The country’s defense ministry will be creating a new post in their Defense Policy Bureau to better address issues related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region. The new post will be aimed at boosting the Asean-Japan relation and cooperation in line with the government’s agenda of establishing a more “free and open Indo-Pacific.” The plans of strengthening …

TOKYO – Japan has updated its domestic procedures on a revised free trade pact with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with the changes to enter into force on Aug 1. Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) said in a statement that the comprehensive economic partnership deal with the 10-nation Asean bloc will Japan’s first multilateral trade deal. The deal …

Member states of the of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations together with China, Japan and South Korea on Thursday vows to strengthen and maintain open markets among nation amid the Covid-19 pandemic in hopes to fight off the impact created by the health crisis. The economic ministers of each nations met on an online video conference chaired by Vietnam …

MANILA – The highly-anticipated “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is coming to the Philippines. “Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train” or called “Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Train, is the film sequel of the 2019 hit anime series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba”. ODEX Philippines announced the movie getting in Philippine cinemas, though the company did not disclose …

The Thai Trade Centre (TTC) in Hong Kong said the price of Thai jasmine rice in the city has risen after people began hoarding supplies, while the import of Thai rice to Hong Kong rose by 2 to 3 tonnes in the first quarter of the year. Chanunpat Pisanapipong, executive director of TTC in Hong Kong, said the pandemic and …

Olympic organisers have relentlessly pushed a consistent message: The Summer Games in Tokyo will not be cancelled or postponed. As recently as Thursday, Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto said “cancellation or delay of the Games would be unacceptable for the athletes.” But behind the scenes, sponsors who have pumped billions of dollars into the Games have grown increasingly nervous about how …

South Korea threatened retaliation against Japan for what it called an “irrational and excessive” request for its citizens to voluntarily quarantine themselves, as Tokyo’s outbreak-control measures renewed tensions between the neighbours. The South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “deep regret” over Japan’s latest travel restrictions in a statement Friday, saying they came “without prior or sufficient discussion with us, …

A coronavirus outbreak has weighed on the transport and tourism sectors in Japan, including bullet trains, with fears about infection making people reluctant to venture outdoors or share confined spaces with others for long hours. The number of passengers between Feb 1 and 19 of the Shinkansen Line connecting Tokyo and Osaka fell 8% from a year earlier, its operator …

Chinese and Japanese investors will compete to enter Indonesia in the future. This was conveyed by the Investment Committee Member for the Communication and Information Sector of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Rizal Calvary Marimbo, in Jakarta, Monday, (2/3). Rizal explained, Japan as one of the leading investors in Indonesia. For that, it is not easy to defend. Especially at …

Continuation case of the spread of coronavirus or COVID-19 oboard Diamond Princess where currently docked in Yokohama, Japan, there will be repatriation for those who were there, including some 69 Indonesian crew members. Earlier, the Indonesian crew members had been quarantined for more than two weeks on the ship. On Sunday, Tokyo time, they began the process of returning home. …