Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Lower House Budget Committee on Nov. 11 she will not retract her earlier remark about a potential 'existential crisis' and said the defense-spending increase was an independent government decision.
- The National Governors' Association specialist committee finalized a draft joint declaration to build a coexistence society that rejects xenophobia and pledges strict action against illegal acts or system misuse, with a vote set for Nov. 26.
- Ruling parties are pursuing roughly a 10% cut to Lower House seats as Nippon Ishin presses to remove 50 proportional seats, drawing objections from smaller parties and caution within the LDP.
- U.S. equities rose on budget progress in the Senate, with the Dow up 381 points on Nov. 10 and extending gains on Nov. 11 after approval of a stopgap bill through Jan. 30, lifting hopes the partial shutdown will be reversed this week.
- Police and courts reported several cases nationwide: a Nagano junior-high student admitted to arson at a school dojo, an 82-year-old pedestrian died after a collision in Fukui, an Otaru man in his 80s lost about ¥2.5 million after bankbook theft by police impersonators, and prosecutors in Sapporo sought 15 years in a matricide trial with a verdict due Nov. 14.