Politics
China says relations with Japan at critical stage
Relations between China and Japan are at a critical stage, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Japanese counterpart on Friday as the pair discussed thorny issues including Japanese nationals detained in China, food import bans and semiconductor curbs. Wang met Japan's Yoko Kamikawa on the sidelines of a gathering… Read
Japan, Britain agree to promote fighter jet co-development
The foreign ministers of Japan and Britain agreed Friday to continue promoting their joint fighter jet development program amid concern that the new government led by the Labour Party may review the trilateral project with Italy. Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her new British counterpart, David Lammy, held bilateral talks… Read
Japan, ASEAN top diplomats vow to boost security ties
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa agreed with ASEAN member states on Friday to deepen security and economic cooperation, with China attempting to bolster its clout in nearby waters through a military buildup. The agreement between Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comes as Chinese coast guard ships have… Read
Japan urges G20 vigilance against excessive FX fluctuations
Japan has urged its G20 peers to be increasingly vigilant to excessive foreign exchange rate fluctuations driven by speculation, Tokyo's top currency diplomat Masato Kanda said on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference at the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Kanda said attention… Read
Japan, Sweden agree to promote defense equipment cooperation
The defense ministers of Japan and Sweden agreed Thursday to promote defense equipment and technology cooperation, the Japanese government said, as they face increasingly severe security challenges. During talks in Stockholm, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson that Tokyo backs the Scandinavian state's "strategically big… Read
Ex-Japan PM Suga attends funeral of Vietnam leader
Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga was among the attendees at a two-day state funeral for Vietnamese Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong that began Thursday in Hanoi. As a special envoy from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, Suga visited the funeral venue, where Trong's coffin was draped with the Vietnamese… Read
U.S. rejects plan for G20 deal to tax super-rich
The United States sees no need to negotiate an international agreement on taxing the super-wealthy, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, highlighting divisions on a plan that is top of the agenda at a G20 finance ministers' meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Taxing the ultra-rich is a key priority… Read
Organizational culture of Japan's military in spotlight
Senior leaders of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces have explained recent scandals in which 218 people were punished as having been caused by the SDF's "organizational culture." Ryo Sakai, the chief of staff of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, the service at the center of the scandals with revelations of fraud on… Read
Japan to resume funding for stalled projects in Sri Lanka
Japan will resume funding for all stalled projects in Sri Lanka, Tokyo's envoy there said on Wednesday, the first such announcement since the island nation finalized a $10 billion restructuring deal with its official creditors. A total of 11 projects will restart, and bring in $1.1 billion in funds over… Read
Russia bans entry of 13 Japan business leaders, including Toyota, Rakuten chiefs over sanctions
Japan's government said Wednesday it has protested against Russia's announcement that it is permanently banning 13 Japanese citizens, mostly business leaders of prominent companies including Toyota Motor Corp, in retaliation for Tokyo's sanctions over the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the ban “limits Japanese companies’… Read
