Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Lower House budget panel on Nov. 11 she will not retract her remark that a Taiwan contingency could qualify as a “存立危機事態” and said accelerating defense spending reflects a sovereign decision.
- The Liberal Democratic Party and Nippon Ishin are pressing for roughly a 10% cut to Lower House seats, with Ishin urging a 50-seat reduction in proportional representation, drawing sharp objections from smaller parties and caution within the LDP.
- U.S. stocks advanced as the Senate moved a stopgap funding measure forward, with the Dow up 381 points on Nov. 10 and higher again on Nov. 11 on expectations the partial federal shutdown will be lifted soon.
- Police and courts reported a series of cases: an 82-year-old pedestrian died after being struck by a light car in Fukui, a Nagano junior-high student admitted setting a school dojo fire, an Otaru man lost about ¥2.5 million after passbook theft by police impersonators, and prosecutors sought 15 years in a Tomakomai matricide trial with a ruling due Nov. 14.
- In sumo, Yokozuna Oonosato opened the Kyushu Basho with strong wins and improved to 3–0, with a Day 4 bout against former ozeki Kirishima.