Latest Japan government News
Japan firm opens whale meat vending machines to push sales
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — A Japanese whaling operator, after struggling for years to promote its products amid protests from conservationists, has found a new way to cultivate clientele and bolster sales: whale meat vending machines. The Kujira (Whale) Store, an unmanned outlet that...
Japan launches intel satellite to watch N. Korea, disasters
TOKYO (AP) — Japan successfully launched a rocket Thursday carrying a government intelligence-gathering satellite on a mission to watch movements at military sites in North Korea and improve natural disaster response. The H2A rocket, launched by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.,...
Kishida prioritizes arms buildup, reversing low birthrate
TOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that Japan faces the severest security environment in the region since the end of World War II and pledged to push a military buildup under a newly adopted security strategy, as well as tackle rapidly declining births so the country can...
Japan refiles request to list divisive gold mine on UNESCO
TOKYO (AP) — Japan has formally resubmitted documents seeking to obtain UNESCO World Heritage recognition for a controversial former gold mine that has added to diplomatic frictions with South Korea over Japanese colonization of the Korean Peninsula and its wartime actions. Japan's...
Japan marks record trade deficit on soaring energy imports
TOKYO (AP) — Japan recorded a record high trade deficit for 2022 of 19.97 trillion yen ($156 billion) as energy imports surged, the Finance Ministry said Thursday. The deficit was the biggest since Japan began keeping comparable records in 1979, the ministry said. ...
Biden and Kishida discuss Japan 'stepping up' security
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida held wide-ranging talks at the White House on Friday as Japan looks to build security cooperation with allies in a time of provocative Chinese and North Korean military action. The two administrations...
Suspect charged with murder in assassination of Japan's Abe
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese prosecutors formally charged the suspect in the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with murder, sending him to stand trial, a court said Friday. Tetsuya Yamagami was arrested immediately after allegedly shooting Abe with a homemade gun as the...
China's trade surplus swells to $877.6B as exports grow
BEIJING (AP) — China’s trade surplus swelled to a record $877.6 billion last year as exports rose despite weakening U.S. and European demand and anti-virus controls that temporarily shut down Shanghai and other industrial centers. Exports increased 7% from a year earlier to $3.95...
Japanese PM asks for Canada’s help on clean energy
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is looking to Canada to help his country wean itself off fossil fuels from places such as Russia. Kishida is in Ottawa Thursday for his first visit as Japan’s head of government, as part of a tour of other Group of...
Asian shares mixed ahead of key US inflation data
TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Thursday ahead of a closely watched report on U.S. inflation viewed as a good indicator of whether Wall Street’s recent rising optimism is warranted or overdone. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 wobbled in early trading and was up 0.1% at...
