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U.S. President Joe Biden waves with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko, as first lady Jill Biden looks on at the White House in Washington on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 10, 2024

Kishida kicks off state visit to U.S., with allies set for 'historic' defense upgrade

The state visit, which will include all the trimmings — including a swanky gala banquet — will be the culmination of years of deepening cooperation.
Health minister Keizo Takemi (third from left) attends a preparatory committee meeting to discuss establishing a new expert body to prepare for future infectious disease crises, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 10, 2024

Japan to launch new body for future pandemics next April

The body will be called the Japan Institute for Health Security.
A demonstration in front of a Nagoya court in 2020 before the appeal trial for a father accused of sexually assaulting his 19-year-old daughter. Sexual violence remains a widespread problem in Japan and one affecting many young victims.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 10, 2024

Landmark sexual violence survey reveals shocking data

Sexual violence remains a huge problem in Japan. Despite recent legal reforms, much more needs to be done to prevent crimes and protect victims.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addresses a news conference during his state visit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2024

Kishida's U.S. state visit may be a turning point in the nation's foreign policy

What was most striking during Kishida's visit to the U.S. was Biden's remarks at the beginning of a joint news conference on their nations' military ties.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reviews soldiers of the German armed forces in Berlin on Thursday.
WORLD / FOCUS
Apr 12, 2024

Between the U.S. and a hard place, Germany's Scholz reheats China ties

With Germany's economy slumping, the nation hopes to gain fairer access to China's markets despite promises to "de-risk" from them.
A street vendor flees from gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 13, 2024

Haiti decrees long-awaited transition council, but questions remain

The long-delayed move is intended as a first step in restoring security to the gang-ravaged Caribbean country.
This video grab from AFPTV taken on Sunday shows explosions lighting up the Jerusalem sky during Iranian attack on Israel.
WORLD
Apr 14, 2024

Iran launches unprecedented attack on Israel with drones and missiles

Israel's military spokesperson said Iran launched dozens of ground-to-ground missiles at Israel, most of them intercepted outside Israeli borders.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi and election strategy committee chair Yuko Obuchi speak to reporters in Tokyo on April 2.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 15, 2024

By-elections to determine Kishida’s fate within LDP

Losing in the Shimane No. 1 district, long an LDP stronghold, would mark a major blow to the prime minister.
Some analysts say machinery orders are on track for a recovery as core machinery orders rose 7.7% in February from the previous month.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2024

Machinery orders rise sharply, possibly easing domestic demand worries

Some analysts say machinery orders are on track for a recovery.
Leaders of intelligence agencies testify before a congressional committee about worldwide threats in Washington on March 11.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2024

Campaign puts Trump and the spy agencies on a collision course

Some former officials fear that Trump, if elected again, would try to weaken intelligence agencies or undermine their independence.
Residents of Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, collect supplies in the aftermath of the Jan. 1 earthquake. When it comes to preparing for and responding to disasters in Japan, the specific needs of women are still not being sufficiently met. One way to fix this would be to increase the number of women involved in the area of disaster prevention.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 15, 2024

Women’s needs in disasters are still not accounted for

In Japan, women's needs in disaster situations are not being sufficiently met, as the Ishikawa earthquake shows, partly due to poor female representation.
Israeli soldiers mount an Israeli flag on a military vehicle near the Israel-Gaza border on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Israel vows response to Iran attack amid growing calls for restraint

Israel's military chief of staff said Iran's direct attack "will be met with a response" as world leaders call for no further escalation.
Lee Hsien Loong might not stray far from politics, having said previously that he will remain at the "new PM’s disposal” after the handover.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2024

Singapore charts new path after half-century of Lee family rule

Lee Hsien Loong announced that he will step aside next month after 20 years as prime minister and hand the reins over to Lawrence Wong.
Former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga (left) visits the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on Monday.
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2024

Ex-PM Suga inspects Fukushima nuclear plant

Suga may have partly intended to demonstrate his presence ahead of three by-elections for the House of Representatives later this month, observers said.
A direct military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by the U.S. and its allies would likely only delay its program while risking regional war and increasing the likelihood of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons in the long run.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2024

Iran hawks want to strike now. They're wrong.

One thing Iran hawks get right, starting with the contention that by attacking Israel directly on Saturday night, Iran changed rules of engagement.
The salvaged Sewol ferry (back) on display at a port in Mokpo, South Jeolla Province on Tuesday, as South Korea marks the 10th anniversary of the country's worst-ever maritime disaster.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Apr 16, 2024

South Korea marks 10th anniversary of Sewol ferry disaster

Families called out the names of the deceased and threw flowers into the water, followed by a moment of silence.
A drone view shows a flooded area around the Dubki residential complex in Orenburg, Russia, on Friday.
WORLD
Apr 17, 2024

Russia and Kazakhstan fight floods as Putin ally criticizes response

Kazakhstan and Russia are dealing with cities under water as Russia's security council secretary criticizes local officials for not being better prepared.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
JAPAN / Politics / EXPLAINER
Apr 17, 2024

Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan

The group sees potential benefits in tapping Japan’s strong industrial and technological capacity.
Members of the town assembly of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, discuss on Wednesday whether to accept a survey to examine the town's suitability for hosting a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste.
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2024

Saga town begins discussions on nuclear waste disposal site survey

If approved by the special committee and the full assembly, the town mayor will need to make the final decision on whether or not to accept the survey.
Israeli soldiers conduct an operation in the Gaza Strip against Hamas fighters in late March.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 16, 2024

Concluding the conflict in Gaza is in Israel’s best interest

Iran’s attack should remind the Israelis that their war with Hamas is not being fought in an international vacuum and support from the outside matters.
LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi arrives for his faction meeting in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 18, 2024

Motegi faces bumpy road after faction dissolution

Motegi has never sought to conceal his aspirations for the top spot, but his prospects may now be dwindling.
Dozens of other voices that oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi are active on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 19, 2024

Critics of India's Modi migrate online as mainstream media stays deferential

Critical voices have shifted to social media, with many speaking in Hindi, the language of India's heartland and BJP stronghold.
A police officer stands guard near a cordoned damaged vehicle after a suicide blast attack on five Japanese nationals in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 19, 2024

Five Japanese nationals escape Pakistan suicide blast attack

The Japanese were unhurt and have been moved to a safe place in police custody, a spokesperson said.
A "masakaki" tree offering made by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is shown at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 21, 2024

South Korea protests Japanese leaders' offerings to Yasukuni Shrine

The government in Seoul said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's offering had prompted a feeling of "deep disappointment."
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday marked 932 days in office, tying with Ryutaro Hashimoto as the eighth-longest-serving prime minister in postwar Japan.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 22, 2024

Kishida is now postwar Japan's eighth-longest-serving PM

Victory in the LDP's presidential election in autumn will put him in the running to surpass Nobusuke Kishi, who held office for 1,241 days.
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu addresses the media after casting his ballot during the country's parliamentary election, in Male on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 22, 2024

Pro-China leader's party in Maldives win in a landslide

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu's People's National Congress party won two-thirds of parliament, or more than enough for a supermajority.
People watch a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at the main railway station in Seoul, on April 2.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 22, 2024

North Korea fires off salvo of several short-range ballistic missiles

Japan's Defense Ministry said it had confirmed at least one apparent ballistic missile had been fired into the Sea of Japan.
Wind turbines off the coast of Zhunan Township, Taiwan. Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s hopes of achieving his renewable energy targets.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 18, 2024

Taiwan’s wind power ambitions are in peril

Misguided policies threaten to sink outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen’s renewable energy targets, putting a lot on the incoming administration's plate.
Missiles are launched during a simulated nuclear counterattack drill at an undisclosed location in North Korea in this image released Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 23, 2024

North Korea holds first 'nuclear trigger' drills as U.S. and South set for cost-sharing talks

Pyongyang said the exercises, which came ahead of U.S.-South Korea talks on cost-sharing for hosting troops, were “a clear warning” to the North's enemies.
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks during a meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok on the sidelines of IMF and G20 meetings in Washington last week.
BUSINESS / Markets
Apr 23, 2024

Tokyo issues strong warning on yen intervention as currency dips further

Comments by Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki came after the dollar rose to ¥154.85, its strongest levels against the Japanese currency since 1990.

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