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Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters on Monday evening at the Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 5, 2023

Japan OKs additional fisheries aid and ups pressure on China

Support for the industry now tops ¥100 billion, as the government struggles to soothe fears over contaminated water at home and abroad.
Japan's economy grew less than initially estimated in the second quarter as capital expenditure slid, suggesting heightening overseas uncertainties are weighing on business confidence.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 8, 2023

Japan economic growth revised down as firms and consumers cut back

Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 4.8% from the previous three months, revised figures from the Cabinet Office showed Friday.
Passengers wait for their train in front of a TV broadcasting a news report on North Korea firing a ballistic missile, at the main railway station in Seoul in July.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Sep 13, 2023

North Korea fires off two ballistic missiles as Kim visits Russia

Both missiles appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from its coast.
Core machinery orders, the leading indicator of Japanese business spending, were down 1.1% in July from the previous month in July.
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2023

Weak machinery orders darken outlook and raise policy challenge

Core orders, the leading indicator of Japanese business spending, were down 1.1% in July from the previous month, Cabinet Office data showed.
Newly appointed economy minister Yoshitaka Shindo arrives at the Cabinet Office on Thursday
BUSINESS / Economy
Sep 14, 2023

New economy minister sees positive signs for end of deflation

Little is known about Yoshitaka Shindo's views on monetary and fiscal policies as he served in an intraparty post for the past eight years.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, at U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 20.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2023

Lack of political timetable fuels Japan snap election speculation

The ruling and opposition parties are watching for the possibility of a Lower House breakup at the start of an extraordinary Diet session this autumn.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's administration faces discontent within the ruling coalition, mounting frustration from conservative elements in the LDP and persistently low public approval ratings.
COMMENTARY
Oct 10, 2023

As cracks form, Kishida’s political ship takes on water

The Kishida administration faces discontent within the ruling coalition, frustration from LDP conservatives and and low public approval ratings.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping walks past then-Foreign Minister Qin Gang (front left) and defense chief Li Shangfu (front right) as he arrives for the closing session of the National People's Congress at Beijing's Great Hall of the People in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 13, 2023

With purges of top officials, is China’s Xi in trouble? Hardly.

The well-known opacity in Beijing may have clouded assessments of how the turbulence is affecting Xi’s grip on power
Palestinian refugees flee to Rafah, in southern Gaza, after Israeli airstrikes on Friday.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 17, 2023

Japan must uphold humanitarianism in the Middle East

War cries from Israel and Hamas must be met with appeals for the defense of human life, a position Japan has historically held.
Newly elected Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 20, 2023

Former finance minister elected as Lower House speaker

The 79-year-old Fukushiro Nukaga, a 13-term Diet member and former finance minister, was chosen, replacing Hiroyuki Hosoda.
Li Keqiang, former Chinese premier and head of China's Cabinet, served under President Xi Jinping for a decade from 2013, retiring in March.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Oct 27, 2023

Li Keqiang, the former No. 2 to Xi Jinping, dies at 68

The former Chinese premier had found himself overshadowed by Xi's expanding grip on power.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida replies to questions at Friday's budget committee session at the Diet in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 27, 2023

Amid scrutiny, Kishida emphasizes tax cuts to pull out from deflation

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan has heavily criticized the government for its belated response to rising inflation.
Land Minister Tetsuo Saito (center right) visits Yumeshima, the venue for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Japan Expo, on Nov. 3.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 9, 2023

Troubled 2025 Osaka Expo could see further cost increases

Amid numerous challenges, Osaka officials hope no further discussions on increasing the budget of the troubled event will be needed.
U Moe Zaw Oo, the deputy foreign minister of the National Unity Government of Myanmar, a shadow government seeking recognition as the legitimate leadership of the country, at the group’s headquarters in Washington on July 17
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 13, 2023

Fighting to govern Myanmar, from a teeny office in Washington

The U.S. capital attracts political refugees from all over the world who hope proximity to power will draw attention to their national plights.
Japan's economy shrank 2.1% in the July-September period from the previous quarter on an annualized basis, suggesting that its economic recovery remains patchy.
BUSINESS / Economy
Nov 15, 2023

Japan’s economy shrinks, backing BOJ and government's stimulus case

Gross domestic product contracted at an annualized pace of 2.1% in the third quarter, deeper than economists’ estimate of a 0.4% shrinkage.
Ministers gather for a Cabinet meeting on Friday at Prime Minister's Office.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 17, 2023

Japan enacts bill to raise annual pay of PM and ministers

The prime minister's annual salary will be raised by ¥460,000 to ¥40.61 million.
Families of Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip protest outside the ministry of defense in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

Israel approves deal for release of 50 Gaza hostages and truce

The release will be over four days, during which there will be a pause in fighting. For every 10 other hostages freed, the pause would be extended a day.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a Budget Committee session in the Lower House in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 22, 2023

LDP faces scrutiny in parliament over underreporting of funds

Sizable omissions in political funding reports by the ruling party took center stage in parliamentary debate as the opposition questioned the government.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping in Riyadh on Dec. 8, 2022.
BUSINESS
Nov 25, 2023

Mideast wealth funds draw greater U.S. scrutiny over China ties

A U.S. committee is reviewing several multibillion dollar deals this year on concerns they could pose national security risks.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 4, 2023

Kishida denies media report of ties to Unification Church

The prime minister reportedly had an exchange with Masayoshi Kajikuri, the head of the Universal Peace Federation Japan, in 2019.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks to members of the government and the ruling parties in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2023

Kishida moves to limit damage as political funding scandal deepens

Kishida has asked party executives to refrain from hosting fundraising events "until the party clarifies its efforts to restore the public’s trust."
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda (center) attends a party hosted by his faction, which was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in May in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Focus turns to replacements as scandal-hit LDP ministers face ax

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Fumio Kishida said he would make replacements the following day but declined to comment on the details.
Construction work is conducted in the Henoko coastal area in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday.
JAPAN
Dec 15, 2023

Okinawa promotion spending to fall to ¥267.8 billion in fiscal 2024

The outlay would stand below ¥300 billion for the third successive year, according to a government estimate.
A Tomahawk cruise missile is launched from a U.S. Navy ship. Japan agreed with the United States to buy U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles one year earlier than previously planned.
JAPAN
Dec 17, 2023

Japanese government delaying debate over key defense issues

A widening political scandal is affecting the Kishida administration's ability to move forward on important security discussions.
Senior members of the Abe faction, the largest in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attend a fundraising event in Tokyo on May 16.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 19, 2023

LDP's Abe faction faces possible collapse under weight of scandal

Its fractured leadership and an expected exodus of members amid an unfolding political funds scandal has put its future in question.
The government reiterated that the recovery in capital investment appeared to have stalled, while industrial production showed signs of picking up.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 19, 2023

Japan ups assessment of business mood and sticks to view on economy

In a report, the Cabinet Office said the economy was "recovering moderately although some areas stalled recently."
Some analysts believe Japan's stock market will be fragile in the coming months due to such factors as weak consumer spending and political instability.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 20, 2023

Japanese stocks expected to face early hurdles in 2024

Analysts see the nation’s equities indexes struggling over the next few months due to factors such as a stronger yen and weak consumer spending.
Japan's real economic growth rate for fiscal 2023 ending in March 2024 is estimated at 1.6%, up from 1.3% seen half a year ago.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 21, 2023

Japanese government lifts economic growth estimates

The real economic growth rate for fiscal 2023 ending in March 2024 is estimated at 1.6%, up from 1.3% seen half a year ago.
Digital minister Taro Kono (second from right) and health minister Keizo Takemi hand out leaflets to promote the use of My Number cards as health insurance certificates at Jikei University Hospital in Tokyo last month.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Dec 22, 2023

Japan to scrap health insurance cards from December next year

The government aims to streamline administration and improve health care services by integrating the function of the cards into My Number cards.
Investigators from the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office arrive to search the headquarters of the powerful Abe faction within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo on Dec. 19.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 26, 2023

Has the funding scandal doomed the Abe faction?

With criminal investigations under way, there is impetus for the younger generation of the Abe faction members to break away and form a rebranded group.

Longform

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