https://www.scmp.com/rss/180581/feed Yasukuni Shrine, located in Tokyo, Japan, is dedicated to over 2,466,000 Japanese soldiers and servicemen who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan in the last 150 years. It also houses one of the few Japanese war museums dedicated to World War II.The shrine is at the center of an international  controversy by honoring war criminals convicted by a post World War II court including 14 'Class A' war criminals. Japanese politicians, including prime ministers and cabinet members have paid... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Tokyo’s meteorologists declared the start of the much-loved cherry blossom season in the Japanese capital on Thursday, as residents prepare to host outdoor picnics under dazzling floral displays. The cherry season for Tokyo starts when the official sample tree at Yasukuni Shrine opens at least five flowers. “Today, the blooming of the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms was observed,” the Tokyo Regional Headquarters of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said in an eagerly awaited statement,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347166/blooming-marvellous-tokyos-cherry-blossom-season-officially-begins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3347166/blooming-marvellous-tokyos-cherry-blossom-season-officially-begins?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:46:07 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall North Korea’s claim that Japan has crossed a diplomatic “red line” by deepening its security partnerships is less about Tokyo’s defence policies than Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election victory, analysts say, as a weaker mandate may have pushed her towards negotiations with Pyongyang. With a commanding majority secured in Sunday’s poll, Takaichi now faces fewer domestic constraints as she signals plans to expand defence cooperation with Western partners and potentially push ahead... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343322/why-takaichis-japan-election-victory-has-sparked-north-koreas-childish-fury?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3343322/why-takaichis-japan-election-victory-has-sparked-north-koreas-childish-fury?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Japan is entering one of its most unpredictable election cycles in decades after the surprise formation of a new centrist political alliance that could redefine the balance of power and potentially restore a two-party system to the country’s long-stagnant political landscape. On Thursday, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, once a loyal coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, announced they would merge into a new force called the Centrist Reform... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340538/japans-1-party-era-faces-unprecedented-threat-new-centrist-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340538/japans-1-party-era-faces-unprecedented-threat-new-centrist-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Walter Woon Walter Woon The Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers Shigure, Isokaze, Hamakaze and Yukizake were assigned to escort duties when convoys were sent to Singapore to collect badly needed supplies for Japan during the second world war. The destroyers protected the light carrier Ryuho carrying a load of aircraft bound for the Japanese colony of Taiwan. This brief synopsis appears in episode six of the second series of the Japanese anime Kantai Collection (“Fleet Girls Collection”), also known as KanColle, in which... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3336265/singapore-taiwan-japan-must-face-its-past-asias-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3336265/singapore-taiwan-japan-must-face-its-past-asias-future?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 03:00:28 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang During a trip home, I took my daughters to the Nanking massacre memorial hall. It is not an easy place to visit. In shadowy rooms, photographs of victims line the walls. The names of the dead stretch across black stone. In glass cases lie bones unearthed from mass graves. I wanted my children to learn history honestly, to understand what war does to people. I shared stories my grandma had told me: as she fled town, a bomb fell on a nearby street. One neighbour vanished. Only bits of her remained... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Haining Gao,Fan Hou Haining Gao,Fan Hou _ https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334990/chinas-volatile-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3334990/chinas-volatile-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 03:15:58 +0000 Ren Yan Ren Yan Recent weeks have seen a sharp decline in Sino-Japanese people-to-people exchanges. All flights on 12 routes from mainland Chinese cities to Japan had been cancelled as of November 24, reportedly due to low demand. According to the Civil Aviation Data Analysis System, some 12 per cent of flights between China and Japan scheduled between November 24 and January 18 have been cancelled. On some routes, more than half have been cancelled. Chinese tourists, Japan’s largest inbound group, had... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334373/why-chinese-are-cancelling-their-trips-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3334373/why-chinese-are-cancelling-their-trips-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 01:30:09 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is under growing pressure from nationalist conservatives to make a high-profile visit to Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a symbolic move that analysts warn could embolden the country’s far-right and strain relations with neighbours. While Takaichi has long championed visits to the shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead including 14 convicted Class A war criminals, she has so far held off as leader – opting instead to send a ritual offering during... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331994/yasukuni-litmus-test-looms-japans-new-pm-takaichi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331994/yasukuni-litmus-test-looms-japans-new-pm-takaichi?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Nov 2025 02:00:19 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Conflicts and disagreements should not define Beijing’s ties with Tokyo, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his first sit-down meeting with the new Japanese prime minister on Friday. The 30-minute discussion with Sanae Takaichi, who was formally sworn into office last week, took place on the sidelines of the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea. “The two countries should properly manage differences by focusing on the bigger picture, seeking common... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331118/chinas-xi-jinping-tells-new-japanese-pm-conflicts-should-not-define-their-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3331118/chinas-xi-jinping-tells-new-japanese-pm-conflicts-should-not-define-their-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 12:50:37 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The first meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung could not have gone off to a better start, with analysts noting the two leaders’ warm rapport sealed with handshakes, smiles and vows to look to the future. While they projected goodwill during their summit ahead of the Apec forum in the South Korean city of Gyeongju on Thursday, long-standing tensions over history and territorial disputes, and domestic political pressures arising from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331057/takaichi-lee-meeting-raises-hopes-japan-and-south-korea-burying-history-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331057/takaichi-lee-meeting-raises-hopes-japan-and-south-korea-burying-history-row?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 07:54:55 +0000 Vanessa Cai Vanessa Cai China has held off on congratulating Japan’s new prime minister nearly a week after her appointment, a break with precedent that sends alarm about the state of relations between the two countries. China hawk Sanae Takaichi, 64, took office on Tuesday, becoming the first woman prime minister in the country’s history and the fifth person to hold the office in five years. She took over from Shigeru Ishiba, who was congratulated by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on the day he... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330382/china-gives-japans-new-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-cold-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3330382/china-gives-japans-new-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-cold-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 15:55:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Sanae Takaichi has made a strong debut as Japan’s first female prime minister, with early polls showing widespread public confidence in her leadership – despite her decision to appoint several politicians who have been embroiled in scandal. A Yomiuri Shimbun survey released this week found 71 per cent of respondents backed her administration, climbing to 80 per cent among voters aged 18 to 39. That places Takaichi’s debut as the fifth most popular of any new government since 1978 – surpassing... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3330104/why-japans-first-female-pm-winning-hearts-even-scandal-hit-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3330104/why-japans-first-female-pm-winning-hearts-even-scandal-hit-cabinet?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Oct 2025 01:30:18 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall As Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office, she wasted no time extending an olive branch to South Korea, calling it an “important neighbour” and praising its culture. But how long will the goodwill last? Concerns linger in South Korea that Takaichi, known for her nationalist leanings, may eventually adopt a more hawkish stance, risking again straining ties over long-standing issues such as Japan’s wartime history and territorial disputes. “I would say there is optimism about the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329927/japans-new-pm-talks-ties-south-korea-her-past-casts-long-shadow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329927/japans-new-pm-talks-ties-south-korea-her-past-casts-long-shadow?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:00:14 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Sanae Takaichi faces a trial by fire that leaves her little time to reflect on becoming Japan’s first female prime minister. This week, she is expected to make a major policy speech that delivers on her promise to her people to tackle rising prices. This weekend, she is expected to join talks to regional leaders alongside an Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur. Early next week, she meets United States President Donald Trump on his planned visit to Japan. At the end of this month, she is scheduled to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329964/japans-new-pm-must-respect-chinas-red-lines-if-ties-are-improve?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3329964/japans-new-pm-must-respect-chinas-red-lines-if-ties-are-improve?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 23:15:13 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow With Japan’s parliament poised to vote on who it wants to next lead the country, a resurgent opposition and the collapse of the ruling coalition have put the prospect of the nation’s first female prime minister in real doubt. On Tuesday, the leaders of Japan’s principal opposition factions agreed to convene in hopes of fielding a unified candidate for the top job, as they aim to break the Liberal Democratic Party’s 13-year grip on power. “It will be essential for us to achieve consensus on basic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329121/japans-ruling-party-falters-non-ldp-prime-minister-becomes-real-possibility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329121/japans-ruling-party-falters-non-ldp-prime-minister-becomes-real-possibility?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Oct 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow As Japan prepares to swear in its first female prime minister, old ghosts of the past are threatening to haunt her leadership. Sanae Takaichi’s hard-edged views on history and national identity have stirred anxieties from Seoul to Beijing, even though analysts believe the former security minister’s stance may be tempered by the realities of fragile coalitions in a volatile region. Takaichi’s election last weekend as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party marked a moment of both historic... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328214/will-japans-new-pm-reopen-old-war-wounds-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328214/will-japans-new-pm-reopen-old-war-wounds-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Sanae Takaichi is poised to make history as Japan’s first female prime minister, but her government may be imperilled before it even begins amid a deepening rift within the ruling coalition. The Liberal Democratic Party Takaichi now leads and its long-time junior partner, Komeito, have been in coalition for 26 years. Without Komeito’s parliamentary support, the LDP would lose its majority in the Diet, forcing its leader to seek new political allies. Yet analysts warn that Takaichi’s hardline... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328004/japans-first-female-pm-hits-political-gridlock-she-even-takes-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328004/japans-first-female-pm-hits-political-gridlock-she-even-takes-office?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era” on Saturday after winning the leadership of Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to become the country’s first woman prime minister. The 64-year-old, whose hero is Margaret Thatcher, said that a “mountain of work” lay ahead to restore the fortunes of her ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades, but it has been haemorrhaging support as backing grows for smaller parties, including the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327862/japans-ruling-ldp-pick-new-leader-amid-trump-summit-and-election-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327862/japans-ruling-ldp-pick-new-leader-amid-trump-summit-and-election-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 02:49:07 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A leading contender to become Japan’s next prime minister has sparked backlash from conservatives after suggesting the removal of Class A war criminals from the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a “bold” idea that analysts say could help repair strained ties with neighbouring countries over Tokyo’s wartime history. Yoshimasa Hayashi, the chief cabinet secretary and a front-runner in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party leadership race on Saturday, proposed separating the “souls” of 14 men convicted... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327856/japanese-politicians-call-remove-yasukunis-war-criminals-sparks-right-wing-anger?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327856/japanese-politicians-call-remove-yasukunis-war-criminals-sparks-right-wing-anger?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 02:00:34 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow As Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party begins the process of selecting a new leader – and by extension, the country’s next prime minister – the race is quickly shaping into a duel between a conservative heir to Shinzo Abe’s legacy and a reformist standard-bearer promising broader appeal within the divided party. The party’s internal election on October 4 follows Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s resignation after barely a year in office, with the winner expected to assume leadership through a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327041/japans-next-leader-ldp-showdown-pits-abe-protege-against-reformist-scion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327041/japans-next-leader-ldp-showdown-pits-abe-protege-against-reformist-scion?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Less than 24 hours after Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation as prime minister, Japan’s ruling party faces a leadership contest that few seem eager to win and even fewer to survive, as it lays bare internal rivalries. Few within Japanese politics were truly taken aback when Ishiba confirmed his decision to step down as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a televised address on Sunday evening. On Monday, former LDP secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi became the first to throw his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324720/who-will-be-japans-next-pm-poisoned-chalice-leadership-awaits-ldps-winner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324720/who-will-be-japans-next-pm-poisoned-chalice-leadership-awaits-ldps-winner?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 08:13:41 +0000 Letters Letters Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification Japan’s National Memorial Ceremony for the War Dead took place on August 15, which marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender. “The remorse and lessons from that war should once... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3323158/what-japanese-leaders-choices-war-surrender-anniversary-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3323158/what-japanese-leaders-choices-war-surrender-anniversary-reveal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 03:31:27 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen China has expressed “strong dissatisfaction” to Japan after Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba sent a ritual offering to a controversial shrine that honours war criminals on the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender. It was a “blatant provocation against historical justice and human conscience”, the Chinese foreign ministry said, referring to the visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on Friday by several Japanese cabinet members. “To view and treat history correctly is an important prerequisite for Japan’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322141/china-complains-about-japanese-ministers-tribute-war-criminals-yasukuni-shrine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322141/china-complains-about-japanese-ministers-tribute-war-criminals-yasukuni-shrine?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Aug 2025 11:30:44 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The Victory Day parade in Beijing on September 3 commemorates Japan’s formal surrender 80 years ago and the end of the second world war. August 15, the day the Japanese government actually conceded defeat, prompts solemn reflection on the history of Japanese aggression that cost millions of lives. It is timely to recall the quote, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”. On this particular day, lessons of war must be learned, particularly by Japan. As we report, China’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3322056/history-japanese-aggression-teaches-lessons-must-not-be-forgotten?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3322056/history-japanese-aggression-teaches-lessons-must-not-be-forgotten?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Enoch Wong Enoch Wong China’s military mouthpiece has accused Japan of hollowing out its pacifist constitution and “embarking on the dangerous path of military expansion”. As Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II on Friday, the PLA Daily warned in a commentary that “the spectre of militarism has never left the Japanese archipelago”, and that right-wing forces had “never abandoned the dream of becoming a military power”. It accused Tokyo of using American support to steadily roll back... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3321994/wwii-anniversary-chinas-pla-says-japan-never-abandoned-dream-military-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3321994/wwii-anniversary-chinas-pla-says-japan-never-abandoned-dream-military-power?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:00:08 +0000 Fan Chen Fan Chen On the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Tokyo to face up to its history and “make the right choice” regarding Taiwan. “A series of international documents … clearly defined Japan’s war responsibilities and required Japan to return the territories it had stolen from China, including Taiwan,” Wang said on Friday on the sidelines of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Anning, in southwest China’s Yunnan... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321991/beijing-says-tokyo-must-make-right-choice-taiwan-japan-remembers-cost-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3321991/beijing-says-tokyo-must-make-right-choice-taiwan-japan-remembers-cost-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 08:08:01 +0000 Wei Wei Wei Wei This summer, two Chinese films – Dead To Rights and 731 – have stirred strong public reactions. Focusing on some of the darkest chapters of World War II in Asia, these films revisit the horrors of the Nanking massacre and the atrocities of Japan’s Unit 731, which conducted biological experiments on civilians in northeastern China. The films have triggered a wave of reflection, especially among younger audiences. Many are watching depictions of these wartime events for the first time, discovering... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3320162/why-nanking-massacre-remains-such-powerful-chinese-cultural-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3320162/why-nanking-massacre-remains-such-powerful-chinese-cultural-symbol?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Aug 2025 01:30:09 +0000 A verdict by Japan’s top court in a case involving a group of South Koreans who sought to have their relatives’ names removed from the highly controversial Yasukuni shrine has reopened wounds of Tokyo’s colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. In a final ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court in Tokyo said the names could not be removed from Yasukuni as the plaintiffs’ relatives were Japanese nationals. The case was originally filed in 2013 by 27 South Koreans whose relatives had died fighting for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295471/japanese-courts-ruling-over-koreans-enshrined-yasukuni-reopens-wartime-wounds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295471/japanese-courts-ruling-over-koreans-enshrined-yasukuni-reopens-wartime-wounds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Jan 2025 07:56:14 +0000 A Tokyo court on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national living in Japan to eight months in prison over his involvement in a May graffiti incident at the capital’s war-linked Yasukuni Shrine. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, was on trial at the Tokyo District Court on charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship. According to the ruling, he and two other Chinese men vandalised a stone pillar at the controversial shrine by spray-painting the word “toilet” on it on May 31. Prosecutors had... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3292277/chinese-national-gets-8-months-prison-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3292277/chinese-national-gets-8-months-prison-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-case?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Dec 2024 19:04:48 +0000 A Chinese national living in Japan on Friday admitted to his involvement in a graffiti incident at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in May. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, pleaded guilty at the Tokyo District Court to charges of damaging property and disrespecting a place of worship, and said the motive behind his actions was not related to history issues. “I was protesting against the discharge of treated radioactive water,” he said in court, referring to the treated water from Fukushima nuclear... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3288644/chinese-man-says-he-defaced-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-graffiti-protest-fukushima-discharge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3288644/chinese-man-says-he-defaced-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-graffiti-protest-fukushima-discharge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 06:09:29 +0000 Seoul’s efforts to improve ties with Tokyo have hit a snag over a commemoration of Korean victims of Japan’s colonial past. Observers warn that the bilateral tensions come at a critical time when South Korea and Japan need closer cooperation to address global challenges, including the coming return of the Donald Trump administration and its impact on regional security. In a rare public display of discord with Tokyo, South Korea’s conservative government of President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3288504/south-koreas-anger-over-japanese-mine-event-clouds-efforts-deepen-security-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3288504/south-koreas-anger-over-japanese-mine-event-clouds-efforts-deepen-security-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 00:00:12 +0000 Japan held a memorial ceremony on Sunday near the Sado Island Gold Mines despite a last-minute boycott of the event by South Korea that highlighted tensions between the neighbours over the issue of Korean forced labourers at the site before and during World War II. South Korea’s absence at Sunday’s memorial, to which Seoul government officials and Korean victims’ families were invited, is a major setback in the rapidly improving ties between the two countries, which since last year have set... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3287898/japan-holds-sado-mines-memorial-despite-south-korean-boycott?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3287898/japan-holds-sado-mines-memorial-despite-south-korean-boycott?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Nov 2024 05:27:22 +0000 South Korea’s government said Saturday it will not attend a memorial service near Japan’s Sado Island Gold Mines due to unspecified disagreements with Tokyo over the event, which stirred longstanding tensions over the abuse of Korean forced labourers at the site before the end of World War II. The decision marked a rare display of friction between the countries since the 2022 inauguration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yoon has prioritized improving relations with Japan following years... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3287849/south-korea-spurns-sado-mines-memorial-japan-amid-lingering-historical-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3287849/south-korea-spurns-sado-mines-memorial-japan-amid-lingering-historical-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Nov 2024 09:03:59 +0000 Police said Monday they have launched an investigation after the kanji character for “death” was found graffitied on two spots of a stone wall at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, after similar defacement incidents in June and August. Following the June incident, in which a stone pillar bearing the shrine’s name was found to be defaced with the word “toilet” spray-painted in red, a Chinese man living in Japan was indicted in July for property damage and desecration of a place of worship,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3286119/japans-controversial-yasukuni-shrine-vandalised-kanji-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3286119/japans-controversial-yasukuni-shrine-vandalised-kanji-death?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Nov 2024 14:28:20 +0000 Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday sent a ritual offering to a shrine honouring the country’s war dead that has long angered neighbouring countries, a spokesman for the site said. No Japanese premier has visited the Yasukuni shrine since 2013 and Ishiba’s predecessor Fumio Kishida would also regularly send offerings for its biannual spring and autumn festivals. Yasukuni in central Tokyo is dedicated to 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who have perished in conflicts since... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3282677/japans-new-pm-shigeru-ishiba-sends-offering-yasukuni-war-shrine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3282677/japans-new-pm-shigeru-ishiba-sends-offering-yasukuni-war-shrine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2024 02:16:29 +0000 Ties between Japan and South Korea are set to remain Tokyo’s key foreign policy focus under Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, with observers wondering whether he can maintain the success of his predecessor Fumio Kishida in this area. Ishiba’s views on South Korea have been described by analysts in Seoul as “progressive” including on historical issues that have strained the bilateral relationship for decades. During the Moon Jae-in administration, relations between the two countries languished... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3281881/japans-pm-ishiba-set-focus-security-ties-south-korea-counter-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3281881/japans-pm-ishiba-set-focus-security-ties-south-korea-counter-pyongyang?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2024 02:30:08 +0000 A senior official with Japan’s national broadcaster NHK has resigned, and four others have been punished with pay cuts after an internal investigation into comments on a live radio broadcast by a Chinese journalist who claimed disputed islands in the East China Sea are Chinese territory. Releasing the report at a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, NHK President Nobuo Inaba said the incident was a “case of broadcast hijacking”. “It is an extremely serious situation that violated NHK’s own... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278125/japans-nhk-under-fire-after-broadcast-hijacking-chinese-reporter-over-diaoyu-islands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278125/japans-nhk-under-fire-after-broadcast-hijacking-chinese-reporter-over-diaoyu-islands?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 10:58:05 +0000 Japanese national broadcaster NHK has come under fire after one of its journalists said on a live radio programme that the Diaoyu Islands belonged to China, with critics accusing the broadcaster of undermining Japan’s territorial integrity and demanding accountability from its leadership. The islands, which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands, have long been a flashpoint in Sino-Japanese relations. The male journalist, who has not been named but is reported to be in his 40s and who has been working... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3275348/japans-broadcaster-nhk-slammed-after-its-reporter-says-diaoyu-islands-belong-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3275348/japans-broadcaster-nhk-slammed-after-its-reporter-says-diaoyu-islands-belong-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:22:14 +0000 South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s decision to omit any mention of Japan’s wartime atrocities in his Liberation Day speech has ignited a political firestorm, with opposition parties branding his administration “pro-Japanese traitors” and warning the move threatens to derail efforts to resolve the countries’ long-standing historical grievances. The controversy erupted after Yoon, in a notable break from tradition, focused his address commemorating Korea’s 1945 liberation from Japanese... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275091/pro-japanese-traitors-south-koreas-yoon-slammed-over-wartime-whitewashing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275091/pro-japanese-traitors-south-koreas-yoon-slammed-over-wartime-whitewashing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Aug 2024 00:00:11 +0000 Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead, including convicted World War II war criminals, was vandalised again overnight on Monday. “It is deplorable that an act seeking to denigrate the shrine’s dignity has happened again,” the shrine said in a statement. In May, a stone pillar at Yasukuni was spray-painted red. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, who lived north of Tokyo, was later arrested “on suspicion of vandalism and disrespect for a place of worship”, Tokyo police said in July. A Yasukuni... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3275048/japans-yasukuni-shrine-honours-war-dead-convicted-war-criminals-vandalised-again?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3275048/japans-yasukuni-shrine-honours-war-dead-convicted-war-criminals-vandalised-again?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2024 09:39:33 +0000 Japan is set to get a new leader after Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last week said he won’t run in an election for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September. The president of the LDP is virtually assured of becoming prime minister because of the party’s dominance in parliament. Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa told reporters Monday she’s making preparations to run in the race, the first to publicly declare their intentions. It remains to be seen if she can garner enough... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3275002/who-will-replace-fumio-kishida-japans-pm-take-look-contenders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3275002/who-will-replace-fumio-kishida-japans-pm-take-look-contenders?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Aug 2024 06:17:46 +0000 Japan marked the anniversary on Thursday of its defeat in World War Two with visits by at least three cabinet ministers to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine that other Asian nations see as a symbol of the country’s wartime aggression. Defence Minister Minoru Kihara, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Yoshitaka Shindo, the economic revitalisation chief, visited the site in Tokyo, the capital. Fourteen prominent convicted war criminals, including wartime prime minister Hideki Tojo, are... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3274651/japans-ministers-visit-yasukuni-shrine-private-capacity-world-war-ii-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3274651/japans-ministers-visit-yasukuni-shrine-private-capacity-world-war-ii-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:53:35 +0000 A Chinese national living in Japan was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly conspiring with two others to spray-paint the word “toilet” in English on a stone pillar at the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo earlier this year, police said. Jiang Zhuojun, 29, is suspected of purchasing the spray paint and playing other roles to vandalise the pillar engraved with the shrine’s name near the entrance. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Public Security Bureau issued arrest warrants for two other... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3269794/japan-arrests-chinese-man-over-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-incident-2-others-put-wanted-list?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3269794/japan-arrests-chinese-man-over-yasukuni-shrine-graffiti-incident-2-others-put-wanted-list?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jul 2024 11:18:58 +0000 Outrage has swept across Japan after footage emerged on social media appearing to show a Chinese man urinating and spray-painting the word “toilet” on a pillar at Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The incident has once again shone a spotlight on the shrine’s contentious history, highlighting its role in stoking grievances against Japan among neighbouring countries. A Tokyo businessman was so incensed by what’s been described as the desecration of the shrine honouring the nation’s war dead... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265346/angry-japan-man-posts-us64000-bounty-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-vandals-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3265346/angry-japan-man-posts-us64000-bounty-yasukuni-shrine-toilet-vandals-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jun 2024 00:00:13 +0000 Police in Japan are searching for suspects in the spray-painting of the word “toilet” on a Tokyo shrine that commemorates the country’s war dead, in an apparent protest against the ongoing release of treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The red graffiti on a stone pillar at the entrance of Yasukuni Shrine was discovered early on Saturday. In a video posted on Chinese social media, a man who identified himself as Iron Head criticised the discharge of waste water... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3265289/vandal-who-spray-painted-toilet-japans-yasukuni-shrine-hunted-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3265289/vandal-who-spray-painted-toilet-japans-yasukuni-shrine-hunted-police?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 04:23:56 +0000 The Philippines’ purchase of Japanese patrol vessels amid growing tensions in the South China Sea is the latest indication of Tokyo’s growing role as a security provider in the region, observers say, as they point to the need to confront Beijing through deterrence and more “aggressive diplomacy”. Analysts perceived such a role from Japan to be necessary with the United States preoccupied with two wars in Ukraine and Gaza. The Philippine Foreign Affairs Department said on its website last Friday... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263790/japan-selling-patrol-vessels-philippines-tokyo-confronting-beijing-more-aggressive-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3263790/japan-selling-patrol-vessels-philippines-tokyo-confronting-beijing-more-aggressive-diplomacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 May 2024 00:00:14 +0000 Japan’s Yasukuni Shrine has picked a former military commander as its chief priest in a move that could stir controversy over a site that other Asian nations see as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression. Umio Otsuka, 63, a former Maritime Self Defence Force (SDF) commander and a one-time ambassador to Djibouti, confirmed his appointment, which marks the first time since 1978 for an ex-military official to assume the post. The last retired military officer appointed as chief priest, Nagayoshi... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3255467/japans-yasukuni-shrine-picks-ex-military-commander-chief-priest-move-likely-anger-china-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3255467/japans-yasukuni-shrine-picks-ex-military-commander-chief-priest-move-likely-anger-china-south-korea?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Mar 2024 03:58:53 +0000 A visit to Tokyo’s infamous Yasukuni Shrine by senior members of the country’s Self-Defence Forces has provoked a fierce backlash from North Korea, while eliciting an unexpectedly muted response from China and South Korea, which analysts said could signal a shift in their relationships with Japan. The shrine, seen by Beijing and Seoul as a symbol of Japan’s past military aggression, honours convicted war criminals along with the war dead. State media KCNA on Thursday said in an editorial that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3249183/north-korea-stokes-invasion-fears-over-japan-troops-yasukuni-visit-south-korea-and-china-stay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3249183/north-korea-stokes-invasion-fears-over-japan-troops-yasukuni-visit-south-korea-and-china-stay?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Jan 2024 10:00:28 +0000 December 13 will be the 86th anniversary of the rape of Nanking. After all these years, the relationship between China and Japan is still trapped in the long shadow of history. On each side, public opinion of the other is close to rock bottom. Amid strained relations, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met in San Francisco last month, their first face-to-face meeting in a year, to pursue mutually beneficial ties. It was a move in the right direction. When both... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244109/why-china-should-move-beyond-wartime-past-and-forge-closer-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3244109/why-china-should-move-beyond-wartime-past-and-forge-closer-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 Dec 2023 21:30:21 +0000 “Japan’s path as a peaceful nation will remain unchanged,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said shortly after approving a landmark defence document which sets the country on a new strategic path. Saying the world is “at a historical crossroads”, Kishida hailed the recently released national security strategy as “a major shift from the postwar security policy” in favour of a more activist role in regional and global affairs. Accordingly, the Japanese government has approved a five-year... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207874/japans-military-build-driven-fears-over-chinas-rise-and-doubts-about-us-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3207874/japans-military-build-driven-fears-over-chinas-rise-and-doubts-about-us-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:00:12 +0000