Tag - relations

 
 

RELATIONS

The stone pillar at Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo that had "toilet" spray painted on it, on Monday after it was cleaned
JAPAN / Society
Jun 3, 2024
Police launch investigation over Yasukuni Shrine vandalism
In a video shared online, a man went to the shrine and urinated on a stone pillar before writing the word “toilet” in red spray paint.
This untitled work was completed and installed in 1994 by a prominent Nigerian artist named Sunday Jack Akpan.
COMMUNITY / Voices / Black Eye
Jun 3, 2024
How a cache of African art found a home in western Tokyo
When I first encountered these statues, I was just minding my business headed for Tachikawa Station. I was struck dumb, paralyzed damn near mid-step.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean defense chief Shin Won-sik attend a trilateral meeting on sidelines of the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Sunday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 2, 2024
Japan, South Korea and U.S. unveil new initiatives to cement defense ties
The three partner nations agreed to develop a framework to institutionalize trilateral cooperation within the year.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun speaks at the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 2, 2024
A tale of two narratives: China and U.S. defense chiefs agree to disagree
Dong Jun, China’s first naval officer to be named defense minister, also took aim at U.S. allies in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
In “A Gentleman from Japan,” Thomas Lockley lays out the history of English exploration around the globe during the 16th century, delving into the life of the first recorded Japanese person to set foot in the United Kingdom, the United States and South America.
CULTURE / Books
Jun 2, 2024
'A Gentleman from Japan': A journey of firsts in the age of exploration
Written in fast, novelistic prose, Thomas Lockley uses the thread of one Japanese man’s experience to guide his readers into a complex world of suspicion and danger.
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his South Korean counterpart, Shin Won-sik, meet on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan and South Korea agree to prevent repeat of 2018 naval row
The move to shelve long-standing political differences is seen as a significant step toward restoring bilateral defense and security cooperation.
Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (left) shakes hands with Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan defense chief tells China counterpart of 'serious' military concerns
Defense Minister Minoru Kihara met Chinese defense chief Dong Jun on the sidelines of a major Asian security conference in Singapore on Saturday.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell speaks to journalists after welcoming Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano and South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hyong Kyun, at his Iron Bell farm in Washington, Virginia, on Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 1, 2024
Japan, U.S. and South Korea officials slam recent North Korean launches
The three officials also shared concerns about deepening ties between North Korea and Russia, including arms transfers from the former to the latter.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol addresses the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul on Monday as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese Premier Li Qiang listen on.
EDITORIALS
May 31, 2024
A long-neglected trilateral resumes — to expected results
Revival of this trilateral has been driven by Chinese uncertainty: worries about its economy and anxiety regarding geopolitical developments.
OpenAI said that a Chinese network known as Spamouflage, which used its models to research social media activities, has been generating articles in various languages that were then posted on social media platforms and forums.
JAPAN / Society
May 31, 2024
Chinese group used OpenAI tech to discredit Fukushima water discharge
OpenAI said that a Chinese network used its models to generate articles in various languages accusing Japan of polluting the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun (center) arrives with his delegation for a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the sidelines of the 21st Shangri-La Dialogue summit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2024
U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs agree on importance of military talks
The meeting marked the first face-to-face talks by the U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs in 18 months.
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.
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.
Deputy U.S. Treasury secretary Wally Adeyemo
WORLD / Politics
May 30, 2024
China must stop aiding Russia in war, deputy U.S treasury chief says
The U.S. is "open to sanctioning” anyone helping Russia gain access to components that can be used for weapons, U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
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.
Wanxiang America’s Neapco manufacturing plant in Belleville, Michigan
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2024
Once embraced, Chinese companies now shunned in U.S. on security fears
It doesn’t matter if it’s mining or health care, even Chinese furniture could one day be seen as a national security issue, a lawyer who represents Chinese clients said.
Some experts are concerned about the potential for worldwide conflict within the next few years as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are likely preparing for major confrontation.
COMMENTARY / World
May 28, 2024
Echoes of 1962, the Berlin crisis and a world teetering on war
There is the potential for worldwide conflict within the next three years as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are likely preparing for major confrontation.
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.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’