Japan government troubled by US sanctions on ICC President, PM Takaichi says 'deeply regrettable'

Japan government shocked by US sanctions on ICC President Akane, PM Takaichi says 'deeply regrettable' In response to the Trump administration's addition of International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane to its sanctions list, the Japanese government has expressed that it is 'deeply regrettable,' while carefully considering its response in light of relations with its ally. The Liberal Democratic Party's Gen Nakatani and other bipartisan members of the Human Rights Diplomacy Parliamentary League issued an emergency condemnation statement demanding an immediate protest and withdrawal of the sanctions in the name of Prime Minister Takaichi. 1234

Defense Ministry to request largest-ever 8.9 trillion yen budget, including development of submarine-launched missiles The Defense Ministry has decided to request approximately 8.9 trillion yen, the largest ever, in its budget request for fiscal 2027. Ahead of the revision of the three security-related documents within the year, the request is expected to focus on responding to 'new ways of warfare' utilizing AI and drones, as well as the development of long-range attack drones. 56

Bipartisan lawmakers to visit Beijing from the 24th, seeking to improve Japan-China relations Bipartisan lawmakers, including Shinichi Isa of the Centrist Reform Alliance and Gaku Hashimoto of the Liberal Democratic Party, will visit Beijing from the 24th to the 27th and meet with senior Chinese Communist Party officials. This marks the first visit by a delegation of Diet members to Beijing since Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks on a Taiwan contingency in November 2025, and is seen as a move to improve the strained Japan-China relations. 7

16 former centrist lawmakers form political group 'Goken Liberal Kyosei', abbreviated as 'Gorilla' On the 19th, 16 former lawmakers of the Centrist Reform Alliance who lost in the February Lower House election formed a political group called 'Goken Liberal Kyosei.' They advocate for upholding Article 9 of the Constitution and revising the Imperial Household Law again, and the group could serve as a vehicle for opposing the merger of the centrist, Constitutional Democratic, and Komeito parties. 8

Health ministry abolishes uniform guidance on 36 agreements, shifts to labor bureau support for conclusion On the 19th, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare announced that it will discontinue uniform guidance requiring companies with special clause 36 agreements to limit overtime to 45 hours per month, and instead shift to a system where labor standards inspection offices support the conclusion of agreements between labor and management. This follows a proposal by the Liberal Democratic Party's 'Work Reform' initiative, and labor groups such as Rengo have criticized it as a 'loophole for long working hours.' 9

Following chimney collapse in Kumamoto earthquake, transport ministry requests emergency inspections from businesses nationwide In response to the accident in which an 80-meter-tall chimney at Nippon Paper's Yatsushiro plant collapsed during the Kumamoto earthquake, killing nine people, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has requested emergency inspections from businesses nationwide that own reinforced concrete chimneys exceeding 60 meters in height. 10

PPC issues administrative guidance to KDDI over leak of email information for 12.23 million people On the 19th, the Personal Information Protection Commission issued administrative guidance to KDDI under the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, demanding measures to prevent recurrence, following unauthorized access to KDDI's email system that resulted in the leak of addresses and passwords to the outside. 11

52-year-old man arrested in Saitama for allegedly blocking a following car at a railroad crossing, causing a collision with a train On the 19th, the Iwatsuki Police Station of the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested Kenichi Kato (52), a resident of Hasuda City, on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly blocking a following car at a railroad crossing on the Tobu Noda Line in Saitama City, attempting to kill the driver. The train and car collided, but the driver had exited the vehicle and was unharmed, with no injuries reported. 12