Coalition breakup adds uncertainty to next Japanese PM election: analyst

The withdrawal of political party Komeito from Japan's ruling coalition has deepened the country's political turbulence, casting uncertainty over the selection of the next prime minister and raising the prospect of a possible shift in power, according to a Japanese political analyst.

Following the election of Sanae Takaichi as the new president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Oct 4, the country's political landscape has become increasingly volatile.

The LDP has yet to set the date for a prime ministerial election, while its long-time coalition partner Komeito announced it was breaking away from the ruling alliance on Friday -- a move analysts say could significantly reshape Japan's political future.

Hiroshi Shiratori, a political science professor at Japan's Hosei University, said the LDP had failed to send any positive signals to Komeito, which was a key factor leading to the breakdown of their coalition.

"The issue of politics and money has long been a thorn in Komeito's side. The LDP has not presented any plan for fundamental reform regarding this issue and has suffered repeated electoral defeats. Komeito lawmakers believe this has led to a reduction in their seats -- in other words, many think the LDP's politics and money scandal have dragged Komeito into controversy and caused negative impacts on the party," Shiratori said.

He said Komeito's departure from the ruling coalition has added new uncertainty to the upcoming prime ministerial vote.

"The first problem [for the LDP] now is Komeito's withdrawal from the coalition. The second is with which opposition parties it can cooperate to secure a majority. Even if the LDP joins hands with one opposition party, it will still be very difficult to win a majority in the first round of voting. On the other hand, if the opposition bloc rallies behind Yuichiro Tamaki of the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP) -- with the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), Japan Innovation Party (JIP), and now Komeito joining forces -- they could surpass the majority threshold. This means a change of government becomes highly possible, and the choice of Japan's next prime minister could see dramatic changes," he said.

Coalition breakup adds uncertainty to next Japanese PM election: analyst

An artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model specialized for analyzing human genetic diversity was launched at Shanghai's cutting-edge Model Speed Space innovation hub on Tuesday.

Named SNPBAG, it is the world's first large model built specifically for genomic analysis, promising to precisely predict diseases and advance personalized health care.

The model focuses on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), the most common type of genetic variation among people, which influence traits such as height, intelligence and personality.

Currently, SNPBAG can be used for ancestry tracing and kinship identification. In the future, with further training, it is expected to predict disease risks at various life stages based on DNA sequences, offering higher screening accuracy than existing genetic testing methods.

"As far as we know, traditional methods examine SNPs point by point for correlations with traits like height or intelligence, without taking into account, for example, interactions between or among genes. Therefore, we need a model that can autonomously identify these complex relationships. Now, we've found such a tool that can bring close two gene expressions [of the human body] that are far away from each other and provide biological interpretations," said Tang Kun, an expert of computational biology and founder of Shanghai Feipu Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

Looking ahead, the model will support the development of China's sovereign genomic database, promote its domestic self-reliance, enhance AI-driven drug discovery and improve the target screening success rates by over 200 percent. It also aims to make precision health care more accessible.

"The most well-known application is non-invasive prenatal screening. Currently, only a few conditions are covered by national insurance, but there are over 20,000 rare diseases in children. We are now collaborating with Shanghai Children’s Hospital to expand screening coverage," said Lu Sitong, CEO of Shanghai Feipu Intelligent Technology.

With SNPBAG, non-invasive prenatal screening is expected to detect a broader range of rare diseases in the future. The company said it also plans to launch consumer-facing products to benefit the general public.

China launches world's first foundation model for genomic analysis