Search - japan

 
 
A PAC-3 surface-to-air guided missile at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo in June
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 20, 2023

Japan may make U.S. PAC-3 missiles in first weapon deal after ban

The missiles, made under license from a U.S. company, would be the first weapons to be exported in finished form from Japan after the ban is eased.
Physical strength among children is on a recovery track as a whole, which the Japan Sports Agency said was a reflection of more opportunities for physical exercise following a relaxation of restrictions related to COVID-19 in the country.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 24, 2023

Physical strength of Japan junior high school girls at record low

Male students, however, scored better in the Japan Sports Agency's annual physical fitness survey for this year.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Kenyan President William Ruto arrive at a joint news conference in Nairobi in May.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Japan to boost ties with Africa, with eye on China

Japan's shift in approach mirrors Africa's importance as "a significant voting bloc" of 50-plus countries that Tokyo can look to for support in international conferences.
JAPAN
Jan 2, 2024

Five dead after Japan Airlines jet collides with coast guard plane at Haneda Airport

All 379 people on board the JAL plane exited safely but five of the six people on the coast guard plane died, with the captain sustaining serious injuries.
JAPAN
Jan 3, 2024

Japan Coast Guard plane not cleared for takeoff before collision: transcripts

Transcripts of traffic control instructions released by authorities appeared to show the Japan Airlines passenger plane had been given permission to land.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends an event with students to celebrate the new year in Pyongyang in this undated picture released Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 6, 2024

North Korea's Kim sends rare sympathy message to Japan over Ishikawa quake

The rare communication between the two countries’ leaders delivered Friday is believed to be Kim's first direct message to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Jan 15, 2024

Japan finds ally in new Taiwan president-elect amid fears of war

Lai Ching-te signaled he will deepen cooperation with Japan by meeting with Tokyo’s de facto ambassador and a Japanese lawmaker just a day after the election.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 15, 2024

COVID and Japan, four years later: Normality, but words of caution

The nation has mostly returned to the pre-pandemic norm, but experts warn against people letting their guard down completely.
Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro arrives to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting in Jakarta in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 16, 2024

Philippines hopes to sign troops pact with Japan early this year

Manila hopes to sign in the first quarter of the year a deal with Tokyo allowing the deployment of military forces on each other's soil, the Philippines' defense chief said.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel speaks during a news conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 18, 2024

U.S. envoy to Japan vows to continue calling out Chinese ‘hypocrisy’

Emanuel also gave a speech on what he described as Japan’s “groundbreaking accomplishments” in fields such as defense, economic growth and diplomacy.
A member of the Ground Self-Defense Force stands on the flight deck on the Maritime Self-Defense Force's amphibious transport ship JS Osumi in waters close to Okinawa in November 2023.
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2024

Japan inks deal to buy 400 long-range missiles from U.S.

Faced with growing Chinese military clout and a nuclear-armed North Korea, the Japanese government plans to double its defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027.
Japanese public sentiment toward China worsened in 2023, with 86.7% of respondents saying they felt unfriendly toward China, up 4.9 percentage points from the preceding year, while 12.7% felt friendly, down 5.1 points.
JAPAN / Society
Jan 20, 2024

Japan public sentiment toward China worsens, Cabinet Office survey finds

The survey found that 86.7% of respondents felt unfriendly toward China, up 4.9 percentage points from the preceding year, while 12.7% felt friendly, down 5.1 points.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jan 29, 2024

Japan likely experiencing 10th wave of COVID-19

The spread is being driven by the highly contagious new JN.1 variant.
An F/A-18 fighter jet takes off from the deck of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during a three-day maritime exercise between the U.S. and Japan in the Philippine Sea, between Okinawa and Taiwan, on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Feb 1, 2024

U.S. and Japan conduct joint naval drills

U.S. Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello called the joint exercises "a great rehearsal opportunity for us."
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 / FOCUS
Feb 2, 2024

Japan starts 2024 with flurry of security deals

In January alone, Tokyo signed cooperation deals with at least four countries, strengthening and expanding its network of like-minded partners.
Karolina Shiino (center), winner of Miss Japan 2024, poses with other prize winners at the contest in Tokyo on Jan. 22.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 6, 2024

Ukraine-born Miss Japan relinquishes crown following affair

Karolina Shiino's decision, the first time a Miss Japan winner has relinquished their title, follows a report that she was dating a married man.
A traveler walks past a flight information display at the Beijing Capital International Airport on Feb. 2 ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday that begins on Saturday in China.
JAPAN
Feb 8, 2024

Chinese visitors to Japan over Lunar New Year to fall short of 2019 level

Visa-free travel offered by some countries and last year's release of treated wastewater from Fukushima may be swaying Chinese travelers' decisions.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (left), South Korea's then-Foreign Minister Park Jin (center) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrive for a trilateral foreign ministers' meeting in Busan, South Korea, in November.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2024

Japan, China and South Korea still out of step over summit

Despite their foreign ministers agreeing to convene a meeting of top leaders promptly, no concrete scheduling has emerged.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shakes hands with then-Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi prior to their meeting in Kyiv in September.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 12, 2024

Japan may ease Ukraine travel restrictions

Ukraine is under Tokyo's strictest travel advisory, which urges all Japanese citizens to evacuate and avoid all travel there.
U.S. Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues Julie Turner speaks to media at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 15, 2024

U.S. supports Japan's push for talks with North Korea, envoy says

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament last week that he wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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.
Pedestrians in Seoul in January. A survey showed that the percentage of South Korean people who have a good impression of Japan hit a record high of 44% in 2023.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2024

Record 44% of South Koreans have good impression of Japan, survey says

The figure rose 4.1 percentage points from the previous year, thanks to improvements in Japan-South Korean ties, the Japan Press Research Institute said.
Anastasiia Pelykh (left) and Daria Datsenko talk about their lives in Japan after evacuating from Ukraine during an interview in Kyoto earlier this month.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 19, 2024

Two years after invasion, Ukrainians in Japan forge their own paths

A pair of women have taken different paths, but echoed the same refrain: They want the war to end as soon as possible so they can see their families.
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.
Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa (right) presents a gift to a Ukrainian refugee an event at the Keidanren Kaikan in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 19, 2024

As war fatigue grows, Japan pledges long-term support to Ukraine

Describing the aid as an investment in the future, Tokyo emphasized how Japan’s technology and expertise in reconstruction could serve Ukraine’s needs.
A member of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service attends a transfer ceremony of special vehicles from Japan to Ukraine in Kyiv on Nov. 20, 2023.
JAPAN / Politics / ANALYSIS
Feb 23, 2024

An ominous portent emerges for Japan as Ukraine war enters third year

There are growing indications that the once-durable coalition of partners backing Kyiv’s war effort is crumbling — an ominous sign for Japan.
Ukrainian evacuees arrive at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in April 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 24, 2024

90% of Ukrainian evacuees in Japan unwilling to return home

According to the survey of 153 Ukrainian evacuees last month, only 16, or 10.5%, said they would return home immediately if a cease-fire is reached.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024

Families of North Korea abductees give Japan breathing room for summit

The group won't oppose Tokyo's lifting of sanctions on Pyongyang if all abductees are returned while their parents' generation is still alive.
Japan, Britain and Italy have made headway in their joint next-generation fighter aircraft project, with industry officials saying that the partners are close to completing the aircraft’s conceptual design phase.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 26, 2024

Japan joint fighter program gains steam as firms zero in on conceptual design

The completion of the conceptual design phase will allow Japan, Britain and Italy to move to the next stage of the program next year.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan