Tag - japan

 
 

JAPAN

A Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K "Super Auk" from JS Shiranui prepares to land on HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar 2023 while off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
New SDF command will be key for contingency planning, Australian commander says
The framework will enable direct communication with counterparts in partner nations and speed up coordination, the Australian Defence Force's chief of joint operations says.
Pigeons — and their droppings — can be extremely difficult to manage once they settle in.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Mar 25, 2025
A new year, a new home and new unexpected guests: pigeons
They might seem harmless at first, but their droppings pose serious health risks to humans and the birds can be extremely difficult to manage once they settle in.
Yields on Japan's 10-year government bonds have risen at a fast pace since the Bank of Japan ended its negative-rate policy last year and started to tighten.
BUSINESS / Markets
Mar 25, 2025
Japan bond rout signals era of ultralow rates might really be over  
For the first time in 16 years, yields on Japanese 10-year government bonds have jumped 50 basis points since November to above 1.5%.
Tomu Fujinuma, suspect in a fraud case, is taken to Kansai International Airport from Thailand on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
Osaka police arrest Japanese man linked to fraud group in Myanmar
Tomu Fujinuma is believed to have been involved in a fraud group targeting Japanese nationals that was operating from a Chinese-affiliated crime group's base.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva starts a four-day state visit to Japan on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 24, 2025
Brazil's Lula to build trade ties with Japan during state visit
The Brazilian president and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba are expected to restate their commitment to free trade following the emergence of U.S. levies on steel and other imports.
The head of the Self-Defense Forces' new Joint Operations Command, Gen. Kenichiro Nagumo, inspects an honor guard Monday morning at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo.
JAPAN
Mar 24, 2025
Japan launches new Joint Operations Command to unify SDF branches
The new command will allow for the smoother integration of operations across domains to prepare for and respond to possible emergencies.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba meets with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (center left) at the prime minister’s official residence in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 24, 2025
Japan protests China’s description of Ishiba and Wang meeting
Japan’s protests come amid increased tension in the region as countries brace for the impact of additional U.S. tariffs.
The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / Longform
Mar 24, 2025
Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties
Amid rising tensions and possible changes to U.S. foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific, the relationship between Japan and the Philippines is even more crucial.
At the inauguration of a factory owned by Japanese power electronics manufacturer TMEIC in Tumakuru, India, in 2017. Although Japanese companies have become a significant presence in India, the flow of fresh investment has slowed down.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 23, 2025
Japan-India business ties can go the extra mile
After remarkable growth, Japan-India business ties are plateauing. Companies on both sides need help from their governments to promote more understanding and, hence, opportunities.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Washington on Friday
JAPAN
Mar 22, 2025
U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth to visit Japan next week
Hegseth will visit the Pacific island of Iwo Jima to participate in a joint memorial ceremony as Japan and the U.S. mark 80 years since the end of World War II.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (left), Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya (center) and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul pose for the cameras during a trilateral meeting in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 22, 2025
Japan, China and South Korea agree to promote peace and cooperation
The talks come as U.S. trade tariffs loom over the region, and as concerns mount over North Korea's weapons tests.
Shigeru Iwasaki, then the Self Defense Forces' chief, during an interview in Tokyo in 2013.
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 21, 2025
Taiwan names Japan’s ex-SDF chief as Cabinet consultant
China has lodged protests with the Japanese side in regards to the appointment of Shigeru Iwasaki.
Eddie Kato, president and managing director of Astroscale Japan, at the company's office in Tokyo in February
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2025
Japan's space debris firm Astroscale to tie up with Indian companies
India has opened the country's space sector to private players beyond the state-owned Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (left) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva are scheduled to meet in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 21, 2025
Japan and Brazil eye mutual visits by leaders every two years
The plan is expected to be adopted during a summit between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who visits Japan next week.
Toyota's new research and development center in India will begin operations with a team of about 200 people in Bengaluru.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 21, 2025
Toyota’s new R&D unit signals its sharper India focus
The research facility comes after Toyota last year reorganized India to be the hub of its operations across the Middle East, East Asia and Oceania region.
An economic dialogue between Japan and China will take place in Tokyo on Saturday, the same day as a meeting among top diplomats of the two countries plus South Korea.
BUSINESS
Mar 21, 2025
Japan and China set for economic talks as U.S. tariff pressure rises
The scale and proximity of the Chinese market means it is in Japan’s interest to maintain stable relations despite ongoing tensions.
Katsuya Okada (left), former secretary-general of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, and Li Shulei, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee, in Beijing on Thursday
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 21, 2025
During visit to Beijing, CDP delegates affirm importance of Japan-China ties
Former CDP Secretary-General Katsuya Okada has called for stepping up interaction between "high-level" Japanese and Chinese politicians.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 21, 2025
Pentagon eyeing plan to halt U.S. Forces Japan upgrade, reports say
The move could create “political risk” for Washington with Tokyo and reduce the scope of command and control in the Indo-Pacific region as the U.S.-China rivalry heats up.
A maternal handbook used by Heba Jibril in northern Gaza
JAPAN / Society
Mar 21, 2025
In Gaza, Japan-backed maternal handbooks a vital source for child care
The health handbooks provide crucial information for women at a time when medical facilities are closed and digital information is scarce.
Russians queue to apply for visas at the Japanese Embassy in Moscow on March 4.
JAPAN
Mar 20, 2025
Cherry blossoms and free visas draw Russians to Japan
The number of Russians holidaying in Japan is set to double this year from around 100,000 in 2024, helped by a strengthening ruble.

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