Japan will start releasing oil from state reserves on Thursday, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Tuesday, as concerns over supply mount and oil prices soar amid the ongoing…
from japantoday.com
The ministry detected 26 Chinese military aircraft around the island on Saturday, with 16 of them entering its northern, central and southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone. Seven naval ships were spotted around the island, it reported.
The increased number of aircraft came after the ministry reported a fall that left analysts scratching their heads about what China’s military may be up to.
Taiwan didn’t report any Chinese military planes that went beyond the median line and entered the zone for a week from Feb. 27 to March 5. After two were detected on March 6, the next four days had none. Such flights resumed in small numbers between Wednesday and Friday.
🚨🇨🇳🇹🇼 FLASH | La Chine a encerclé Taïwan avec 26 avions de combat et 7 navires de guerre. pic.twitter.com/i57dhsTvoN
Tokyo stocks plunged Monday, with the Nikkei index losing over 2,800 points and marking the third-largest point drop in history, as crude oil futures surged amid growing prospects of a prolonged Middle East conflict.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 2,892.12 points, or 5.20 percent, from Friday at 52,728.72. The broader Topix index finished 141.09 points, or 3.80 percent, lower at 3,575.84.
On the top-tier Prime Market, the main decliners were nonferrous metal, glass and ceramics product and machinery issues.
The U.S. dollar mostly stayed in the upper 158 yen range in Tokyo amid concerns about the impact of surging crude prices.
At 5 p.m., the dollar fetched 158.45-47 yen compared with 157.79-89 yen in New York and 157.52-55 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.
The AI firm says a Chinese official’s activity on the chatbot pointed to wider “cyber special operations” to intimidate both domestic and foreign critics.
from www.channelnewsasia.com
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration said Tuesday that Japan will finance the production of synthetic diamonds and two energy projects worth about $36 billion as the initial tranche of investments under a deal reached last year following months of tariff negotiations.
Trump’s announcement that the three projects had been selected, as part of a $550 billion package that Japan committed to in exchange for his administration reducing tariffs on Japanese cars and other goods, was confirmed hours later by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
“These projects are so large, and could not be done without one very special word, TARIFFS,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “America is building again. America is producing again. And America is WINNING again.”
Japanese exports climbed 16.8% year on year in January, sharply beating market expectations and growing at their fastest rate since November 2022 as shipments to Asia and Western Europe surged, government data on Wednesday showed.
Growth was higher than December’s 5.1%, and beat Reuters-polled economists’ estimates of 12%.
Value of exports to China, Japan’s largest trading partner, jumped 32%, after rising 5.6% in December at a time when the two countries are locked in a diplomatic standoff over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments over Taiwan.
A new Japan is about to emerge that is sure to frighten China after a landslide victory by Japan’s conservative party leaves leftists with only 5 seats in the parliament. The victory is credited to Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who appeared to take a risk by calling for a snap election soon after her party appointed her Prime Minister.
The gamble has paid off, leaving conservatives with a super majority that will most likely alter Japan’s passivist constitution. One of the major changes expected is ending Japan’s self-imposed limitations on military spending and operations. President Trump congratulated the PM, sharing on Truth Social, “Congratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Coalition on a LANDSLIDE Victory in today’s very important Vote. She is a highly respected and very popular Leader. Sanae’s bold and wise decision to call for an Election paid off big time.”
Japanese stocks surge to record high as PM Takaichi wins landslide election victory – BBC
The LDP has woken up this morning to a very different reality. This is a party that’s gone from a humbling loss of its majority in 2024 to regaining full legislative control — sweeping parliamentary power back into its hands.
“Landslide victory” says the Yomiuri newspaper front page headline. “LDP Achieves Absolute Stable Majority on Its Own” was the headline splashed across the Asahi’s front page. All of them marked by sweeping red banners at the top of the page, signalling the governing party’s historic result.
It’s worth remembering just how dramatic this turnaround is.
Back in October 2024, Takaichi’s predecessor took a similar gamble — and lost badly. That snap election delivered the LDP’s worst-ever results, costing the party its majority in the House of Representatives, and ultimately costing Ishiba his job.
Hanging over the party at the time was deep public anger: fury at the mishandling of financial scandals, and frustration over the LDP’s links to the controversial Unification Church — all playing out as Japanese households struggled under the weight of rising prices.
Fast forward to February 2026, and many of those issues haven’t gone away. Households are still under pressure. The financial scandals haven’t been properly dealt with. But the LDP has been carried back on a wave of Sanae Takaichi’s popularity.
Diplomatic dispute deepens between Tokyo and Beijing over Taiwan remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
China will again ban all imports of Japanese seafood as a diplomatic dispute between the two countries escalates, Japanese media report.
Japanese public broadcaster NHK and Kyodo News agency said on Wednesday that the seafood ban follows after China earlier this month lifted import restrictions on Japanese marine products, which were imposed by Beijing in 2023 after the release of treated radioactive water from Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
Japan will suffer a “crushing defeat” by the Chinese military if it tries to use force to intervene over Taiwan, China’s defense ministry said on Friday, ramping up…
from japantoday.com
A Chinese consul general in Japan threatened to decapitate the nation’s new prime minister over her comments in defense of Taiwan, prompting outrage in Tokyo and underscoring the rising tension between the two regional powers.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office last month, told a parliamentary committee Friday that a Chinese blockade of Taiwan would likely create a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan — one that could compel Tokyo to deploy its Self-Defense Forces in response. The democratically governed island sits just 60 miles from Japanese territory.
Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, fired back in a since-deleted X post on Sunday: “That filthy neck that barged in on its own — I’ve got no choice but to cut it off without a moment’s hesitation. Are you prepared for that?”
Tokyo – Japan’s Defense Ministry sent troops on Wednesday to the northern prefecture of Akita to help contain a surge of bear attacks that have horrified residents in the mountainous region.
Bears have shown up near schools, train stations, supermarkets and even a hot springs resort, with attacks by the animals reported almost daily across Japan, mostly in the north.
Since April, more than 100 people have been injured and at least 12 killed in bear attacks across Japan, according to Environment Ministry statistics at the end of October. That is the highest number of people killed by the animals in the country in one fiscal year since 2006, when the ministry started compiling the statistics.
President Donald Trump revealed during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Monday that he has “always had a great love of Japan,” adding that he also has “great respect” for Japan.
“I have always had a great love of Japan and a great respect of Japan, and I will say that this will be a relationship that will be stronger than ever before, and I look forward to working with you,” Trump said. “On behalf of our country, I want to just let you know, anytime you have any question, any doubt, anything you want, any favors you need, anything I can do to help Japan, we will be there. We are an ally at the strongest level.”
Trump’s visit to Japan comes after Takaichi, who is Japan’s first female prime minister, won a “historic vote.”
Breitbart News’s Simon Kent reported that Takaichi, a conservative, who is “also the first woman to lead the dominant Liberal Democratic Party,” also “opposes same-sex marriage and allowing separate surnames for married couples”:
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi signed an agreement on Tuesday that will secure a supply of rare earth minerals, a resource that is vital for the manufacturing of computer chips, AI, and everyday technology.
The agreement states that the US and Japan “intend to support the supply of raw and processed critical minerals and rare earths crucial to the domestic industries of the United States and Japan.” The countries “intend to capitalize on their respective existing mining and processing operations in critical minerals and heavy and light rare earths as well as new capacity.”
The countries intend to invest in mining and processing through government and private sector support, streamlining the permitting processes, and the creation of the US-Japan Critical Minerals Supply Security Rapid Response Group, among other points.
Japan’s first female prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, laid out an ambitious conservative agenda after winning her office in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday.
Her nascent administration also signaled a desire to build closer defense ties with the United States.
Much of Takaichi’s agenda lines up with her longstanding political beliefs, as an admirer of global conservative icons like Margaret Thatcher, and a protege of the late Prime Minister Abe Shinzo. She is also being prodded to make policy concessions by her LDP party’s last-minute alliance with the Japan Innovation Party (commonly known as Ishin, which means “renewal”).
Japan should raise its defense capabilities to a level that would prevent an assertive China from using force in the future, while making its nonhostile stance clear, an…
from japantoday.com
Trump hails election of ‘highly respected’ first female prime minister of Japan– www.washingtonexaminer.com Source Link Excerpt:
President Donald Trump celebrated the election of the right-wing Sanae Takaichi as the likely next prime minister of Japan.
Takaichi is set to become the first female prime minister of Japan after she won the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party, which has ruled Japan almost uninterrupted since 1955. Feminists on the left aren’t celebrating, however, as Takaichi has distinguished herself as a hard-line conservative.
Japanese LDP President Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump. (AP)
“Japan has just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength. This is tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan. Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, signing his name at the end.
Trump’s congratulations are likely more than a simple nicety. Takaichi’s right-wing views are in line with those of her U.S. counterpart. She also boasts one of Trump’s best friends on the international stage as her mentor, the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Takaichi is also known for her hard-line views on China, a key priority that plays into Trump’s vision for the Indo-Pacific region. She’s also expressed her opposition to immigration to Japan, one of Trump’s central issues.
After the Japanese Liberal Democratic Party selected their first female leader, Sanae Takaichi, some are calling her the female Trump who promises to prioritize Japanese national interests over global interests. Her party is expected to win the next election. She promises to be tougher on China and open to militarizing Japan beyond traditional post-WWII Japan’s previous limited standards.
Of particular worry to China is her aggressive stance regarding Taiwan, making it clear she has no intentions of being passive regarding the defense of Taiwan against the CCP. A Chinese agit prop publication, Think China, signaled China’s response to the threat, claiming, “If after taking office Takaichi continues to confront China on Taiwan as well as economic and trade issues, China would inevitably retaliate, causing significant challenges to Japan’s economy and businesses.”
Japan’s potential first female PM: A new Trump on the rise? – ThinkChina Source Link Excerpt:
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected Liberal Democratic Party leader, could be Japan’s first female prime minister. Known for her hawkish stance and strong ties to former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi could have a more confrontational approach, particularly on issues concerning Taiwan, economic security and historical interpretations. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Yu Zeyuan takes a look at the matter.
Japan Confirms Over 600,000 Citizens Killed by Covid ‘Vaccines’– slaynews.com Source Link Excerpt:
Chilling news is emerging from Japan as the nation’s leading experts have uncovered explosive evidence linking skyrocketing excess deaths to Covid mRNA “vaccines.”
A grassroots coalition, United Citizens for Stopping mRNA Vaccines, has forced the release of official vaccination records for 21 million Japanese citizens through a series of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
The records include vaccination dates, batch numbers, and post-vaccine death reports.
The results are devastating.
Professor Murakami of Tokyo Science University, a respected scientist, analyzed the data and uncovered a consistent, alarming pattern:
• A surge in deaths occurred 90–120 days after injection.
• Those who received multiple doses saw earlier and steeper death spikes, suggesting cumulative toxicity.
• Murakami estimates that 600,000–610,000 Japanese citizens have been killed by the “vaccines.”
Trump’s lowered 15% tariff on cars from Japan to take effect Tuesday– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
U.S. President Donald Trump’s lowered tariff of 15 percent on automobiles from Japan will take effect Tuesday, the Commerce Department said, about four months after his aggressive trade agenda started damaging the industrial backbone of one of Washington’s key allies.
The department announced the timing of the adjustment on Monday. The U.S. tariff rate for foreign-origin cars rose to 27.5 percent after Trump imposed in April an additional auto tariff on national security grounds, squeezing the margins of Japanese automakers and other manufacturers.
The reduced tariff is part of a trade deal the Trump administration struck on July 22 with Japan, which in return has committed to investing heavily in the United States and increasing imports of American agricultural products during the president’s nonconsecutive second term.
Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 4 formally implementing the trade agreement, which also granted Japan special treatment on what he calls “reciprocal” tariffs.
The department’s notice to be published Tuesday said that as agreed by the two countries, Trump’s additional 25 percent tariff imposed in May on major auto parts, including engines and transmissions, will also be cut to 15 percent for those coming from Japan.
U.S., South Korea and Japan open joint air and naval exercise– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
The United States, South Korea and Japan opened an air and naval exercise off a South Korean island Monday in their latest joint drill condemned by North Korea as a “reckless show of strength.”
The exercise called Freedom Edge is aimed at strengthening the countries’ combined operational capabilities in the sea, air and cyberspace and is necessary to counter North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile threats, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said.
The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the exercise will include U.S. Marine and Air Force aerial assets and feature enhanced ballistic-missile and air-defense drills, medical evacuations and maritime operations training, making it “the most advanced demonstration of trilateral defense cooperation to date.”
The exercise off South Korea’s southern Jeju Island runs through Friday.
The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un earlier condemned the drills in state media, saying they show the countries’ confrontational stance toward the North.
“The reckless show of strength made by them in real action in the vicinity of the DPRK, which is the wrong place, will inevitably bring bad results to themselves,” Kim Yo Jong said, using the initials of North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Japan strongly criticizes Israeli strike on Hamas in Qatar– japantoday.com Source Link Excerpt:
The Japanese government on Wednesday strongly criticized Israel for its airstrike targeting leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas in Qatar, saying its actions endangered stability in the Middle East.
“At a time when serious diplomatic efforts are underway by countries including Qatar to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza and secure the releases of hostages, Israel’s attack hinders those efforts, threatens Qatar’s sovereignty and security, and endangers regional stability,” top government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“Japan strongly condemns” Israel’s actions, the chief cabinet secretary said at a regular press conference in Tokyo.
Israel targeted top-level Hamas officials in Doha on Tuesday. Qatar has been a key diplomatic player in the Middle East and is mediating peace talks between Hamas and Israel.
The current conflict in the Palestinian region began after the militant group Hamas launched an attack in Israel and took hostages in October 2023, prompting massive Israeli retaliation. Many people in the Gaza Strip are facing starvation as the conflict continues.
