Rattled by Trump, US allies eye Japan’s biggest arms opening since WW2
- 15-Apr-2026
TOKYO: Japan’s imminent easing of arms export rules has sparked strong interest from Warsaw to Manila, Reuters reporting found, as President Donald Trump wavers on security commitments to allies and the wars in Iran and Ukraine strain U.S. weapons supplies. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ruling party approved the changes this week as she tries to […]
Japan’s leader faces high-wire act in Washington over Trump’s Iran demands
- 18-Mar-2026
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visits the White House on Thursday for meetings that offer U.S. President Donald Trump a chance to lean on a key security partner for support in his Iran war, threatening to strain a decades-old alliance. Takaichi is the first major ally set for face-to-face talks with Trump since he […]
Japan not mulling maritime ops despite Trump pressure over Hormuz
- 16-Mar-2026
TOKYO: Japan said Monday it was not currently thinking about ordering maritime security operations, after US President Donald Trump called for other countries to send warships to help protect the Strait of Hormuz. “In the current Iran situation, we are not at the moment considering issuing a maritime security operation,” Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told […]
Japan to release oil stocks as US says buy American
- 16-Mar-2026
Japan plans to start releasing oil from its stockpiles on Monday to soften the shock from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, a stark reminder of the oil crisis half a century ago that prompted Tokyo to create reserves. As gasoline prices across Japan started to rise with the war disrupting supplies from the Gulf’s Strait […]
Japan in talks with India to explore for rare earths, sources say
- 03-Mar-2026
NEW DELHI: Japan is in talks with India to jointly explore rare earth deposits in the desert state of Rajasthan, two people familiar with the discussions said, as Tokyo seeks to reduce reliance on China for supplies critical to magnet manufacturing. Last month, India’s Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy said three hard rock rare earth […]
Japan aims to dig deep-sea rare earths to reduce China dependence
- 12-Jan-2026
TOKYO: A Japanese research vessel on Monday began a historic voyage to attempt to dig deep-sea rare earths at a depth of 6,000 metres to curb dependence on China. Scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu left Shimizu Port in Shizuoka around 9:00 am (0000 GMT) for the remote island of Minami Torishima in the Pacific, […]
Japan stabbing, liquid spray attack injures 15: official
- 26-Dec-2025
Fifteen people were injured in a stabbing attack in a rubber factory in central Japan on Friday during which an unspecified liquid was also sprayed, emergency officials said. “All fifteen people were sent to hospital,” a firefighting department official in the city of Mishima, southwest of Tokyo, Japan told AFP. The official, declining to be […]
Japan prepares to restart world’s biggest nuclear plant, 15 years after Fukushima
- 22-Dec-2025
The Japanese region of Niigata is expected to endorse a decision to restart the world’s largest nuclear power plant on Monday, a watershed moment in the country’s pivot back to nuclear since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, located about 220 km (136 miles) northwest of Tokyo, was among 54 reactors shut after a massive earthquake […]
Japan lifts megaquake advisory week after powerful tremor
- 16-Dec-2025
TOKYO: Japan lifted a rare warning for a potential megaquake a week after a magnitude-7.5 tremor struck off its northern coast, the country’s weather agency said Tuesday. The December 8 quake triggered tsunami waves of up to 70 centimetres (28 inches) and injured more than 40 people, but no major damage was reported, according to […]
Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Japan’s northeast region, tsunami advisory issued
- 12-Dec-2025
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit Japan’s northeastern region on Friday, prompting a tsunami advisory for waves up to 1 metre (39 inch) high from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The quake struck at 11:44 a.m. (0244 GMT) off the coast of Aomori prefecture with a depth of 20 km (12 miles), […]