Tag - japan

 
 

JAPAN

Junichiro “John” Imaeda (middle row center) decided to start Ajate, a band that infuses traditional Japanese festival music with Afrobeat, after spending three months traveling around Ghana and Burkina Faso to absorb the music of West Africa.
CULTURE / Music
May 31, 2024
Ajate's joyous blend of Afrobeat and Japanese festival music
The nine-piece project brings together sounds from disparate lands to celebrate connectivity and community.
Why does it feel like we’re in a ceaseless cycle of seasonal prep?
COMMUNITY / Voices / FOREIGN AGENDA
May 31, 2024
Help! I'm stuck in Japan's endless cycle of seasonal prep
Rainy season is here, and so are all the preparations for your home and clothes. Why does living in Japan feel like an endless cycle of gearing up for the weather?
While the recent trilateral summit between Japan, South Korea and China in Seoul was aimed at restarting dialogue, it yielded minimal concrete outcomes.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 30, 2024
Lessons from the Japan-South Korea-China summit
The underlying force driving the trilateral summit — which yielded little in substance — is the fact that Beijing needed these talks more than Tokyo and Seoul.
A bill to revise the local autonomy law clears the Lower House on Thursday.
JAPAN
May 30, 2024
Japan's Lower House passes bill for state power in emergencies
The revision is aimed at enabling swift responses for ensuring citizens' safety.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak deliver remarks after a trilateral AUKUS meeting, in San Diego in March 2023.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2024
Who will 'plug and play' with AUKUS?
Tokyo, Ottawa, and Seoul must demonstrate their value in AUKUS by contributing sustainably and enhancing its effectiveness in promoting a rules-based Indo-Pacific order.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets senior Chinese Communist Party official Liu Jianchao at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Wednesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 29, 2024
Kishida asks senior Chinese official to lift marine import ban
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday met with senior Chinese Communist Party official Liu Jianchao, who is thought close to leader Xi Jinping.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the country's Politburo at an undisclosed location on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 28, 2024
North Korea says its latest satellite launch exploded in flight
North Korea said its attempt to launch a new military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure on Monday when a newly developed rocket engine exploded in flight.
In September 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order outlining what technology areas would be considered critical in the government's process for reviewing inbound investments that could pose a threat to national security.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 27, 2024
How will Japan respond to new U.S. investment rules?
Washington is reforming inbound and outbound investment rules in the context of economic security concerns. Japan needs to prepare for these changes.
A peace rally on Constitution Memorial Day in Tokyo on May 3. Japan’s identity as a pacifist nation is shifting as the government strengthens its military, but many don’t agree with the policy.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 27, 2024
Government and society are at odds on national security
Tokyo posits itself as a mutual defense ally of the U.S., but polls show that while the public wants a stronger military, changes should align with the peace Constitution.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a joint news conference with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (center) and Chinese premier Li Qiang at the Blue House presidential office in Seoul on Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 27, 2024
In rare talks, Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing agree to step up cooperation
While Monday's summit didn't result in any breakthroughs, it is seen as an important step to stem the deterioration of Japan and South Korea's ties with China.
Japan Coast Guard patrol ships try to block the way of a China Coast Guard ship (center) near Uotsurijima in the Senkaku Islands chain on April 27.
JAPAN
May 27, 2024
Japan spots Chinese ships near Senkaku Islands for record 158 days
The territorial dispute over the Tokyo-controlled islets, known as the Diaoyu by China, is a long-running sore point between Japan and China.
A North Korean rocket carrying a spy satellite is prepared for launch in a location given as North Gyeongsang province in this image released on Nov. 21.
JAPAN
May 27, 2024
North Korea announces plans to launch satellite by June 4
The announcement came hours before top leaders from Japan, South Korea and China gathered for a rare trilateral summit in Seoul.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meets with Chinese Premier Li Qiang for bilateral talks in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 26, 2024
Kishida meets China's Li and South Korea's Yoon before trilateral summit
The Japanese leader discussed improving ties with Seoul and how to stabilize Tokyo's relationship with Beijing in separate bilateral talks.
A P-8 Poseidon flies over the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold as part of information-gathering operations during Valiant Shield 2016 in the Philippine Sea.
JAPAN
May 24, 2024
Japan's SDF to take part in U.S. 'valiant shield' drill for first time
The large-scale military exercise started in 2006 and is held in areas including Guam and involves about 10,000 personnel.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks during an interview in Warsaw on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 24, 2024
Poland and Japan can cooperate over Ukraine reconstruction
The two countries can work together to reconstruct Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in a recent interview.
South Korean leader Yoon Suk-yeol (left), U.S. President Joe Biden (center) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida walk during the Camp David summit on the outskirts of Washington last August. South Korea and Japan will be going into the summit with China more aligned than before following the Camp David meeting.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 24, 2024
At Japan-South Korea-China trilateral summit, a chance to manage tensions
Just holding the summit is an accomplishment amid the considerable issues that divide the three countries.
Jera’s Hekinan thermal power station in Hekinan, Aichi Prefecture
BUSINESS
May 24, 2024
Jera warns of switching investment from Australia over lack of support
The lack of financial support for production of hydrogen and ammonia took some of the shine off Australia as a destination for Japanese investment.
Aliou Diack’s “Anastomosis” paintings were created at Yoshino Cedar House, Space Un’s residency in Yoshino, Nara Prefecture.
CULTURE / Art
May 24, 2024
Contemporary Afro-Japanese shows broaden Tokyo's art scene
Three ongoing exhibitions showcasing work by Theaster Gates, Aliou Diack and Serge Mouangue highlight commonality between Japanese, African American and African aesthetics.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol will hold talks with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Seoul on Sunday and Monday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 23, 2024
Japan, South Korea and China to hold first summit in four years
A schedule of regular summits had been disrupted by bilateral feuds and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Akira Miyagi (center) and other members of Japanese-Brazilians with ties to Okinawa Prefecture hold a news conference in Sao Paulo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
May 23, 2024
Brazil to mull apology for persecution of Japanese immigrants
If the federal government apologizes, it will be its first over the country's treatment of Japanese immigrants.

Longform

Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
The neurological disorder that 'kills culture'