Suspect in Japan PM attack may have had election grudge
An unemployed 24-year-old man who allegedly threw a pipe bomb at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wanted to be a politician and believed that he was unfairly blocked from running for Japan’s parliament by an age requirement, according to media reports and social media posts that appeared to be his.
New Japan law aims at Unification Church fundraising abuses
Japan’s parliament has enacted a law to restrict malicious donation solicitations by religious and other groups, which mainly targets the Unification Church, whose fundraising tactics and cozy ties with the governing party caused public outrage.
Japan Cabinet OKs $200B spending plan to counter inflation
Japan’s Cabinet has approved a hefty economic package including 29 trillion yen ($200 billion) in government spending to counter the blow from inflation, signaling that the greater concern of its policymakers is that the economy will stall, not overheat.
North Korea fires missiles after Harris leaves South Korea
In a show of defiance, North Korea has fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea hours after U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris flew home from a visit to South Korea during which she emphasized the “ironclad” U.S. commitment to the security of its Asian allies.
Abe's militaristic funeral captures Japan's tense mood
For all the heated arguments ahead of the controversial state funeral of assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — both for and against — it was the images of Tuesday's ceremony that most clearly tell the story of a deeply divided nation still struggling to process the legacy of perhaps the most polarizing leader in its modern history.
South Korea says North Korea test-fired missile toward sea
North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern seas, extending a provocative streak in weapons testing as a U.S. aircraft carrier visits South Korea for joint military exercises in response to the North’s growing nuclear threat.
Japan police find bullet marks near Abe assassination site
Japanese police say they have found what they believe are several bullet marks on a building near the site of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination last week in western Japan, apparently from the first shot fired from a suspect’s powerful homemade gun that narrowly missed Abe.
Japan Cabinet OKs record defense budget amid Taiwan concerns
Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record 5.4 trillion yen ($47 billion) defense budget for fiscal 2022 that includes funding for research and development of a new fighter jet and other “game-changing” weapons as Japan bolsters its defense capabilities in response to China’s growing military might and its tensions with Taiwan.
Japan PM vows to step up defense amid China, NK threats
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, at his first troop review, has renewed his pledge to consider “all options,” including acquiring enemy base strike capability, and vowed to create a stronger Self-Defense Force to protect the country amid growing threats from China and North Korea.
Japanese parliamentary elections crucial for new PM's rule
Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida faces a crucial test in Sunday's national parliamentary elections, which will determine if his government will have enough support to stay in power long enough to repair the pandemic-hit economy, and tackle climate change and China’s rise.
Moon: South Korea, Japan must look to future to improve ties
South Korean President Moon Jae-in speaks during a ceremony to mark the March First Independence Movement Day, the anniversary of the 1919 uprising against Japanese colonial rule in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 1, 2021. “There have been times where issues of the past weren’t separated from those of the future and became intermingled with each other. Those rulings led to further tensions over trade when Japan put export controls on chemicals vital to South Korea’s semiconductor industry. Japan has insisted that all wartime compensation issues were settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing relations with South Korea and it has reacted angrily to South Korean court rulings saying otherwise. There is a risk for further deterioration of the relationship if South Korean courts eventually order the liquidation of local assets of Japanese companies that have refused to compensate forced laborers.
Tokyo Olympics to pick Mori replacement; is a woman likely?
(AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)TOKYO – Yoshiro Mori's replacement as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee is expected to be named very quickly. Yamashita took over the Japanese Olympic body after his predecessor, Tsunekazu Takeda, was forced to step down in 2019 in a bribery scandal. Yamashita is also a member of the International Olympic Committee by virtue of his position in Japan. A: Seiko Hashimoto, the current Olympic minister in the government of Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, has been mentioned frequently. Also mentioned has been former Olympic minister Tamayo Marukawa and businesswoman Tomoko Namba.
Reports: Mori to resign Tokyo Olympics over sexist remarks
She said she will skip an Olympic meeting next week with IOC President Thomas Bach, Mori and the national government. Most of its statement about Mori focused on how it says it has improved gender-equality in the Olympics over the last 25 years. Ad___MIZUHO FUKUSHIMA, head of the Social Democratic PartyOpposition leaders have been pressuring Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to convince Mori to step down. There are some unconfirmed reports in Japan that former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe could replace Mori. Mori got his job in 2014, when Abe was prime minister.
Tokyo Olympics face another problem because of its president
Yoshiro Mori, right, the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, bows his head after a news conference in Tokyo Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. (Kim Kyung-hoon/Pool Photo via AP)TOKYO – The postponed Tokyo Olympics have yet another problem besides the pandemic. The local organizing committee issued a vague statement on Sunday saying it supports diversity. Nikai was challenged by Taro Aso, the 80-year-old deputy prime minister and a former prime minister himself. Mori was appointed under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has been backed by the current prime minister, and has built strong ties with IOC President Thomas Bach.
Seoul court orders Japan to compensate 12 Korean sex slaves
Portraits of late former South Korean comfort women are displayed near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. A South Korean court on Friday ordered Japan to financially compensate 12 South Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, the first such ruling expected to rekindle animosities between the Asian neighbors. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)SEOUL – A South Korean court on Friday ordered Japan to financially compensate 12 South Korean women forced to work as sex slaves for Japanese troops during World War II, a landmark ruling that’s set to rekindle animosities between the Asian neighbors. Observers say it’s unlikely for Japan to abide by the South Korean court ruling. In 2015, South Korea’s previous government reached a deal with Japan to resolve the sexual slavery dispute.