Japan’s consumption tax rate was raised to 10 percent from 8 percent on Tuesday as the government needs to cover ballooning social security costs. Consumers had rushed to buy luxury goods and daily necessities ahead of the hike.

Shinjiro Koizumi, a high-profile lawmaker touted as a future prime minister, assumed the post of environment minister in the latest Cabinet reshuffle. He grabbed headlines last month with a surprise announcement of his marriage to a well-known TV personality.

Japan’s upper house conducted renovation work last week to improve barrier-free access for two severely-disabled lawmakers. They won seats in the recent election as members of a new political party established by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto.

Brexit hardliner Boris Johnson became Britain’s Prime Minister on Wednesday after winning the Conservative leadership race. He is an unconventional populist, who is often compared to US President Donald Trump.

Japan on Thursday tightened curbs on technology exports to South Korea amid a growing dispute over wartime forced labor. In response, Seoul said it plans to take countermeasures, including filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization.

After attending the G-20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, U.S. President Donald Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea. He then became the first sitting American leader to step into North Korean territory.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party distributed a notice to its lawmakers advising them to watch their mouths when speaking in public following a series of verbal blunders that led to the resignations of some cabinet ministers.

The Democratic Party took control of the House of Representatives while the Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate in US midterm elections on Tuesday, which were seen as the first referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency since he was elected in 2016.

The Japanese government on Friday approved a bill that would accept more foreign workers from April 2019. The move is aimed at dealing with serious labor shortages in various sectors ranging from construction and farming to nursing care.

Former internal affairs minister Seiko Noda, who was replaced during the cabinet reshuffle last week, said she was worried about the shrinking number of female ministers. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe claimed the lone woman, regional revitalization minister Satsuki Katayama, could do the work of two or three.