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Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (second from left) pose for a photo with Indian defense chief Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in New Delhi on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Aug 21, 2024

Japan and India to update key document on security cooperation

Tokyo is also looking to provide New Delhi with advanced naval antennas and exploring the possibility of repairing Japanese warships in India.
The Italian Navy's aircraft carrier ITS Cavour at the Yokosuka naval base on Thursday. The 244-meter, 27,100-ton Italian flagship arrived at the base in Kanagawa Prefecture Thursday morning for a port call.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 22, 2024

Italy-Japan ties enter ‘new era’ amid deepening alignment, top envoy to Tokyo says

Underscoring this rapidly expanding partnership was the 244-meter, 27,100-ton flagship's visit to the Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture.
Even when ships are docked, members of the Japan Coast Guard work on shifts on board. As such, the JCG is considering rehiring retired servicemen to allow crews to take sufficient holidays on land.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

Japan Coast Guard promoting work style reform

The move comes as the agency grapples with a declining number of applicants as well as its rising turnover rate.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel has asked Japan to name its representatives for a joint task force on disaster relief hub.
JAPAN
Aug 22, 2024

U.S. urges Japan to name disaster relief hub task force members

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel asked Japan's foreign and defense ministers to provide the names of four officials at its "earliest convenience."
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, alongside Fukushima fisheries cooperative chief Tetsu Nozaki (far right), inspects fish caught off Fukushima Prefecture during a visit to Iwaki on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 24, 2024

Japan to compile additional measures to support fisheries industry

The additional measures will be put in place to help fishery operators hurt by China's blanket ban on imports of Japanese marine products.
Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto speaks during an interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 26, 2024

Interoperability with Japan ‘crucial,’ Italian defense chief says

Engagement between the two partners is already paying dividends, including in terms of lessons for the future deployment of F-35Bs from MSDF carriers.
A Chinese military Y-9 intelligence-gathering plane that entered Japanese airspace on Monday.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2024

Japan says Chinese military violated territorial airspace for first time

The ministry said one of the Chinese military's Y-9 intelligence-gathering planes had briefly entered Japanese territory near the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks at a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / ANALYSIS
Aug 27, 2024

Japan calls Chinese military aircraft incursion 'unacceptable' threat to safety

Officials are grappling with the rationale for and response to the entry into Japanese airspace off Nagasaki Prefecture.
An illustration of the Japan Coast Guard's planned patrol ship, which will be its biggest ever
JAPAN
Aug 27, 2024

Japan Coast Guard to build its biggest patrol ship

The coast guard's new ship will be around 200 meters long and will weigh about 30,000 tons.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (center) addresses a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday to discuss the issue of treated water released from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean and measures to support the fisheries industry.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 30, 2024

Japan discusses aid for fisheries industry amid China ban

The government reiterated its commitment to taking full responsibility until the discharging of treated water from the Fukushima No.1 plant is completed.
A visually impaired runner (left) and an accompanying runner participate in a training session for guide runners held in Tokyo in July.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 3, 2024

Japan working to train guides for visually impaired runners

Guide runners are essential when visually impaired individuals participate in marathon events.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left), Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong (center left), Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (center right) and Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles gather for their two-plus-two meeting in Queenscliff, Australia, on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Sep 5, 2024

Japan and Australia look to closer cooperation to deter China

The quasi-allies have committed to coordinate their national security policies “more closely than ever before.”
A Mid-Range Capability, or Typhon, launcher with the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force arrives in the Philippines on April 8, in the capability’s first deployment to the Indo-Pacific region.
JAPAN
Sep 7, 2024

U.S. eyeing midrange missiles in Japan for drills, U.S. Army secretary says

U.S. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said deploying the unit that hosts the missile system had been discussed during her visit to Japan last month.
U.K. Ambassador to Japan Julia Longbottom says the Indo-Pacific region offers a unique opportunity to not only tackle shared security concerns but also to generate new sources of economic growth.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 9, 2024

U.K. envoy to Japan pushes back on Indo-Pacific disengagement concerns

The region — and Japan — remain “critical" to Britain's interests, Ambassador Julia Longbottom told The Japan Times.
A Chinese Navy ship heads northeast in the Tsushima Strait about 130 kilometers southwest of Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 10, 2024

Chinese ships enter Sea of Japan ahead of military drills with Russia

Local media in Japan suggested the Chinese ships were on their way to drills with Russia announced by Beijing on Monday.
A survey showed the use of terminal care and attended deaths at home kept increasing after surging in April 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 11, 2024

Terminal care at home surged in Japan during COVID-19 pandemic

Cases of terminal care at home grew for clinics certified to meet standards for supporting home care, such as having doctors available to make house visits.
Tokyo's Asakusa area, a popular location among foreign tourists
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024

Japan, China, South Korea set 40 million tourist target

The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a monthly high of some 3.29 million in July, with about half being from China and South Korea.
A Russian Tu-142 aircraft that circled Japan on Thursday
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2024

Japan scrambled jets after Russian military aircraft circled country

Russia's planes did not enter Japanese airspace but flew over an area subject to a territorial dispute between Japan and Russia.
A CH-148 Cyclone helicopter and a CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft fly over the Royal Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Winnipeg in the Asia-Pacific region in November 2020. Canada has been gradually boosting its military engagement with Asian partners.
JAPAN
Sep 13, 2024

Canada and Japan aiming to rapidly expand defense ties

Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair has said he thinks there are "unlimited areas of cooperation" between the two countries.
Russia and Japan flag together realtions textile cloth fabric texture
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 14, 2024

Japan and Russia bureau-chief-level officials hold talks

According to the Japanese Embassy in Russia, the Japanese side reiterated Japan's demand that Russia immediately stop its invasion of Ukraine.
The Japanese oceanographic research vessel Mirai is currently on a mission in the Arctic Ocean to study environmental changes in the area.
JAPAN
Sep 15, 2024

Japan moves to promote rule of law in Arctic

With the largest territory in the area, Russia is strengthening regional military activities while expanding cargo transportation and exploring resources.
Maritime Self-Defense Force explosive ordinance disposal technicians deploy a Remus 100 unmanned underwater vehicle to conduct mine hunting operations in Southern California during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in July 2018.
JAPAN
Sep 18, 2024

Japan maritime drone tech to feature heavily in AUKUS tie-up

AUKUS leaders have stated the group’s intention to “leverage Japan’s deep technical expertise,” but provided no timeline as to when the tie-up begins.
French Ambassador Philippe Setton says that, despite previous differences over whether Japan should host a NATO liaison office, Paris aims to deepen ties with Tokyo "in all security areas."
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 18, 2024

France-Japan military pact expected by year-end, envoy to Tokyo says

Concerns over the worsening security situation in the Indo-Pacific are speeding up negotiations on a visiting-forces pact between France and Japan.
The percentage of South Korean respondents with a good impression of Japan jumped from the previous year to 41.7%, the highest level since the survey began in 2013.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024

Survey shows record number of South Koreans view Japan positively

Nearly 42% of South Koreans have a favorable impression of Japan, according to the East Asia Institute.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing on Thursday. The embassy and other organizations have urged swift and resolute actions to protect Japanese citizens in China.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024

China works to avoid rift with Japan over killing of schoolchild

Beijing is characterizing the murder as a lone act and downplaying the political implications.
A shopper browses through locally caught seafood at a fish market in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, in August 2023. China has not imported any seafood from Japan since September last year.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024

Japan agrees to stricter monitoring of Fukushima plant's treated water

Tokyo's nod to greater involvement of third-party inspectors — a key demand from Beijing — paves the way for a lifting of China's ban on Japanese seafood imports.
A woman passes an "akichi" (vacant lot) in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The capital is littered with such small lots in part because of Japan's aging and shrinking population.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Sep 21, 2024

Dealing with rising land vacancies as Japan shrinks

"Akichi," or vacant plots of land, are nothing new to the urban landscape. As the population decreases, however, the challenge is how to handle their steady increase.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Indian leader Narendra Modi and U.S. President Joe Biden look on during an event at the Quadrilateral Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on Saturday.
JAPAN
Sep 22, 2024

Australia backs easing of China's ban on Japan fishery products

The leaders of Japan and Australia agreed to enhance their countries' cooperation on economic security and affirmed the importance of expanding youth exchanges.
Kishida thanked Khurelsukh at the meeting Sunday for Mongolia's cooperation over the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals decades ago.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 23, 2024

Japan and Mongolia leaders affirm defense equipment accord

The pact is designed to allow the two countries to export defense equipment and technologies to each other and to ensure their appropriate management after the transfers.
Visitors taste sake from Fukushima Prefecture at a Japan-South Korea exchange festival held in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2024

Japan-South Korea exchange festival held in Seoul

The event comes at a time where more and more South Koreans are visiting Japan as relations improve and the yen remains weak.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?