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Prime Minster Fumio Kishida joins ASEAN leaders for a family photo before the start of the ASEAN-Japan summit in Jakarta in September.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 14, 2023

With eye on China, Japan and ASEAN to unveil ‘new vision’ for ties

The three-day summit will see the two sides launch a wide range of cooperation initiatives.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 14, 2023

Japan’s next-gen fighter project with U.K. and Italy hits milestone

The three countries agreed to establish an intergovernmental organization, divide up work share and set out the roles of each partner.
U.S. President Joe Biden hugs Brittany Alkonis, wife of Lt. Ridge Alkonis, on the day of the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in Washington on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 15, 2023

U.S. Navy officer jailed in Japan transferred to U.S. custody

Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been serving a three-year prison term since being convicted of negligent driving over a fatal car crash.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the start of a bilateral meeting in Tokyo on Saturday
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 16, 2023

Japan-ASEAN summit aims to advance 'security cooperation'

Japan is also expected to use the summit to push energy cooperation as it seeks to export emissions-reducing tech that critics have questioned.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim applaud as Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa poses with her Malaysian counterpart, Mohamad Hasan, after a signing ceremony in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 16, 2023

Japan and Malaysia sign ¥400 million maritime security aid deal

Jakarta became the third country to receive the grant under Japan's new official security assistance program.
ASEAN leaders and their spouses release paper lanterns into the air with students from ASEAN member states during a lighting ceremony for the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit at Azabudai Hills in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Dec 18, 2023

With China in mind, Japan expands security ties with ASEAN

At a leaders summit, the two sides agreed to deepen security ties in areas such as defense equipment and joint training and exercises.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida greets Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during their bilateral meeting at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 18, 2023

Japan and Cambodia vow to deepen security cooperation

The two sides affirmed cooperation on getting North Korea to completely scrap its arsenal of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.
An apartment block that was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on Jan. 18, 2023. Housing, transportation networks and various types of other infrastructure facilities across the nation have suffered substantial damage in the wake of Russia's invasion.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Japan sharing reconstruction lessons with Ukraine

Ukrainian officials have reportedly said reconstruction efforts will draw inspiration from successful examples in Japan.
A PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missile at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Japan may make U.S. PAC-3 missiles in first weapon deal after ban

The missiles, made under license from a U.S. company, would be the first weapons to be exported in finished form from Japan after the ban is eased.
Physical strength among children is on a recovery track as a whole, which the Japan Sports Agency said was a reflection of more opportunities for physical exercise following a relaxation of restrictions related to COVID-19 in the country.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2023

Physical strength of Japan junior high school girls at record low

Male students, however, scored better in the Japan Sports Agency's annual physical fitness survey for this year.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Kenyan President William Ruto arrive at a joint news conference in Nairobi in May.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Japan to boost ties with Africa, with eye on China

Japan's shift in approach mirrors Africa's importance as "a significant voting bloc" of 50-plus countries that Tokyo can look to for support in international conferences.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Five dead after Japan Airlines jet collides with coast guard plane at Haneda Airport

All 379 people on board the JAL plane exited safely but five of the six people on the coast guard plane died, with the captain sustaining serious injuries.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2024

Japan Coast Guard plane not cleared for takeoff before collision: transcripts

Transcripts of traffic control instructions released by authorities appeared to show the Japan Airlines passenger plane had been given permission to land.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event with students to celebrate the new year in Pyongyang in this undated picture released Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2024

North Korea's Kim sends rare sympathy message to Japan over Ishikawa quake

The rare communication between the two countries’ leaders delivered Friday is believed to be Kim's first direct message to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 15, 2024

Japan finds ally in new Taiwan president-elect amid fears of war

Lai Ching-te signaled he will deepen cooperation with Japan by meeting with Tokyo’s de facto ambassador and a Japanese lawmaker just a day after the election.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2024

COVID and Japan, four years later: Normality, but words of caution

The nation has mostly returned to the pre-pandemic norm, but experts warn against people letting their guard down completely.
Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro arrives to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2024

Philippines hopes to sign troops pact with Japan early this year

Manila hopes to sign in the first quarter of the year a deal with Tokyo allowing the deployment of military forces on each other's soil, the Philippines' defense chief said.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

U.S. envoy to Japan vows to continue calling out Chinese ‘hypocrisy’

Emanuel also gave a speech on what he described as Japan’s “groundbreaking accomplishments” in fields such as defense, economic growth and diplomacy.
A member of the Ground Self-Defense Force stands on the flight deck on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's amphibious transport ship JS Osumi in waters close to Okinawa in November 2023.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2024

Japan inks deal to buy 400 long-range missiles from U.S.

Faced with growing Chinese military clout and a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Japanese government plans to double its defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027.
Japanese public sentiment toward China worsened in 2023, with 86.7% of respondents saying they felt unfriendly toward China, up 4.9 percentage points from the preceding year, while 12.7% felt friendly, down 5.1 points.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 20, 2024

Japan public sentiment toward China worsens, Cabinet Office survey finds

The survey found that 86.7% of respondents felt unfriendly toward China, up 4.9 percentage points from the preceding year, while 12.7% felt friendly, down 5.1 points.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2024

Japan likely experiencing 10th wave of COVID-19

The spread is being driven by the highly contagious new JN.1 variant.
An F/A-18 fighter jet takes off from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during a three-day maritime exercise between the U.S. and Japan in the Philippine Sea, between Okinawa and Taiwan, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024

U.S. and Japan conduct joint naval drills

U.S. Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello called the joint exercises "a great rehearsal opportunity for us."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks in Washington on Wednesday. Japan has stepped up attempts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks, worrying that if he returns to power he may seek some kind of deal with Beijing that could undermine recent efforts by the Group of Seven countries to counter China.
JAPAN
Feb 2, 2024

Japan's message for Donald Trump: Don't cut a deal with China

Tokyo has stepped up attempts to engage with people close to Trump in recent weeks.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 2, 2024

Japan starts 2024 with flurry of security deals

In January alone, Tokyo signed cooperation deals with at least four countries, strengthening and expanding its network of like-minded partners.
Karolina Shiino (center), winner of Miss Japan 2024, poses with other prize winners at the contest in Tokyo on Jan. 22.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 6, 2024

Ukraine-born Miss Japan relinquishes crown following affair

Karolina Shiino's decision, the first time a Miss Japan winner has relinquished their title, follows a report that she was dating a married man.
A traveler walks past a flight information display at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Feb. 2 ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday that begins on Saturday in China.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2024

Chinese visitors to Japan over Lunar New Year to fall short of 2019 level

Visa-free travel offered by some countries and last year's release of treated wastewater from Fukushima may be swaying Chinese travelers' decisions.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (left), South Korea's then-Foreign Minister Park Jin (center) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrive for a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Busan, South Korea, in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea still out of step over summit

Despite their foreign ministers agreeing to convene a meeting of top leaders promptly, no concrete scheduling has emerged.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shakes hands with then-Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi prior to their meeting in Kyiv in September.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

Japan may ease Ukraine travel restrictions

Ukraine is under Tokyo's strictest travel advisory, which urges all Japanese citizens to evacuate and avoid all travel there.
U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner speaks to media at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2024

U.S. supports Japan's push for talks with North Korea, envoy says

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Thursday that a visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 16, 2024

North Korea-Japan summit push gains steam after remarks by Kim’s sister

A visit by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to Pyongyang could materialize, but only if Tokyo met several caveats, Kim Yo Jong said.

Longform

After the asset-price bubble crash of the early 1990s, employment at a Japanese company was no longer necessarily for life. As a result, a new generation is less willing to endure a toxic work culture —life’s too short, after all.
How Japan's youth are slowly changing the country's work ethic