December 13, Wednesday, 2023

1. Japan’s largest opposition party has submitted a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. The motion in the Lower House is in response to the political funding scandal involving a faction of the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The investigation by prosecutors has found that dozens of members of the largest faction of the ruling party, the Abe faction, received kickbacks. That includes six senior members. 2. The policy chief of Japan’s main governing Liberal Democratic Party has decided to step down in response to a growing money scandal involving the LDP’s largest faction. Hagiuda Koichi is expected to soon submit his resignation as the chairperson of the LDP’s Policy Research Council to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
3. The US Department of Defense announced on Tuesday additional military aid of up to 200 million dollars for Ukraine. The fresh aid reflects the US’ apparent intent to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense amid continued Russian missile attacks, which appear to be targeting Ukrainian energy facilities, a critical concern as winter sets in.