Tag - shigeru-ishiba

 
 

SHIGERU ISHIBA

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks at a ceremony in the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN / History
Jun 23, 2025
Okinawa marks 80th anniversary of end of ferocious ground battle
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke of the horrific ground war involving Okinawan residents, noting that 200,000 lives were lost, or about one in four Okinawans.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung shake hands in Canada last week.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 22, 2025
Japan and South Korea mark 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties
The future of the bilateral relationship now appears to depend on Japan policies chosen by new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth review an honor guard during a welcome ceremony at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on March 30.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 21, 2025
Japan scraps ‘two-plus-two’ meeting with U.S. over defense spending demand, report says
The talks’ cancellation reportedly came after the U.S. asked Japan to hike its defense budget to 3.5% of gross domestic product.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba delivers a speech at a reception hosted by the South Korean Embassy in Tokyo on Thursday to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 20, 2025
Ishiba calls for expanding Japan-South Korea exchanges
The prime minister said he had very good discussions with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung when they met in Canada on Tuesday.
The Upper House during a plenary session in Tokyo on Wednesday
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jun 20, 2025
Ishiba handles minority government well over the six-month session
With parliamentary business concluding, all eyes are on next month’s Upper House election.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Defense Minister Gen Nakatani attend the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore on May 31.
JAPAN
Jun 20, 2025
Pentagon says Japan must meet ‘global standard’ and spend 5% of GDP on defense
Both allies had been mum on whether the U.S. would press Japan specifically to hit the 5% target amid political sensitivities over the issue.
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 20, 2025
Japan’s prices climb by most in two years ahead of Upper House election
Consumer prices excluding fresh food quickened for a third month to 3.7% from a year earlier in May, according to an internal affairs ministry's release Friday.
The public approval rate for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet in June was up 6.1 percentage points from the previous month, likely reflecting measures that were taken to combat soaring rice prices under new agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 19, 2025
Ishiba Cabinet approval rate improves to 27%, poll shows
The increase likely reflects measures that were taken to combat soaring rice prices under new agriculture minister Shinjiro Koizumi.
Japan’s trade surplus with the U.S. last year stood at ¥8.6 trillion ($59.3 billion). Roughly 82% of the gap was due to Japan’s surplus in cars and auto parts.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 19, 2025
U.S. focus on auto trade gap is sticking point for Japan deal
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba briefed CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda and others about the latest developments in the bilateral trade negotiations.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shakes hands with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung ahead of their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 18, 2025
South Korea's Lee touts ‘inseparable’ Japan ties after Ishiba meeting
Seeking to ride the momentum that has pushed the neighbors closer following years of chilly ties, the pair also reaffirmed their commitment to trilateral cooperation with the U.S.
European Council President Antَnio Costa (from left to right), Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Italian leader Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, U.S. President Donald Trump and leader Minister Keir Starmer pose for a family photo during the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 18, 2025
Asia overshadowed as G7 struggles with crises and lack of unity
Mentions of China's growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific were conspicuously absent from the statements that emerged from the latest summit.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and his Canadian counterpart, Mark Carney, hold talks on Monday in Kananaskis, Canada.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
Japanese and Canadian leaders agree to enhance security ties
The prime ministers confirmed that their countries will sign early an agreement to share classified information.
U.S. President Donald Trump (left) speaks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 17, 2025
No breakthrough on tariffs at Ishiba-Trump meeting in Canada
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump met for 30 minutes on Monday during the annual Group of Seven gathering in Alberta.
The national government's envisioned disaster management agency is a signature project of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba,
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2025
Many regions eager to host branches of upcoming disaster agency
A total of 28 entities representing prefectures, municipal government and other bodies have expressed their interest.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives at Calgary International Airport in Canada on Sunday for a Group of Seven leaders' summit.
JAPAN
Jun 16, 2025
Polls show support for Ishiba recovering ahead of election
A survey conducted over the weekend by Kyodo News showed the approval rating for Ishiba’s Cabinet at 37.0%.
Leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, as well as the European Union all have something at stake at the Group of Seven Leaders’ Summit in Alberta, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 16, 2025
G7 leaders prepare for delicate dance with Trump at summit in Canada
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is seeking a trade deal with Trump on the sidelines of the summit, which would be a coup ahead of elections next month.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to reporters at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Sunday ahead of his departure for a Group of Seven leaders' summit in Canada.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 16, 2025
Ishiba arrives in Canada for G7, with Trump trade deal on his mind
The Japanese leader hopes to persuade U.S. President Donald Trump to drop trade tariffs that have imperiled his country's economy.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung (center) speaks as leading business executives listen during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 15, 2025
South Korea’s Lee open to trilateral meet with Ishiba and Trump at G7
Any talks would be the first trilateral meeting for all three leaders since taking office, and would symbolize a commitment to continuing to build closer security ties.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's economic revitalization minster, speaks to members of the media in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 15, 2025
Japan and U.S. trade negotiators spoke again Saturday
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spoke by phone and explored the possibility of a trade deal.
An Upper House plenary session earlier this month. The Upper House election is likely to take place on July 20.
JAPAN
Jun 14, 2025
Upper House election likely to take place July 20
Whether the CDP will submit a no-confidence motion against the Ishiba Cabinet is set to be the main focus in the closing days of the current parliamentary session.

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past