Tag - relations

 
 

RELATIONS

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of state, reacts as he testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2025
'Quad' top diplomats expected to meet the day after Trump inauguration
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio appears on track for confirmation as Trump's secretary of state on Monday, clearing the way for the meeting the following day.
Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and other Asian leaders pose for a family photo during a the ASEAN-U.S. 40th Anniversary Summit in Manila in November 2017. The U.S. president-elect’s Cabinet secretary level and other picks for his second term point to a tougher China policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 17, 2025
What Trump’s appointments tell us about his Asia policy
Donald Trump’s second term as president appears set to intensify efforts to curb China’s influence while maintaining crucial alliances in Asia.
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday following talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 17, 2025
Top Japan diplomat to highlight investment and defense spending at Trump inaugural
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will be the first senior Japanese official to meet members of the incoming president's governing team.
Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida (left) and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama (center) hold talks with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Tuesday.
EDITORIALS
Jan 17, 2025
A moment of opportunity for Japan-China relations
While the outcome of the Japan-China meeting is important, it must not compromise Japan's national interests.
Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo march ahead of the inauguration of then President-elect Joe Biden on Jan 20, 2021.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 17, 2025
Japan has nothing to fear from Trump — except in maybe one area
Japan is far better positioned in the areas most important to Trump than many other countries. If Shinzo Abe were still alive, Japan would be in a great place.
The compromise of Janet Yellen’s computer makes the Treasury breach the latest hack attributed to the Chinese government that has reached the top ranks of a U.S. federal department.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jan 17, 2025
Chinese hackers accessed Yellen's computer in U.S. Treasury breach
The attackers appeared to focus on Treasury’s role in sanctions, intelligence and international affairs, but didn’t penetrate the department’s email or classified systems.
The prospect of a TikTok ban has already triggered some users to seek alternatives, with Chinese social media app RedNote gaining nearly 3 million U.S. users in one day earlier this week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 17, 2025
TikTok's fight against going dark gains support from key U.S. lawmakers
A law passed in April mandates owner ByteDance to divest TikTok's U.S. assets by Sunday to a non-Chinese buyer, or be banned on national security concerns.
The U.S. Supreme Court has signaled it's likely to uphold a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it isn't sold by its Chinese parent company by Jan. 19. U.S. politicians in both major parties, however, are seeking ways to keep the video-sharing app accessible for Americans.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025
TikTok allies close to Trump and Biden race to delay ban
The app, owned by China’s ByteDance Ltd., faces a deadline of Jan. 19 to find a U.S. buyer in order to continue operating in the country.
The air-to-surface standoff missiles have a range of about 900 kilometers, enabling strikes from beyond enemy firing ranges.
JAPAN
Jan 16, 2025
U.S. approves sale of air-to-surface missiles to Japan
The move comes in response to the Japanese government's request to purchase up to 16 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles with Extended Range.
U.K. Secretary of State for Defence John Healey (center left) shakes hands with Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (center right) at the Ministry of Defence in London on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2025
Japan and U.K. defense chiefs talk of deepening ties as fighter program progresses
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his British counterpart backed the quick formation of a joint venture for developing their new fighter jet with Italy.
A motorcade carrying South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol leaves for the Seoul Detention Center at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials following his arrest, in Gwacheon, South Korea, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jan 16, 2025
South Korean president’s arrest shows peril as Trump returns
Bureaucrats in Seoul are hoping that Donald Trump goes easy on South Korea once he's back in the White House.
If it is banned in the United States, TikTok plans that users attempting to open the app will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2025
TikTok preparing to shut down app in U.S. on Sunday, sources say
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering issuing an executive order to suspend enforcement of a shutdown for 60 to 90 days.
In only two days, more than 700,000 new users joined Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, a person close to the company said.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2025
Over half a million ‘TikTok refugees’ flock to China's RedNote app
In only two days, more than 700,000 new users have reportedly joined Xiaohongshu, a popular networking app known for lifestyle content and product recommendations.
Suzuki Motor President Toshihiro Suzuki (right) listens to explanations on the use of cow feces as fuel for cooking in Gujarat, western India, on Dec. 25.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2025
Suzuki Motor eyes cow feces for biogas fuel in India
The automaker is exploring means other than electric vehicles for realizing carbon neutrality.
Tourists take photos at Sensoji temple in Tokyo's Asakusa district on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jan 15, 2025
Japan saw a record 37 million visitors from abroad in 2024
The full-year number in 2024 represents a 47.1% year-to-year increase and was up 15.6% compared with 2019.
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (right center) meets his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, during bilateral talks in Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Trump concerns top agenda as Japanese and Philippine foreign ministers meet
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who is set to attend Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, also stressed the necessity of being on the same wavelength as the incoming president’s team.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang (center) with Komeito Secretary-General Makoto Nishida (left) and Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Hiroshi Moriyama in Beijing on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 15, 2025
Japan ruling party execs and Chinese premier agree to seek stable ties
Chinese Premier Li Qiang said that China-Japan relations are currently in a critical period for improvement and development.
U.S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Steel Works in Braddock, Pennsylvannia, in 2019. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel face significant legal challenges in their case against the United States.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 15, 2025
Nippon Steel’s case against Biden probably unwinnable, attorneys argue
A U.S. president's rejection of a deal following review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has only been successfully challenged once.
A street in Pattaya, Thailand
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 15, 2025
Thai police arrest Japanese man over ¥1.36 billion retiree scam
The scam involved fraudsters impersonating Japanese government staff to sell bogus health insurance packages, according to the police statement.
China has increased provocations against Japan under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's weak leadership, exploiting political instability to push its agenda, including military incursions, cyberattacks and other forms of coercion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jan 14, 2025
China seizes opportunities amid Ishiba’s weak leadership
China is also no longer hesitant to send its aircraft carrier group through narrow straits in the southernmost Nansei Islands to conduct drills.

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’