Beijing’s restrictions on the export of several critical minerals to Japan are part of efforts to pressure the U.S. ally to reverse what China describes as a path toward “remilitarization,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Monday. In January, China’s commerce ministry moved to tighten controls on exports of items with potential military applications to Japan,…
China was already wary about Japan’s new prime minister, renowned Beijing hawk Sanae Takaichi, before she weighed in on one of its most sensitive issues: Taiwan. The saga began in late October when Ms Takaichi was questioned in parliament over how Japan would respond if China conducted a military blockade of Taiwan. “I believe any…
A week ago, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested that a Chinese push to seize Taiwan would represent such a grave threat to Japan that it could be dragged into a war. PREMIUM Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi Beijing’s response: Fury. In a sharp escalation of the diplomatic spat, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on…
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is stepping down following a significant loss in the July parliamentary elections, Japanese television reported. His resignation reportedly comes after mounting pressure within his own party. New Delhi: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, confirmed his decision to step down on Sunday, a move aimed at preventing a split within the…
The European Union and China are to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic relations in Beijing, as many contentious issues dampen the festive mood. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa are to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang on Thursday…
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday he will stay in office to tackle challenges such as rising prices and high U.S. tariffs after a weekend election defeat left his coalition with a minority in both parliamentary chambers and triggered calls for his resignation. Ishiba’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior…
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s future was unclear Monday after his coalition appeared to have disastrously lost its upper house majority in elections that saw strong gains by a right-wing populist party. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously since 1955, and its partner Komeito had to win 50 seats in Sunday’s…
TOKYO (AP) — Decontaminated but slightly radioactive soil from Fukushima was delivered Saturday to the Japanese prime minister’s office to be reused in an effort to showcase its safety. This is the first soil to be used, aside from experiments, since the 2011 nuclear disaster when the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered a cataclysmic…