Politics: News & Insights

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson shake hands over NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg prior to their meeting on the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 10.

International relations

NATO fuzzy on Ukraine, Sweden and Tokyo office: 3 takeaways

Stoltenberg promised 'historic summit' but deliverables limited

13 July 2023

Japan's declining population will leave it with 20% fewer undergraduates by 2050, and it must either reduce university capacity or find students from elsewhere to fill the gap. (Photo by Kai Fujii)

Education

Japan colleges will have 20% excess capacity by 2050: ministry

Attracting other Asian students a solution as domestic youth population falls

13 July 2023

Kenneth Weinstein was previously nominated as the U.S. ambassador to Japan under the Trump administration. (Photo courtesy of Hudson Institute)

Interview

Hudson Institute's new Japan chair urges cooperation with U.S., Taiwan

Kenneth Weinstein wants Tokyo to become 'America's closest ally'

13 July 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg have agreed on 16 areas of cooperation including cyber defense, strategic communications and arms control.

Indo-Pacific

NATO Tokyo office is 'still on the table,' says Stoltenberg

Alliance and Japan agree on 16 cooperation areas, including rescue operations

13 July 2023

Japanese imports of seafood are displayed in a supermarket in Hong Kong on July 12.

International relations

Hong Kong confirms seafood ban if Japan releases Fukushima water

City to block imports from 10 prefectures, following mainland China

12 July 2023

A nickel mine in Indonesia. The Southeast Asian country is a leading producer of nickel, a key component in electric vehicle batteries.

Supply Chain

Japan and ASEAN plan new talks on bolstering supply chains

Two sides aim to upgrade partnership with eye on China

12 July 2023

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomes South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to the Vilnius summit on July 11.

Indo-Pacific

NATO removes Tokyo office mention from joint communique

Alliance seeks to engage with Indo-Pacific, but differences remain over approach

11 July 2023

Opinion

Japan will take forward its cooperation with ASEAN nations

New exchange initiatives will provide foundation for ties for next generation

11 July 2023

China's Xi Jinping government has been sharply critical of Japan's plan to release treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Hong Kong, a key market for Japanese food, has adopted a similar line. (Source photos by Hirofumi Yamamoto, Getty Images and Reuters)

Asia Insight

Hong Kong becomes China's 'wolf warrior' in Fukushima water fight

City's vocal opposition to Japan's plan contrasts with past pragmatism

11 July 2023

Semiconductors

Japan to give $530m for new Sumco silicon wafer plants at home

Subsidy part of country's plans to bolster semiconductor supply chain

11 July 2023

Sergiy Korsunsky, Ukraine's ambassador to Japan, speaks to reporters in Tokyo at a news conference to mark 500 days since Russia's invasion. (Photo by Ryohtaroh Satoh)

Ukraine war

Ukraine hints at postwar transfer of Japan bullet train tech

Ambassador to Japan says Tokyo has bigger role in reconstruction than war

10 July 2023

The Asian financial flu of 1997, Japan's three decades with virtually no inflation and stronger capital markets in the region's emerging economies are helping Asian central banks break away from peers in the West.

Economy

Asia's central banks go easy as West ramps up inflation fight

Weak China demand triggers what some call a 'decoupling' in Asia monetary policy

10 July 2023

NATO has proposed a liaison office in Tokyo to help deepen security cooperation with democratic countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Defense

NATO to defer decision on Tokyo liaison office

Wary of China, France makes deal at summit unlikely; bloc sets year-end target

10 July 2023

The return of cultural properties should be used as a catalyst for reconciliation, not as a spark for new conflict. Here, Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan, left, and Korean President Lee Myung-bak shake hands after signing an agreement returning Korean royal books in November 2010 in Yokohama.

Japan-South Korea ties

Cultural properties can be Japan-South Korea diplomatic opportunity

Tokyo should step up efforts to identify artifacts that ought to be returned

9 July 2023

Japan's "Always Welcome" diversity campaign has spread to 4,000 locations. (Photo courtesy of American Express International)

Gender

Japanese businesses welcome LGBTQ customers well ahead of law

FamilyMart eases rules to allow same-sex couples to become franchisees

8 July 2023

An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant: After the IAEA certified its safety, Japan plans to release treated wastewater into the Pacific later this summer.

Environment

On topic: Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant set to release treated water

A collection of stories to catch up on a recent hot topic

8 July 2023

Shinzo Abe

Japan's political establishment reflects a year after Abe's death

Kishida vows to honor former prime minister by fulfilling his last wishes

8 July 2023

Kyoto University is one of three finalists among the 10 schools that applied for subsidies from Japan's new university endowment fund. (Photo by Kosaku Mimura)

Education

Japan's $70bn university fund finishes first year $420m in the red

Endowment's lofty investment target could make stable returns difficult

8 July 2023

The area where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot in Nara on July 8, 2022.

Politics

Japan police to test AI-equipped cameras in protecting VIPs

Need to detect 'lone offenders' grows as country mourns Abe assassination anniversary

7 July 2023

An official measures the radiation level of a fish imported from Japan at a wholesale market in Seoul on July 6.

International relations

South Korea signs off on Japan's Fukushima water release plan

Seoul to respect IAEA assessment, expects no significant ecological harm

7 July 2023

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo in January: A Tokyo office would likely be staffed by just one person. (Pool via Reuters)

Opinion

No one should be afraid of a NATO office in Japan

Presence of liaison will not affect regional security balance

7 July 2023

The U.S. Navy's USS Milius, in the background, and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force's Atago conduct joint training exercises in the Sea of Japan in 2023.

Indo-Pacific

NATO and Japan to cooperate in 16 areas, align defense equipment

Kishida set to announce new cooperation document at Vilnius summit

6 July 2023

As Japan prepares to commemorate Abe's assassination on July 8, intense scrutiny continues over ties between his party and the Unification Church. (Source photos by Getty and AP)

Unification Church and politics

Japan's Unification Church scandal lingers a year after Abe death

4 things to know about the group's enduring links to the LDP and their impact

6 July 2023

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has a packed diplomatic schedule from July and onward. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)

International relations

Japan's Kishida steps up diplomacy where U.S. influence ebbs

Middle East tour to focus on economic ties over values as China gains ground

6 July 2023

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, left, visited the site of a high-speed rail project in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on July 5. (Photo by Miki Nose)

International relations

Japan ex-PM to meet Modi in hopes of spurring India business deals

Suga leads delegation of over 100 to highlight opportunities in growth market

6 July 2023