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April 25, 2024
 

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Ben Westcott
For Ben Westcott's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Solomon Islanders queue up to vote outside a polling station in Honiara on Wednesday. The election could reshape regional security, with citizens effectively choosing if their Pacific nation will deepen ties with China.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 17, 2024
China and Taiwan ties hang in the balance in Solomon Islands vote
While domestic issues will be key to voters’ choices, the result will have repercussions for the islands’ ties with China.
Police stand outside the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church after a knife attack that took place during a service the night before, in Wakely in Sydney on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2024
Sydney bishop stabbed by teen in terror attack, police say
The teenager who allegedly stabbed the Bishop in western Sydney was known to police but not on any terrorist watch lists.
On the Diving Deep podcast hosted by Olympic athlete Sam Fricker, Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison dismissed the idea that China is unable to become a multiparty democracy, saying there is no "anti-democratic” instinct in the Chinese people.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 29, 2024
Former Australia PM Scott Morrison says China can be a democracy
The former Australian PM said Canberra’s relationship with China will always be transactional and never "values-based” like Australia’s ties with the U.S.
Australia and China have rapidly improved their diplomatic relations since the election of the center-left Labor government in May 2022, including the restoration of high-level official meetings and the lifting of trade sanctions imposed by Beijing at the height of tensions.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 20, 2024
China and Australia face difficult diplomatic road after trade spat
Hurdles exist in the form of persistent political differences and increased competition between Beijing and Canberra’s principal ally, the U.S.
The Yarra River in Melbourne. The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Mar 4, 2024
Australia and Southeast Asia push to bolster ties in China’s shadow
The leaders of every ASEAN member, bar Myanmar, were in Australia for a three-day summit to commemorate 50 years of relations.
Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 29, 2024
Marcos to chart deeper Australia-Philippines ties as China rises
Marcos will be the first Philippine leader to address a joint sitting of parliament in Canberra.
The Royal Australian Navy vessel HMAS Toowoomba is docked at Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 4, 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 20, 2024
Australia to more than double size of naval surface fleet
Revamp of country's military capabilities come in the face of growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific, China's rise and concerns over its navy's aging fleet.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 23, 2024
China pivot from Taiwan would be Tuvalu's decision, says Australia
Comments by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong come after agreement with Tuvalu that gave Australia greater say in the Pacific nation’s defense and security decisions.
Locals in the Cook Islands are cynical about the growing attention fixed on their small country, with many saying they don't necessarily trust either superpower to do the right thing by them.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 19, 2024
U.S.-China fight for one Pacific nation mirrors a regional battle
The success of Beijing’s strategy in the Pacific was reinforced just this week when Nauru became the latest island nation to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a news conference after visiting the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 9, 2023
Australia’s Albanese to face anti-nuclear push at Pacific talks
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is beginning 24 hours of intensive meetings between the leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on Sept. 6
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 23, 2023
U.S. and China visits put Australian PM’s diplomatic skills to test
There has been a significant easing in tensions between Australia and China since Anthony Albanese’s election.
From left: Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hold a news conference in Brisbane on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 29, 2023
U.S. to expand military footprint in Australia
Changes include frequent visits of U.S. submarines to Australia, rotation of U.S. Army watercraft and collaborating on guided missile production.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2023
China rebuilds Australia ties after failing to pressure economy
On the Australian side, the election of a center-left Labor government has seen a change in tone from the more confrontational approach taken by its predecessor.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Feb 21, 2023
Nuclear submarine plan shows fragility of nascent China-Australia reset
Ties between Australia and China have improved quickly since Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took power last year, but Canberra’s plans for a new submarine may test that goodwill.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 6, 2023
China’s power in Asia diminished by 'zero-COVID,' study shows
The Sydney-based Lowy Institute’s Asia Power Index for 2023 shows that China registered the greatest decline out of the 26 nations and territories in its report.
Japan Times
JAPAN / FOCUS
Jan 16, 2023
Japan looks beyond U.S. alliance for help to deter China military
Yet Japan's deepening unease about the dangers in its neighborhood has prompted a fresh push to build a bulwark of other partnerships.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 10, 2022
Australia's next climate struggle is how fast to cut emissions
Trying to balance competing climate interests is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who won power with a pledge to end the country's 'climate wars.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 2, 2022
Australia’s history-making top diplomat faces down rising China
Soon after being sworn in, Penny Wong rushed to Fiji to counter a rare trip to nearby Pacific island countries by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
May 22, 2022
How Anthony Albanese went from public housing kid to Australia’s new PM
One of the country's first prime ministers in decades with a working-class upbringing, Albanese ends nine years of conservative rule.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2022
Fight with China risks backfiring on Australia's Morrison at the polls
Areas where Chinese Australians make up more than 10% of the voters could help decide who is the next prime minister.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.
Over 40% of Japan's municipalities at risk of vanishing, study finds
Of 1,729 local municipalities nationwide, 744 have been identified as being at risk of disappearing.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
For amateur sumo, a fresh start offers hope against time-wasting and gamesmanship
Wrestlers prepare for the start of a bout at the 2023 Sumo World Championships in Tokyo. Starting this month, placing one hand on the clay first is no longer allowed.
LDP veteran Nikai's youngest son expected to succeed him in Wakayama
Toshihiro Nikai, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, announced in March that he would not run in the next Lower House election to take responsibility for the political funds scandal that rocked his party and his own faction.
New workers name Shohei Ohtani as 'dream boss' for two years running
Shohei Ohtani has been overwhelmingly voted as the “dream boss” for people who started working in April, according to a survey.
A craft beer crawl through Tokyo’s top bars, brewpubs and dives
If all you drink is Asahi, Sapporo and Kirin, you're depriving yourself of some of the best craft beer Tokyo has to offer — and there sure is a lot of it out there.
'Sugar Baby Riri' gets nine-year prison term over romance scam
Mai Watanabe, who went by the moniker “Sugar Baby Riri,” dated older men and swindled them out of money by telling them fictitious heartbreaking stories about herself to gain their sympathy.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass
Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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