Japan

Intelligence for Better Decision Making

LDP Launches Reform Headquarters to Advance Diet Seat Reduction and Organizational Overhaul

Nov. 13, 2025 | Governance & Law

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party has launched its Political System Reform Headquarters to spearhead organizational change and fulfill coalition commitments.

**On November 12, 2025, the LDP inaugurated its reform headquarters, charging it with four priority areas: reducing Diet membership, overhauling the electoral system, tightening political funding regulation, and revising party organization.**
Secretary‐General Shun’ichi Suzuki will lead the headquarters, and senior LDP figures will chair subgroups dedicated to each domain. These teams must hold intensive discussions, draft proposals, and meet an internally established deadline to maintain momentum.

**A central task stems from the coalition agreement with Nippon Ishin no Kai to cut House of Representatives seats by roughly 10 percent, about 50 of the current 465.**
Ishin has urged passage of the related bill during the extraordinary Diet session of 2025, while some LDP executives favor first debating the measure in the existing bipartisan council framework. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has shown openness to that route, reflecting the need to balance coalition commitments with internal caution.

**On November 11, the LDP and Nippon Ishin no Kai began negotiations across five areas: governance structure reform, political funds, the electoral system, constitutional revision, and social security reform.**
They set up separate councils for each topic. The governance structure council met first and discussed the “sub‐capital” concept, while the remaining councils are scheduled to convene within the week. Negotiators have encountered friction over the precise modalities of seat reduction and the sub‐capital proposal, indicating unresolved issues that coalition partners must reconcile.

**Simultaneously, on November 12, Secretary‐General Suzuki and Constitutional Democratic Party Secretary‐General Jun Azumi met at the National Diet to expand consultations on the seat‐reduction initiative.**
Both leaders agreed to accelerate discussions involving ruling and opposition parties. They also tackled the urgent challenge of regulating false information and slander on social media during election campaigns, agreeing to expedite those talks within the ruling‐opposition council. LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Hiroshi Kajiyama and CDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairman Hirofumi Kasa joined the deliberations.

**Throughout these efforts, the LDP has stressed the importance of internal coordination among its leadership before seeking formal cooperation from opposition parties.**
A member‐initiated bill to reduce Diet seats remains slated for submission in the current extraordinary session, even as party figures hold divergent views on the timing and procedural approach. The party’s strategic focus remains on securing consensus within its headquarters and coalition ranks ahead of broader legislative engagement.

Record Bear Attacks Spur Major Government Action Across Japan

Nov. 13, 2025 | Governance & Law

Brown bear incursions across Japan have triggered park closures, record-setting attacks, and a robust government response.

**Sapporo City closed Maruyama Park for two weeks beginning November 11, 2025 after residents spotted a brown bear on a nearby road on November 10 and security cameras recorded it inside the park.**
City officials installed signs and ropes at more than 30 entrances around the park’s 690,000 square meters to ban public entry. On the morning of November 11 a zoo camera captured the bear within Maruyama Zoo grounds, and authorities discovered its footprints on adjacent roads, marking the area as high risk.

**As of November 2025 at least 220 people have suffered injuries or death in bear attacks during Japan’s current fiscal year, surpassing the previous record of 219 in fiscal 2023.**
Fatalities reached a record 13, including five in Iwate Prefecture, four in Akita, two in Hokkaido, and one each in Nagano and Miyagi.

**Experts link the surge in bear encounters to a shortage of natural food sources—especially acorns and beechnuts—that drives bears into residential areas during autumn.**
Forest management authorities in the Tohoku region report that beechnut yields remain extremely low for a second consecutive fiscal year, mirroring fiscal 2023 conditions and fueling human–bear conflict.

Recent attacks illustrate the risks: in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture, a 75-year-old man suffered facial injuries when a bear clawed him while he walked; near Maruyama Park in Sapporo a brown bear tried to peer through a kitchen window; in Noda, Hachimantai City, Iwate Prefecture a 47-year-old man was attacked while walking his dog; and in Nihongi, Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture an eighty-year-old hunters’ association member shot and killed an adult female bear after it injured his face and leg during patrol duties.

**In Iwate Prefecture local and outside police officers formed a squad to inspect the Nakatsugawa River—site of multiple bear sightings on October 23—and to prepare for a culling operation scheduled to begin Thursday.**
The National Police Agency supplied rifles, and officers are collaborating with local hunters to share expertise on bear behavior, tactics for targeting animals in dense undergrowth, and safety measures against bullet ricochet from nearby stone barriers. Squad members will attend a bear behavior training session in Takizawa City on Wednesday.

**On November 12, 2025 Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the House of Councillors Budget Committee that the government will boost financial aid to local governments for bear extermination efforts through the fiscal 2025 supplementary budget.**
She cited rising regional damage and public safety concerns and pledged to expand coverage of municipal expenses, including capture costs, in a bill scheduled for Diet deliberation in early December.

Monitored Intelligence for Japan - Nov. 13, 2025

News
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380

Government
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45

City/State
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113

Embassy
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0

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景気ウォッチャー調査2025年10月～高市政権への期待から、先行き判断DIは前月から4.6ポイントの大幅上昇～

Economy Watchers Survey October 2025 – Significant 4.6-Point Increase in Future Outlook DI from the Previous Month Due to Expectations for the Takaichi Administration –

NLI Research Institute | Local Language | AcademicThink | Nov. 13, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

The Economy Watchers Survey for October 2025, released by the Cabinet Office, showed continued improvement in economic sentiment. The Current Conditions Diffusion Index (DI), seasonally adjusted, rose 2.0 points to 49.1, marking the sixth consecutive monthly increase. Regionally, 10 out of 12 regions experienced a rise, with Tokai showing the largest gain (+3.6 points) and Okinawa the largest decline (-1.1 points). Household-related DI increased by 2.1 points, corporate-related DI by 2.7 points, and employment-related DI by 0.2 points. The Cabinet Office upgraded its economic assessment from "showing signs of picking up" to "picking up."

Seasonal changes influenced household trends, with winter goods sales beginning due to plummeting temperatures. While housing-related and food service-related DIs slightly declined, service-related and retail-related sectors saw increases, supported by positive sales in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and high-priced clothing items. The Osaka-Kansai Expo’s closing did not lead to a downturn; visitor numbers and sales remained steady. Manufacturing and non-manufacturing corporate-related DIs rose by 2.5 and 3.1 points, respectively, with transportation and construction industries noting increased inquiries and orders heading into year-end.

The Future Outlook DI jumped significantly by 4.6 points to 53.1. All sectors showed improvements: household-related DI rose 5.1 points, corporate-related 2.7 points, and employment-related 4.6 points. Consumer comments indicated acclimatization to high prices, with continued spending even on expensive items. Employment-related remarks highlighted expected increases in temporary staffing toward the fiscal year-end. Quantitative text analysis revealed that positive future sentiment was closely linked to expectations of the new Takaichi administration, referencing policy optimism, stock market highs, and potential reforms such as the abolition of the provisional gasoline tax.

Overall, the October 2025 survey reflected improved economic conditions and heightened future optimism, largely driven by expectations surrounding the Takaichi administration's policies. Attention will remain focused on economic developments in the coming months.

Tokyo transportation bureau and six firms inspected over alleged bid-rigging

Japan Times | English | News | Nov. 13, 2025 | Corporate Corruption or Fraud

The Japan Fair Trade Commission conducted on-site inspections of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's transportation bureau and six construction firms over alleged bid-rigging related to railroad track maintenance contracts. The companies involved are Totetsu Kogyo, Tsuboi, Hayakawa Kensetsu, Tokyu Kidoh Kogyo, Nisshin Kogyo, and Sankikensetsu, a division of Kyushu Railway.

The firms are suspected of conspiring for years to prearrange winners of bids for work on subway lines managed by the transportation bureau. This includes the Toei Asakusa, Mita, Shinjuku, and Oedo subway lines, as well as the Toden Arakawa tram line and the Nippori-Toneri driverless transit line.

Notable contracts won through the alleged rigging include Totetsu Kogyo's April 2024 contract to renew rails between Azabu-Juban and Roppongi stations on the Oedo Line for ¥259.6 million, and Tokyu Kidoh’s June 2024 contract on the Mita Line worth ¥170 million.

Signing of Japanese ODA Loan Agreement with Jordan: Contributing to sustainable development through enhancing economic resilience and human capital development

JICA - E | English | Government | Nov. 13, 2025 | UndeterminedEconomic Growth

On November 11, 2025, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed an Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan agreement with the Government of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Tokyo. The agreement funds the "Enhancing the Resilience for Economic Growth and Human Capital Development Program." The signing involved Minister Zeina Toukan of Jordan's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and Senior Vice President Mitsui Yuko of JICA.

The program targets the entire territory of Jordan and aims to support reforms that increase economic growth resilience and human capital development. The ultimate goal is to foster social and economic stability and development in Jordan through financial assistance. The project focuses on promoting sustainable tourism development and digital transformation within the tourism sector, improving education quality, advancing infrastructure in the power sector, and expanding public capital investment.

The loan amount is set at a maximum of 15,500 million Japanese Yen, with an annual interest rate of 1.5%. The repayment period spans 15 years, including a five-year grace period. Procurement for the program will follow a general untied framework, and the executing agency responsible is Jordan's Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.

This program contributes toward several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 4 (Quality Education), Goal 5 (Gender Equality), and Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). The planned implementation timeline expects project completion and disbursement by December 2025. The program does not include consulting services or construction works related to international competitive bidding for project components.

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