Japan’s Takaichi dissolves parliament after only 3 months in office, setting up snap election

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has dissolved the lower house of Parliament, paving the way for a Feb. 8 snap election.

Japan's PM is entering self-made fiscal trap

Sanae Takaichi’s snap election seeks a mandate for debt-fuelled growth and tax cuts, sending 40-year bond yields to a record ...
USNI News

Japan Reports 14% Decrease in Fighter Scrambles to Shadow Chinese, Russian Forces Over Last 9 Months

Japan fighter aircraft were scrambled 448 times in the last nine months – a 14 percent decrease from the same timeframe last ...

Japan’s Leader Calls for Snap Election in Bid to Expand Power

Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to be Japan’s prime minister, is hoping to seize on her popularity by calling a parliamentary ...

Hayato Sumino has shown his talents, from paying tribute in Hiroshima to captivating crowds at Carnegie Hall

Taking his talent abroad, Sumino has played at many acclaimed venues. Amongst this list is Carnegie Hall. It was here that ...
Seattle Times

Japan’s nuclear watchdog halts plant’s reactor safety screening over falsified data

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it is scrapping the safety screening for two reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan, after its operator was found to have ...
Seattle Times

China announces another new trade measure against Japan as tensions rise

BEIJING (AP) — China escalated its trade tensions with Japan on Wednesday by launching an investigation into imported dichlorosilane, a chemical gas used in making semiconductors, a day after it ...
The New York Times

China’s Threat to Block Rare Earths Has Put Japan on High Alert

Tokyo is concerned at signs that Beijing may be laying the groundwork to restrict access to the metals vital to manufacturing. By River Akira Davis Reporting from Tokyo Coded threats from China that ...
Seattle Times

Earthquake shakes western Japan but causes no major damage or tsunami

TOKYO (AP) — A strong earthquake shook western Japan on Tuesday, but no major damage or life-threatening injuries were reported. The magnitude 6.4 quake struck in Shimane prefecture in northwestern ...
Seattle Times

That’s some pricey fish: A glimpse into Japan’s New Year’s tuna auction

TOKYO (AP) — That’s a REALLY big fish. This one weighed in at 535 pounds (243 kilograms). It sold for a record $3.2 million (510 million yen) on Monday at an enormous annual New Year’s auction in ...
Seattle Times

Japan says Trump has invited its leader to the US. It comes as ties with China are strained

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump invited Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a phone call Friday to visit the United States this year, the Japanese foreign ministry said, in what ...
Seattle Times

How Japanese scallops became a pawn in diplomatic tensions with China

TOKYO — In early November, a ship carrying 6 tons of Hokkaido scallops slipped out of a northern Japanese port, bound for China. The shipment was meant to be a milestone, a sign of warming ties ...