This week, on Tokyo on Fire:

When Yuriko Koike decided to run in the election to become Governor of Tokyo, she did so without asking for permission in "the proper way”, creating a lot of discord among the LDP ranks. Entrepreneurs and opportunists are getting ready to jump ship. Will Koike's rise continue, and will she go on to create her own party?

After her success in becoming the leader of the opposition Democratic Party, Renho has been faced with a constant stream of accusations of being a foreigner (gasp!) by not having correctly renounced her Taiwanese citizenship. Is she really at fault for not disclosing this? And how problematic is it to have two passports in Japan anyway?

For the past few months we have been predicting the possible snap election in January of next year - but how realistic has this prediction become? Prime Minister Abe - who currently has a majority in both houses - and therefore should be passing his long loved constitutional revision - seems to be focusing on other matters (the possible discord within his own ranks?).