Japan’s political calendar in 2021 was dominated by the government’s commitment to host the postponed Tokyo Olympic Games in July in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the election of the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in September and the lower house election in October. This series of events saw the end of Yoshihide Suga’s time as prime minister after just one year and the inauguration of Fumio Kishida. Yet, the change in leadership shows no sign yet of bringing significant change in policy direction despite the domestic and foreign policy challenges that face the new administration. When ... (full story)