japan

On Friday, the European Union signed its first-ever defense pact with Japan. And Beijing lashed out at Vietnam, demanding the country “educate” its fishermen and keep out of waters claimed by China.  

Analysts say Japan’s Sunday election result could instill chaos in Tokyo. Japanese politics is closely linked to both Washington’s and Beijing’s defense plans in the Indo-Pacific. How will America’s security plan in Asia evolve, in the wake of Tokyo’s internal chaos?  

Japan was plunged into political uncertainty on Sunday after snap elections saw the ruling coalition led by new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba lose its parliamentary majority for the first time in 15 years. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner, Komeito, secured 215 seats in the 465-seat lower house, falling short of the 233 […]

TOKYO—A Japanese police chief on Monday apologized in person to Iwao Hakamada for his decades-long suffering that started from an overbearing investigation and wrongful conviction that had kept him on death row until last month, when he was acquitted in a retrial. The 88-year-old Hakamada, a former boxer, was acquitted by the Shizuoka District Court, […]

HONOLULU—A Hawaii inmate convicted of the 1994 murder of a Japanese psychic and her son was killed in prison, authorities said. Staff at the Halawa Correctional Facility in Aiea, outside Honolulu, found Raita Fukusaku, 59, bleeding on the floor of his cell with head and neck trauma early Monday, according to the state Department of […]

Japan’s new leader pledged Friday to stick to its alliance with the United States to defend against threats from China, Russia, and North Korea. He said the country is facing the most tense security environment since World War II, adding there’s a need to bolster Japan’s military. He also discussed the nation’s stance on whether […]

TOKYO—An unexploded U.S. bomb from World War II that had been buried at a Japanese airport exploded Wednesday, causing a large crater in a taxiway and the cancellation of more than 80 flights, Japanese officials said. No one was hurt, and there were no aircraft nearby when the bomb exploded at Miyazaki Airport in southwestern […]

Shigeru Ishiba has been formally anointed as Japan’s new prime minister, taking over from Fumio Kishida, who resigned earlier on Tuesday. Ishiba, who won the leadership contest in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Sept. 27, won a mandatory vote in parliament on Tuesday. He was then formally anointed prime minister by Emperor Naruhito […]

TOKYO—A Japanese court found an 88-year-old former boxer not guilty on Thursday after a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, reversing a decision that made him the world’s longest-serving death row inmate. Iwao Hakamada’s acquittal by the Shizuoka District Court makes him the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial […]

TOKYO—Small tsunami waves washed ashore on remote Japanese islands Tuesday morning after an earthquake that may have been triggered by volcanic activity. The offshore quake was not felt, and the tsunami advisory was lifted about three hours later. No damage or injuries were reported. The Japan Meteorological Agency had advised that waves up to 1 […]

TOKYO—Rescue workers searched for at least six people missing Sunday after heavy rain pounded Japan’s northcentral region of Noto, triggering landslides and floods and leaving one person dead in a region still recovering from a deadly Jan. 1 earthquake. The Japan Meteorological Agency on Saturday issued the highest alert level for heavy rain across several […]

President Joe Biden hosts a quadrilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of Australia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sept. 21.

The recent proposal by Japanese steel giant Nippon Steel to acquire America’s U.S. Steel has garnered concern among lawmakers about foreign acquisition of U.S. companies. But according to one expert, the move signifies a strategic alignment between the United States and Japan to counterbalance the influence of communist China. The proposed acquisition, currently under review […]

Leading prime ministerial candidate Shinjiro Koizumi called for U.S. cooperation against the “shared challenge” of China’s steel industry. China is the world’s top steelmaker, and both Japan and the United States are trying to curb cheap Chinese steel imports to protect local industries. “If China, producing cheap steel without renewable or clean energy, floods the […]

FUKUOKA/YUFU, Japan—Typhoon Shanshan soaked large swathes of Japan with torrential rain on Friday, prompting warnings for flooding and landslides hundreds of miles from the storm’s centre, halting travel services and shutting production at major factories. At least four people have been killed and 99 injured in storm-related incidents in recent days, according to the disaster […]

TOKYO—Millions of people were ordered to evacuate their homes as Typhoon Shanshan lashed southwest Japan with strong winds and torrential rain on Thursday, knocking out power, snarling air traffic and forcing major factories to close. At least three people have been killed so far and scores injured in what authorities have warned could be one […]

TOKYO—Southwestern Japan braced on Wednesday for what officials say could be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the region, as some residents in the path of Typhoon Shanshan were ordered to evacuate and major firms like Toyota closed factories. Airlines and rail operators cancelled some services for the coming days as the typhoon, […]