Is there a pro-Russia LDP faction around Muneo Suzuki, or is it more about Takahashi trying to keep in Trump's good books?

James D.J. Brown@jamesdjbrown.bsky.social · 2d ago

In speech to Ukraine’s ambassadors, Zelenskyy expresses disappointment in ties with Japan, saying UKR had “high expectations” about enhancing its ties following “significant political changes”. “However, the results so far have not been as significant” japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/news-service...

This is a portrait, devastating in its understatedness, of the gradual pauperization inflation is bringing to Japan. jbpress.ismedia.jp/articles/-/9...

チョコも外食も三度の食事も諦める人々と物価高で静かに干上がる東京の暮らし、消費税減税の恩恵は誰に？ 【令和版しあわせのものさし】手取り17万円の派遣社員と年金生活者の食卓事情、この夏に広がる生活防衛の厳しい現実 | JBpress (ジェイビープレス)

物価高、インフレが止まらない。　今のインフレは、急に給料が半分になったり、明日食うに困る状況になったりするワケではないところがむしろブキミである。ゆっくりとモノが値上がりし、生活が(1/4)

jbpress.ismedia.jp

RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak | Robert F Kennedy Jr | The Guardian www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

RFK Jr tells US families to vaccinate children against measles amid outbreak

Health secretary, longtime vaccination skeptic, spent years boosting misinformation about vaccines including MMR

theguardian.com

Just where do you start with this? Absolutely unbelievable.

Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social · 7d ago

Nighty night.

🇬🇧 General Shirreff: What are the objectives to achieve a lasting peace in Europe? The first objective is the defeat of Russia in Ukraine. The way to get there is not only military support. We don't need to teach the Ukrainians how to fight. They're doing inherently well.

BROWDER: We know for sure that Russia is providing targeting information to Iran, we’ve known this for a long time. Trump administration is falling all over themselves trying to figure out how not to blame Russia for all terrible things that they’re doing.

Iran started supplying Russia with its domestically-manufactured Shahed drones in 2022, which Moscow has since modified and used to hit Ukrainian cities. Ukraine dismisses Iranian threats as Caspian Sea strike directly links wars www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ukraine dismisses Iranian threats as Caspian Sea strike directly links wars

Iran has reacted with fury to the assault on the vessel, with Tehran's foreign minister saying it "cannot go unanswered".

bbc.com

Trump thinks he's winning because he uses US offensive missiles to strike Iranian drone sites, and defensive missiles to protect against drone strikes. Iran thinks it's winning because the US spends billions on missiles to fight millions in drones. Their strategy is to deplete the US. It's working.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

WELKER: Trump said the conflict would last weeks. We're now at the 5 month mark. Will this war be over by the new year? MIKE WALTZ: This was has been going on for 47 years (Not a yes!)

"overseas travelers in Japan spent a total of roughly 2.5096 trillion yen (US$14.49 billion), a 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025" Considering the exchange rate shift, that's a big drop in dollar terms!

Hikosaemon@hikosaemon.bsky.social · last wk.

This is basically a global Weeb index and yes, results are surprising Which country’s foreign tourists spend the most money per-person in Japan? Hint: Not the U..S. or China soranews24.com/2026/07/23/w...

Nagoya as a place to live is very much OK.

Hikosaemon@hikosaemon.bsky.social · last wk.

Nagoya is not THAT bad. Yes it is the Cleveland of Japan, but it doesn't have a lake that catches fire Celebrity Japanese Chef Says “Nagoya Has No Good Restaurants” – and the City Erupts unseen-japan.com/ryuji-nagoya...

Hard to describe the anger I feel at hearing a Japanese person say how good it is that many people from Cambodia, etc., are coming to take care of elderly Japanese people, and another person later explaining how these same essential workers will never receive permanent residency under the new rules.

I can see the LDP is trying to thread the needle of allowing foreigners to work menial jobs but expecting such people will only do so for a few years and leave, and only let self sufficient foreigners stay. But I agree, that is a bit naive, especially when indjustries needing workers pay less

😂

Jim Cardillo@jimcardillo.bsky.social · 2w ago

Just what are they trying to achieve here?

The Japan Times@japantimes.co.jp · 2w ago

Japan plans to tighten its guidelines for permanent residency in October, media reports say, including implementing tough new rules such as a requirement that incomes be higher than the average for Japanese households. 👉 ebx.sh/nBGOzI

“all of this is a threat to everyone in Asia who is within range of North Korean missiles”

The Japan Times@japantimes.co.jp · 2w ago

Russia wants an additional 30,000 North Korean troops to help fight in Moscow's war against Kyiv, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said — a potentially dramatic expansion of Pyongyang's role in the conflict. 👉 ebx.sh/XB91nQ

"Beijing has created a system stuffed with insular ‘yes men’, and is ordering them to release content ever-quicker into a world it doesn’t understand." China Daily's racist monkey video was a PR disaster waiting to happen. It won't be the last. toosimple.substack.com/p/china-dail...

China Daily's racist monkey video was a PR disaster waiting to happen. It won't be the last.

Paper has "nothing to do with the Government" says Beijing, trying to play down incident.

toosimple.substack.com

> Takaichi is the heir to Abe’s political method: promise household relief, growth, confidence and a bright new dawn; then, once everyone is seated, bring out constitutional revision, nationalist pageantry, culture-war grievances and pick on foreigners. tokyopaladin.substack.com/p/how-japans...

Japan's First Female Prime Minister Has Fallen On Her Face And The Future Empress Did It WIth Aikido

Sanae Takaichi is indeed Japan's first female Prime Minister but by effectively cock-blocking beloved Princess Aiko from ever becoming the Emperor of Japan, she has sent her support plummeting.

tokyopaladin.substack.com

Europe's resistance to the power of American Big Tech goes back decades. Remember the fight over unbundling Internet Explorer from Windows? Trump threatens EU will pay ‘big price’ after Brussels fines Google $1bn | Technology News | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...

Trump threatens EU will pay ‘big price’ after Brussels fines Google $1bn

EU accuses US tech giant of favouring its own services in search results, as Trump lashes out against bloc.

aljazeera.com

> Fedorov made some critical contributions to the war effort, but so have many other people who are not as worried about promoting themselves, and Fedorov is certainly not the only one who can lead Ukraine to victory. libraryofcontext.substack.com/p/the-idoliz...

The idolization of Mykhailo Fedorov

How media hype obscures the facts

libraryofcontext.substack.com

I don't think Europeans and Americans appreciate we live in a scary neighbourhood. Well, East Europeans maybe...

James D.J. Brown@jamesdjbrown.bsky.social · 2w ago

Japan’s ASDF scrambled jets 67 times in June in response to approaching foreign aircraft. 47 scrambles were caused by Chinese aircraft, 20 by Russian. www.mod.go.jp/js/pdf/2026/...

It really is this simple.

"Wishma’s family calls for court ruling to prevent another tragedy" Justice delayed is better than no justice at all. May the only tragedy be for the state, when they lose this case. www.asahi.com/ajw/articles...

Wishma’s family calls for court ruling to prevent another tragedy | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

NAGOYA--Final arguments were heard July 22 in a lawsuit against the government filed by the family of a Sri Lankan woman who died while being detained here in 2021.

asahi.com

This is not how science works AT ALL.

Not cool. If you don't read Japanese comfortably, use a web translator. This is important.

James D.J. Brown@jamesdjbrown.bsky.social · 2w ago

A regional newspaper reports that the GSDF’s Field Intelligence Unit (現地情報隊) has been systematically gathering intel. on Japanese citizens, incl. academics & heads of NPOs, to monitor their political beliefs, their “patriotism” & attitude to the SDF. kumanichi.com/articles/201...

In an interview with Russian state media, the LDP’s Suzuki Muneo welcomes FM Motegi’s meeting with Lavrov. He says the next step should be meetings at deputy FM level. Suzuki urges a resumption of ties with RU, saying “Russia has done nothing bad to Japan” tass.ru/mezhdunarodn...

Ukraine now seem to be focusing on undermining support for Putin's war. Wildberries: Russia's businesses under strain from Ukraine's attacks on retail warehouses www.bbc.com/news/article...

Wildberries: Russia's businesses under strain from Ukraine's attacks on retail warehouses

Ukrainian drones have hit several retail warehouses belonging to Russia's biggest online retailer Wildberries in a matter of days.

bbc.com

Why is Trump risking midterm disaster by resuming the unpopular Iran war? | US-Israel war on Iran | The Guardian www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...

Why is Trump risking midterm disaster by resuming the unpopular Iran war?

Less than a month after hailing a ceasefire, Trump resumed strikes on Iran, a move experts warn could prolong the war and hurt Republicans before the midterms

theguardian.com

My latest article for RUSI on Japan’s ambivalent Russia policy under PM Takaichi.

RUSI@rusi.bsky.social · 2w ago

Prime Minister Takaichi’s equivocal stance on policy towards Russia has encouraged a revival in activity from those in Japan who seek reengagement with Moscow. Read the latest #RUSICommentary by @jamesdjbrown.bsky.social, Professor of Political Science at Temple University Japan.

Now Syrsky's gone too...

RUSI@rusi.bsky.social · 2w ago

'For Ukraine’s civil society, having glimpsed the prospect of a successful conclusion of the war, the fear that Ukraine’s hopes may be smothered by elite squabbling is an unacceptable outcome.' writes Jack Watling in the latest RUSI Commentary on the removal of Mykhailo Fedorov.

I think it's especially strange that there's no way for the head of government to get help with some of the household management. I know she's caring for her husband but does she really need to be washing dishes?