Kong Chee Kian said someone should assassinate Lee following the shooting of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.

With the revision, the LDP can urge a lawmaker to leave the party following prosecution for violating the political funds control law.

Japan is ranked 73rd out of 190 countries surveyed in an assessment of equality between genders, below the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Nepal and Lesotho.

The poll is also the first time since November 2012 that the number of people indicating no political affiliation has exceeded 50 per cent.

But even as PM Kishida reels from the blow ahead of a potential election, analysts say he is ‘likely to survive’ as the opposition is ‘just not ready to take over’.

Tokyo is concerned Trump might resume his ‘bromance’ with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which could threaten Japan’s security.

The investigators could give up prosecuting the group due to the difficulty of proving fundraising violations in the case, a report says.

Experts say Japan could be forced to deal with a militarily emboldened China and North Korea, with reduced US engagement in the region, if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

While analysts say Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can survive until October 2025, his support is falling amid ‘great turmoil’ within the ruling LDP and growing public anger.

The scandal has already rocked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government, resulting in the replacement of all four ministers in the LDP’s largest faction.

The Unification Church – a cult linked to the motives of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe’s alleged assassin – has long wielded influence in Japan’s politics and society. Now it could be dissolved.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was out campaigning in April when a man threw a home-made pipe bomb at him; he wasn’t hurt but 2 others were. Suspect Ryuji Kimura was arrested on the spot.

A request for it to disband could be filed with the court as soon as October, and comes after an investigation of the church regarding alleged illegal donations and ‘spiritual sales’.

Police have made significant changes to the ways they handle politicians’ security after the ex-prime minister was gunned down on July 8 last year.

Koichi Tani, chair of Japan’s National Public Safety Commission, is under fire after he ‘fully savoured, finished’ his lunch of eel rice before responding to smoke bomb attack on PM Kishida.

Nearly 40 per cent of respondents to a survey said they had lost trust in religion over the past two years, with some saying they have no reason to visit a Buddhist temple any more.

While some analysts lament ‘another serious lapse by the police’, others say ‘G7 leaders have little to worry about’ when they meet in Hiroshima next month.

Japan must not allow acts of violence that attack the foundation of democracy, Kishida says, calling the incident ‘unforgivable’.

Kishida, who was unhurt in the incident in western Japan’s Wakayama, apologised for ‘worrying many people’.

Lingering factional infighting, Kishida’s unpopular plan to increase taxes for defence spending and the public’s ‘deep disappointment’ with his leadership have led to a reassessment of his predecessor’s achievements.

After claiming he killed the former leader because of apparent links to a religious group, Tetsuya Yamagami underwent months of psychiatric evaluation that showed he is fit to stand trial.

In this edition of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at the events that unfolded in 2022 and also looks ahead to what we can expect in 2023.