https://www.scmp.com/rss/510941/feed Fumio Kishida was elected as Japan’s 100th Prime Minister on October 4 after winning a majority of votes in both houses of parliament. He succeeded Yoshihide Suga who resigned after just one year in office due to declining support ratings over his handling of the pandemic. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Kyodo Kyodo Japan’s defence ministry said on Tuesday that long-range missiles with counterstrike capabilities have been brought into service at two Ground Self-Defence Force bases in the country. The deployment of the missiles at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture, southwestern Japan, and Camp Fuji in Shizuoka prefecture, central Japan, marks a shift from the country’s exclusively defence-oriented policy under its war-renouncing constitution. Japan has for the first time acquired a counterstrike capability,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348516/japan-deploys-long-range-missiles-2-bases-amid-china-tensions-irking-locals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3348516/japan-deploys-long-range-missiles-2-bases-amid-china-tensions-irking-locals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 07:53:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was under pressure on Wednesday after it emerged she gave congratulatory gift catalogues to lawmakers from her ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) following its landslide election victory this month. Each of her party’s 315 MPs was given the option to choose an item from the catalogue “as an expression of appreciation for their success at this very tough election”, Takaichi wrote in a social media post, saying that no taxpayer money was used. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344556/japans-takaichi-faces-backlash-over-us190-victory-gifts-ruling-party-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3344556/japans-takaichi-faces-backlash-over-us190-victory-gifts-ruling-party-lawmakers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 05:40:50 +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 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, riding high in opinion polls, is expected to call a general election in the coming months to capitalise on her popularity and seize the opportunity to rebuild a Liberal Democratic Party-led government. Takaichi has done little to play down the possibility, telling a news conference on Monday: “It is important that the public can feel the tangible effects of our measures against rising prices and our economic policies. We are working hard to tackle the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339211/japans-takaichi-tipped-snap-election-gamble-poll-ratings-soar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339211/japans-takaichi-tipped-snap-election-gamble-poll-ratings-soar?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Japan will host the leaders of five Central Asian countries in Tokyo this week, a meeting analysts say is meant to show that “Japan is back” as an active player in a region where global powers are competing for influence, minerals and transport routes. The summit with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is also expected to consolidate Tokyo’s long-standing but “often underestimated role” in Central Asia as a trusted and non-coercive... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3336861/japan-back-central-asia-new-summit-ai-minerals-and-transport?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3336861/japan-back-central-asia-new-summit-ai-minerals-and-transport?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:00:32 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s sharp reduction in funding for a leading international body fighting infectious diseases risks damaging Tokyo’s credibility and long-held “peace diplomacy”, in a move analysts say could give China an opening to expand its influence across developing nations. The Switzerland-based Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, established in 2002, has saved an estimated 70 million lives in more than 100 countries by boosting testing capacity, surveillance systems, community networks... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336378/japans-retreat-global-health-funding-hands-china-diplomatic-opening?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336378/japans-retreat-global-health-funding-hands-china-diplomatic-opening?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 03:14:05 +0000 Yuanyue Dang Yuanyue Dang While failing to see eye to eye is hardly new to Beijing and Tokyo, Sino-Japanese relations have been especially strained this month and are at risk of worsening even further. The trigger for the downturn was Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments to the Japanese parliament on November 7 that the use of force against Taiwan could be perceived as a “survival-threatening situation”, which would permit Tokyo to deploy the Japan Self-Defence Forces. She has refused to retract her... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333296/why-does-taiwan-issue-touch-nerve-between-beijing-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333296/why-does-taiwan-issue-touch-nerve-between-beijing-and-tokyo?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 00:00:16 +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 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 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 Maria Siow Maria Siow When Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on September 7 that he would step down after his party was trounced at the parliamentary polls earlier this year, the country was already staring at what could be an era of flux, marked by revolving door leaders who are slaves to approval ratings amid relentless electoral cycles. And this trend, according to observers, is likely to persist, pulling Tokyo into a period reminiscent of the 1990s and 2000s when prime ministers were replaced... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327047/ishiba-exits-japan-doomed-revolving-door-era-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327047/ishiba-exits-japan-doomed-revolving-door-era-political-instability?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Sep 2025 00:00:23 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he is expected to urge sweeping reform of the UN Security Council, which Tokyo has long criticised as “dysfunctional” and unfit for today’s world order. Ishiba left for New York on Tuesday morning, telling reporters just before his departure, “After reflecting on the 80 years since the founding of the United Nations, I would like to state that now is the time to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326559/can-japan-shake-un-security-council-ishiba-make-last-ditch-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3326559/can-japan-shake-un-security-council-ishiba-make-last-ditch-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:43:20 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s police are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to identify individuals who appear likely to commit “terrorist attacks” based on their social media posts, but observers say the move could backfire by sweeping up innocent citizens engaging in normal political discussion. The National Police Agency is seeking 49.5 million yen (US$338,000) in next year’s budget for a pilot project that would use AI to analyse online activity and flag individuals deemed potential threats. Officials say... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325890/japan-ai-powered-policing-thwart-lone-wolf-threats-sparks-civil-liberties-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325890/japan-ai-powered-policing-thwart-lone-wolf-threats-sparks-civil-liberties-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced on Sunday that he will resign, following growing calls from his party to take responsibility for a historic defeat in July’s parliamentary election. Ishiba, who took office in October, said he was stepping down as prime minister and as the head of his conservative Liberal Democratic Party. The 68-year-old centrist had resisted demands from opponents further to the right within his own party to resign. Ishiba argued that he wanted to avoid a... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324644/japan-pm-shigeru-ishiba-resign-avoid-split-ruling-ldp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324644/japan-pm-shigeru-ishiba-resign-avoid-split-ruling-ldp?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 06:45:29 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Japan is positioning itself as a partner offering a transparent and “human-centred” approach to development in Africa, providing an alternative to China’s economic influence through what analysts describe as a rules-based and mutually accountable model. Unveiling a proposal to create a regional economic zone linking the Indian Ocean to Africa, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told a major development summit in Yokohama on Wednesday that Tokyo’s approach could boost free trade and regional... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322778/why-japan-pushing-transparent-human-centred-development-model-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3322778/why-japan-pushing-transparent-human-centred-development-model-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 08:30:15 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A pledge by Japan this week to provide a security guarantee for Ukraine alongside other allies is a reminder that Tokyo may be Europe’s most dependable defence partner in Asia. It also strengthens the argument for Nato to proceed with a long-discussed plan: opening a liaison office of the transatlantic security alliance in Tokyo. On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba declared that Japan would “thoroughly discuss what our nation can and should do” in support of Ukraine, and “play an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322642/why-japans-support-ukraine-boosts-natos-plan-tokyo-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3322642/why-japans-support-ukraine-boosts-natos-plan-tokyo-office?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 02:30:09 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is grappling with an identity crisis, its decades-long political dominance rattled first by a humiliating electoral defeat and now, the anticipated resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ishiba, 68, on Wednesday dismissed as “completely unfounded” media reports that he had already decided to step down. But analysts contend that his departure is all but inevitable after the LDP’s second consecutive loss and the collapse of his minority... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:07 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Nato has shelved plans to open a liaison office in Tokyo, dealing a symbolic blow to Japan’s hopes of cementing the alliance’s presence in the Indo-Pacific and exposing divisions among member states over how directly they should confront China’s rising power. The proposal had been strongly backed by former prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government, which viewed the planned office as a step towards closer coordination with Nato and its partners in the region, including Australia, South Korea and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3315954/blow-japans-indo-pacific-hopes-nato-shelves-tokyo-office-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3315954/blow-japans-indo-pacific-hopes-nato-shelves-tokyo-office-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Jun 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo As campaigning began on Friday for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, Japanese police have stepped up measures to thwart possible “lone wolf” attacks after incidents involving notable politicians in recent years. Top politicians are set to converge on the Japanese capital for a close contest seen as a bellwether for the national House of Councillors election this summer, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to struggle. “We are mobilising the organisation’s full... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3314435/japan-police-ramp-security-tackle-lone-wolf-attacks-ahead-tokyo-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3314435/japan-police-ramp-security-tackle-lone-wolf-attacks-ahead-tokyo-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 05:03:24 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The United States has approved funding for a major railway under the Luzon Economic Corridor – a flagship infrastructure initiative designed to connect key Philippine ports and industrial zones – in a move analysts say signals Washington’s intent to deepen economic cooperation with Manila despite a broader foreign aid freeze. “The Luzon Economic Corridor is on track. Many have been asking in the last two months what happened here. We received a letter from the US Trade and Development Agency... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3309974/philippines-confirms-us-funding-boost-flagship-railway-project-amid-foreign-aid-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3309974/philippines-confirms-us-funding-boost-flagship-railway-project-amid-foreign-aid-freeze?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 May 2025 06:56:03 +0000 Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is fast running out of political lifelines as dismal poll numbers have heightened speculation that his party may let him take the fall against a gloomy backdrop of rising prices, security threats and stubborn demographic challenges. Three separate surveys published in recent days show public support for Ishiba’s government sinking to new lows, as analysts predict his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could suffer another crushing defeat in the elections for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3306640/support-japans-ishiba-dwindles-amid-talk-successor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3306640/support-japans-ishiba-dwindles-amid-talk-successor?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Japan’s decision to skip a major nuclear weapon ban summit – despite the efforts of Nobel Prize-winning campaigners – has sparked condemnation from activists, who have said Tokyo is missing a critical chance to advocate for disarmament. The domestic debate over Japan’s position on nuclear weapons intensified after Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-bomb Sufferers Organisations, won the Nobel Peace Prize in December for its 68-year campaign against nuclear weapons. The... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3299927/japan-faces-backlash-shameful-decision-skip-nuclear-ban-summit-despite-nobel-prize-win?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3299927/japan-faces-backlash-shameful-decision-skip-nuclear-ban-summit-despite-nobel-prize-win?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Feb 2025 00:00:09 +0000 A Japanese court on Wednesday convicted a man who threw a home-made pipe bomb at Japan’s former prime minister Fumio Kishida at a 2023 campaign event, sentencing him to 10 years in prison, court officials said. Ryuji Kimura, 25, was found guilty of attempted murder in the April 15, 2023 attack on Kishida at a small fishing port in the western city of Wakayama, as well as four other crimes including violations of laws on explosives and other weapons. At stake was whether Kimura intended to commit... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3299262/japan-jails-pipe-bomb-attacker-trying-murder-ex-prime-minister-fumio-kishida?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3299262/japan-jails-pipe-bomb-attacker-trying-murder-ex-prime-minister-fumio-kishida?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 05:39:31 +0000 Japan’s national broadcaster NHK has been left red-faced again after AI-generated subtitles on a news programme identified disputed territories in the East China Sea as the Diaoyu Islands. Japan controls the uninhabited islets and refers to them as the Senkaku Islands, China claims them as the Diaoyu Islands. This disagreement has sparked a prolonged and contentious sovereignty dispute between the two nations. The slip-up occurred during an English-language news broadcast on Monday. NHK... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3298517/japans-nhk-ai-gaffe-reignites-diaoyu-islands-dispute-amid-chinese-coastguard-intrusion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3298517/japans-nhk-ai-gaffe-reignites-diaoyu-islands-dispute-amid-chinese-coastguard-intrusion?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 08:20:40 +0000 US President Joe Biden and his family were given tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from foreign leaders in 2023, according to an annual accounting published by the State Department on Thursday, with first lady Jill Biden receiving the single most expensive present: a US$20,000 diamond from India’s leader. The 7.5-carat diamond from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was easily the most costly gift presented to any member of the first family in 2023, although she also received a brooch... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3293456/jill-biden-received-priciest-us-gift-foreign-leader-2023-us20000-diamond?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3293456/jill-biden-received-priciest-us-gift-foreign-leader-2023-us20000-diamond?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jan 2025 19:39:27 +0000 If anything were due for a reset it would be the strained relations between China and Japan. Ties between the most powerful economies in Asia are rocky at best after a decade in which Tokyo drifted closer to Washington and built stronger ties with Taiwan. With the pending White House arrival of Donald Trump and his protectionist agenda, both Beijing and Tokyo will have motivation to improve relations. A first step to turning things around is to understand just what state they are in. The grim... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3290395/trump-good-reason-china-japan-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3290395/trump-good-reason-china-japan-thaw?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Dec 2024 15:50:11 +0000 China and Japan have agreed to maintain dialogues between their national leaders after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Japanese top security official Takeo Akiba in Beijing on Monday. The two sides will also maintain dialogue and exchanges at other levels and areas and “release more positive signals” to the outside world, according to a Chinese foreign ministry readout after the meeting. Akiba’s trip was believed to lay the groundwork for the first summit meeting between Chinese President... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285076/china-japan-ties-talks-between-wang-yi-and-takeo-akiba-herald-crucial-leaders-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3285076/china-japan-ties-talks-between-wang-yi-and-takeo-akiba-herald-crucial-leaders-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 Nov 2024 06:08:03 +0000 In 1983, Japan’s prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone reportedly likened the country to an “unsinkable aircraft carrier”, as a base for US strategic interests in Asia. But Japan now seems to be doing its best to scuttle itself politically, given the results of the election on October 27 called by new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. “Sayonara Japan, bastion of political stability,” wrote economic analyst and self-styled “Japan optimist ” Jesper Koll after the country’s lower house general election... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3284657/political-uncertainties-japan-and-us-may-yet-shake-markets?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3284657/political-uncertainties-japan-and-us-may-yet-shake-markets?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2024 08:30:07 +0000 Japan’s ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority in a drubbing at Sunday’s national election, raising uncertainty over the make-up of the next government and the outlook for the world’s fourth-largest economy. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of its post-war history, and junior coalition partner Komeito took 215 seats in the lower house of parliament, public broadcaster NHK reported. That was down from the 279 seats they... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284091/japans-ruling-coalition-loses-majority-election-outcome-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3284091/japans-ruling-coalition-loses-majority-election-outcome-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Oct 2024 23:53:09 +0000 Japan’s ruling coalition is set to lose its parliamentary majority, exit polls for Sunday’s general election suggested, raising uncertainty over the make-up of the government of the world’s fourth-largest economy. A poll by Nippon TV showed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of its post-war history, and junior coalition partner Komeito would get 198 of the 465 seats in the lower house of Japan’s parliament. That would be well... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3284032/ruling-ldp-braces-blow-snap-japanese-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3284032/ruling-ldp-braces-blow-snap-japanese-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 27 Oct 2024 03:25:48 +0000 Just hours before polling stations open across Japan, early indications suggest that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s decision to call a snap election immediately after taking leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may end up backfiring on him. Far from benefiting from an uptick in support that is common when a new leader replaces an unpopular predecessor in Japan, the LDP is losing momentum ahead of Sunday’s election, according to the findings of several opinion polls. A poll by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283969/will-japan-pm-ishibas-call-snap-election-backfire-him-and-ruling-ldp?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283969/will-japan-pm-ishibas-call-snap-election-backfire-him-and-ruling-ldp?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 23:00:18 +0000 Candidates in Japan’s super-tight election made last-ditch appeals to voters on Saturday, with opinion polls suggesting the ruling coalition might fall short of a majority. Such a bombshell outcome in Sunday’s vote would be the worst result for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) since 2009, and potentially a knockout blow to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ishiba – a fan of trains, 1970s pop idols and making model ships and planes – only last month took the helm of the LDP, which has governed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3283991/japans-ishiba-seeks-fresh-mandate-election-race-tightens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3283991/japans-ishiba-seeks-fresh-mandate-election-race-tightens?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 09:20:50 +0000 New Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba faces major obstacles in pushing his ambitious defence agenda as polling suggests his party will lose ground in Sunday’s general election, forcing it to lean more heavily on its pacifist coalition partner. Analysts say Japanese voters are more focused on domestic issues such as rising living costs than foreign policy or defence, which will also make it difficult for Ishiba to prioritise his controversial security reforms that include a proposal for an... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283465/japan-pm-ishibas-defence-reforms-face-election-hurdle-ldp-expected-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3283465/japan-pm-ishibas-defence-reforms-face-election-hurdle-ldp-expected-lose-ground?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 00:00:10 +0000 The US considers Japan “first” among Aukus partners as it keeps a wary eye on China following meetings in Tokyo this week, America’s No 2 diplomat revealed on Friday. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, fresh from a trip to the island nation, said the two allies were in “very close ” talks about Tokyo working with the security pact comprising the US, Britain and Australia on projects tied to advanced capabilities. Washington’s alignment and engagement with the Indo-Pacific region in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3283016/wary-china-us-ranks-japan-first-among-aukus-partners-state-department-no-2-official?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3283016/wary-china-us-ranks-japan-first-among-aukus-partners-state-department-no-2-official?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Oct 2024 21:49:19 +0000 In his first meeting with the new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he hoped that Japan and China could “meet each other halfway and keep the relationship on the right track”. Li also urged the promotion of strategic and mutually beneficial relations with Japan while maintaining the stability of global supply chains, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. The meeting, on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Laos on Thursday, was the first high-level... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281969/chinas-li-qiang-and-japanese-pm-ishiba-pledge-stable-ties-first-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3281969/chinas-li-qiang-and-japanese-pm-ishiba-pledge-stable-ties-first-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Oct 2024 05:01:23 +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 Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved parliament on Wednesday, saying that an election this month was a chance to “create a new Japan” by revitalising rural regions. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner are almost certain to be re-elected on October 27, with the premier banking on his honeymoon popularity and a fragmented opposition to secure a majority. At a press conference, he said that strengthening spending on poorer regions hit by Japan’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3281740/japans-new-pm-calls-snap-election-create-new-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3281740/japans-new-pm-calls-snap-election-create-new-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Oct 2024 12:45:54 +0000 Police in Japan’s capital Tokyo are setting up a dedicated unit to hunt down and stop “lone-wolf” attackers – even though experts warn their solitary nature makes such people extremely difficult to catch. Set to launch in April within the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s restructured Public Security Bureau, this new section will leverage advanced information-gathering techniques to detect potential threats to public figures and intervene before violence occurs. “It will be very hard to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280565/japan-has-problem-lone-wolf-attacks-can-new-police-unit-stop-them?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280565/japan-has-problem-lone-wolf-attacks-can-new-police-unit-stop-them?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2024 01:30:15 +0000 Japan’s incoming prime minister Shigeru Ishiba faces stiff challenges and a hostile ruling party rife with infighting that could quickly remove him from office, plunging the country back into political chaos, analysts warn. Ishiba, 67, who won the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) leadership vote on Friday, will be elected premier by parliament on Tuesday. Observers say the former defence minister has “no good policies” and the LDP was “using” him to retain power in a snap election expected by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280353/new-japan-pm-ishiba-wont-last-long-challenges-political-turmoil-await-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3280353/new-japan-pm-ishiba-wont-last-long-challenges-political-turmoil-await-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Sep 2024 10:00:16 +0000 Former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba will become Japan’s next prime minister after winning the ruling party’s leadership vote on Friday, the official count showed. Ishiba, 67, beat arch-nationalist Sanae Takaichi – who would have been the country’s first-ever woman leader – 215 votes to 194 in a run-off. After his victory was announced at the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) headquarters in Tokyo, Ishiba smiled and took off his glasses to wipe his teary eyes, bowing repeatedly as his associates... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3280184/japans-ldp-picks-shigeru-ishiba-pm-fumio-kishidas-successor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3280184/japans-ldp-picks-shigeru-ishiba-pm-fumio-kishidas-successor?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2024 06:33:29 +0000 Human rights activists are calling on the next prime minister of Japan to reinstate a government adviser on human rights after the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elects its new president and leader of the nation on Friday. Campaigners were supportive of Fumio Kishida before he was elected LDP leader in October 2021, in part because he promised before the vote to take a firm stance on human rights issues and to create a new post in his government. True to his word, Kishida named Gen... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3279768/clear-benefits-activists-urge-japans-next-leader-reinstate-human-rights-adviser-post?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3279768/clear-benefits-activists-urge-japans-next-leader-reinstate-human-rights-adviser-post?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2024 12:00:09 +0000 Japan’s vice foreign minister will discuss the fatal stabbing of a schoolboy with Beijing on Monday, according to Tokyo’s foreign ministry. From Sunday to Tuesday, Japan’s state minister for foreign affairs Yoshifumi Tsuge will visit Beijing “to deal with the death of a child at Shenzhen Japanese School”, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. After the attack last week in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida demanded an explanation and urged China to ensure... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3279559/japan-sends-official-deal-fatal-stabbing-shenzhen-schoolboy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3279559/japan-sends-official-deal-fatal-stabbing-shenzhen-schoolboy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 04:22:54 +0000 The leaders of the US, Australia, India and Japan announced on Saturday an expansion of their joint maritime security operations into the Indian Ocean and closer coastguard integration throughout the Indo-Pacific. Meeting US President Joe Biden in his home state of Delaware for the fourth in-person summit of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be showing their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3279410/eyeing-china-quad-leaders-expand-joint-maritime-security-operations-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3279410/eyeing-china-quad-leaders-expand-joint-maritime-security-operations-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Sep 2024 09:00:10 +0000 New Delhi has declined to confirm Donald Trump’s claim that Narendra Modi will meet him when the Indian prime minister spends three days in the US starting this weekend. “There are many meetings with the prime minister right now which we are trying to fix,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Thursday, without ruling out a one-on-one discussion. “I will not be able to tell you about any specific meeting, whether the meeting has been fixed or not,” he added, noting that Modi would have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3279210/india-avoids-confirming-donald-trumps-claim-pm-modi-plans-meet-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/south-asia/article/3279210/india-avoids-confirming-donald-trumps-claim-pm-modi-plans-meet-him?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Sep 2024 21:49:19 +0000 Contenders for Japan’s ruling party leadership, who are vying to become the next prime minister, underscored the need to build on the wage growth momentum seen under incumbent Fumio Kishida, but they differed on how to support households and the broader economy amid rising prices. Shinjiro Koizumi, a rising star in the Liberal Democratic Party and one of the public favourites to take over from Kishida, said he would expand support to low-income households and pensioners via cash handouts. While... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3278519/japan-pm-hopefuls-agree-kishidas-economic-push-differ-how-do-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3278519/japan-pm-hopefuls-agree-kishidas-economic-push-differ-how-do-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 04:54:53 +0000 US President Joe Biden will host the leaders of allies Australia, India and Japan in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware on September 21 for talks focused on tensions with China, the White House said on Thursday. The summit comes as Biden eyes his foreign policy legacy in his final months as a one-term president, after dropping out of the 2024 US election and effectively handing the Democratic Party nomination to his vice-president, Kamala Harris. “This will be President Biden’s first time... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3278312/biden-host-quad-leaders-hometown-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3278312/biden-host-quad-leaders-hometown-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Sep 2024 15:58:25 +0000 Japan has won the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its plan to use millions of cubic metres of soil contaminated with radiation from the serious concerns expressed by environmental groups. Opponents of the project also accuse the Japanese government of taking advantage of waning international concern about the gradual discharge of the plant’s water into the Pacific to accelerate the disposal of the land. The soil and debris have been collected from thousands of square... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278105/japans-plan-reuse-fukushima-soil-infrastructure-gains-iaea-support-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3278105/japans-plan-reuse-fukushima-soil-infrastructure-gains-iaea-support-despite-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Sep 2024 00:00:11 +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 One of the top contenders to be Japan’s next prime minister may have sunk his campaign by declaring that the nation should deploy nuclear submarines to counter the growing security threat posed by China. Taro Kono, the Minister for Digital Transformation and a candidate for the presidency of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, proposed the idea during his policy outline on Thursday, questioned if Japan’s current defences are sufficient to protect the nation from its regional rivals. “Do we need... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3277526/japan-pm-candidate-taro-kono-risks-sinking-campaign-nuclear-sub-plan-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3277526/japan-pm-candidate-taro-kono-risks-sinking-campaign-nuclear-sub-plan-counter-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Sep 2024 04:00:13 +0000