Event: Japan

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said she believes that it is appropriate to limit Japan's imperial succession to male heirs from the Imperial Family's paternal line.The prime minister made the remark at a parliamentary meeting Friday, citing a report compiled by experts in 2021 that proposed measures to ensure the number of imperial family members, separately from eligibility for succession to the imperial throne.Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference the report said that those eligible for adoption into the imperial family are limited to men from the paternal line, defending Takaichi's remark.

Yonaguni, Okinawa Pref. – Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost point, rises from the sea like a crown.With few sandy beaches, the island’s checkerboard coastline of green grass and black volcanic stone is even more striking amid the sheer white of massive waves thrown high against the bases of its cliffs.Located at the extreme end of the Ryukyu island chain and a touch over 100 kilometers from Taiwan (for comparison, the Okinawan mainland is more than 500 km to the east), Yonaguni is eternally linked to both the sea and geopolitical realities beyond the waves.

Early in 2021, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw and held talks with both General Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of the armed forces, and Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of the civilian government.The meeting was a chance for China to voice support for Myanmar’s “national conditions” development path and signal China’s long-term pragmatic approach to ties with its southwestern neighbour, irrespective of who was in power.That strategy, however, came under strain just weeks later, as the military under Min Aung Hlaing staged a coup on February 1, effectively ending a decade of tentative democratic reform.The coup plunged the country into turmoil and thrust China – its powerful neighbour and major investor – into an uncomfortable geopolitical spotlight.Unhappy with Beijing’s ties with the junta, anti-coup protesters set Chinese factories on fire and ran a boycott campaign.Meanwhile, the military’s fighting with resistance forces and ethnic armed groups pushed violence so close to the Chinese border that the People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills on its side of the frontier as a warning.Now, with a junta-staged election concluded, attention is shifting to whether Beijing’s dilemma in Myanmar is easing – or becoming more complex.

Chinese hot pot is hopping in Tokyo.The tongue-tantalizing alchemy of huoguo, as the meal is called in Mandarin (hinabe in Japanese), has reached a steady simmer in the capital since making its earliest inroads some decades ago.More than 3,000 huoguo restaurants open outside China every year. Tokyo has around 250 such establishments, with the majority concentrated in Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Takadanobaba and Ueno — neighborhoods known for their significant Chinese business communities. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page. Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ

Tokyo should consider creating a “China-free” supply chain for defense equipment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said Friday, following Beijing’s ban on exports of dual-use items to Japan.During a Lower House Budget Committee session, Koizumi spoke on the importance of reducing reliance on Chinese exports. He cited the example of U.S. drone companies that do not use parts manufactured in China, which he observed during a recent visit to Los Angeles.“It’s important to boost self-reliance by reducing dependence on specific countries,” he said.

Rare earth elements extracted from the sea floor surrounding a remote Japanese island earlier this month could someday provide Japan with a domestic source of the metals as part of a broader effort to reduce its reliance on imported rare earths, especially from China.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government aims to eventually mine and industrialize rare earths, used in manufacturing everything from camera lenses to jet engines.But the timing, investment costs, and economic viability of the project have yet to be determined. The following is what we know so far about Japan’s potential for rare earths.

Mizuho Financial Group is planning to replace about 5,000 administrative jobs in Japan with artificial intelligence over the next 10 years, as the country’s third-largest lender tries to boost productivity. “We are planning to enhance our earnings capabilities by shifting human resources to our focus areas by fully utilizing AI,” Mizuho said in a statement. “It is not a headcount reduction.” Japanese companies have been expanding their use of AI to improve efficiency, and investment in the technology is a key part of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s policy program. In the banking sector, institutions are seeking to pursue AI initiatives in ways that minimize significant workforce reductions as they face labor shortages. Mizuho has about 15,000 clerical positions at its core banking units and other group companies, and affected employees will be transferred to other roles, the bank said. The Yomiuri Shimbun reported the plans earlier. Global banks are heavily investing in AI to improve operations ranging from product development to risk management. JPMorgan Chase & Co. spends about $2 billion annually on developing AI technology, an investment that it says also saves about the same amount each year. The heads of Japan’s banks have been trying to ease concerns that AI will take away jobs. “I don’t think humans will lose their value,” Mizuho Chief Executive Officer Masahiro Kihara said in October. “They can aim for more value-added work.”

Tokyo police have arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion that she took the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) while posing as another person.Police suspect that Rui Moriyama, a company employee from Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, took the TOEIC English proficiency test around mid-May last year in the capital’s Toshima Ward on behalf of a Chinese man from Nakano Ward, who was 19 at the time and was attending a Japanese language school.The man was also arrested. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page. Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ

Taipei – Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te on Thursday bestowed the Order of Brilliant Star with Special Grand Cordon on legendary baseball player Sadaharu Oh in honor of his contributions to cultural exchanges between Japan and Taiwan through sports. Oh, 85, the chairman of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, called for cooperation between Japan and Taiwan to bring energy into Asian baseball, according to Taiwan's presidential office. Lai, known as a baseball fan, said Oh actively promoted cultural exchanges through baseball, also voicing hopes that the Japanese and Taiwanese baseball teams will do their best at the 2026 World Baseball Classic set to kick off in March. Oh's gifts to Lai included a signed baseball bat. Lai held the bat in Oh's iconic flamingo-style batting stance, drawing laughter from the baseball legend, who praised the president for his good balance. Oh is visiting Taiwan for baseball-related activities, such as giving lectures to young people. In 2001, the presidential office awarded him the Order of Brilliant Star with Purple Grand Cordon.

Japan will deploy missiles to a tiny island near Taiwan within five years, its defence minister has said, in a move that is likely to inflame tensions with China.The surface-to-air missiles, which are capable of shooting down aircraft and ballistic missiles, will be located on Yonaguni – Japan’s westernmost island – by March 2031, Shinjiro Koizumi said.“It depends on the progress of preparing facilities, but we are planning for fiscal 2030,” Koizumi told reporters, giving details about the deployment’s schedule for the first time.Koizumi made the announcement amid a diplomatic standoff between Tokyo and Beijing over remarks by Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, about Taiwan’s security.Takaichi told MPs in November that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could lead to the involvement of her country’s self-defence forces (SDF) if the conflict posed an existential threat to Japan.Map showing China, Japan and Taiwan.The remarks, which Takaichi has refused to withdraw, prompted China to urge its citizens not to travel to Japan, as well as restrictions on “dual use” exports to companies in Japan that Chinese officials say are helping to advance the country’s “remilitarisation”.Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to annex Taiwan – a self-governing democracy it regards as a Chinese province – under what it calls “reunification”.Japan’s defence ministry announced plans to bolster defences on remote western islands in 2022, as it shifted its security focus from threats from Russia in the north to countering Chinese military activity in the East China Sea.Yonaguni, which already hosts an SDF facility, lies 100km from Taiwan, and residents fear that they could quickly become caught up in a military confrontation in the region.Koizumi, who visited the island in November, said the ministry would explain the deployment to Yonaguni’s 1,500 residents next week. In 2015 they voted in favour of hosting an…