Kim set to cross DMZ for summit
SEOUL (AFP-Jiji) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will walk across the demilitarized zone on Friday for a historic summit with South Korean President Moon Jae In, the highest-level encounter yet in...
Politics
-
-
G-7 agree to keep pressure on Pyongyang / Ministers acknowledge North Korea’s recent moves
TORONTO (Jiji Press) — The Group of Seven foreign ministers ended their two-day meeting Monday by adopting a joint statement showing their welcome for North Korea’s decision to suspend nuclear tes...
-
End sought to N. Korea’s biological, chemical arms
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed during their summit talks in the United States last week to urge North Korea to abandon not only its nuclear and missile p...
-
Fukuda’s resignation approved
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Cabinet on Tuesday approved the resignation of Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda, who last week offered to quit over his alleged sexually harassing remarks. The resigna...
-
GSDF report details tense security in Iraq
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Defense Ministry released Monday a report that detailed a tense encounter between Ground Self-Defense Force troops and a crowd of supporters of an anti-U.S. Iraqi Shiite cl...
-
Abe’s diplomatic efforts fail to boost support for Cabinet
There seems to be no end to the declining approval rating of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet. The achievements of the recent Japan-U.S. summit meeting were wiped out by a series of blunders, fai...
-
Abe Cabinet approval rating slumps to 39% in new poll
The approval rating for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet continues to fall, dropping to 39 percent in a recent nationwide opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun from Friday to Sunday.
T...
-
Japan reacts coolly to North’s vow to ‘stop nuclear tests’
The Japanese government reacted coolly to North Korea’s announcement on Saturday of its suspension of nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile test-launches, and scrapping of its nuclear...
-
U.S. stance remains full denuclearization
WASHINGTON — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump remains unchanged in its policy to press North Korea to achieve “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization,” despite P...
-
Govt wants F-2 successor jet to carry radar-boosting drones / List of specs drafted with strong China in mind
The Defense Ministry has compiled a design concept of new fighter jets that will replace the Air Self-Defense Forces’ F-2 fighter jets, planning for the succeeding jets to be able to carry and launc...
-
Japan, U.S. agree to keep pressure on Pyongyang
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — The defense chiefs of Japan and the United States agreed Friday to maintain pressure and sanctions on North Korea to make the country scrap all of its ballistic missiles a...
-
Japan warns G-20 over protectionism
WASHINGTON (Reuters) —Japan has warned its G-20 counterparts that protectionism and exchange of retaliatory measures will disrupt financial markets and heighten volatility. “I told my G-20 counte...
-
80 lawmakers take part in Yasukuni visit
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Some 80 lawmakers made a group visit to Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine on Friday, a day before the start of the spring festival at the war-linked Shinto shrine. The lawmakers, mai...
-
Autos, beef next on trade talk menu
PALM BEACH, Fla. — An expansion of American-made exports including automobiles and agricultural products will likely be on the agenda of a new framework for discussing trade issues between Japan and...
-
Opposition block starts boycotting debates
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Six opposition parties began boycotting debates in both chambers of the Diet on Friday morning, in a show of protest against the responses of the government and the ruling camp...
-
Pompeo’s nomination in trouble despite trip to North Korea
WASHINGTON (AFP-Jiji) — CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s nomination to be U.S. secretary of state ran into trouble Wednesday, even as it emerged he had secretly met with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un on D...
-
Talks highlight bilateral gap on trade
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The latest Japan-U.S. summit talks once again highlighted conflicting positions on trade, one of the focal points of the meeting.
U.S. President Donald Trump wants to reduce his ...
-
Japan, U.S. working to denuclearize North by ’20
The Japanese and U.S. governments are working together to completely denuclearize North Korea by 2020 while U.S. President Donald Trump is still in office, it has been learned. As Trump’s presiden...
-
Opposition demands Aso step down
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Six opposition parties Thursday requested that Finance Minister Taro Aso step down after his effective dismissal of the top Finance Ministry bureaucrat over sexual harassment a...
-
Abe, Trump agree on new framework for trade talks
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to create a new framework to discuss trade issues between Japan and the United States during their second-day talk...
-
Trump: DPRK summit might be called off
PALM BEACH, Fla. — U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would cancel a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, planned to be held by early June, if he thinks it will not be “fruitful...
-
N. Korea high on summit agenda / Japan hopes for best, but Trump unpredictable
PALM BEACH, Fla. — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed during bilateral summit talks on Tuesday that the two countries would maintain maximum pressure on North Korea....
-
Trump vows to raise issue of abductions
PALM BEACH, Fla. — U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to take up the issue of the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea during a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un planne...
-
New Pacific Command head seeks greater role for Japan
-
GSDF Iraq mission logs point to ‘combat’
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Daily activity logs for the 2004-2006 Ground Self-Defense Force mission in Iraq, released by the Defense Ministry on Monday, refer to “combat” and “battle” in Samawah mu...
-
Abe, Trump to discuss unity against N. Korea / TPP likely on agenda for Florida talks
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday left for the United States to hold two-day talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in an apparent effort to coordinate and show unity in the run-up to a meeting bet...
-
Abe, Wang agree on need to denuclearize North Korea
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and visiting Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi shared the view on Monday that the denuclearization of North Korea is a common goal ...
-
Finance Ministry official faces harassment probe
The Finance Ministry will launch an investigation led by outside lawyers into allegations that Administrative Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda verbally harassed female journalists with sexually s...
-
LDP, Komeito offer hearing with ex-Abe secretary on Kake
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The ruling bloc proposed to opposition parties on Monday that a Diet hearing with Tadao Yanase, a former executive secretary to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, be held on April 23 ov...
-
Japan, China resume high-level dialogue
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The Japanese and Chinese governments held their first high-level economic dialogue in about eight years on Monday.
Referring to the rapidly changing economic environment for th...
-
Vice finance minister likely to resign over alleged sexual harassment
Administrative Vice Finance Minister Junichi Fukuda is expected to resign over allegations reported by a weekly magazine that he sexually harassed female journalists, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned on Mo...
-
Abe opposes Ishin’s plan for Osaka metropolis
OSAKA (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, has said he supports the position of a local LDP chapter against opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai’s...
-
Kono: Tokyo, Beijing should cooperate more on N. Korea
TOKYO (Reuters) — Foreign Minister Taro Kono said on Sunday that Tokyo and Beijing needed to work more closely together to denuclearize North Korea, in comments made during a meeting with his Chine...
-
Koizumi ‘never received reports’ of SDF combat
MITO (Jiji Press) — Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has said he had never received reports of combat over a Self-Defense Force mission in Iraq while in office. Recently found daily activit...
-
Abe, Trump set to play golf in U.S.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will play golf with U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday during his visit to the United States, it has been learned. Abe is scheduled to visit the United States on Tues...
-
Abe, Trump to discuss cooperation on N. Korea
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss bilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korea when they meet in Florida this week, a senior U.S. ...
-
Abe: Japan supports resolve against chemical weapons
Japan supports the resolve of the United States, Britain and France against the use of chemical weapons, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Saturday afternoon following the coordinated military strikes by...
-
¥500-mil. fines eyed for casino fraud
-
Another link emerges of vet school plan to Abe
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Agriculture minister Ken Saito on Friday released a document linked to a favoritism scandal involving Kake Educational Institution, which is led by a friend of Prime Minister S...
-
Internet service providers urged to block pirate sites
The government on Friday decided to call on internet service providers operating in the nation to block access to “pirate websites” that allow users to read manga and magazines for free online. T...
-
New resident status eyed for foreign workers
The government plans to establish a new resident status for foreign workers as early as April 2019, according to government sources.
Under the new system, foreigners who have completed a designated t...
-
Aso: Ministers only glance at papers before approving
TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Finance Minister Taro Aso suggested Thursday that ministers do not read all administrative documents submitted to Cabinet meetings for approval. “When it comes to whether mi...
-
Wang to visit Japan from Sunday
BEIJING (Jiji Press) — Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Japan for three days from Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Wednesday. Wang will hold talks with Jap...
-
Govt seeks to cut off pirating websites
The government is considering requesting that internet service providers block connections to pirating websites — on which people can read popular manga, magazines, animation and other material for ...
-
Moon vows to cooperate on abduction issue
SEOUL (Jiji Press) — South Korean President Moon Jae In said Wednesday that his country will continue to cooperate with Japan on issues between Japan and North Korea, including Pyongyang’s abduct...
-
Davidson tapped as chief of U.S. Pacific Command
WASHINGTON (Jiji Press) — U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Navy Adm. Philip Davidson as commander of the Pacific Command to succeed Adm. Harry Harris, who will leave the post this spring, t...
-
Hurdles ahead for govt’s effort to promote renewable energy
The government is expected to face many hurdles in promoting renewable energy, while a draft proposal compiled by a government panel positions such energy as a main source of electric power supply ove...
-
GSDF hid Iraq logs after finding them
-
Abe to cancel visit to Saudi Arabia
-
GSDF’s South Sudan daily logs newly found
-
Financial Bureau ‘urged lying’ / Official tried to ‘coordinate story on price’
-
Govt to survey private land on remote border islands
-
Diet to hold intensive talks on GSDF reports
-
Foreign Ministry to reorganize Korean affairs divisions
-
Work style reform legislation gets Abe Cabinet approval
-
Iraq confab takes aim at weapons
-
More reports from overseas GSDF troops unearthed
-
New defense era / Japan needs stronger defense against cyber, space threats
-
Abe raises abduction issue with IOC chief
-
Panel OK’s ¥6,000 casino entrance fee
-
New defense era / Reinforcing remote islands against China
-
Policy adopted for Imperial succession
-
Japan-N. Korea summit eyed to help abductees
-
U.S. researchers rebut Kono on N. Korea claim
-
Seoul eyes ‘synchronous’ disarmament / N. Korea hints at requiring incentives along the way
-
Japan in Depth / Abe seeks new chance in diplomacy as way to raise administration’s popularity
-
Abe to visit U.S. April 17-20
-
Lower house members’ assets at record low
-
Poll: Still-dropping Cabinet approval rating hits 42%
-
Poll indicates uncertain outcome for LDP election
-
Okinawa govt seeks to block Henoko reclamation project
-
G-20 Osaka summit set for June 2019
-
New defense era / SDF faces obstacles in evacuating Japanese nationals from S. Korea
-
U.S. plans to deploy F-35C to Iwakuni
-
New rules on document management go into effect
-
Russia expels diplomats from 23 countries
-
Japan, ROK, U.S. agree to keep pressuring N. Korea
-
New defense era / Having long-range missiles a matter of deterrence
-
‘Furusato nozei’ rewards to be limited to local specialties
-
Proclamation day set for next emperor
-
Families call on Abe to ask Trump for abductees’ rescue
-
New defense era / Japan-U.S. joint operations increase amid regional uncertainty
-
DP proposes creating new party with ex-members
-
FY2018 budget enacted
-
New envoy to U.S. vows to advance ties
-
Abe: Wife careless on Facebook
-
More info wanted on N. Korea-China talks / Govt hopes for briefings from Beijing
-
3 options offered for local assemblies / Depopulated municipalities can choose what suits them
-
Japanese government won’t follow suit
-
Sagawa denies Abe gave instructions for paper changes
-
Abe: Moritomo papers were falsified
-
Japan, China to agree on start of new liaison system
-
Ex-Moritomo chief said to have met with Abe’s wife
-
LDP quest to revise top law buffeted by Moritomo case / Abe losing influence amid scandal
-
Abe determined to revise Constitution
-
2017 Lower House Election / Survey: LDP firmly in election driver’s seat
-
My Japanology / Hooked for 40 years since a visit to Ryoanji temple
-
Lessons learned from Senkaku war games
SUFFOLK, Va. — “An armed group has come ashore on one of the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, and while the Japan Coast Guard and police forces struggle to bring the incident under control, ...