https://www.scmp.com/rss/278028/feed Shinzo Abe was the prime minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history and was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was fatally shot by a gunman while delivering a speech on behalf of another politician in the city of Nara on July 8, 2022. The gunman was identified as a 41-year-old local man who was a veteran of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and said he was frustrated with Abe. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan and Nato are drawing closer together, with 30 representatives from the transatlantic security alliance’s member states set to visit Tokyo this month amid mounting concern over Washington’s reliability as a security partner. The Nato envoys will reportedly hold talks on China’s expanding regional influence, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the implications of a more volatile global security order, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “A delegation of this size underlines just... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles As Japanese combat troops prepare to join war games in the Philippines next month – their first return to Philippine soil since 1945 – some Filipinos say the real issue is not only what Japan is doing now, but what it still has not fully reckoned with from the past. For survivors, activists and historians, Tokyo’s expanding security role in the Philippines has revived what one campaigner called “the elephant in the room” – the absence, in their view, of a formal state apology and official... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348443/japans-wartime-past-weighs-growing-military-role-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3348443/japans-wartime-past-weighs-growing-military-role-philippines?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald Trump in the spot reserved for his predecessor Joe Biden – during summit talks last week. The clip, posted on the official White House website, shows Takaichi pointing at the framed picture, then laughing and covering her mouth. It was filmed on the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a gallery unveiled by Trump... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:40:50 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang A White House photo of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appearing to break into a dance at an official function ignited a wave of mockery across Chinese social media on the weekend, with commenters framing her as Washington’s biggest cheerleader. The photograph, the first in an official White House gallery from her summit with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, captures Takaichi in a moment of unbridled exuberance during a welcome reception. Making her first trip to Washington since... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347471/trumps-biggest-cheerleader-why-japans-takaichi-making-waves-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347471/trumps-biggest-cheerleader-why-japans-takaichi-making-waves-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier A high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday appeared to get off to a good start as the two touted the bilateral relationship and pledged to work cooperatively on trade, stabilising the global energy market and regional security. Takaichi was the first US ally to meet face to face with the mercurial president, amid concern that he would take out his anger on her for the large number of security partners who have declined to help... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347220/trump-talks-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-positive-start?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347220/trump-talks-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-positive-start?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:21:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This article, the third in a three-part series, looks at how US President Donald Trump, Taiwan and war in the Middle East factor into their relationship. Read the second part here. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host regional leaders for the Apec summit later this year, observers are closely watching whether the summit could... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow this week’s meeting between Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump, where the two leaders are expected to deepen economic cooperation and collaboration in shipbuilding. Thursday’s summit at the White House puts Takaichi in a bind, caught between Trump’s call for Tokyo and others to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and her country’s constitutional limits on taking part in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346660/trump-wants-japanese-warships-hormuz-can-takaichi-dodge-bullet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3346660/trump-wants-japanese-warships-hormuz-can-takaichi-dodge-bullet?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo A Japanese high court on Wednesday upheld a dissolution order for the Unification Church in line with the central government’s request, with liquidation procedures beginning immediately. Presiding Judge Motoko Miki of the Tokyo High Court said the decision was made as it is possible that the organisation is still engaging in unlawful solicitation of donations that financially ruin its members and others. “One can hardly expect the church to voluntarily take measures to prevent its members from... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345349/unification-church-faces-liquidation-after-japanese-court-backs-dissolution-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345349/unification-church-faces-liquidation-after-japanese-court-backs-dissolution-order?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:32:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Representatives of the Unification Church, the controversial South Korea-founded religious group that became a political flashpoint in Japan after the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, are set to return to court on Wednesday as judges consider whether to strip it of its legal status. The Tokyo High Court is widely expected to uphold a lower court’s order to dissolve the organisation, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in a ruling that... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345196/unification-church-faces-uphill-task-japan-fight-courts-liquidation-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345196/unification-church-faces-uphill-task-japan-fight-courts-liquidation-ruling?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:00:26 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s reputation as a nation where employees put in brutally long hours may have to be reassessed, according to recent official statistics showing that Japanese workers now clock fewer hours on average than Americans, Canadians and Italians. At first glance, the numbers suggest that government efforts to curb karoshi, or death by overwork, have paid off. But analysts and employees caution that the figures may not be directly comparable with those from other nations. According to figures... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344130/no-more-overworked-japan-new-figures-show-employees-clock-fewer-hours?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344130/no-more-overworked-japan-new-figures-show-employees-clock-fewer-hours?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A bizarre, previously unreported incident involving a naked man at Japan’s Imperial Palace during a new year’s celebration has raised questions about the emperor’s security as the royal household prepares for his birthday audience on Monday. The breach occurred on January 2 but only came to light this week, when the magazine News Post Seven published an account of the episode. An official from the Imperial Household Agency confirmed to This Week in Asia that a security incident had taken place... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343918/naked-intruder-exposes-gaps-japans-royal-security-enormous-failure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3343918/naked-intruder-exposes-gaps-japans-royal-security-enormous-failure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in Sunday’s snap election has raised concern in China that she may seek to change the country’s pacifist constitution. Beijing would regard any change to the constitution, which renounces the use of force to settle international disputes, as a threat to regional stability and is likely to react strongly to any changes. Takaichi has previously signalled she wanted to change Article 9 of the constitution, imposed after Japan’s defeat in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342964/why-china-worried-japan-election-may-prompt-change-pacifist-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342964/why-china-worried-japan-election-may-prompt-change-pacifist-constitution?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:26 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley When the world’s leading central banks rode to the rescue during the global financial crisis in 2008, they were hailed as knights in shining armour intent upon slaying the twin dragons of economic recession and deflation. Now it seems the knights are no more, to quote an old English hymn, and yet the dragons are not dead. US President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, has expressed doubts over whether the Fed acted wisely when it became the biggest buyer of US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342516/trump-takaichi-meddling-finance-spells-more-turbulence-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342516/trump-takaichi-meddling-finance-spells-more-turbulence-ahead?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Voters are less likely to support female politicians when they are wearing face masks, while there was no such effect for their male counterparts, according to a study by a Japanese university research team. The findings, published last month ahead of Sunday’s general election, underscored the differences in how the public perceived politicians following the Covid-19 pandemic, when wearing masks became more common for politicians across the world. “Differences in how masked faces are perceived... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342029/japanese-researchers-unmask-hidden-bias-against-female-politicians?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342029/japanese-researchers-unmask-hidden-bias-against-female-politicians?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:57:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The gunman charged with killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty and jailed for life on Wednesday, more than three years after the broad daylight assassination shocked the world. The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church. As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, Judge Shinichi Tanaka said... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340647/japan-ex-pm-shinzo-abes-killer-tetsuya-yamagami-sentenced-life-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340647/japan-ex-pm-shinzo-abes-killer-tetsuya-yamagami-sentenced-life-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:46:56 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao A group of about 200 prominent Japanese business leaders has reportedly postponed their annual visit to mainland China, the first such deferral in more than a decade, amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan. The postponement, first reported by Bloomberg and Kyodo, is widely seen by observers as a worrying sign of fraying corporate diplomacy – long regarded as a stabilising channel in the countries’ complicated relationship. It comes amid Beijing’s intensified efforts to rally a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338421/200-prominent-japanese-business-leaders-postpone-annual-china-trip-amid-bilateral-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338421/200-prominent-japanese-business-leaders-postpone-annual-china-trip-amid-bilateral-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:30:25 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s rival political parties are set to appoint special prosecutors to investigate allegations that the Unification Church bribed and lobbied politicians across the ideological divide, a rare move that observers have said could test the country’s constitutional separation of religion and politics. On Monday, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said it would accept a proposal from the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) for the team of special prosecutors to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337368/south-korean-politicians-agree-unification-church-special-probe-rare-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337368/south-korean-politicians-agree-unification-church-special-probe-rare-move?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Dec 2025 01:30:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time proponent of tightening rules on espionage and secrecy, was already formulating policies before she took office in October. On November 26, Takaichi told a Diet session... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 01:30:17 +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 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Japanese #MeToo campaigner’s documentary premiered in her homeland on Friday after months of delays, with one audience member saying she hoped it triggered a change in society. Shiori Ito won a landmark 2019 civil case against a Japanese TV reporter accused of raping her – a charge he denies – and turned her ordeal into a film released last year and screened worldwide. But some segments of Black Box Diaries contained video and audio that had been clandestinely shot or meant only for use in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336249/japan-finally-airs-oscar-nominated-metoo-film-black-box-diaries-after-lengthy-delay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336249/japan-finally-airs-oscar-nominated-metoo-film-black-box-diaries-after-lengthy-delay?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:28:02 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea is bracing for a showdown between political power and religious influence, as a widening bribery scandal linked to the Unification Church has thrust President Lee Jae-myung into a battle over how far the state should go in policing faith-based organisations. With allegations of illicit lobbying spreading across the country’s two major political parties, Lee has ordered a review of whether religious groups accused of systematic election interference and covert funding networks can be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335911/south-koreas-threat-dissolve-corrupt-religious-groups-risks-political-blowback?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335911/south-koreas-threat-dissolve-corrupt-religious-groups-risks-political-blowback?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The leader of one of South Korea’s largest cultlike churches stood trial on Monday accused of bribing the country’s former first lady with gifts including a designer handbag and a diamond necklace. The arrest of leader Han Hak-ja in September rocked the Unification Church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide and controls a sprawling business empire. The 82-year-old defendant, known to her followers as “holy mother”, also faces corruption charges over cash payments to a lawmaker... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:44:23 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing is the result of a years-long fundamental shift to the right in Japan – and part of a “long-term struggle” that China must prepare for, according to analysts. The assessment comes as relations between the two countries nosedive, prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait would trigger a military response from Tokyo. For Beijing, the comments ventured into a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Imagine Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a German leader. Instead of being euphemistically labelled a nationalist conservative by an adoring Western media, she would have been more accurately called a far-right extremist. Her biggest fans like to spew hate on tourists (especially Chinese), foreigners and immigrants, though the latter’s population is insignificant when compared with many Western countries. She has breached Japan’s notorious glass ceiling, but she wants to make sure it’s... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 15:58:30 +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 Maria Siow Maria Siow A near-incursion by Russian fighter jets into Japanese airspace last week was a bid by Moscow to intimidate Tokyo amid its strengthening ties with Washington, observers warned. And without a breakthrough in US-Russia relations, few expect Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to make much headway at easing the tension. Tokyo said it scrambled fighter jets last Friday to monitor Russian warplanes, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, which had flown close to Japanese airspace along... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330880/was-russian-jet-fly-past-bid-intimidate-japan-cooling-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330880/was-russian-jet-fly-past-bid-intimidate-japan-cooling-ties-us?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines and Japan have agreed in principle to a military logistics deal, signalling a renewed commitment from Tokyo to the late Shinzo Abe’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”. Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister and a former protege of Abe, met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on the sidelines of the recently concluded Asean summit in Malaysia to advance discussions on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). The pact would allow the two nations’ armed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330876/what-japan-philippines-military-logistics-pact-reveals-about-tokyos-asean-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330876/what-japan-philippines-military-logistics-pact-reveals-about-tokyos-asean-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:12:32 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall When Sanae Takaichi welcomed Donald Trump to Tokyo this week, she did so with a blend of deference and purpose that has divided opinion in Japan. While detractors derided her overzealous flattery of the US president and warned against pandering to power, many at home saw a Japanese prime minister deftly securing her nation’s interests amid Trump’s unpredictability. “Takaichi’s strategy was clear from the outset,” said Tsutomu Harada, a retired businessman from Tokyo. “It was to make use of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330790/japans-pm-wooed-trump-charm-offensive-did-she-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330790/japans-pm-wooed-trump-charm-offensive-did-she-go-too-far?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The gunman accused of killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe pleaded guilty on Tuesday, three years after the assassination in broad daylight shocked the world. The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence, and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church. “Everything is true,” Tetsuya Yamagami said at a court in the western city of Nara, admitting to the murder of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330643/former-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abes-killer-pleads-guilty-everything-true?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330643/former-japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abes-killer-pleads-guilty-everything-true?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:17:23 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has been accused of “taking flattery to the extreme” after she informed US President Donald Trump on Tuesday about her plan to nominate him for next year’s Nobel Peace Prize. According to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, Takaichi told Trump that she would recommend him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has been complaining about the Nobel Committee for not picking him to win the accolade despite what he says are his efforts to end multiple conflicts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330597/japans-pm-criticised-curry-favour-trump-over-nobel-peace-prize-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330597/japans-pm-criticised-curry-favour-trump-over-nobel-peace-prize-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 07:22:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japan’s new prime minister Sanae Takaichi lavished US leader Donald Trump with praise and vows of a “golden age” of ties on his visit to Tokyo on Tuesday, before inking a deal with Washington aimed at securing critical minerals. Takaichi, Japan’s first woman prime minister, pulled out all the stops for Trump in her opening test on the international stage, and even announced she would nominate him for a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump has become increasingly focused on the Nobel since his return to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330547/trump-commends-japans-takaichi-says-us-ally-strongest-level?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330547/trump-commends-japans-takaichi-says-us-ally-strongest-level?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 01:43:10 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan dramatically ramped up security as US President Donald Trump arrived in Tokyo on Monday, with 18,000 police officers on duty and a specialist emergency response team on constant alert for the American leader’s three-day visit. An incident on Friday suggested that elevated levels of security for the occasion are warranted, with a police officer stationed outside the US embassy in central Tokyo attacked by a man with a knife. The man, who has been arrested, was stopped after police believed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330476/japan-high-alert-trumps-visit-amid-concern-over-lone-wolf-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330476/japan-high-alert-trumps-visit-amid-concern-over-lone-wolf-attacks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japanese sushi legend Jiro Ono won three Michelin stars for more than a decade, the world’s oldest head chef to do so. He has served the world’s dignitaries, and his art of sushi was featured in an award-winning film. After all these achievements and at the age of 100, he is not ready to fully retire. “I plan to keep going for about five more years,” Ono said last month as he marked Japan’s “Respect for the Aged Day” with a gift and a certificate ahead of his birthday. What’s the secret of his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330413/100-michelin-starred-japanese-sushi-legend-still-roll-aims-live-114?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330413/100-michelin-starred-japanese-sushi-legend-still-roll-aims-live-114?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 03:09:18 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi faces the first major test of her diplomatic skills on Monday when US President Donald Trump arrives in Tokyo for a three-day visit, with the Japanese leader using her first week in office to institute policies designed to please her American counterpart. In a policy speech to the Diet on Friday, Takaichi vowed to bring forward a goal of defence spending matching 2 per cent of gross domestic product to the current financial year ending in March, two years earlier... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330258/japans-pm-takaichi-faces-high-stakes-meeting-trump-over-defence-and-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330258/japans-pm-takaichi-faces-high-stakes-meeting-trump-over-defence-and-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Oct 2025 03:00:22 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The trial of a man indicted for killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, allegedly due to a grudge against the Unification Church, will begin next week, three years after the shooting shed light on the church’s links to politicians. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is expected to plead guilty to the murder of Abe, post-war Japan’s longest-serving prime minister, with his defence team likely to call for leniency, saying his upbringing was marked by “religious abuse”, according to sources close to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330308/shinzo-abe-shooter-expected-plead-guilty-trial-begins-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3330308/shinzo-abe-shooter-expected-plead-guilty-trial-begins-next-week?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Oct 2025 09:08:04 +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 Kyodo Kyodo Taku Yamamoto, husband of Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, said he hopes to support his wife as a “stealth husband”, adding, “Unlike in the West, it is better for the partner to stay out of the spotlight here.” A former fellow Liberal Democratic Party member in the House of Representatives, Yamamoto said he was initially “drawn to the contrast” between Takaichi’s tough exterior and her femininity. The couple, who married in 2004, divorced in 2017 over political differences but... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329831/sanae-takaichis-husband-vows-stealth-support-japans-first-female-pm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329831/sanae-takaichis-husband-vows-stealth-support-japans-first-female-pm?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 11:49:42 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Party’s disastrous election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his cabinet earlier in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329748/sanae-takaichi-becomes-japans-first-female-pm-ending-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329748/sanae-takaichi-becomes-japans-first-female-pm-ending-political-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 04:53:49 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s centre-right opposition Innovation Party (JIP) has thrown its support behind a controversial new ruling coalition led by Sanae Takaichi, paving the way for her to be elected the country’s first female prime minister on Tuesday, despite concerns the alliance may quickly unravel. The surprise deal with the long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Takaichi, marks a dramatic shift for the Osaka-based JIP. Instead of joining other opposition groups to challenge the LDP’s grip on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329676/japans-new-ruling-coalition-tipped-collapse-weirdest-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3329676/japans-new-ruling-coalition-tipped-collapse-weirdest-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Oct 2025 09:00:57 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley Are politicians dispensable, and can elite bureaucrats run a country more efficiently? The question has become one of more than academic importance in Japan, where the political situation has degenerated into chaos as potential leaders and their parties vie for power. This is a question that has considerable economic and financial as well as political significance. Japan is a key trade, investment and security partner to other leading nations in and beyond Asia and its financial markets are... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3329239/japans-political-turmoil-will-weigh-heavily-its-economy-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3329239/japans-political-turmoil-will-weigh-heavily-its-economy-and-beyond?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Oct 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China has offered its condolences on the passing of Tomiichi Murayama, a former Japanese prime minister who gave a landmark statement expressing “deep remorse” at the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Murayama, who led Japan from June 1994 to January 1996, died on Friday at the age of 101. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Friday conveyed “deep condolences” and “sincere sympathies” to Murayama’s family. “Mr Murayama was China’s old friend,” Lin said. “He will always be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329460/china-hails-ex-japanese-pm-tomiichi-murayama-who-stated-deep-remorse-over-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3329460/china-hails-ex-japanese-pm-tomiichi-murayama-who-stated-deep-remorse-over-wwii?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:49:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, who died on Friday aged 101, was best known for his landmark apology for Japan’s World War II aggression 50 years after its surrender, an expression of contrition that became the standard for subsequent leaders. As head of an unwieldy coalition of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and his own Socialist Party from 1994 to 1996, the bushy-eyebrowed Murayama oversaw a period of turmoil including a devastating 1995 earthquake in western Japan and a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329360/japan-ex-pm-murayama-who-apologised-wwii-aggression-dies-101?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3329360/japan-ex-pm-murayama-who-apologised-wwii-aggression-dies-101?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 05:45:28 +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 With his days in power numbered, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba appears poised to make one final, politically risky stand by invoking the country’s wartime past, a move that could complicate the agenda of his incoming, more hardline successor. Ishiba has resisted pressure from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and is expected to deliver a speech on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II – a politically fraught subject that has stirred... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328144/japans-outgoing-pm-eyes-risky-final-act-blunt-hawkish-china-tilt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328144/japans-outgoing-pm-eyes-risky-final-act-blunt-hawkish-china-tilt?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 02:30:07 +0000 Dewey Sim,Yuanyue Dang Dewey Sim,Yuanyue Dang Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo may escalate further with Sanae Takaichi poised to become Japan’s next leader, observers warn, citing her controversial positions on the Taiwan issue and Japanese wartime history. Takaichi, a former internal affairs minister known for her conservative views, was chosen to lead Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Saturday in a run-off vote against more moderate candidate Shinjiro Koizumi. The victory sets her up to be Japan’s fifth prime minister in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327888/what-will-rise-sanae-takaichi-mean-chinas-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327888/what-will-rise-sanae-takaichi-mean-chinas-ties-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 12:45:22 +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 Kyodo Kyodo Lawyers helping victims of the Unification Church’s aggressive donation solicitation practices in Japan said on Thursday that an arbitration had been concluded, ordering the church to pay a total of more than 50 million yen (US$340,000) in damages to three former believers in their eighties – the first such agreement between the two parties. The arbitration case filed with the Tokyo District Court was one of over 180 cases brought by victims seeking around 6 billion yen over the issue, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327704/japanese-court-orders-unification-church-pay-us340000-3-over-donations-scam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327704/japanese-court-orders-unification-church-pay-us340000-3-over-donations-scam?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 01:42:43 +0000