NEWSWORTHY
Japan supports Taiwan's bid to attend World Health Assembly in move that could anger China
Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed support on Wednesday for Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly in a move that could anger China. It marks the first time Japan has publicly supported Taiwan's bid to attend the annual meeting of the WHA, the decision-making body ...
War reporter Kosuke Tsuneoka sues Japan government for right to travel after surrendering passport
A journalist known for covering war zones sued the Foreign Ministry on Wednesday after it invalidated his passport and demanded he surrender it, saying it deprived him of his right to travel and restricted press freedom. Kosuke Tsuneoka was stopped at Tokyo's Haneda airport in ...
Japan softens tone on North Korea and Russia in foreign policy report as Abe pursues deals
Tokyo removed a reference to applying “maximum pressure” on Pyongyang and stopped short of explicitly claiming ownership of the Russian-held islands off Hokkaido.
Japan and U.K. to postpone 'two-plus-two' security talks amid Brexit deadlock
Tokyo and London have decided to postpone their ministerial security talks scheduled for next week, a Japanese government source said Wednesday, due to the U.K. Parliament's continued efforts to end the Brexit impasse. The fourth "two-plus-two" meeting between the two countries' foreign and defense ministers ...
Japan assures world that Reiwa is all about 'beautiful harmony' and has nothing to do with 'command'
The move is intended to dispel what the ministry considers erroneous reports overseas that the new era name has connotations of “command” or “order.”
Foreign Ministry may go Gregorian, dropping use of Japan era names in documents when it can
With the upcoming Imperial era name change, the Foreign Ministry is considering scrapping the use of the era name for calendar years in some of its official documents and switching to the Gregorian calendar, according to informed sources. The new era name, Reiwa, will succeed ...
At immigration control, an officer told Tsuneoka that his passport had been invalidated and that he was ordered to relinquish it — in effect banning him from leaving.
Foreign Ministry official arrested in Kabukicho over possession of illegal stimulant
A Foreign Ministry official has been arrested in Tokyo's famous Kabukicho nightlife district for allegedly possessing an illegal stimulant drug, police said Monday. Yasutoshi Tanimoto, 46, is suspected of having 0.6 grams of the drug on him on a street in the district of Shinjuku ...
Hundreds of dignitaries honor Yoshio Okawara, former Japanese ambassador to U.S.
Several hundred top diplomats, politicians and business people gathered Monday at a Tokyo hotel to honor Yoshio Okawara, a former Japanese ambassador to the United States who died of pneumonia March 29 at age 99. Okawara served as Japan's man in Washington from 1980 to ...
Japan's Foreign Ministry to create new division dedicated solely to North Korea
To cope with the growing number of diplomatic tasks concerning the Korean Peninsula, the Foreign Ministry plans to split its Northeast Asia Division into two sections on July 1 to create a new division dedicated solely to North Korean affairs, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide ...
Dual citizenship in Japan: A 'don’t ask, don’t tell' policy leaves many in the dark
Do you have to renounce citizenship? Do you switch passports at the airport? Has anyone ever been punished? Dual nationals tell their stories.
Foreign Minister Taro Kono urges his newest diplomats to hone their English
Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Monday extended a warm welcome to the ministry's newest recruits, and asked the young diplomats to continue improving their English and other essential skills needed to connect Japan with the rest of the world. "By devoting yourself to studying English ...
