CDP abandons three-party merger, plan for counter-axis with centrist and Komeito stalls

CDP abandons three-party merger, counter-axis plan with centrist and Komeito stalls On the 27th, Secretary-General Masayo Tanabu conveyed to the secretaries-general of both the Centrist Reform Union and Komeito that an early merger would be difficult. The abandonment is expected to be formally confirmed at a party leaders' meeting on the 28th, and the effort to build a counter-axis against the Takaichi administration has stalled. 12

Government to spend 147.8 billion yen from reserves for Kumamoto earthquake, creates Kyushu Support Discount In addition to payments of up to 3 million yen to households whose homes were completely destroyed and support for cash flow of affected businesses, it will create the 'Kyushu Support Discount' to stimulate tourism demand. The cabinet will decide on the 28th. 3

PM Takaichi announces policy to designate Chiba heavy rain as severe disaster She announced this on the 27th, with subsidies for farmland restoration and other measures envisioned. An early payment of 8.7 billion yen in ordinary local allocation tax to 22 municipalities in Chiba Prefecture has also been decided. 4

Level 5 heavy rain special warning for Ishikawa and Toyama, flooding damage from record rainfall The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a heavy rain special warning for parts of Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures in the early hours of the 27th. River flooding and inundation have occurred one after another, and there is a risk of warning-level heavy rain again through the morning of the 28th. 45

Kioxia to invest 5 trillion yen over six years, new manufacturing building in Kitakami, Iwate President Hiroo Ota told Prime Minister Takaichi that the company will build a third building at its plant in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, for about 1.8 trillion yen, aiming to start operations in fiscal 2029. It will respond to growing memory demand driven by the spread of generative AI. 6

Government's new energy plan includes support for crude oil procurement bypassing Strait of Hormuz In response to the turmoil in the Middle East, the plan includes support for building an alternative pipeline in the UAE, naphtha stockpiling, and maximum use of nuclear power. It will be compiled as the 'Power GX Strategy' by the end of the year. 7

China tells visiting delegation it will not change policy as long as PM Takaichi's statements remain unchanged Lu Kang, deputy head of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, referred to the prime minister's remarks regarding a Taiwan contingency to the cross-party delegation visiting China, and conveyed that China will not change its policy unless its understanding changes. This is the first delegation meeting after the prime minister's remarks. 8

5 Japanese missing in Nepal floods, PM Takaichi calls for information on their safety Local media reported that five Japanese nationals are missing due to large-scale flooding and mudslides near the Nepal-China border. The prime minister called on X for people to provide information to the embassy. 9

Avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama dies at 97 She died in Tokyo on August 14 of multiple organ failure. She was active worldwide with motifs of polka dots and nets, and had received the Order of Culture. 10

Two men arrested at Kansai Airport on suspicion of smuggling liquid cannabis hidden in golf bags The two are suspected of hiding a total of about 5,573 grams of liquid cannabis in the pockets of golf bags when they arrived at Kansai Airport from Thailand on July 22. It was found in customs X-ray inspections, and police are investigating it as an organized crime. 11

Saitama police arrest gang executive and 27-year-old actress on cocaine charges A male executive of a designated organized crime group believed to be the ringleader of the special fraud group 'Tokuryu' and a woman working as an actress were arrested on suspicion of joint possession and use. The woman denies the charges, saying, 'I didn't use it.' 12

City assembly members demand reform from LDP Fukuoka chapter over money-for-post scandal Over suspicions of money changing hands involving the posts of prefectural assembly speaker and vice speaker, Fukuoka city assembly members and others submitted a written request demanding that prefectural assembly members resign from their posts. The chapter president, while denying resignation, indicated his intention to make cooperation with a third-party committee investigation a precondition for official endorsement. 13