CDPJ opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda after the recent election
Japan LNG to gain traction from political inertia
The crumbling of the country’s postwar political consensus may bolster the country’s LNG demand outlook by stymieing planned nuclear restarts
Japan’s recent snap elections have created a situation unprecedented in the country’s postwar history. After US occupation following the Second World War, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) governed Japan without interruption until 2009, when it was briefly ousted from power, before returning to govern in coalition with the Komeito party from 2012. But the scandal-tainted LDP-Komeito coalition saw its support decline in the latest elections, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba now faces the prospect of attempting to govern without a parliamentary majority. The stage is set for further political turmoil and a new era in which other political parties may be able to influence or block policy—part
Also in this section
8 December 2025
The Caribbean country’s role in the global oil market is significantly diminished, but disruptions caused by outright conflict would still have implications for US Gulf Coast refineries
5 December 2025
Mistaken assumptions around an oil bull run that never happened are a warning over the talk of a supply glut
4 December 2025
Time is running out for Lukoil and Rosneft to divest international assets that will be mostly rendered useless to them when the US sanctions deadline arrives in mid-December
3 December 2025
Aramco’s pursuit of $30b in US gas partnerships marks a strategic pivot. The US gains capital and certainty; Saudi Arabia gains access, flexibility and a new export future
