Timeline for October 2025

A New Political Phase for Japan as It Enters Autumn

3

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare announces that Japan’s influenza season has begun five weeks earlier than in 2024 and the second earliest over the past 20 years.

4

Takaichi Sanae is elected as the first female president of the Liberal Democratic Party, defeating Koizumi Shinjirō in a runoff vote.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru shakes hands with new LDP leader Takaichi Sanae. (© AFP/Jiji)

6

Sakaguchi Shimon is one of three winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of regulatory T cells that suppress excessive immune responses. On October 8, Kitagawa Susumu of Kyoto University is among three recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing porous materials that could help tackle environmental issues like climate change.

9

The Imperial Household Agency publishes an official biography of Empress Kōjun (1903–2000), the wife of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito).

10

Kōmeitō leader Saitō Tetsuo announces his party’s withdrawal from its coalition with the LDP after 26 years in partnership, citing insufficient efforts by the larger party to tackle issues of money in politics.

Prime Minister Ishiba issues a statement marking 80 years since the end of World II, reflecting on how Japan failed to avoid war, and emphasizing the importance of a healthy democracy.

A Half-Year of Expo Fun Comes to a Close

13

Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai closes after 184 days with the participation of 158 countries and regions. Over that time, there were more than 25 million visitors, and the event is expected to show a profit of up to ¥28 billion.

14

Japan’s men’s soccer team defeats Brazil 3–2 in an international friendly, which is its first victory in 14 matches between the countries.

Ueda Ayase (in black, third from left) heads in the winning goal for Japan in a friendly match against Brazil. (© Jiji)

15

The government announces that the number of international visitors to Japan from January to September rose by 17.7% year on year to 31.7 million. This is the earliest in the year ever for international visitors to climb above 30 million.

16

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings announces that it is considering decommissioning the number 1 and 2 reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station in Niigata Prefecture.

17

Former Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi dies at the age of 101. As head of the Japan Socialist Party, in 1994 he was chosen to lead a coalition including his party, the LDP, and New Party Sakigake. His premiership was notable for a 1995 statement in which he expressed remorse and apologized for Japan’s actions in World War II.

Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi makes a speech marking 50 years since the end of World War II on August 15, 1995. (© Jiji)

In game four of the National League Championship series, Ohtani Shōhei of the Los Angeles Dodgers strikes out 10 batters and scores three home runs. He is named NLCS MVP.

Ohtani Shōhei of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching and batting in game four of the NLCS round against the Milwaukee Brewers. (© Imagn Images via Reuters Connect)

20

LDP President Takaichi and Ishin no Kai leader Yoshimura Hirofumi agree to form a coalition.

Takaichi Takes the Helm

21

LDP President Takaichi Sanae is elected in the Diet as Japan’s first female prime minister.

New Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae gives a press conference on October 21. (© Reuters)

24

In her policy speech, Prime Minister Takaichi outlines her plans to build a strong economy and restore Japanese diplomacy. She also states her aim to fundamentally strengthen the nation’s defense.

26

Prime Minister Takaichi attends a meeting with ASEAN leaders in Kuala Lumpur, expressing her intention to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, as initially proposed by Prime Minister Abe Shinzō.

27

The Tokyo Stock Exchange’s Nikkei index rises above 50,000 for the first time.

US President Donald Trump arrives in Japan for the first time in six years, meeting Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace. On October 28, he meets Prime Minister Takaichi, and the two leaders agree to strengthen bilateral ties. Takaichi says that they will build a “golden age” for the alliance, while Trump says Japan is “an ally at the strongest level.” The two governments announce investment projects amounting to $400 billion (¥60 trillion), involving companies from both countries.

28

Akita Governor Suzuki Kenta meets with Defense Minister Koizumi Shinjirō, calling on him to provide Self-Defense Forces personnel to deal with the threat of bears. On October 30, Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru calls on ministers to prepare emergency measures by mid-November to tackle the problem. This fiscal year has seen numerous bear attacks in northern Japan, leading to injuries and a record 12 fatalities, as of October 30.

Defendant Yamagami Tetsuya pleads guilty at the Nara District Court to murder and other offenses related to the assassination with a homemade firearm of former Prime Minister Abe while he was campaigning in Nara in 2022.

30

Prime Minister Takaichi meets with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the APEC summit in Gyeongju. The two leaders agree to develop bilateral ties with an eye to the future, and agree on the importance of the partnership between their two countries and the United States.

31

Prime Minister Takaichi meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Gyeongju. They agree to pursue mutually beneficial strategic ties. Takaichi expresses concerns over the actions of Chinese vessels around the Senkaku Islands and Chinese export restrictions on rare earths.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Takaichi at Gyeongju, South Korea. (© Jiji)

Japan’s ruling coalition and opposition parties agree to scrap the provisional gasoline tax of ¥25.1 per liter by the end of December. This will lead to a total drop in annual revenue of ¥1.5 trillion for the national and local governments, but a decision on finding alternate revenue sources has not yet been reached.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at the State Guest House in Tokyo on October 28, 2025. © Jiji.)