Japan’s new administration under Liberal Democratic Party President Takaichi faces its first major diplomatic test: an inaugural summit with President Trump, expected on October 28. How that meeting unfolds—and how Takaichi responds if Trump presses Japan to lift defense outlays to 3.5% of GDP—will shape Tokyo’s security posture. With Beijing wary of Takaichi’s stance, the trajectory of Japan–China relations is also in focus. (News On Japan)

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) under President Takaichi has finalized its executive appointments, marking the start of a new leadership structure. In the afternoon, the party is scheduled to begin coalition talks with its junior partner, Komeito. (News On Japan)

Former U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media to congratulate Japan following the selection of its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, writing that "Japan has just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength.” While Trump did not name Takaichi directly, his post came as she assumed leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and was set to be formally elected as prime minister. (News On Japan)

Sanae Takaichi, elected as the Liberal Democratic Party’s new president on October 4th, declared on stage, “I ask everybody to work like a horse,” after defeating agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi in a runoff to become the party’s first female leader. (News On Japan)

Sanae Takaichi won the leadership race of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on October 4th, defeating former environment minister Shinjirō Koizumi in a runoff election that sets her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister. With the LDP holding a majority in the lower house, her confirmation in parliament is considered almost certain, opening a new chapter in Japanese politics. (News On Japan)

Former US President Donald Trump is arranging a three-day visit to Japan starting on October 27th, marking his first trip to the country in six years. (News On Japan)

Maebashi Mayor Akira Ogawa held a closed-door meeting with all city council members on October 2nd to explain her repeated hotel meetings with a married senior city official, but afterward she avoided stating whether she would resign. (News On Japan)

Japan is about to hold the leadership election of the ruling party, and the winner will become the next prime minister. Five candidates are in the running this time. Some people say Japan is doomed no matter who wins. (Japanese Comedian Meshida)

The upcoming Liberal Democratic Party leadership election will determine not only who leads Japan’s ruling party but also who is likely to become the country’s next prime minister, and the voting system itself plays a decisive role in shaping the outcome. The election is decided by a combination of votes from LDP lawmakers in the National Diet and ballots cast by the party’s grassroots members across Japan, creating a two-stage process that balances national and local influence. (News On Japan)

With the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election just days away, questions have emerged over the handling of a clerical error in Kanagawa Prefecture’s membership rolls, an organization chaired by Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. (News On Japan)

A bombshell report has surfaced in Kanagawa Prefecture, the political base of Shinjiro Koizumi, where as many as 826 members of the Liberal Democratic Party aligned with the Takaichi faction were treated as having resigned from the party without their consent, according to an investigation by the weekly magazine Bunshun. (News On Japan)

An anti-immigration rally in Osaka on September 30th descended into chaos as nationalist groups and Antifa counter-protesters clashed in the streets, with loud chants, heated exchanges, and occasional physical altercations captured on camera. (News On Japan)

In a September opinion poll conducted by TV Tokyo and the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, former Minister of State for Economic Security Takaichi was the frontrunner with 34% when respondents were asked who they believed should be the next Liberal Democratic Party president. (News On Japan)

Five candidates vying for the Liberal Democratic Party presidency held a debate with high school students, emphasizing long-term strategies for Japan’s economy and other policy areas. (News On Japan)

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race entered its fifth day on September 26th, with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi forced to apologize after his campaign team was found to have requested supportive online posts from backers. (News On Japan)

The Supreme Court’s Second Petty Bench, presided over by Chief Justice Akira Ojima, ruled on September 26th that the current system for apportioning seats in the House of Representatives is constitutional, despite a maximum disparity of 2.06-to-1 in the value of votes cast in last October’s general election. (News On Japan)

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced on September 25th that it will withdraw its "Africa Hometown" project, with President Akihiko Tanaka explaining at a press conference that widespread misunderstanding had created excessive burdens for local governments. (News On Japan)

Nearly 18 years have passed since journalist Kenji Nagai was shot dead while covering a protest in Myanmar, and new analysis has revealed that his final words were recorded on the video camera he held until the very end. (News On Japan)

Japan's Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru delivered a general debate speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 24th, where he underscored the need to expand the Security Council and questioned whether the UN is fulfilling the role originally expected of it. (News On Japan)

Japan decided not to recognize Palestine as a state during a high-level meeting in New York aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, even as about 10 other countries declared recognition. (News On Japan)