Japan PM confronts upper house clash

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Shigeru Ishiba faces a decisive upper‑house test

Prices cause discontent among voters

• Rice and energy costs have risen sharply, stoking public frustration.
• Opinion polls now show the LDP‑Komeito coalition could lose its upper‑house majority.

Japan could see an unprecedented dual minority

Ishiba may be forced to resign after a minority status on both houses—something Japan has never experienced since World War II.

Trade tensions with the United States deepen

• 26 % US tariffs, scheduled to take effect on 1 Aug if no agreement is reached, threaten a major auto sector that provides 8 % of national jobs.
• Weak export data last week raised fears of a technical recession for Japan’s fourth‑largest economy.
• Despite early meetings between Ishiba and former President Trump, the U.S. has stated it will not easily compromise on Japanese trade openness.

The “Japanese‑first” Sanseito rallies momentum

Sanseito, a right‑wing populist party, is polling for more than 10 upper‑house seats—a jump from its current two.

• Its platform calls for stricter immigration limits, an anti‑globalist stance, a challenge to radical gender policies, and a re‑thinking of decarbonisation and vaccine policies.
• Last week it denied links to Moscow after a candidate was interviewed by Russian state media.
• At its rally, a voter said, “They put into words what I had been thinking about but couldn’t put into words for many years.”