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Ryu Shionoya, who headed the faction’s leadership committee but was never formally appointed chairman after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated in July 2022, announced that the faction was done on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 1, 2024

Curtain falls on Abe faction's 45-year history but scrutiny to continue

Unanswered questions over members' involvement in the LDP's political funds scandal mean the dissolution may not be the end of the story.
An Israeli mobile artillery unit fires toward Gaza on Thursday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war Cabinet have been under increasing pressure to bring home the hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

Gaza cease-fire negotiations advance as Israel-Hamas war grinds on

While talks are still in the early stages, sources said the proposal had a realistic chance of success and could lead to a longer-term cease-fire.
A farmer throws an egg aimed at police officers as farmers from Belgium and other European countries use their tractors to block the area outside the European Parliament, as they protest over price pressures, taxes and green regulation, in Brussels, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 2, 2024

How farmers, football and fatigue got Viktor Orban to cave on Ukraine

Angry farmers' noisy protest against burdensome EU regulations robbed Hungarian leader of a good night's sleep.
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 remains largely unresponsive as the U.S. moves toward the escalation of retaliatory strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and other Iranian-supported militants in the Middle East.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 2, 2024

As the U.S. and Iran inch toward war, Tokyo bickers about political factions

Japan remains largely unresponsive as U.S. moves toward retaliatory strikes in the Middle East, and possibly war.
The Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture on Jan. 4, three days after a major earthquake struck the area.
JAPAN
Feb 3, 2024

Nuclear emergency guidelines to be reviewed after Noto quake

Of the 11 national or prefectural roads in Ishikawa that would be used as evacuation routes in the area, seven suffered significant damage.
Smoke rises from inside Gaza on Sunday. Gaza health authorities, which do not differentiate between militants and civilians in their tallies, said on Sunday more than 27,300 Palestinians have been confirmed killed since the Israel-Hamas war began.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

Hamas hounds Israeli forces in main Gaza cities

There has been persistent fighting in Gaza City in the north of the densely populated enclave, and in Khan Younis to the south.
Newly elected Kyoto Mayor Koji Matsui receives a sea bream as a congratulatory gift in Kyoto on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2024

New Kyoto mayor aims to tackle over-tourism with higher fares

Koji Matsui faces many hurdles, and he takes over at a time when the demerits of over-tourism have become a particular topic of concern for residents.
Prabowo Subianto, presidential candidate and Indonesia's defense minister, speaks during the final presidential debate in Jakarta on Sunday. More than 204 million Indonesians will vote on Feb. 14 to elect new leaders who will shape Southeast Asia's largest economy for the next five years.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 6, 2024

Ex-general becomes cat-loving grandpa in bid to run Indonesia

Prabowo Subianto has been accused of human rights abuses, but now he is reaping the rewards of an extensive image makeover.
The Bank of Japan signed a joint statement with the government in 2013 committing itself to achieve its 2% inflation target "at the earliest date possible."
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 6, 2024

Japan's inflation goal still needed even if negative rates end: official

Chief government economist Tomoko Hayashi says any shift in BOJ policy would not alter the importance of the 2% inflation target.
Commuters head to work in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district where government ministries are located. The government plans to issue a guideline to encourage diverse ways of working, including working remotely, among its employees.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2024

Japan to allow bureaucrats to work remotely in principle

The government will release guidelines on remote work as part of an effort to encourage more diverse ways of working among its employees.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a government-sponsored rally in Tokyo campaigning for the return of the Russian-held islands to Japan, an event held to coincide with Northern Territories Day in Japan, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 7, 2024

Kishida vows to conclude peace pact with Russia

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday vowed to conclude a peace treaty with Russia after resolving a territorial row over four northwestern Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan.
A statue of Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot of the 2025 Expo, in Osaka. Organizers expect the six-month expo to draw some 28 million people, including 3.5 million from abroad.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2024

Osaka Expo budget expected to rise again by ¥200 million

The latest request would raise the total amount of money directly spent by the national government on all expo-related activities to ¥164.9 billion.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks during a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office on Friday.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2024

Hayashi denies agreeing to Unification Church policies

The chief cabinet secretary said he had not agreed to the policies of the church during a meeting with people linked to the religious group in 2021.
Palestinian children wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD
Feb 10, 2024

Israel prepares assault on Rafah as it seeks to allay fears of 'bloodbath'

Aid agencies warned that a military offensive in such a densely populated area could end up killing large numbers of innocent people.
Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto speaks during a campaign rally in Jakarta on Saturday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 11, 2024

Indonesian election candidates make their case as election day looms

With young people accounting for almost 60% of the electorate, the candidates have needed to factor in their demands and preferences.
PVV's Geert Wilders addresses the media at The Hague on Feb. 7.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 13, 2024

Dutch government formation still a puzzle 12 weeks after election

A right-wing majority or minority government are both possible, but its unclear if poll winner Geert Wilders' Freedom Party can string one together.
Pakistan's former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party Shehbaz Sharif speaks during a news conference in Lahore on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 14, 2024

Pakistan closer to a Sharif government after PM consensus

Nawaz Sharif, who heads the Pakistan Muslim League-N party, nominated his younger sibling Shehbaz for the post.
Gross domestic product contracted 0.4% on an annualized basis in the October-December 2023 quarter, following a 3.3% contraction in the previous quarter.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2024

Japan loses spot as No. 3 economy after surprise GDP contraction

Analysts caution that the data is perhaps not as bad as it seems, given solid readings from other economic indicators.
Shanghai's financial district under heavy rain. China's economy has slowed down, with some pointing to a possible balance sheet recession.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 15, 2024

Mr. Xi, only change will help China weather the storm

How does Xi Jinping plan to address China's growing economic woes? Only openness to change will allow the global power to survive these turbulent times.
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.
Smoke billows over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 19, 2024

Prospects dim for truce as Israel rejects calls to spare Rafah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected calls to spare Rafah, arguing that failing to launch the operation would mean to "lose the war."
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has in recent months repeatedly touted his openness to “unconditional” talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling for “a bold step to change the status quo.”
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 19, 2024

North Korea eyes well-worn playbook with Japan summit hints

Pyongyang's offer of repairing ties with Japan may be concealing what may be a more likely motivation — to drive a wedge between Tokyo and its partners.
Education Minister Masahito Moriyama bows to parliament after a motion of no confidence against him was voted down in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 20, 2024

Japan opposition fails with censure motion against education minister

The CDP's move against a Unification Church-linked minister came as the party also called for questioning over a slush funds scandal.
Former Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 21, 2024

Senior LDP members likely to appear before ethics committee next week

While the opposition said the willingness of additional LDP figures to answer questions was an improvement, they called for more to step up.
Eleven portraits of Ainu chieftains, completed in 1790, are now held by the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besancon, France. There were originally 12 paintings in the original set, collectively known as the “Ishu Retsuzo,” but one has disappeared.
JAPAN / History / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Feb 26, 2024

The ongoing mystery of the Ainu portraits in France

A former Hokkaido journalist is hoping to find out how portraits of Ainu chieftains from 1790 made it to Europe.
Thailand will seek to get a new cannabis bill explicitly outlawing the recreational use of cannabis approved by the end of October.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Feb 22, 2024

Thailand aims for clampdown on recreational cannabis by year-end

The move would put thousands of marijuana shops and farms out of business.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign event ahead of the Republican presidential primary election in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 14
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
Feb 29, 2024

Why Japanese companies need to prepare for Trump 2.0

Given the former president's views on the recent U.S. Steel deal, firms should cover all bases ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. election.
The LDP's Takuo Komori stepped down from his post as parliamentary vice minister for internal affairs after it was revealed he had underreported political funds.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 21, 2024

Will the LDP funding scandal change Japanese politics?

What can we learn from the LDP funding scandal? One thing is certain: The saga fits a pattern that is anything but unseen in Japanese politics.
Lower House Budget Committee executives discuss next week's schedule in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 22, 2024

Committee probing LDP funds scandal set to open next week

The committee will likely gather next Wednesday and Thursday to interrogate five senior LDP lawmakers over their involvement in a kickback scheme.

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