Overview
- LDP leader Sanae Takaichi and Ishin chief Hirofumi Yoshimura signed a coalition agreement on Oct. 20 that commits policy cooperation with Ishin staying outside the cabinet.
- Seat counts reported by media point to 234 votes for Takaichi on the first ballot—LDP’s 196 plus Ishin’s 35 and three independents—exceeding the 233 threshold if there are no defections, with the prime minister vote set for Oct. 21.
- The three independents include former Ishin lawmaker Takeshi Saiki, and their lower house caucus plans to disband over differences on the coming vote, according to the Mainichi.
- A points failure at JR’s Osaki Station around 6 a.m. halted all Saikyo Line and Shonan-Shinjuku Line services for roughly three hours, and JR East is investigating the cause.
- Public safety updates included two bear-injury cases in Gunma on Oct. 18 and nine more across Iwate, Akita and Yamagata on Oct. 19–20, a Nara house fire with residents unaccounted for, and a Hakodate arrest of a Malaysian suspect in a ¥5.94 million fraud.