Japan’s incoming new prime minister Sanae Takaichi has approached an opposition party with a view to expanding the governing coalition to give it a working majority in parliament, reports said Tuesday. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its longstanding junior partner Komeito have been in a minority in the lower and upper chambers since recent […]
Read MoreSanae Takaichi came out top in a male-dominated race to lead Japan’s ruling party on Saturday, putting her on course to emulate her hero, former British leader Margaret Thatcher, and become her country’s first female prime minister. The fiscal dove’s surprise victory may jolt investor confidence in one of the world’s most indebted economies, while […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall A leading contender to become Japan’s next prime minister has sparked backlash from conservatives after suggesting the removal of Class A war criminals from the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a “bold” idea that analysts say could help repair strained ties with neighbouring countries over Tokyo’s wartime history. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the chief cabinet secretary […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall A new diplomatic protest from Tokyo over suspected marine surveys by a Chinese vessel in contested waters has renewed focus on a long-standing unresolved issue: the lack of agreement between Japan and China on their maritime boundaries in the East China Sea. At the centre of the row is a clash of […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall The number of Japanese travellers to Hong Kong jumped more than 32 per cent for the first half of this year compared with the same period in 2024, an encouraging sign of recovery for tourism authorities in the Chinese city seeking to draw more visitors from the Land of the Rising Sun. […]
Read MoreBy Maria Siow When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on September 7 that he would step down after his party was trounced at the parliamentary polls earlier this year, the country was already staring at what could be an era of flux, marked by revolving door leaders who are slaves to approval ratings amid […]
Read MoreJapan’s Prime Minister told the United Nations yesterday (23 September) that Tokyo’s recognition of the State of Palestine was only a question of time, saying he was “indignant” at recent comments by Israeli officials. Nearly 80 per cent of UN members recognise the State of Palestine, with a string of countries including Britain, Canada and […]
Read MoreBy Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to urge sweeping reform of the UN Security Council, which Tokyo has long criticised as “dysfunctional” and unfit for today’s world order. Ishiba left for New York […]
Read MoreA Japanese research team that painted cows with zebra-like stripes to protect them from biting flies has received this year’s Ig Nobel Prize in Biology, marking the country’s 19th consecutive win at the tongue-in-cheek science awards. The prize, awarded in a ceremony at Boston University on Thursday, honours research that “first makes people laugh, then […]
Read MoreBy Vanessa Caiin Shanghai For a movie about a particularly dark chapter of China’s history, 731 has been doing exceptional business. The film, released on Thursday, focuses on Japan’s Unit 731, which conducted biological warfare in northeastern China during the second world war, using disease prevention research as cover to kill civilians. It has topped […]
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