Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made a major declaration on September 21, 2024, aiming at increasing medical aid to people impacted by the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, especially those who were exposed outside the previously defined state-supported territory. Emphasizing the need of justice and equality in the treatment of all atomic bomb survivors, or hibakusha, Kishida said in a statement …

JAPAN: As the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Japan, Prime Minister Lee has written to his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida to congratulate him on the LDP’s success. Two days after the killing of a senior LDP member and former prime minister Shinzo Abe, Japan’s conservative coalition government extended its majority in the upper house of …

Japan – According to national broadcaster NHK, the governor of Japan’s Niigata prefecture handily beat his anti-nuclear opponent in an election today, a result that might empower members of the governing party who are seeking to restart the country‘s mainly idled nuclear power reactors. As indicated by exit surveys, Hideyo Hanazumi, who was endorsed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s governing Liberal …

Asean – Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob met with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida and recommended that relations between Malaysia and Japan be raised to the level of comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP). During the meeting that took place at the Kantei, which is the office of the Japanese Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri, who was accompanied by a …

ASEAN – The leaders of Japan and Thailand announced a new defence agreement today as well as plans to upgrade their economic relations, as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wrapped up the last leg of a three-nation tour of Southeast Asia. The agreement would facilitate the transfer of defence hardware and technology from Japan to Thailand, which has one of …

ASEAN – Officials said a group of foreign policy advisers to South Korea’s president-elect met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday in an effort to restore long-strained relations between the two US allies. At a time when both countries confront dangers from North Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, who took over as South Korea’s president on May 10, has announced …

ASEAN – From the streets of Tokyo to the highest levels of government, Japan applauded Drive My Car’s Oscar success, hoping that it would raise the popularity of Haruki Murakami, the perennial Nobel Prize nominee who wrote the narrative that the film was based on. The three-hour drama, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and premised on a short story by Murakami, …

ASEAN – A massive magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima late yesterday, killing two people and injuring 94 others, and bringing back memories of a devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck the same area little over a decade ago. According to the authorities, there were several reports of fire. Two verified fatalities and 94 injuries, including four …

Japan – As the New Year’s festivities begin,  Japan prepared for a predicted resurgence in coronavirus infections as roads and airports were clogged with travelers. As additional cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 emerged, including a possible cluster at an Osaka nursing home, the governors of Tokyo and Osaka recommended citizens to keep end-of-year parties limited. Travelers should take …