Charlie Kirk Spoke at Sanseito Event Days Before Shooting

This week’s news roundup is dominated by politics. We begin with the death of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was murdered days after speaking at a Sanseito event in Tokyo. Shigeru Ishiba announces that he is resigning as Japanese prime minister. Ito Mayor Maki Takubo dissolves the entire city council after receiving a no-confidence motion. And Hideo Kojima wins a seat on the town assembly in Ginan, Gifu Prefecture, despite being forced to resign from his post last year after an investigative committee confirmed that he’d sexually harassed or verbally abused staff at least 99 times.

Charlie Kirk Spread His Anti-Immigration Message Days Before Death

Conservative activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk died on Wednesday after he was shot at an outdoor “Prove Me Wrong” debate that took place at Utah Valley University. Kirk, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, was debating with a student about mass shootings involving transgender people when he was killed. Three days before the shooting, the 31-year-old spoke at a symposium in Tokyo. He was invited by the right-wing populist political party Sanseito. The American also visited South Korea as part of an Asian tour to spread his message about anti-globalism and immigration.

“I’m really kind of thrilled to see that there is this growing political movement here in Japan that is fighting the same things that we believe in,” he said in what was one of his last ever interviews with CNN. He added, “Even my greatest critics would agree that if you put 30 million Pakistanis in Japan, Japan’s not Japan anymore. That’s not xenophobia. It’s common sense.” On Thursday, Trump announced that will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously to Kirk. The search for his killer is ongoing. The FBI has released photos of a person of interest.

Ishiba’s election as Prime Minister, 1 October 2024

Shigeru Ishiba To Resign as Prime Minister

On Sunday, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced he will resign now that the tariff negotiations with the US have been completed. Speaking at a press conference, the 68-year-old said he had informed the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to hold an emergency leadership race. In the meantime, he will continue with his duties until a successor is elected. Ishiba’s resignation comes after two disastrous election results. The LDP and their junior coalition party, Komeito, lost their majority in the lower house vote last October. They then met with the same fate in the upper house election in July.

The party was due to make a decision on Monday on whether to hold an early presidential election — it wasn’t due until 2027 — a virtual no-confidence motion against Ishiba if approved. In the end, he made the decision for them. A day before the announcement, Ishiba met with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga at his official residence. It is believed that the pair suggested that he resign ahead of Monday’s vote to prevent a split within the party. In 2021, Koizumi also reportedly encouraged Suga to step down.

The Race To Succeed Ishiba

Ishiba’s resignation announcement on Sunday has set the stage for what will be a third ruling party leadership contest in five years. Voting, which is going to be open to both Diet and rank-and-file members nationwide, is expected to take place on October 4. The first LDP member to throw his name in the ring for the latest leadership election was Toshimitsu Motegi. “Our party is in the biggest crisis since its founding,” said Motegi on Monday. “We must form a united front and create a new LDP as soon as possible.”

On Thursday, former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi said that he will be running in the election. He told reporters he is confident he has the support of the 20 LDP lawmakers needed for him to run in the race. Sanae Takaichi, who also served as economic security minister, is the early favorite to succeed Ishiba. She has yet to officially announce her candidacy, but a source close to her told Kyodo News that she has decided to run again. Koizumi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi are also considering putting their names forward.

Ito Mayor Dissolves Entire City Council After Receiving No-Confidence Motion

On Wednesday morning, Maki Takubo, the mayor of Ito in Shizuoka Prefecture, announced that she was dissolving the entire city council after they approved a no-confidence motion against her. The resolution was passed on September 1 after a special investigative committee concluded that Takubo falsified her academic credentials. It stated that she has become “a national symbol of a negative reputation” and that she has “cast a dark shadow over Ito’s key tourism industry.” Despite this, she remains in power until the city council election, that’s due to be held within 40 days of the dissolution.

If a second motion of no confidence is passed at the post-election city council meeting with more than two-thirds of the assembly members present and a majority in favor, Takubo, who was elected in May, will lose her position. She is also facing potential criminal charges. The assembly voted to file charges against her for four alleged violations of the Local Autonomy Law after she refused to appear before the special investigative committee, failed to submit records, rejected the opportunity to testify and gave false testimony. The complaint was submitted to Ito Police Station.

Former Ginan Town Mayor Hideo Kojima | Image: Ginan Town

Outrage as Former Mayor in Gifu With 99 Harassment Claims Wins Council Seat

On Sunday, the results of the Ginan town council election in Gifu Prefecture were announced with one hugely controversial outcome. In total, 10 candidates won seats. This included the town’s former mayor, Hideo Kojima, who finished second in the ballot despite being forced to resign from his post last year after an investigative committee confirmed that he’d sexually harassed or verbally abused staff at least 99 times. He was accused of touching colleagues’ breasts and buttocks. According to the report, Kojima also asked employees to stroke his legs, made inappropriate remarks and pressured some women to lift their skirts.

“It’s the will of the people, reflecting their recognition of my efforts,” he said to a local TV network on Monday. He then refused to comment when asked about the sexual harassment issue. “No discussion on that,” said Kojima. “If you want to talk about it, the interview is over.” Unsurprisingly, netizens were shocked at the election result. “This would be unthinkable in a regular company,” posted one X user. “To put it bluntly, it’s like someone who was sacked for misconduct getting rehired.” Another wrote, “The residents who voted are out of their minds.”

Image: Wikimedia, edits by TW

Oda and Kamiji Win Wheelchair Singles Titles at US Open

Japanese wheelchair tennis players won both the men’s and women’s singles titles at the US Open in Flushing Meadows last weekend. On Saturday teenage star Tokito Oda defeated Gustavo Fernandez of Argentina 6-2 3-6 7-6 in the men’s final. The victory meant he became the youngest player to complete a career Golden Slam, which comprises all four majors and the Paralympic Games. Prior to their final, Oda and Fernandez competed together in the men’s doubles competition. The unseeded pair beat No. 1 seeds Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid of the UK 6-2 1-6 (10-6) in the final.

In the women’s wheelchair singles final, Yui Kamiji came from behind to defeat China’s Li Xiaohui 0-6 6-1 6-3. The win secured her third Grand Slam singles title this year and her 11th in total. She triumphed in Australia and France, but her chance of a calendar Grand Slam was ended by Wang Ziying in the Wimbledon final. It’s the one singles major that still eludes her. She also lost in the 2022 Wimbledon final to Diede de Groot of the Netherlands. In doubles, Kamiji has won 22 Grand Slam titles. She also won two Paralympic golds in Paris last year.