Tsai thanked Koichi Hagiuda, the LDP's policy chief, for Japan's support over issues like maintaining security in the sensitive Taiwan Strait. "We have seen in recent years Taiwan-Japan relations have become ever closer," she said. Japan has watched with growing concern China's belligerence towards Taiwan as Beijing seeks to assert its sovereignty claims over the island.

☆ Japan cautious on capital gains tax; must stick to increasing defence
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Japan should avoid rushing into raising capital gains tax as doing so could send a wrong message to markets when Japan is encouraging financial investment, a senior government official said on Sunday. "Strengthening taxation could send a wrong signal that runs counter to our aim of expanding investment," Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said in a programme on broadcaster FNN, referring to capital gains tax. The tax has been contentious since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida swept to power last year pledging to review what is seen an unfair tax that favours the rich earning hefty financial investment income. In Japan, differences between the income tax and capital gains tax rates causes what is known as the wall of 100 million yen, at which the effective tax rate on financial investment income starts to decline. "We must do what we should do regardless of whether there are funding sources or not," Kihara said.

Japan and Britain hope to agree by the end of the year to merge their next-generation Tempest and F-X fighter programmes, sources said in July. Those talks, aimed at a joint project to field a plane in the mid-2030s, remain on track, according to four other people familiar with the discussions. Japan ended a ban on military exports in 2014 in a bid to promote overseas sales. An export boom, however, failed to materialize because Japan only allowed sales of non-lethal gear such as surveillance and rescue equipment. LDP lawmakers, Onodera said, are also discussing a joint U.S-Japan command structure that could be formed for national emergencies.

☆ Japan govt begins Unification Church probe amid anger over ties with ruling party
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Japan's government on Tuesday launched a probe into the Unification Church, the first step in a process that could strip the group of its legal status amid public anger over its links to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's ruling party. The government will give the church until Dec. 9 to answer questions about its finances and organisation, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Keiko Nagaoka told a regular news conference. Once the government investigation is over it will be up to a court to decide whether to remove the Unification Church's legal standing and with it the tax exemptions that registered religious organisations enjoy in Japan. Widespread links between the church and lawmakers in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) came to light after former premier Shinzo Abe was shot and killed during an election campaign in July. Reporting by Tim Kelly and Kaori Kaneko; Editing by Chang-Ran Kim and Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan PM Kishida plans to sack internal affairs minister Terada, Yomiuri reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to sack internal affairs minister Minoru Terada, Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday, the third cabinet minister to leave in under a month in a fresh blow for Kishida's battered support ratings. Kishida told a news conference in Bangkok on Saturday he would make a decision on Terada as needed, adding "cabinet ministers must fulfill their obligations to explain." The suspected killer has said his mother was bankrupted by the church and has blamed Abe for promoting it. The LDP has acknowledged many lawmakers have ties to the church but that there is no organisational link to the party. Further damage came from the resignation of justice minister Yasuhiro Hanashi last week for comments seen as making light of his work responsibilities, specifically signing off on executions.

☆ Third Japanese cabinet minister in a month resigns in blow to PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Elaine Lies | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Japan's internal affairs minister resigned on Sunday in connection with a funding scandal, becoming the third cabinet member to leave in less than a month in a severe blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's already shaky support. Internal affairs minister Minoru Terada tendered his resignation to Kishida after media reports the premier was preparing to sack him. Kishida said he had accepted Terada's resignation in order to prioritise parliamentary debate, including discussions on a second extra budget for the fiscal year ending in March. Asked about the fact that three ministers have resigned since Oct. 24, Kishida said he would like to apologise. Hanashi and Terada's resignations are likely to be especially painful because they were members of Kishida's faction in the LDP.

☆ Japan's PM Kishida plans to sack justice minister - media
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has firmed up his intention to sack his justice minister, media reported on Friday, raising the possibility of a second minister leaving the cabinet because of a scandal in less than a month. Hanashi has come under widespread criticism over comments reported in the media in which he made light of his duties, specifically signing off on executions, which he referred to as "tedious". Hanashi's office declined to comment when asked about the media reports that the prime minister was preparing to sack him. Kishida has struggled to overcome revelations of deep and longstanding ties between the ruling party and the church in following the July assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Economic revitalisation minister Daishiro Yamagiwa resigned on Oct. 24 due to his ties to the religious group.

☆ Approval of Japan PM Kishida's gov't hits new low, no help from economic plan
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Support slid to 42% in a poll conducted by the Nikkei newspaper at the weekend, the lowest since Kishida took office in October 2021. Approval edged up slightly in a Kyodo news agency survey to 37.6% from 35% at the start of October. read moreThe Unification Church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s and famous for its mass weddings, has been fending off criticism for the means by which it collects donations. In the Kyodo poll, nearly 80% of respondents thought the LDP should expand its investigation into the church. A poll earlier this month showed it had slid to 27.4%, a level low enough to make it difficult to carry out policy.

☆ Japanese economic minister steps down over church links
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kantaro Komiya | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

He added that he regretted attending so many church gatherings and giving the organisation recognition as a result. INVESTIGATIONThe church, founded in South Korea in the 1950s and famous for its mass weddings, has came under the spotlight following the July 8 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Since the killing, evidence has come to light of deep and longstanding ties between the church and LDP members. The LDP has acknowledged that many individual lawmakers have ties to the church but have said there was no organisational link to the party. Critics say the church built ties with politicians in Japan to attract followers and gain legitimacy while politicians gained access to church members for help with campaigns.

☆ Japan econmin Yamagiwa to step down - NHK
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TOKYO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Japanese Economy Minister Daishiro Yamagiwa plans to step down on growing calls from the opposition to resign due to his insufficient explanations about his ties to the controversial Unification Church, public broadcaster NHK said on Monday. His resignation would be a blow to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida as revelations about connections between nearly half of the lawmakers at the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the church came under the spotlight following the July assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. read moreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Mariko Katsumura, Writing by Elaine Lies Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan's stimulus plan must exceed $100 bln, says ruling party executive
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Japan's promised economic stimulus must be big enough to exceed the economy's output gap of about 15 trillion yen ($100 billion), a senior ruling party official said on Sunday. "The gap in Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) is now around 15 trillion yen. It's not enough to just fill this gap," said Yoshitaka Shindo, executive acting chairperson of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) policy research council. The remarks add to growing calls among ruling party officials for hefty spending to ease the strain from rising inflation on households. On monetary policy, Shindo said while the Bank of Japan must eventually exit ultra-easy policy, doing so now would be premature as Japan's economy and wage growth remain weak.

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