https://www.scmp.com/rss/523375/feed Ben Ascione is an Assistant Professor at Waseda University, specialising in International Relations, Security Studies, and Japanese foreign and security policy. He holds a PhD from the Australian National University and an MA from Waseda. His research focuses on the Asia-Pacific, including the domestic politics-foreign policy nexus and US-Japan relations, particularly host nation support. He also serves as the Japan and Korea Editor for East Asia Forum and is a Research Associate at the Japan... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 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 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 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 Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is presiding over a political “house of cards” that analysts say is looking more shaky every day, as he continues to resist growing calls from within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to step down. This week, the chorus demanding Ishiba’s resignation grew louder after the LDP released an internal report examining its dismal performance in July’s Upper House election. The party lost 18 seats, leaving it short of a parliamentary majority even with its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324332/japans-house-cards-ishiba-clings-power-hawks-demand-ldp-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324332/japans-house-cards-ishiba-clings-power-hawks-demand-ldp-election?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 00:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is drawing up plans to build and upgrade shipyards that could support the repair of US Navy vessels, in a strategic move seen as both an economic security measure and a bargaining chip in fraught trade and defence burden-sharing talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration. The proposal, expected to be finalised in the autumn, includes a government-backed “national dockyard” initiative under which Tokyo would finance the restoration or construction of facilities before handing... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316542/japan-plans-us69-billion-shipyard-push-us-trade-defence-talks-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3316542/japan-plans-us69-billion-shipyard-push-us-trade-defence-talks-leverage?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Jul 2025 01:30:19 +0000