Tag - korea-japan-relations

 
 

KOREA JAPAN RELATIONS

Sakie Yokota shares her thoughts ahead of her abducted daughter's 60th birthday, on Thursday in Kawasaki.
JAPAN
Oct 5, 2024
Sakie Yokota expresses hopes for a reunion on daughter's 60th birthday
Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at the age of 13. If a reunion is realized, "I just hope to hug her silently," Sakie said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba listens to a reporter's question as he attends a news conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 2, 2024
South Korea's Yoon and Japan's Ishiba agree to continue 'shuttle diplomacy'
In his first phone call with the South Korean leader, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stressed the importance of the two countries’ maintaining close communications,
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, 66, has experience as the onetime head of Japan’s former Defense Agency before it became a full-fledged ministry and is seen as a pair of steady hands.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 2, 2024
Ishiba looks to 'defense tribe' to fill key Cabinet positions
The new prime minister has named four former defense ministers to key posts — most notably, the defense and foreign affairs portfolios.
Shigeru Ishiba (center) celebrates in Tokyo on Friday after he was elected president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. He defeated economic security minister Sanae Takaichi (second from left) in a runoff vote.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Sep 30, 2024
Shigeru Ishiba’s tenure as prime minister could be short-lived
Questions about his leadership and management ability weaken his prospects.
Shigeru Ishiba, newly elected leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a news conference after winning the party's leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Sep 29, 2024
Ishiba's foreign policy vision to face immediate tests as he takes helm
The new Japanese leader will be greeted immediately with the challenge of reining in escalating regional tensions and building up the U.S. alliance.
Shigeru Ishiba, newly-elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, speaks at a news conference after winning the party's leadership election in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 27, 2024
China, Taiwan and South Korea weigh in on Ishiba victory
All three of Tokyo's neighbors said they hoped for improved relations under the former defense chief, who is set to be named prime minister in the coming days.
Visitors taste sake from Fukushima Prefecture at a Japan-South Korea exchange festival held in Seoul on Sunday.
JAPAN
Sep 23, 2024
Japan-South Korea exchange festival held in Seoul
The event comes at a time where more and more South Koreans are visiting Japan as relations improve and the yen remains weak.
Gwangju Biennale’s artistic director Nicolas Bourriaud developed the theme “Pansori: A Soundscape of the 21st Century” to make the event “an opera you can walk into.”
CULTURE / Art
Sep 21, 2024
Japan’s art world seeks connection at Gwangju Biennale
At the longest-running contemporary art festival in East Asia, the Japan Pavilion's display nods to historical tensions between Japan and Korea.
The percentage of South Korean respondents with a good impression of Japan jumped from the previous year to 41.7%, the highest level since the survey began in 2013.
JAPAN
Sep 20, 2024
Survey shows record number of South Koreans view Japan positively
Nearly 42% of South Koreans have a favorable impression of Japan, according to the East Asia Institute.
Tokyo's Asakusa area, a popular location among foreign tourists
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024
Japan, China, South Korea set 40 million tourist target
The number of foreign visitors to Japan hit a monthly high of some 3.29 million in July, with about half being from China and South Korea.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul on Friday
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 6, 2024
Kishida and Yoon reaffirm importance of sustained cooperation
Kishida highlighted the need to continue efforts to advance bilateral ties, once again expressing sympathy for Koreans who suffered during Japanese colonial rule.
A Toyota Lexus UX 250h Hybrid vehicle stands on display during the Seoul Motor Show in Goyang, South Korea, in March 2019.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 6, 2024
Japanese cars and beer gain ground in South Korea as relations thaw
Monthly sales of Japanese cars, including Toyota and Lexus, jumped 31% in August from a year earlier.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife, Yuko, are welcomed upon their arrival at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, South Korea, on Friday.
EDITORIALS
Sep 6, 2024
Never take Japan-South Korea relations for granted
The two leader’s final meeting is both an opportunity to review recent achievements and to underscore the centrality of the Japan-South Korean partnership.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul on May 26.
JAPAN / Politics
Sep 3, 2024
Kishida to visit South Korea for summit with Yoon
The leaders will review progress on their efforts to step up cooperation between the countries and discuss ways to deepen their partnership.
Kyoto International High Shool's baseball team receives a champion flag after winning the Japanese High School Baseball Championship final at Koshien Stadium in Hyogo Prefecture on Aug. 23.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 31, 2024
A high school baseball championship and Japan-South Korea relations
The reactions to Kyoto International High School winning the National High School Baseball Championship, both in Japan and South Korea, were intriguing.
Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family as they move through the 20th century.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 26, 2024
Masterful and stirring, ‘Pachinko’ returns with more depth
The immersive historical drama is collaborative art at its very best — instead of offering tidy answers, it asks the most profound questions of our times.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (right) shakes hands with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a joint news conference in Seoul in May.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 21, 2024
Kishida eyes visit to South Korea in early September
Kishida apparently hopes that he and Yoon will confirm the importance of keeping relations between their countries on track.
U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol arrive for a joint news conference at Camp David in Maryland on Aug. 18, 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 19, 2024
South Korea, Japan and U.S. leaders renew pledge to cooperate on regional challenges
The principles on trilateral cooperation established at the summit last year continues to serve as a roadmap for the three countries' cooperation.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left), U.S. President Joe Biden (center) and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hold a joint conference in Camp David near Washington in August 2023.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 16, 2024
Japan, U.S. and South Korea mull trilateral summit by end of year
At their Camp David meeting in August last year, the leaders of the three countries agreed to meet at least once a year.
Takuya Yokota, who leads the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea, speaks during an event to spread awareness of the abduction issue among junior high school students on Aug. 9 in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Aug 12, 2024
Government ramps up efforts to raise awareness on North Korean abductions
There are concerns that the issue, which has dragged on for decades, is slipping from the public’s awareness, particularly among younger generations.

Longform

Eme-Ima Kitchen is one of over 10,000 kodomo shokudō in Japan. A term first used in 2012 to describe makeshift eateries offering free or cheap meals to disadvantaged kids, it now refers to a diverse range of individuals, groups and organizations working to provide not only food but a sense of belonging to both children and adults.
Japan’s ‘children’s cafeterias’ are booming — but is that a good thing?