SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported today by the Shingetsu News Agency.

Politics

—Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yukio Edano is once again forced to shoot down the notion that his new progressive party will combine with more conservative opposition parties. The Democratic Party, in particular, can’t seem to catch the drift.

—According to latest Nippon News Network poll, Japan’s progressive opposition parties are now stomping the more conservative opposition parties: Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan 10.5%; Japan Communist Party 4.3%; Democratic Party 2.4%; Japan Innovation Party 1.6%; Party of Hope 1.2%.

International

—Did you know? The leading politician of the Czech Republic’s far right is a part-Japanese man named Tomio Okamura? In 2013 he even ran for President. This hasn’t been well reported in Japan.

—Ruling party and opposition lawmakers working together on a bill to ban doping by athletes, a measure related to preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

—Steve Bannon is in Tokyo this weekend, speaking at the JCPAC 2017. It’s a delightful gathering of mainly China-hating rightwingers and fascists including Naoki Hyakuta, Toshio Tamogami, and, oh, incumbent Vice-Foreign Minister Masahisa Sato.

—From his Twitter feed: Vice-Foreign Minister Masahisa Sato, speaking at JCPAC conference in front of comrades such as Steve Bannon, Naoki Hyakuta, and Toshio Tamogami, tries out a new pose. Any wonder the Abe Foreign Ministry has gone hardline on every international issue?

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