TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house of Parliament on Friday, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election. The move is an attempt to capitalize on her popularity to help governing party regain ground after major losses in recent years, but will delay a vote on a budget that aims […]
Read MoreJapan’s exports to the United States dropped 11.1% in December and slipped more than four% last year, official figures showed Thursday, as tariffs bite. In 2025, Japan’s exports to the United States fell 4.1%, contributing to a 12.6% decline in Tokyo’s trade surplus with Washington to 7.5 trillion yen ($47 billion), finance ministry data showed. […]
Read MoreThe world’s biggest nuclear power plant is set to restart on Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents. The governor of Niigata province, where the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is located, approved its resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided. After receiving […]
Read MoreJapanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rounded off their summit meeting today (20 January) with an unexpected jam session where the two played drums along to some K-pop hits. In a short video posted on the Japanese Prime Minister’s office YouTube channel on Wednesday morning, the two leaders played […]
Read MoreTOKYO: A record number of tourists flocked to Japan in 2025, officials said Tuesday, despite a steep fall in Chinese visitors in December as a diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo rumbled on. Japan logged 42.7 million arrivals last year, according to the transport ministry, topping 2024’s record of nearly 37 million as the weak […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall Medical professionals in Japan are concerned that China could dramatically ramp up trade pressure on Tokyo by adding antibiotics and ingredients for medicines to its list of exports subject to restrictions. Despite efforts over the last three years to increase domestic production of a range of commonly used medicines in Japan, the […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s bid to strengthen her slim parliamentary majority through a widely expected snap election has grown riskier after the country’s largest opposition party struck an alliance with a former ruling coalition partner. The new alliance between the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, announced on Thursday, […]
Read MoreThe Philippines and Japan signed two defence pacts on Thursday, including a deal allowing their forces to exchange supplies and services, with both countries seeking to strengthen security cooperation in response to rising regional tensions. The Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, designed to enable the swift provision of supplies and services between their militaries, comes months […]
Read MoreBy Park Chan-kyong The summit between South Korea and Japan has exposed a growing divergence in how the two neighbours are responding to a more volatile regional order, as supply chains harden into strategic tools and great-power rivalry sharpens, analysts have said. During a meeting in Nara, the hometown and electoral district of Japanese Prime […]
Read MoreBy Jeoffrey Maitem Japan’s top diplomat is heading to the Philippines this week for talks expected to focus on maritime tensions in the South China Sea and Tokyo’s strategic role in the region. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi’s stop in Manila on Thursday is part of a nine-day diplomatic tour of the Middle East and Asia […]
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