CDPJ opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda after the recent election
Japan LNG to gain traction from political inertia
The crumbling of the country’s postwar political consensus may bolster the country’s LNG demand outlook by stymieing planned nuclear restarts
Japan’s recent snap elections have created a situation unprecedented in the country’s postwar history. After US occupation following the Second World War, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) governed Japan without interruption until 2009, when it was briefly ousted from power, before returning to govern in coalition with the Komeito party from 2012. But the scandal-tainted LDP-Komeito coalition saw its support decline in the latest elections, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba now faces the prospect of attempting to govern without a parliamentary majority. The stage is set for further political turmoil and a new era in which other political parties may be able to influence or block policy—part
Also in this section
15 May 2025
Financial problems, lack of exploration success and political dogma cause uncertainty across much of the region
14 May 2025
The invisible hand of the market has seen increasing transparency but much more needs to be done to build a better understanding
13 May 2025
A fall in Venezuelan output drives overall production lower, as Saudi Arabia starts to slowly bring more crude to the market
12 May 2025
With the gas industry’s staunchest advocates and opponents taking brutal blows, the sector looks like treading a path of insipid indifference
