PRESS REVIEW – Friday, February 6: As Japan heads for snap general elections this weekend, the press looks at "Sana-mania". Incumbent Sanae Takaichi, the country's first female prime minister, looks set to win that vote. Also: Libération reports on Belarusian woman Karyna Shuliak, who played a key role in Jeffrey Epstein's activities and inherited a large portion of his wealth. Plus: the Winter Olympics begins and we look at winners from the Close-Up Photography awards.
We begin with the Japanese press ahead of general elections there on Sunday. The incumbent ultra-conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to win. The Japan Times focuses on the Komeito party, which ended its 26-year coalition with the ruling LDP last year over corruption scandals and Takaichi's commitment to reform. This election will play out in terms of who gets those precious votes, the paper says. Japan Today's website headlines with US President Donald Trump's endorsement for Takaichi, who he described "strong, powerful and wise". He also announced her upcoming visit to Washington next month. Some hot-button issues will be foreign residents' caps and nuclear policy. The paper explains that Takaichi is a security hawk and is expected to update key defence and security documents in the face of growing threats to Japan's security: an assertive China, but also North Korean missiles and nuclear threats. Her party has advocated the sharing of nuclear-powered submarines with the US and seeks to deepen that alliance.
In the international press, there is a lot of focus on Takaichi's charisma. The Times of London says the two-week electoral campaign is the shortest in modern Japanese history. It has generated "little policy debate" but instead has "become a pageant of celebration for Takaichi." The Guardian documents the "Sana-mania" gripping Japan – voters are obsessed with everything about her, from her choice of outfits and train journey snacks to the pink pen she uses to take notes in parliament. Despite a very conservative outlook, Takaichi has ignited interest among young voters by leaning into her feminism and playing on what she is not: "a hereditary, male politician."
Here in France, Libération is headlining on a new development in the Jeffrey Epstein files. The paper hones its focus on an enigmatic woman: Karyna Shuliak, a Belarusian and sort of successor to Ghislaine Maxwell. Shuliak featured prominently in Epstein's will – she was his girlfriend at the time of his death and reportedly the last person to speak to him. He bequeathed his luxurious Parisian apartment and diamonds to her. Her entry into his world began with her rebuffing his advances and refusing to become one of his victims. She later became a main administrator in his criminal activities, of which she denies a role. Shuliak has for the moment has not been convicted for her role in Epstein's crimes.
A quick word now on the sports front pages ahead of this Friday's Winter Olympic opening ceremony. There's much excitement over the "big show in the cold", according to L'Equipe, the French sports paper. The German daily Der Tagesspiegel is also giddy ahead of the "fun, games and excitement" that will take place over the next fortnight.
Finally, we look at the winners of the Close-Up Photography Competition. The competition is in its seventh year and received more than 12,000 entries from 63 countries this year. Australian photographer Ross Gudgeon won the grand prize for his photo, an extreme close-up of the inside of a cauliflower soft coral in Lembeh Strait in Indonesia. You can check out other winners in Gizmodo.
You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.
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