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Sanae Takaichi

(高市早苗)

Sanae Takaichi

高市早苗

The latest news and top stories on Sanae Takaichi. A long-serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, she has held numerous significant cabinet roles. Her past positions include Minister of State for Economic Security, Internal Affairs and Communications, Science and Technology Policy, and Youth Affairs and Gender Equality. Known for her staunch conservative views and close alliance with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has focused on strengthening Japan’s economic security, cybersecurity and national defence. She has also chaired the LDP’s Policy Research Council and recently led a commission on public safety and cybercrime. Takaichi has twice contended for the LDP leadership.

Japan

Video | Japan posts record tourist arrivals despite China row

The number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Japan had dropped 45 per cent in the month of December amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

22 Jan 2026 - 7:57PM

Japan

Japan halts world’s largest nuclear plant hours after restart

22 Jan 2026 - 7:19PM

Japan

Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima under close scrutiny

21 Jan 2026 - 10:18PM

Bonds

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

21 Jan 2026 - 3:11PM

A monitor displays long-term interest rates in Tokyo, Japan, on January 19, 2026. Photo: EPA

China trade

China has tools to step up trade curbs on Japan amid tensions: Morgan Stanley

But Beijing is likely to conclude that further action would be counterproductive, according to the investment bank.

21 Jan 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Japan

‘Unprecedented’: Japan’s 1-party era under threat as centrists unite

The new CDP-Komeito pact marks a ‘turning point’ in Japanese politics that could finally end the LDP’s decades-long grip, analysts say.

21 Jan 2026 - 8:05AM

China-Japan relations

Japan’s last 2 giant pandas set for early trip home to China as tensions spiral

Return of twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei to mark first time Japan will be without any pandas since normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

20 Jan 2026 - 8:56PMvideocam

Visitors have been queuing for hours to see Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei at Tokyo’s Ueno zoo since it was announced they would leave earlier than previously planned. Photo: Kyodo

Japan

Japan’s Takaichi rolls dice on snap poll, bets popularity can save scandal-hit LDP

The PM stakes her future on a February 8 vote, but one expert warns her support may not save a ruling party dogged by funding scandals.

19 Jan 2026 - 8:33PMvideocam

Japan

‘Foreigner fatigue’: how xenophobia hijacked Japan’s national conversation

Record immigration and the ‘Trump factor’ fuelled a xenophobic election surge, but analysts say another political target is emerging.

19 Jan 2026 - 5:08PM

China-Japan relations

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

9.5-tonne stone slab shipped to Japan as ‘war trophy’ in 1908 is described as one of China’s most significant ‘lost national treasures’.

17 Jan 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

The Tang Honglu Well Stele pictured at its original site in Lushun in the early 20th century. Photo: Handout

Japan

In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self-sufficiency

China has reportedly imposed curbs on rare earth shipments to Japan, and there are concerns that these could be extended to medical products.

17 Jan 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Japan

Japan, US vow ‘unshaken’ defence ties despite Trump’s pivot from Asia

‘We talk about America first, yes, but it doesn’t mean America alone,’ Pentagon chief Hegseth tells Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi.

16 Jan 2026 - 11:47AMvideocam

China-South Korea relations

South Korean leader takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

The president made back-to-back trips to the neighbouring countries as tensions are running high between Beijing and Tokyo.

15 Jan 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in election as opposition unites

Takaichi’s LDP is expected to lose millions of votes as Komeito allies with the CDP after ending its coalition with the ruling party.

15 Jan 2026 - 5:31PMvideocam

Souvenirs featuring a photo of Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are seen at a gift shop in Nara. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong entertainment

Hong Kong Cantopop singer Raymond Lam cancels 2 concerts in Japan

Lam’s shows scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre have been postponed indefinitely.

15 Jan 2026 - 12:44AM

Hong Kong actor and singer Raymond Lam will not be performing in Tokyo. Photo: Handout

South Korea

Video | South Korea and Japan’s leaders jam to K-pop hits

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung and Japan’s Sanae Takaichi played drums while covering two K-pop songs from the boy band BTS and the animated film Kpop Demon Hunters.

14 Jan 2026 - 8:01PM

South Korea

South Korea-Japan summit exposes ‘strategic’ divide amid great-power tensions

While Seoul urged broader regional cooperation that would include China, Tokyo emphasised closer alignment with Washington.

14 Jan 2026 - 8:17PMvideocam

China travel

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

14 Jan 2026 - 4:04PMvideocam

Customers shop for skincare products at a duty-free shopping mall in China’s southern Hainan province. China has opened up to more duty-free retail in recent years, reducing the need for Chinese tourists to splash out while abroad. Photo: Getty Images

Japan

Japan PM, South Korean president rock out to K-pop in surprise drum duet

The Japanese leader led the session by showing the South Korean president how to play the drums after their talks in Nara.

14 Jan 2026 - 8:03PMvideocam

China-Japan relations

How a snap election in Japan could put Takaichi in a stronger position with China

A decisive win could give Tokyo ‘limited room for concessions in its negotiations with Beijing’ and more room to manoeuvre with Washington.

13 Jan 2026 - 3:00PMvideocam

Japan

Japan PM seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Takaichi aims to bolster ties with Seoul by avoiding ‘divisive’ issues as Tokyo grapples with Beijing’s economic retaliation.

13 Jan 2026 - 2:30PMvideocam

Japan

‘Easier targets’: is Japan safe for foreigners if disaster strikes?

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

14 Jan 2026 - 9:13AMvideocam

Foreign tourists visit a temple in Tokyo, Japan, last month. Photo: EPA

China trade

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 amid China row

Amid fears of potential mineral export curbs by Beijing, Japanese industry is bracing, and Tokyo appears keen on a united international response.

12 Jan 2026 - 10:14PMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

13 Jan 2026 - 9:21AM

Asia housing and property

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

Asia might have sidestepped the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but investors should focus on price growth, Japan’s resilience and the sustainability of the data centre boom.

12 Jan 2026 - 6:45PMvideocam

Residential and commercial buildings in Tokyo on August 18, 2025. Home prices rose 56 per cent year on year in the Japanese capital in 2025. Photo: dpa

International Property

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

11 Jan 2026 - 9:30AM

Office and residential buildings seen from an observation deck at the Shinjuku business district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: EPA-EFE

China-Japan relations

China calls on US to form united front against Japanese militarism

Tokyo is blurring the line between civilian and military sectors, undermining Beijing’s interests in Taiwan, state media account says.

10 Jan 2026 - 7:56PMvideocam

China-South Korea relations

North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

Lee Jae Myung and Xi Jinping found common ground on ‘one China’ but there was no word on what to do about Pyongyang.

10 Jan 2026 - 6:00PMvideocam

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Sanae Takaichi

(高市早苗)

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Japan posts record tourist arrivals despite China row

The number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Japan had dropped 45 per cent in the month of December amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.

Japan halts world’s largest nuclear plant hours after restart

Japan restarts first nuclear reactor since Fukushima under close scrutiny

Japan bond volatility raises contagion alarm for Asia’s stocks and debt

Japan’s yield spike is testing safe-haven assumptions, with markets debating whether the movement is local or systemic.

China has tools to step up trade curbs on Japan amid tensions: Morgan Stanley

But Beijing is likely to conclude that further action would be counterproductive, according to the investment bank.

‘Unprecedented’: Japan’s 1-party era under threat as centrists unite

The new CDP-Komeito pact marks a ‘turning point’ in Japanese politics that could finally end the LDP’s decades-long grip, analysts say.

Japan’s last 2 giant pandas set for early trip home to China as tensions spiral

Return of twins Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei to mark first time Japan will be without any pandas since normalisation of diplomatic ties in 1972.

Japan’s Takaichi rolls dice on snap poll, bets popularity can save scandal-hit LDP

The PM stakes her future on a February 8 vote, but one expert warns her support may not save a ruling party dogged by funding scandals.

‘Foreigner fatigue’: how xenophobia hijacked Japan’s national conversation

Record immigration and the ‘Trump factor’ fuelled a xenophobic election surge, but analysts say another political target is emerging.

Japan urged to ‘correct historical errors’, return Tang dynasty stele to China

9.5-tonne stone slab shipped to Japan as ‘war trophy’ in 1908 is described as one of China’s most significant ‘lost national treasures’.

In Japan, fears of China’s antibiotics dominance spur calls for self-sufficiency

China has reportedly imposed curbs on rare earth shipments to Japan, and there are concerns that these could be extended to medical products.

Japan, US vow ‘unshaken’ defence ties despite Trump’s pivot from Asia

‘We talk about America first, yes, but it doesn’t mean America alone,’ Pentagon chief Hegseth tells Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi.

South Korean leader takes ‘pragmatic approach’ to reset ties with China, Japan

The president made back-to-back trips to the neighbouring countries as tensions are running high between Beijing and Tokyo.

Japan’s Takaichi faces uphill task in election as opposition unites

Takaichi’s LDP is expected to lose millions of votes as Komeito allies with the CDP after ending its coalition with the ruling party.

Hong Kong Cantopop singer Raymond Lam cancels 2 concerts in Japan

Lam’s shows scheduled for January 31 and February 1 at the Tokyo Garden Theatre have been postponed indefinitely.

Video | South Korea and Japan’s leaders jam to K-pop hits

South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung and Japan’s Sanae Takaichi played drums while covering two K-pop songs from the boy band BTS and the animated film Kpop Demon Hunters.

South Korea-Japan summit exposes ‘strategic’ divide amid great-power tensions

While Seoul urged broader regional cooperation that would include China, Tokyo emphasised closer alignment with Washington.

‘Structurally hurt’: why are Chinese tourists spending less abroad than before?

China’s outbound travel sector has bounced back from the pandemic, but the era of duty-free shopping sprees appears to be over.

Japan PM, South Korean president rock out to K-pop in surprise drum duet

The Japanese leader led the session by showing the South Korean president how to play the drums after their talks in Nara.

How a snap election in Japan could put Takaichi in a stronger position with China

A decisive win could give Tokyo ‘limited room for concessions in its negotiations with Beijing’ and more room to manoeuvre with Washington.

Japan PM seeks unity with South Korea’s Lee as China tensions persist

Takaichi aims to bolster ties with Seoul by avoiding ‘divisive’ issues as Tokyo grapples with Beijing’s economic retaliation.

‘Easier targets’: is Japan safe for foreigners if disaster strikes?

Rising xenophobia, ‘vigilante’ patrols and memories of 1923 have rights advocates concerned that history could repeat itself.

Japan firms seen ‘stockpiling’ rare earths as Tokyo looks to G7 amid China row

Amid fears of potential mineral export curbs by Beijing, Japanese industry is bracing, and Tokyo appears keen on a united international response.

Japan’s top diplomat heads to Philippines with South China Sea top of mind

The talks are likely to focus on Manila’s push for a South China Sea code with ‘teeth’ as this year’s Asean chair, analysts say.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

Asia might have sidestepped the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but investors should focus on price growth, Japan’s resilience and the sustainability of the data centre boom.

Heightened tensions with China rattle Japan’s property market: analysts

Bilateral friction is expected to impact assets tied to tourism, including hotels and high-street retail shops, CBRE’s Chinatsu Hani says.

China calls on US to form united front against Japanese militarism

Tokyo is blurring the line between civilian and military sectors, undermining Beijing’s interests in Taiwan, state media account says.

North Korea: the elephant in the room when Xi met Lee in Beijing

Lee Jae Myung and Xi Jinping found common ground on ‘one China’ but there was no word on what to do about Pyongyang.

Video | Japan posts record tourist arrivals despite China row

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026