Japan

Takaichi’s landslide victory: A New Era for Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has reaffirmed her commitment to reducing the sales tax on food, following a landmark election win that paves the way for new stimulus measures. The…

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Japan prepares to restart world’s biggest nuclear plant, 15 years after Fukushima

Japan took the final step to allow the restart of the world's largest nuclear power plant on Monday as the region of Niigata voted to resume operations, a watershed moment…

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Russian bombers join Chinese air patrol near Japan as Tokyo-Beijing tie strains

Japan has scrambled jets to monitor Russian and Chinese air forces conducting joint patrols around the country, the Japanese defence ministry said late Tuesday, amid rising tensions between Tokyo and…

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Japan warns citizens in China about safety as diplomatic crisis deepens

Japan has warned its citizens in China to step up safety precautions and avoid crowded places amid a deepening dispute between Asia's two largest economies over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae…

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Japan’s Sanae Takaichi elected as country’s first female prime minister

Japan’s parliament on Tuesday elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister, a historic first that comes one day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal…

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Japan’s Ishin party joins political establishment it vowed to fight

Formed in 2010 to shake up Japan's political establishment and loosen Tokyo's administrative stranglehold, the Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin, will now help the ruling Liberal Democratic Party extend…

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Japan plans stricter terms for visas to foreign entrepreneurs

Japan plans tougher requirements for visas to foreign entrepreneurs, with a six-fold increase in minimum capital to 30 million yen ($204,000) and full-time employment of at least one person in…

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Hiroshima warns against nuclear weapons as it marks 80 years since A-bomb

Exactly 80 years since an atomic bomb was used in war for the first time, thousands bowed their heads in prayer in Hiroshima on Wednesday, as the city's mayor warned…

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Japan and South Korea reel from record-breaking heat

Authorities in Japan and South Korea have urged people to take precautions to prevent heatstroke, as the region reels from record-breaking temperatures and pressure on hospitals. On Thursday, South Korea’s…

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Japan’s PM Ishiba denies he has decided to quit

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba denied on Wednesday he had decided to quit after a source and media reports said he planned to announce his resignation to take responsibility for…

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Japan’s shaky government loses upper house control

Japan's ruling coalition lost control of the upper house in an election on Sunday, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power even as he vowed to remain party…

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Two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific for first time

Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Tuesday. Japan's Defence Ministry has confirmed the…

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Japan introduces rules to block strange baby names

Parents in Japan will no longer have free rein over the names they give their children, after the introduction this week of new rules on the pronunciation of kanji characters.…

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Japan court dissolves controversial ‘Moonies’ church

A court in Japan has ordered the disbandment of the controversial Unification Church, which came under scrutiny after the shock killing of former prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2022. The…

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UPDATED: JAL’s systems back to normal after cyberattack delayed flights

Japan Airlines (JAL) said on Thursday its systems returned to normal, with same-day ticket sales resuming, after a cyberattack delayed some domestic and international flights. The attack began at 7:24…

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Japan’s government in flux after election gives no party majority

The make-up of Japan's future government was in flux on Monday after voters punished Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's scandal-tainted ruling coalition, leaving no party with a clear mandate to lead…

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Japanese atomic bomb survivor movement Nihon Hidankyo wins Nobel Peace Prize

Anti-nuclear weapon campaigners have been recognised by the Nobel Committee in the past. On Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of survivors from…

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Japan’s Strategy to Increase Outbound Tourism: Free Passports Proposal

In a bid to boost overseas travel among young Japanese, the head of a leading travel industry organization has proposed that the government offer free passports to 18-year-olds. Hiroyuki Takahashi,…

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Ishiba to be Japan’s next prime minister

Former Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to become Japan's prime minister after winning a closely fought contest on Friday in his fifth and what he called final attempt to…

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Japan destroyer passes through Taiwan Strait for first time

Japan's Self Defense Force patrolled the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time in an attempt to send a message to China, the Yomiuri newspaper reported, citing multiple government…

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Japan says Russian patrol aircraft violated its airspace

A Russian military patrol aircraft violated Japanese airspace near Hokkaido's Rebun Island on three separate occasions on Monday, prompting Japan's Self-Defense Force to dispatch aircraft in an emergency response and…

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Chinese military plane reportedly carries out first violation of Japanese airspace

Japan has condemned a reported violation of its airspace by a Chinese military aircraft as “utterly unacceptable” and a threat to its security. The incursion, described by Japanese media as…

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Japan PM Kishida to step down as scandals prove too much

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he will step down in September, ending a three-year term marred by political scandals and paving the way for a new premier to address…

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UPDATED:Magnitude-5.3 earthquake hits Tokyo after Japan issued megaquake advisory

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake hit Tokyo and eastern parts of Japan on Friday evening, the government said, a day after it issued the first-ever advisory about the risk of a huge…

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U.S. upgrades military command in Japan, warns of China threats

The United States announced plans for a major revamp of its military command in Japan to deepen coordination with its ally's forces, as the two countries labelled China the "greatest…

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Japan imposes new fees on Mount Fuji climbers to limit tourists

Park rangers on Japan's sacred Mount Fuji officially started this year's climbing season about 90 minutes before sunrise on Monday, levying new trail fees and limiting hiker numbers to curb…

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Kabosu, Dog Who Inspired Dogecoin Has Died

Kabosu, the dog behind the "doge" meme, has died at the age of 18 after enjoying more than a decade of internet fame. The Japanese shiba inu had been suffering…

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Earthquake of 6 magnitude strikes off east coast of Honshu, Japan; Taiwan earthquake injuries top 1,000

An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck off the east coast of Honshu, Japan on Thursday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. The quake was at a depth of 32 km (19.88…

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North Korea says Japan’s Kishida wants to meet Kim Jong Un

North Korea's Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had conveyed his intention to meet the North…

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US and Japan plan biggest upgrade to security pact in more than 60 years

March 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. and Japan are planning the biggest upgrade to their security alliance since the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty in 1960, the Financial…

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Japan Inc opens door to more women directors, but managers remain rare

By Anton Bridge TOKYO, (Reuters) - Mitsuko Tottori's appointment as Japan Airlines' 9201.Tnext president makes her something of a rarity in Japan - a female head of a well known…

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Japan says SLIM spacecraft’s ‘pinpoint’ moon landing is success

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Japan achieved an unprecedented "pinpoint" moon landing within 100 metres (328 feet) of target, the space agency said on Thursday, after its…

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Japan’s ANA returned Boeing 737 flight due to cockpit window crack

TOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Japan's All Nippon Airways on Saturday returned a domestic flight to its departure airport after a crack was found on the cockpit window of the…

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Rescuers race against time to find survivors of Japan earthquake

Thousands of rescuers pressed on in a search for survivors of a New Year's Day earthquake that killed at least 84 people in Japan, hoping to save as many as…

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WATCH: All passengers, crew escape blaze on Japan Airlines plane after Tokyo airport collision

All 379 passengers and crew of a Japan Airlines plane miraculously escaped from a fire following a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Tuesday, but local media said most…

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Powerful quake rocks Japan, nearly 100,000 residents ordered to evacuate

A powerful earthquake struck central Japan on Monday, killing at least one person, destroying buildings, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and prompting residents in some coastal…

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Japan PM overhauls cabinet in bid to weather financial scandal

By Sakura Murakami and Kaori Kaneko TOKYO, Dec 14 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set about replacing key cabinet members on Thursday as he battled to control the…

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UPDATED: US military aircraft crashes in sea off Japan killing at least one

By Kiyoshi Takenaka and Tim Kelly TOKYO, Nov 29 (Reuters) - A U.S. military aircraft carrying six people crashed into the sea in western Japan on Wednesday, killing at least…

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Japan-led navy exercise starts with Philippines observing for first time

ABOARD USS CARL VINSON, (Reuters) - Japan's navy announced the start of a joint annual military exercise, with the Philippines observing the operations for the first time as the two…

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Japan PM Kishida: cooperating with Philippines, US to protect South China Sea

By Karen Lema MANILA, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Saturday his country, the Philippines and the United States were cooperating to protect the freedom…

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Tepco starts releasing second batch of treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant

TOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Company 9501.T (Tepco) started releasing more treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday morning, continuing a…

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Japan issues tsunami advisory for islands in eastern Japan

TOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Japan issued an advisory for a tsunami of 1 metre for the islands off of Izu peninsula on the eastern coast of the country. The…

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Japan says swarms of tourists defiling sacred Mt Fuji

By Mariko Katsumura FUJIYOSHIDA, Japan (Reuters) - On a grey, rainy Saturday a steady stream of tour buses arrive at a base station of Japan's Mount Fuji depositing dozens of…

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Japan has five women in new govt line-up but still misses G7 average

By Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveiled a fresh cabinet line-up on Wednesday that features five women, but falls short of female representation…

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UK, Japanese, Italian partners agree next steps for fighter jet

Britain's BAE Systems, Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and Italy's Leonardo have agreed the next steps to deliver the concept phase of a next-generation combat aircraft, BAE Systems said on Tuesday.…

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Japan may seek to dissolve Moonies church in wake of Shinzo Abe killing

Japan’s government may ask courts to order the dissolution of the Unification church following the assassination in July last year of the former prime minister Shinzo Abe, according to multiple…

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Whew! Japan had hottest summer on record

TOKYO, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Japan recorded its highest average temperature this summer in 125 years, the nation's weather agency said on Friday. Based on measurements at 15 locations around…

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Japan says seawater radioactivity below limits near Fukushima

TOKYO, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Tests of seawater near Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant have not detected any radioactivity, the environment ministry said on Sunday, days after authorities began discharging…

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China condemns release of Fukushima water into the Pacific Ocean

China again voiced strong opposition and condemned Japan's decision to start releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean, the Chinese foreign ministry said on…

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Japan to release Fukushima treated radioactive water into ocean

Japan said on Tuesday it will start releasing more than 1 million metric tonnes of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant on Aug. 24, putting into motion a…

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Biden hopes to tighten S. Korean, Japanese bond at Camp David

When Yoon Suk Yeol this week commemorated his country's 1945 independence from Japan, the South Korean president didn't dwell on the brutal 35-year occupation his people endured under their neighbour.…

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Typhoon Khanun lashes southern Japan, South Korea; another storm looms

TOKYO/SEOUL, Aug 9 (Reuters) - Flights were cancelled and trains halted on Wednesday as heavy rain from Typhoon Khanun pounded southern regions of Japan and South Korea, just as another storm approached…

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Hiroshima marks a-bomb anniversary, calls nuclear deterrence “folly”

By Kiyoshi Takenaka TOKYO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Japan on Sunday marked the 78th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing on Hiroshima, where its mayor urged the abolition of nuclear…

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Typhoon Khanun kills one man, knocks out power to one-third of Japan’s Okinawa homes

By Kantaro Komiya TOKYO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - High winds hit power lines in Japan's popular tourist destination Okinawa, knocking out electricity to more than 200,000 households on Wednesday morning,…

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Japan’s population falls while foreign residents rise to record

By Satoshi Sugiyama TOKYO, (Reuters) - The number of Japanese people has decreased at the fastest pace ever while the number of foreign residents has risen to a record of…

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Japan needs computing power surge to stay in AI race

By Tim Kelly and Sam Nussey TOKYO, July 19 (Reuters) - Japan needs to rapidly expand computing power as it vies to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, said…

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Japan says Russian warships spotted near Taiwan, Okinawa islands

TOKYO, July 1 (Reuters) - Japan's defence ministry said late on Friday it had spotted two Russian Navy ships in the waters near Taiwan and Japan's Okinawa islands in the…

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