Latest news with #YoshihikoNoda
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Main opposition CDP decides against no-confidence motion for Ishiba
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has decided to forgo a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet in the ongoing ordinary session of the parliament, which ends on Sunday. CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda conveyed the decision Thursday to Seiji Maehara, co-head of Nippon Ishin no Kai. The CDP chief said that there should not be a political vacuum amid ongoing tariff negotiations between the Japanese and U.S. governments. He also mentioned heightened tensions in the Middle East.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Japan Times
U.S. focus on auto trade gap is sticking point for Japan deal
A strong U.S. focus on its auto trade deficit with Japan is a key factor keeping the two nations from reaching a deal, according to a Japanese opposition party leader who met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to discuss the tariff negotiations. Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said on Thursday that he asked Ishiba what was preventing the two sides from finding common ground in the talks that have continued for around two months. "He didn't give a clear explanation, but it seems that the U.S. has the strongest interest in the auto trade deficit,' Noda told reporters. "Various ideas were probably proposed, but there are differences in thinking regarding autos. So, he said a general consensus has yet to be reached.' Ishiba briefed Noda and other party leaders about the latest developments in the bilateral trade negotiations. The prime minister and U.S. President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Canada earlier this week, but failed to come to an agreement. Japan's trade surplus with the U.S. last year stood at ¥8.6 trillion ($59.3 billion), the fifth largest on record. Roughly 82% of the gap was due to Japan's surplus in cars and auto parts. The differential put the nation in Trump's crosshairs as he kicked off a global campaign to rebalance U.S. trade deficits using tariffs. Trump has imposed levies of 25% on cars and related parts. The auto duties are a particular concern for Japan as the car sector is crucial to its economy, employing some 5.6 million people, about 8.3% of the country's work force, and generating around 10% of gross domestic product, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. The tariffs are raising the risk that Japan's economy enters a technical recession after contracting in the first quarter of the year, ahead of the bulk of the measures. Exports to the U.S. fell 11% in May, with shipments of autos slumping about 25%. Japan's trade surplus with the U.S. in the month stood at ¥451.7 billion, with 93% of that due to autos and related parts, according to the Finance Ministry. Thursday's gathering among party leaders comes ahead of an Upper House election in July. The tariff negotiations loom large not only for the economy, but also Ishiba's public standing. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with opposition party leaders Thursday to brief them about the latest developments in the tariff talks with the United States. | Jiji Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara also cited the prime minister as saying that autos are the biggest point of disagreement between the two nations. "He didn't mention the details,' Maehara said after the meeting. "But I felt that the biggest difference exists in automobiles. Japan is requesting a reduction in automobile tariffs, but I suspect that Trump may not have agreed to that.' Ishiba emphasized in the conference that he will make sure companies in the auto sector are getting ample support for loans, while seeking cooperation beyond party lines to secure Japan's interest in the trade talks, Maehara said. It's also unclear what the U.S. will decide regarding its July 9 trade deadline, when so-called reciprocal tariffs are poised to return to their original, higher levels, Noda said, citing his exchange with Ishiba. For Japan, that will mean a bump in across-the-board tariffs to 24% from 10%. In addition to the levies on cars and auto parts, the nation is already facing 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Japan's top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, is expected to continue discussions with U.S. counterparts including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. The two sides have held six rounds of talks in Washington so far. Ishiba and Trump also had three phone conversations on tariffs prior to their in-person meeting in Canada. Maehara, a former foreign minister, voiced support for Ishiba's ongoing efforts. "In the end, I believe that President Trump will make the final decision,' Maehara said. "We ask the Japanese government to continue to build the content of the package without compromising Japan's interests, and we won't simply say that it is unacceptable because an agreement wasn't reached this time.'
2 days ago
- Politics
Main Opposition CDP Decides to Skip No-Confidence Motion
News from Japan Jun 19, 2025 17:15 (JST) Tokyo, June 19 (Jiji Press)--The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has decided to forgo a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's cabinet in the ongoing ordinary session of the Diet, which ends on Sunday, it was learned Thursday. CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda conveyed the decision to Seiji Maehara, co-head of Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party), during their meeting on the day. The CDP chief said that there should not be a political vacuum amid ongoing tariff negotiations between the Japanese and U.S. governments. He also mentioned heightened tensions in the Middle East. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
US Focus on Auto Trade Gap Is Sticking Point for Japan Deal
A strong US focus on its auto trade deficit with Japan is a key factor keeping the two nations from reaching a deal, according to a Japanese opposition party leader who met with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to discuss the tariff negotiations. Yoshihiko Noda, who heads the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said on Thursday that he asked Ishiba what was preventing the two sides from finding common ground in the talks that have continued for around two months.
Japan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Times
Parties are still arguing about the rules on imperial succession
Japan's parliament has failed to reach common ground on a revision of imperial family norms as a succession crisis looms over the future of the household. Since last year, Lower House speaker Fukushiro Nukaga, together with his deputy and Upper House counterparts, have tried to muster a bipartisan consensus on the imperial rules — with no notable success. For months, Liberal Democratic Party chief adviser Taro Aso and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda — two former prime ministers — met behind the scenes in the hopes of fine-tuning an agreement. However, the talks came to an abrupt halt earlier this month. On June 6, Noda revealed the two sides had preliminarily agreed to allow female members in the family to retain their status after marriage — a stopgap solution to halt the thinning of the household and assure the continuation of official duties. A few days later, speaking to reporters after a party meeting chaired by Aso, the LDP's Minoru Kihara denied any such deal was ever made. 'We must reach a consensus and pass legislation to fill the ranks of the imperial family,' Kihara said, stressing the necessity of an all-encompassing pact. The Imperial House Law states that female members born in the family who marry commoners must renounce their titles and leave the household. The departure of female members after marriage — including Emperor Naruhito's younger sister, Sayako Kuroda , in 2005, and more recently Mako Komuro , Crown Prince Akishino's eldest daughter — has accelerated the dwindling of the family. Should female members be allowed to keep their status after marriage, the five unmarried princesses still in the family — Princess Aiko, Princess Kako, Princess Akiko, Princess Yohko and Princess Tsuguko — will be able to perform the wide range of duties requested of royals. Parties across the aisle have supported the idea of allowing female members to stay in the imperial family after tying the knot. However, the LDP has opposed granting imperial status to potential husbands and children — on the grounds that could lead to the emergence of a maternal lineage. 'There is no way someone can become a member of the Imperial Family unless their spouse is a male member of the family,' Kihara told reporters. The law states that only male members belonging to the paternal line of the imperial family can succeed to the throne. While there are eight historical precedents of female empresses, all of them are said to be hailing from the paternal line. Following the death of Princess Yuriko last November, the imperial family currently has 16 members. Only three of them have the right to ascend to the imperial throne: the Emperor's younger brother, Crown Prince Akishino, 59, his son Prince Hisahito, 18, and Prince Hitachi, 89, Emperor Emeritus Akihito's younger brother. Prince Hisahito, who has just entered university in April , is the only male of his generation. In the event he leaves no male heir, under the current rules, the imperial line would end with him. Calls to review the rules on the imperial family have grown louder after the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito in 2019 and the gradual drop in members of the imperial family. In 2005, an expert panel set up under the government of then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi put forward the option of a female empress and the establishment of a maternal line to the throne. However, the debate lost steam after the birth of Hisahito in 2006. Princess Kako of Akishino greets students during a ceremony with the Japanese community at the Nikkei Cultural Center Association in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Friday. | AFP-JIJI In late 2021, another government panel recommended a more conservative approach, proposing to keep married female members in the family and replenish the ranks through adoption. The LDP and other parties in parliament have proposed reintegrating male members from the paternal lineage of 11 families who renounced their imperial status in 1947 during the American occupation. There's no official data on the exact number and the identity of these individuals. The government has repeatedly denied possessing any specific knowledge on these families or having made contact with them. In a hearing with the 2021 government panel, Akira Momochi, a professor at Kokushikan University and expert on the Constitution, said that, within four of the 11 families, at least 10 unmarried male members from the paternal lineage in their 20s or younger were alive at the time. Adoptions into the imperial family are currently prohibited by law. The opposition's CDP has taken a more cautious approach, criticizing the 2021 proposal for failing to consider a maternal line to the throne as an option. Some, including opposition lawmakers, have raised questions on adoptions, stressing that the Constitution does not recognize nobility and that adoption based on lineage should not occur. Kihara revealed that, in the talks with Aso, Noda proposed seeking the Imperial House Council's opinion on the subject. The Council is a body concerned with discussions on the imperial family. It is composed of 10 members including the prime minister, the speakers of both chambers of parliament and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. The LDP has fiercely opposed getting the Imperial House Council involved. As such, the distance between the parties remained too wide to clinch a deal in the ongoing session of parliament, slated to close Friday. The parties are now expected to continue discussions in the fall. "It's regrettable that our counterpart turned the tables on the initial agreement,' Noda told a news conference earlier this month. 'It's an issue of credibility as a negotiating party.' Recent surveys suggest a majority of the Japanese public support the idea of letting female members of the imperial family retain their titles. In a Jiji Press survey conducted last month, 64.9% of respondents were in favor of the idea, while only 10.7% said they were against. Those who were unsure or had no opinion stood at 24.3%. Popular support for the adoption proposal stood at 39.2%, 17 percentage points higher than those who opposed it.
