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November 19, 2025
 

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Director-General of the Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Masaaki Kanai (left) and Chinese Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs Liu Jinsong depart after a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Japan seeks to placate China as strained relations move beyond political realm
Tokyo has warned nationals living in China to be on alert for anti-Japanese sentiment, while a Japanese animated film's release date in the nation was postponed.
JAPAN / Politics
Economic security minister stresses crackdown on rule-breaking foreign nationals
Kimi Onoda says she is committed to implementing stricter management of non-Japanese workers and land acquisitions by foreign nationals.
JAPAN / Politics
Opposition lawmakers voice caution on proposed Lower House seat cut
The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan urged that a conclusion be reached at the council to better reflect the opinions of smaller parties.
(From left) Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Foreign Minister Sugiono, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi attend a joint press announcement after their meeting at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Nov 18, 2025
Japan and Indonesia zero in on maritime security as they agree to boost defense ties
By Gabriel Dominguez
The move could also open up opportunities for trilateral cooperation with Australia following Jakarta’s announcement of plans to upgrade a key defense agreement with Canberra.
Yoshihiko Isozaki (right), the LDP's Diet affairs chief in the House of Councilors, and his CDP counterpart, Yoshitaka Saito, ahead of a meeting on Monday at the Diet building
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 18, 2025
Takaichi's first Diet debate with opposition leaders set for Nov. 26
The upcoming debate will also be the first since Komeito left the LDP-led ruling coalition.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi shakes hands with his Indonesian counterpart, Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, during a visit to the Yokosuka naval base, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Monday in this image posted to Koizumi's X account.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2025
Indonesia’s defense chief inspects MSDF vessels as talk of exports grows
By Gabriel Dominguez
Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin met with Defence Minister Shinjuro Koizumi in Tokyo ahead of a third round of “two-plus-two” talks between both countries’ foreign and defense ministers.
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2025
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
By Gabriele Ninivaggi and Jesse Johnson
Masaaki Kanai, a top Foreign Ministry official, will be looking to explain that there has been no change in Japan’s existing position on the Taiwan issue.
Nagashima Akihisa (right), secretary-general of the Japan-Korea Parliamentary Friendship League, speaks at a bilateral meeting of nonpartisan lawmakers in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2025
Japan and South Korea lawmakers agree to boost cooperation
In a statement adopted at their joint plenary meeting in Seoul, the two groups also denounced North Korea's nuclear and missile development.
Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo on Oct. 21. The Takaichi administration is set to finalize an economic stimulus package exceeding ¥17 trillion for Cabinet approval on Friday, according to a report.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2025
Japan's finance minister says stimulus package to exceed ¥17 trillion, Nikkei reports
Since taking office in October, Takaichi has pledged to compile a sizeable package of spending measures to cushion the economic blow from rising living costs.
Akihisa Nagashima, a leader of the Japanese delegation, attended a joint meeting of Japanese and South Korean lawmakers in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2025
Japanese and South Korean lawmakers hold joint meeting
The lawmakers held discussions on diplomacy, security, the economy and culture.
Two Chinese tourists wearing kimonos take a selfie as they visit Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 16, 2025
Fears rise of rupture in Japan-China ties in wake of Taiwan remarks
By Jesse Johnson
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi broke years of precedent by hinting that Japan could offer military support for Taiwan under certain “worst-case” scenarios such as a Chinese attack.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (left) and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby attend a meeting at the Pentagon in Washington on July 21.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 16, 2025
Pentagon No. 3 praises Seoul's defense budget hike as eyes turn to Tokyo
By Jesse Johnson
South Korea has become the first U.S. treaty ally outside of NATO to hike defense spending to 3.5% of GDP — a move expected to impact Japan’s own spending plans.
Finance minister Satsuki Katayama answers questions from reporters in a group interview on Oct. 24.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 16, 2025
The challenges awaiting Japan’s new finance minister
By Gabriele Ninivaggi
Satsuki Katayama’s shattering of another glass ceiling last month puts her in charge of selling Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “responsible and proactive fiscal policy.”
The headquarters of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo's Nagatacho area
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2025
Ruling LDP marks 70th anniversary as it looks to regain footing
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday marked the 70th anniversary of its establishment, as it looks to stage a comeback after recent electoral drubbings.
Chinese tourists wear kimonos as they visit Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 15, 2025
China warns citizens not to visit Japan as row over Taiwan heats up
By Jesse Johnson
Beijing’s first retaliatory move against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remarks on Taiwan could have a significant impact on tourism.
Representatives from the Japan Innovation Party hand over a proposal to designate Xue Jian, the Chinese consul-general in Osaka, as persona no grata, to a staff of the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025
China warns of military response if Japan intervenes in Taiwan contingency
By Francis Tang and Gabriele Ninivaggi
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong hauled in Japan’s top envoy to China, lodging an angry protest and issuing a direct threat.
The Japan Innovation Party's Nobuyuki Baba (left) and the Liberal Democratic Party's Yoshitaka Shindo at a meeting on constitutional revision held in the National Diet Building on Thursday. Baba and Shindo co-chair the two parties' working-level forum for discussing constitutional amendments.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025
LDP and JIP to advance talks over constitutional revision
The ruling parties held the first meeting of their working-level forum for discussing constitutional amendments on Thursday.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi (left) attends a session of the House of Councilors Budget Committee at the Diet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025
Prime Minister Takaichi says she sleeps only 2-4 hours a night
The revelation about how little she sleeps came after Takaichi raised eyebrows last week by arranging a 3 a.m. staff meeting in her office to prepare for a parliamentary session.
Former Ito Mayor Maki Takubo plans to run in the Dec. 14 mayoral election following her removal from office over an academic background scandal, sources said Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025
Ousted mayor of Ito to seek return in December election
The city assembly passed no-confidence motions against Takubo in September and October.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi talks with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Nov.1.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2025
Takaichi's summit diplomacy scores highly in Jiji poll
A total of 75.1% of respondents rated highly the prime minister’s summit meetings with the leaders of the U.S., China and South Korea.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy at the Prime Minister's Office on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2025
Japan panel members call for extra budget topping ¥14 trillion
Members also urged the government to abandon its goal of achieving a surplus in the primary balance at the central and local governments.
The Japan Innovation Party has long sought to get Osaka designated as Japan's backup capital.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Nov 13, 2025
What would a ‘backup capital’ look like for Japan?
By Eric Johnston
The concept faces tough questions on its substance and whether its true purpose is to realize the Japan Innovation Party's goal of making its Osaka base the natural choice.
At a joint meeting of Japan's National Governors' Association and the Governors Association of the Republic of Korea, officials discussed issues affecting both countries and the need for future cooperation, in Incheon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 13, 2025
Japanese and South Korean governors discuss need for cooperation
Officials talked about measures to boost the economy and deal with population decline in the eighth joint meeting since 1999.

A beloved Tokyo penguin’s end presages Suica’s shift to payments giant
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
More Japanese firms relax rules in tussle for workers
Hinako Mori, 22, arranges products at a Don Quijote outlet in Tokyo in October. The Japanese retailer, which relaxed its rules concerning hair and nail polish three years ago, says nearly a quarter of its employees sport brightly colored hair.
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
Bears attacks and sightings continue in northern Japan
A bear walks in front of a box trap set up at a park in the city of Akita on Nov. 2.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
Who is cricket’s Shohei Ohtani?
South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis plays a shot during the final day of a cricket test match against India in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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