Politics
Kishida pinning hopes on big-spending tourists to revive economy
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Monday to revive the nation's pandemic-battered inbound tourism industry by setting a new goal of increasing foreign tourists' total spending to more than 5 trillion yen annually. In a policy speech marking the start of an extraordinary Diet session, Kishida also said the government… Read
U.S., Philippine, Japanese forces hold combat drills
More than 2,500 U.S. and Philippine marines joined combat exercises Monday to be able to respond to any sudden crisis in a region long on tenterhooks over South China Sea territorial disputes and increasing tensions over Taiwan. The annual military drills are some of the largest so far between the… Read
Japan, U.S., Australia to strengthen defense ties amid China threat
Japan, the United States and Australia will deepen their coordination over security strategy, their defense ministers said, apparently reflecting wariness over China's growing maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region. During their talks in Hawaii on Saturday, the ministers also "strongly condemned" China's ballistic missile launches across the Taiwan Strait in… Read
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief eyes visit to Japan this week
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm John Aquilino is making arrangements to travel to Japan and South Korea this week to meet with government and military officials, a source familiar with the plan said, with the trip taking place amid North Korea's repeated missile provocations. Aquilino is likely to visit Japan… Read
Japan's foreign minister plans to visit Singapore, Malaysia
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi is planning to visit Singapore and Malaysia in early October in preparation for hosting a summit marking the 50th anniversary of Japan-ASEAN friendship next year, government sources said. Hayashi is also expected to discuss regional security amid increasing Chinese expansionism in the East and South… Read
Kishida condemns Russian annexation of parts of Ukraine
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in telephone call Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, condemned Russia’s new annexation of parts of Ukraine as illegal and a violation of the country's sovereignty. “I told him that the process that Russia called a referendum and its annexation of parts of Ukraine should… Read
Japan's junior coalition partner signals tax hike to fund defense spending
Japan should not rely solely on debt issuance and must instead come up with a stable source of revenue to fund an expected rise in defense spending, a senior official of the ruling coalition said on Friday, flagging the chance of a future tax hike. In the face of Russia's… Read
Digital minister aims to drag Japan out of analog doldrums
The politician tapped to help Japan keep pace with the digital age has his work cut out for him. After all, the nation known for Nintendo games, Lexus sports cars and other gadgetry galore also loves the fax machine and the traditional hanko seals that work as analog signatures. But… Read
S Korea, U.S. and Japan hold anti-N Korean submarine drills
South Korea, U.S. and Japanese warships launched their first trilateral anti-submarine drills in five years on Friday, after North Korea renewed missile tests this week in an apparent response to bilateral training by South Korean and U.S. forces. The North's recent five missiles launches, the first such tests in a… Read
Japan's lower house speaker admits links with Unification Church
Japan's lower house chief admitted Thursday to having had some connection with the Unification Church, amid growing calls for him to explain his suspicious ties with the controversial religious group. Hiroyuki Hosoda, the speaker of the House of Representatives, said in a statement that he delivered speeches twice at ceremonies… Read
