Politics
World must 'wake up' to Taiwan security threats: Japan ex-PM Aso
Former Japanese prime minister Taro Aso warned a Taipei security forum Tuesday that the international community must "wake up" to the worsening situation surrounding the Taiwan Strait, a hotspot waterway separating the democratic island from China. Taiwan has in recent years been under increased political and military pressure from China,… Read
Japan to host 2025 int'l African development conference in Yokohama
Japan decided Tuesday to host an international conference on African development in the port city of Yokohama in 2025, as Tokyo seeks to counter China's increasing influence on the fast-growing continent. Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told a press conference that the government will decide on the specific date for the… Read
Japan raises concerns over Iran's nuclear enrichment and drone supplies to Russia for Ukraine war
Japan expressed concern on Monday over Iran's advancing uranium enrichment program and the Middle East country's suspected supplying of combat drones to Moscow for Russia's war on Ukraine. Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi raised the two issues during talks with his visiting Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign ministry in… Read
Ex-Japan PM Aso arrives in Taiwan
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, currently vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, arrived in Taiwan on Monday, despite China's opposition to any official exchanges with the self-ruled democratic island. Aso, 82, is the highest-ranking LDP member to visit Taiwan, which Communist-ruled China regards as its own territory,… Read
Iran's foreign minister in first Japan visit since 2019
Iran's foreign minister visited Japan on Monday for the first time since 2019 to meet his opposite number, officials said, with a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also reportedly on the cards. The purpose of the rare visit by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to a G7 member country was not announced,… Read
Japan calls Russia nuclear threat 'unacceptable' on Hiroshima anniversary
Japan's prime minister hit out at Russian threats to use nuclear weapons as the country marked the 78th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Sunday. Around 140,000 people died in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 and 74,000 in Nagasaki three days later, when the United States dropped atomic… Read
Japanese vice minister quits as PM Kishida's ratings slide
A Japanese ruling party member of parliament resigned from his post as a deputy minister on Friday after allegations that he accepted bribes from a wind power company, dealing another setback to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Tokyo prosecutors raided the office of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto on… Read
Kishida apologizes for My Number card mishaps as ratings slide
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, whose approval ratings have slid to their lowest since he took office, apologized on Friday for mishaps over a government plan to integrate people's tax and social security data into a single identification card. Adding to his woes going into the weekend, one of Kishida's… Read
Kishida hopes to further strengthen strategic cooperation with U.S. and South Korea at summit
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday he hopes to discuss further strengthening of three-way strategic cooperation with leaders of the United States and South Korea at a summit hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden at Camp David later this month. The Aug. 18 summit with Biden and South Korean… Read
Japan to host Iran's foreign minister, tell Tehran to cut weapon supply to Russia: TBS
Iran's foreign minister Amir Abdollahian will visit Japan on Sunday and meet his Japanese counterpart and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, broadcaster TBS reported on Friday. Japan will tell Iran to stop weapon supplies to Russia at Abdollahian's Tokyo visit, TBS said, citing multiple unnamed government officials. Read
