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The latest breaking news and stories on Japan, a country in East Asia known as a constitutional monarchy, and the world’s fifth largest economy. Also covering Japan’s relationship with China and Asia, plus commentary and updates on Japan’s economy, politics, society and trade.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
TSMC CEO CC Wei (left) meets Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Thursday. Photo: Kyodo
TSMC

TSMC Japan plan for advanced chips seen as hedge against pressure from US, China

The expanded Japan presence will ensure that some of TSMC’s production is immune from Trump’s on-again, off-again import tariffs.

ByteDance

TikTok tax time: ByteDance ‘encourages’ Chinese staff to declare global income

Rare earths

From China chokehold to US stockpile, Europe looks for least bad rare earth bet

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong property back as a top choice for foreign investors, study says

Commercial sector rebounds after missing top 10 a year ago, CBRE says, as Knight Frank research shows recovery in luxury residential deals.

A view of Central district in Hong Kong on January 26, 2026. Photo: Jelly Tse
Asia elections

Exams or election? Japan’s young voters face ‘extremely unreasonable’ choice

Opposition members have criticised Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for holding an election during the university entrance exam period.

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks eke out gain as mainland investors overpower tech jitters

Southbound Stock Connect inflows provide late-session support, helping the benchmark reverse earlier losses.

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Canada

‘Devil’s in the details’: why Asia may not sign up to Canada’s alliance call

While Canadian PM Mark Carney’s vision appeals to many, analysts say a lack of detail and divergent interests make a unified front unlikely.

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Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month. Photo: TNS
North Korea

Could a ‘shock’ Pyongyang visit cement Japan PM Takaichi’s snap election bid?

Despite scepticism, a leading campaigner claims Pyongyang is ready to return surviving abductees for ‘immediate, large-scale’ aid.

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Ukraine

Video | Ukrainian sumo star eyes grand championship title in Japan

Aonishiki Arata, who fled the Ukraine war in 2022, has won 2 Japanese grand tournament titles back-to-back.

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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Review | Tokyo Taxi: Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho lead moving Yoji Yamada drama

Tokyo Taxi is an utterly captivating ride that sees an elderly woman bond with her taxi driver while reminiscing about her eventful life.

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Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho in a still from Tokyo Taxi (category: IIA, Japanese), directed by Yoji Yamada.
Ukraine

Video | Ukrainian sumo star eyes top title in Japan

Aonishiki Arata, who fled the Ukraine war in 2022, has won 2 Japanese grand tournament titles back-to-back.

Aonishiki Arata, who fled the Ukraine war in 2022, has won 2 Japanese grand tournament titles back-to-back
United States

Opinion | Chilling effect of US outbound investment rules will extend beyond China

Outbound investment rules introduced last year are expanding and hardening into law, chilling US investment across Asia’s tech ecosystems.

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Sanae Takaichi

Will rice crackers, rock ‘n’ roll help Japan’s Sanae Takaichi bag youth votes?

The social media-savvy prime minister, 64, is surprisingly popular with voters under 30, according to polls.

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US-China relations

Record F-35 deliveries muscle up American allies in the Asia-Pacific region

US aerospace executive tells a media briefing at the Singapore Airshow that regional operators will have 300 units by 2035.

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Australia, Japan, Singapore and South Korea are the four countries in the Asia-Pacific region that are operating Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets. Photo: EPA
Weather

Japan’s deadly winter spurs warnings of more ‘disaster-level’ weather patterns

Severe snowfall and related accidents across Japan have killed at least 29 people, including foreign nationals on holiday, in recent weeks.

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Japanese military personnel remove snow from a rooftop in Aomori, northeastern Japan, on Monday. Photo: Kyodo
Crime in Hong Kong

Are Hong Kong foreign exchange firms secure enough?

After a shocking 51 million yen robbery last week, the South China Morning Post examines the risks in the city’s cash exchange trade.

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks gain as tax worries abate, solar sector rallies on Musk plans

‘Broader VAT hikes on private services are unlikely in 2026 and would run counter to reflation efforts,’ Morgan Stanley says.

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Sanae Takaichi

As Japan’s Takaichi eyes big election win, will China stance shift?

A solid win will boost Takaichi’s position in foreign affairs but she is unlikely to become more confrontational towards China, analysts say.

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Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s prime minister and leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, attends an election campaign event in Nagano on Sunday. Photo: Kyodo via Reuters
Self-Defence Forces (Japan)

Video | At least 30 killed as blizzards hit Japan

Snow up to 183cm (72 inches) deep accumulated in some areas of Aomori Prefecture.

ICBMs

China grows nuclear arsenal as last US-Russia limits expire

President Xi Jinping plans to further expand China’s nuclear weapons stockpile, while caps on US and Russian deployments end this week.

Rare earths

Video | Japan recovers rare earth samples from ocean depths of 6,000 metres (20,000ft)

Japan still relies on China for about 70 per cent of its rare earths, despite continuous efforts to find alternative sources.

This photo provided by SIP/Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, shows rare earth–rich mud recovered aboard a vessel and placed into bottles off Minamitorishima, south of Tokyo, on Feb. 1, 2026. (SIP/Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology via AP)
SCMP Highlights

Hong Kong-Singapore contrasts, Philippines’ EV race lag: 7 Asia highlights

From a Malaysian minister linking stress and gay people to US-Iran tensions, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

People gather around the Merlion statue at Marina Bay in Singapore. Photo: AFP
United States

Japan’s food exports soar despite US tariffs, China seafood curbs

Global appetites for green tea and beef outweighed trade barriers, pushing farm, fish and forest exports to a record US$11 billion in 2025.

Espionage

‘People are so polite’: why do Russian spies find Japan such an easy target?

A Russian spy, posing as a Ukrainian citizen, used a simple request for directions to trick a local worker into selling industrial secrets.

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Defence

Japan set to revive WWII military titles in controversial shift

While some argue the change aligns Japan with global norms, others say better pay – not historical titles – is what soldiers really need.

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A Japanese soldier watches the suburbs of Shanghai ablaze in this undated colourised photograph. Photo: Getty Images
South Korea

‘Lopsided deal’: South Korean trade experts warn against US tariff pressure

Washington’s tariff pressure is aimed at pushing Seoul to ‘move as fast as Japan’ in implementing its promised investments, analysts say.

Protesters shout slogans during a rally against US tariff policies towards South Korea outside the American embassy in Seoul last week. Photo: EPA
China-Russia relations

Could Greenland and Iran have been factors in latest China-Russia talks?

Sunday’s meeting between senior officials saw Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warning against the ‘law of the jungle’.

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Tourism

Australian woman dies after getting caught in Japan ski lift

The 22-year-old woman’s backpack buckle got caught on a Nagano ski lift, dragging her and leaving her suspended in mid-air as she tried to get off.

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