- Meeting With President Trump Didn’t Help Push Up Ishiba’s Approval Ratings
According to a public opinion poll conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun from February 14 to 16, the approval rating of the Ishiba Cabinet was 39%, down by one point from last month’s survey.
The disapproval rating was 43%, a three-point decrease from the previous poll.
Regarding the summit meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump held on February 7, 51% of respondents said they "approve" of it, surpassing the 38% who said they "do not approve."
However, ongoing issues such as prolonged inflation and the lack of an agreement with opposition parties on raising the minimum income threshold for social insurance coverage prevented an overall boost in approval ratings.
Additionally, 72% of respondents said that the government should regulate the spread of false or misleading election-related information on social media by law, significantly outnumbering the 24% who opposed such measures.
- Japan And Philippine To Strengthen Defense Collaboration
According to Yomiuri, Defense Minister NakatanI will visit Manila, the capital of the Philippines, starting tomorrow, the 22nd, to meet with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
They will establish a framework for discussions to facilitate the export of defense equipment from Japan.
The move is seen as an effort by both countries to counter China's increasingly hegemonic actions in the South China Sea and around the Senkaku Islands.
Japan exported air defense radar to the Philippines in 2023 as its first defense equipment transfer.
Moving forward, there is a possibility of exporting or jointly developing high-mobility vehicles from the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force and destroyers from the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.
During the talks between the two defense ministers, they will also discuss the procedures for the implementation of the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), which aims to facilitate joint training between the Self-Defense Forces and the Philippine military.
Additionally, they will address strengthening multilateral joint training involving the United States, Australia, and other nations.
3. Japan To Launch New Energy Plan
On February 18, the Japanese government approved the "Basic Energy Plan" in a Cabinet meeting.
This plan serves as Japan's mid-to-long-term energy policy framework.
In the previous revision three years ago, the plan stated that Japan would "minimize dependence on nuclear power as much as possible."
However, the latest revision marks a policy shift, stating that nuclear power will be "utilized to the maximum extent" to ensure a stable power supply while reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
As part of this shift, the government has decided to allow the replacement of decommissioned nuclear power plants with new ones, even within the premises of other nuclear plants operated by the same utility company.
Additionally, it explicitly promotes the nuclear fuel cycle.
The background of this policy change is the expected increase in electricity demand due to the proliferation of AI.
In fiscal year 2023, Japan’s power generation mix consisted of 68.6% thermal power, 22.9% renewable energy, and 8.5% nuclear power.
The Basic Energy Plan sets a target for fiscal year 2040, proposing to reduce reliance on thermal power to 30–40%, increase renewable energy to 40–50%, and expand nuclear power to 20%.
As a result, Japan aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 73% compared to fiscal year 2013 levels by 2040.
4. GX 2024 Vision To Promote Decarbonization Power Based Businesses And Industrial Concentration Around Decarbonization Power Sources
Along with the aforementioned "Basic Energy Plan," the Japanese government also approved the "GX (Green Transformation) 2024 Vision," a strategy for decarbonization and industrial policy, in a Cabinet meeting.
The purpose of the GX Vision is to outline the long-term direction of Japan’s industrial structure and industrial locations through 2040, creating an environment that facilitates corporate investment decisions related to GX.
For example, the plan emphasizes that "products and services utilizing decarbonized power sources will generate added value" and promotes the industrial concentration around renewable energy and nuclear power.
As part of this initiative, the government plans to introduce measures to reduce electricity costs and tax burdens for businesses that establish operations near decarbonized power sources.
To finance this, the government is considering the use of "GX Economic Transition Bonds" to encourage corporate investment in decarbonization and attract businesses from both domestic and international markets.
Additionally, the plan includes the introduction of an emissions trading system, which will impose new costs on companies with high CO₂ emissions.
The system is set to launch fully in fiscal year 2026, requiring 300 to 400 large corporations with high emissions to participate.
These companies will be allocated emissions quotas, and if they exceed their limits, they will need to purchase additional allowances in the market.
Conversely, if they have surplus quotas, they can sell them, thereby incentivizing early investment in decarbonization.
５．Japanese Government To Promote Japan-Made Drones To Indo-Pacific Region
According to the Nikkei newspaper, the Japanese government plans to expand the provision of Japan-made drones to partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region starting in fiscal year 2025.
The initiative will utilize the "Official Security Assistance (OSA)" framework, which provides defense equipment and other support to partner countries.
For fiscal year 2025, Japan plans to supply drones to approximately 8 to 9 countries.
While Japan has previously decided to provide small drones to Malaysia in fiscal year 2023, it has little other track record in this area.
Moving forward, Japan aims to expand the provision of domestically produced drones to other Asian nations and Pacific Island countries for purposes such as infrastructure inspection and airspace/maritime surveillance.
The government's decision is driven by growing concerns over China's hegemonic activities in the Indo-Pacific region.
At the same time, there is recognition that, despite Japan's advanced drone technology, its access to international markets is limited, leaving it at a disadvantage against Chinese-made drones.
However, drones are not only used for surveillance but also as attack weapons, as seen in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.
Given this, some argue that rather than simply providing or exporting drones, Japan should focus on collaboration with overseas companies.