https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/278028/feed Shinzo Abe was the prime minister of Japan from 2006 to 2007 and from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving prime minister in Japanese history and was a member of the Liberal Democratic Party. He was fatally shot by a gunman while delivering a speech on behalf of another politician in the city of Nara on July 8, 2022. The gunman was identified as a 41-year-old local man who was a veteran of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force and said he was frustrated with Abe. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who championed closer ties with China during his brief tenure and later served as a crucial diplomatic intermediary during bilateral crises, has died at the age of 90. Fukuda died of heart failure on Thursday at a Tokyo hospital, Japanese media reported on Monday. His passing comes as the relationship he spent decades nurturing faces its gravest test since diplomatic normalisation in 1972. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun offered... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372192/death-former-pm-yasuo-fukuda-leaves-void-fraught-china-japan-relations https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372192/death-former-pm-yasuo-fukuda-leaves-void-fraught-china-japan-relations Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:20:20 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda, who used ⁠his brief period ⁠in office to seek ⁠closer ties with Asian neighbours, particularly China, has died at the age of 90, according to the Nikkei business daily on Monday. The Japanese politician, the first son of a prime minister to become one ‌himself, died on Thursday from heart failure, the Nikkei reported. Following news of his death, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi expressed “deep sorrow” when speaking to reporters in Tokyo, praising him as... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3372141/former-japanese-prime-minister-yasuo-fukuda-known-seeking-china-ties-dies-90 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3372141/former-japanese-prime-minister-yasuo-fukuda-known-seeking-china-ties-dies-90 Mon, 26 Oct 2026 06:37:40 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The arrest of a Japanese journalist in Russia has finally woken Tokyo up to the fact that Moscow is playing hardball in their diplomatic relationship, and the country’s apparent unwillingness to push back with commensurate force could encourage the Kremlin to test its neighbour’s resolve, analysts say. Japan lodged an official protest with the Russian ambassador in Tokyo on Wednesday, a day after Moscow announced the arrest of Yuki Imai from the Hokkaido Shimbun Press on suspicion of espionage.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3371438/japans-dilemma-over-frosty-ties-russia-deepens-after-reporters-arrest https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3371438/japans-dilemma-over-frosty-ties-russia-deepens-after-reporters-arrest Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:25:20 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Saturday sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo, regarded by Japan’s neighbours as a symbol of the country’s past militarism, at the start of its three-day autumn festival. Takaichi, known as a conservative who routinely visited the Shinto shrine before becoming prime minister a year ago, was unlikely to visit the shrine during the festival, a source close to her said, amid strained relations with China and relatively stable ties with South Korea. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3371219/japans-takaichi-sends-offering-controversial-yasukuni-war-shrine https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3371219/japans-takaichi-sends-offering-controversial-yasukuni-war-shrine Sat, 17 Oct 2026 00:33:20 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Russia has rebuffed a strongly worded complaint from Japan over a statue in the city of Khabarovsk depicting a Soviet soldier smashing an imperial-era border marker bearing the Japanese emperor’s emblem, with analysts predicting bilateral relations will stay chilly. The 15-metre granite monument, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Japan in 1945, shows a soldier using the butt of his rifle to shatter the border post – a replica of the markers once installed along the 50th parallel on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3366952/japans-protest-over-russian-soldier-statue-aggravates-summer-tension https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3366952/japans-protest-over-russian-soldier-statue-aggravates-summer-tension Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:24 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A South Korean court sentenced the leader of the secretive and powerful Unification Church on Monday to two years in prison on charges of bribing officials, including the then-president’s wife. Han Hak-ja, 83, was accused of providing luxury items, including a designer handbag, to former first lady Kim Keon-hee while her husband, Yoon Suk-yeol, was president, in an attempt to secure policy favours. She arrived for sentencing at court on Monday in a wheelchair, wearing pyjamas and a surgical... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365824/south-koreas-unification-church-leader-han-hak-ja-jailed-2-years-bribing-officials https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3365824/south-koreas-unification-church-leader-han-hak-ja-jailed-2-years-bribing-officials Mon, 31 Aug 2026 07:22:10 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday failed to explicitly pledge that Japan will maintain its non-nuclear principles, simply saying the government “is upholding” the long-held policy, as the country marked the 81st anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Hiroshima. At a press conference after a memorial ceremony in the western Japanese city, Takaichi said Japan will promote “realistic and practical” efforts towards a world without nuclear weapons, repeating the wording she used in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3363153/japans-takaichi-stops-short-clear-pledge-maintain-non-nuclear-principles https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3363153/japans-takaichi-stops-short-clear-pledge-maintain-non-nuclear-principles Thu, 06 Aug 2026 07:26:21 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Public support for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appears to be fraying, with two new opinion polls suggesting voters are losing patience with a leader who won a sweeping mandate in February but has since spent political capital on conservative causes instead of tackling cost-of-living pressures. Analysts said the problem was not simply that Takaichi’s honeymoon period was ending, but that she had used her commanding position to push through legislation dear to the most conservative... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3361519/shes-blown-it-support-frays-japan-pm-takaichi-over-controversial-laws https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3361519/shes-blown-it-support-frays-japan-pm-takaichi-over-controversial-laws Thu, 23 Jul 2026 02:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi arrived in India this week seeking a deeper economic and security partnership, but analysts say the bigger question is how far New Delhi is prepared to align with Tokyo’s China-focused Indo-Pacific strategy. Takaichi held talks with her Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in Delhi on Thursday, with economic security, strategic cooperation and collaboration on innovative technologies high on the agenda. Analysts suggest the overarching aim of the three-day... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3359190/japans-takaichi-looks-india-counter-china-indo-pacific https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3359190/japans-takaichi-looks-india-counter-china-indo-pacific Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:06 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall As Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi heads to the G7 meeting in France next week, she is expected to hear rumblings of discontent over Tokyo’s apparent diplomatic outreach to Moscow. With European Union member states and most Nato nations united in their resolve to push back on Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and isolate Moscow, Japan’s very different approach to Vladimir Putin’s regime has not been overlooked. Senior officials from Japan’s foreign and trade ministries travelled... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356929/why-japans-russia-outreach-could-fuel-g7-concern-over-unity-bad-signal https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356929/why-japans-russia-outreach-could-fuel-g7-concern-over-unity-bad-signal Sat, 13 Jun 2026 01:30:13 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo People always talk knowingly about Weimar, a period of extremes: artistic and social-sexual decadence, democratic liberalism and the radicalisation of the left and the right, before Germany’s descent into Hitlerian hell. The city as a symbol, close to the site of the former Buchenwald concentration camp, is back in the news, well, at least the op-ed pages of the Western press. That’s rarely a good sign. “The new crisis [in Germany] seems uncomfortably familiar because, in some respects, it... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356304/forget-weimar-its-japans-taisho-period-we-need-talk-about https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356304/forget-weimar-its-japans-taisho-period-we-need-talk-about Tue, 09 Jun 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Winston Mok Winston Mok Beyond the diplomatic choreography of last month’s Xi-Trump summit, what are the structural implications of a less confrontational US-China relationship for the Asia-Pacific? The subsequent visits by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to India and US Secretary of Defence Peter Hegseth to Singapore in late May shed some light on the question. Both Rubio and Hegseth had accompanied Trump to Beijing. Perhaps most telling was the switch in the usage of a geographic term by the US administration. In... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356118/indo-pacific-label-losing-its-lustre-china-has-opportunity https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3356118/indo-pacific-label-losing-its-lustre-china-has-opportunity Tue, 09 Jun 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan appears to be edging ever closer to a referendum on its pacifist constitution, after a realignment of parliamentary forces delivered the supermajority needed to put the change to a public vote. For nearly eight decades, Article 9 of the 1947 constitution – drafted under Allied occupation and long treated as untouchable – has prevented Tokyo from formally maintaining a military with “war potential”. That article has outlasted every previous attempt to change it. But Japanese conservatives... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356126/japan-prepares-drop-its-pacifist-mask-right-rises https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3356126/japan-prepares-drop-its-pacifist-mask-right-rises Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is considering visiting India early next month to meet with her counterpart Narendra Modi to discuss cooperation on strengthening supply chains of critical goods given concerns about China’s economic coercion, government sources said on Thursday. Takaichi aims to deepen bilateral collaboration in a wide range of fields covering defence, economic issues and cutting-edge technologies such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence, according to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355986/japans-pm-takaichi-eyes-india-trip-talks-leader-modi https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3355986/japans-pm-takaichi-eyes-india-trip-talks-leader-modi Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:35:27 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is often seen as one of Asia’s most stable democracies, with a sophisticated media industry and constitutional protections for free expression, yet one of the world’s leading press freedom indexes has once again rated the country’s media environment as “problematic”. Analysts and journalists say the label points to a contradiction at the heart of Japan’s press system – reporters are rarely subject to the overt repression seen in authoritarian states, but political pressure, access... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355198/self-censorship-behind-japans-problematic-press-freedom-ranking https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3355198/self-censorship-behind-japans-problematic-press-freedom-ranking Fri, 29 May 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Around 20 people were injured at a luxury shopping complex in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on Monday after a man sprayed a substance inside, police and fire department officials said. Tokyo police spokesman Yusuke Koide said that a man sprayed a substance at an ATM on the ground floor of the building, while a local fire department official said “around 20 people were injured” after a report of a “smell”. The road in front of the mall – located in the touristy and upmarket shopping district of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354738/dozens-injured-japan-after-man-sprays-smelly-liquid-tokyo-shopping-centre https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354738/dozens-injured-japan-after-man-sprays-smelly-liquid-tokyo-shopping-centre Mon, 25 May 2026 06:29:55 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Hiroshi Suzuki, Japan’s ambassador to Britain, is becoming a social media sensation as followers embrace his unbridled enthusiasm for everything the country has to offer. Videos of him singing the Welsh national anthem, for example, and his valiant attempts to copy local dialects and expressions have generated an outpouring of love for him online. Many comments say Suzuki is reminding often pessimistic Britons of the nation’s achievements and rich heritage. His entertaining efforts have garnered... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3353212/meet-hiroshi-suzuki-japanese-envoy-showing-britons-how-love-britain https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3353212/meet-hiroshi-suzuki-japanese-envoy-showing-britons-how-love-britain Tue, 12 May 2026 02:33:37 +0000 Wenran Jiang Wenran Jiang Global attention is fixated on Japan’s strategic shift under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. From the strengthened US-Japan alliance to the tense stand-off with China, from advocating for constitutional reinterpretation to allowing weapons exports and deploying counterstrike capabilities – these moves have been dissected in capitals worldwide. But the real, and more decisive, story is unfolding on Japan’s home front. The domestic dynamic driving this change is often a footnote, yet it is the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352355/domestic-dynamics-driving-japans-remilitarisation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3352355/domestic-dynamics-driving-japans-remilitarisation Wed, 06 May 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Akio Takahara Akio Takahara Japan and China are Asian powerhouses that should collaborate responsibly for the peace and prosperity of the region. However, bilateral relations have experienced ups and downs since the start of the century and are now at their lowest point after normalisation in 1972. A major cause of this is the widening perception and information gap between the two nations that needs to be addressed through direct people-to-people contact. Some, perhaps many, misunderstand that Japan and China are always... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3352140/why-japan-china-ties-can-benefit-promoting-people-people-exchanges https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/opinion/article/3352140/why-japan-china-ties-can-benefit-promoting-people-people-exchanges Sun, 03 May 2026 01:00:22 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan and Vietnam are set to agree to boost their partnership in economic security in leaders’ talks on Saturday, as Japan seeks to strengthen supply chains for critical resources amid its diplomatic spat with China and the Middle East crisis. As Tokyo looks to deepen ties with Southeast Asian nations with an eye to China’s increasing economic engagement with the region, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will also give a speech on Japan’s updated vision for its free and open Indo-Pacific policy... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3352202/japans-takaichi-hold-talks-vietnam-economic-security-critical-minerals https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3352202/japans-takaichi-hold-talks-vietnam-economic-security-critical-minerals Sat, 02 May 2026 03:24:10 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi complained she was not getting enough sleep, a veteran politician who met her on Thursday said. The remark came as Takaichi’s premiership recently reached the six-month mark. After winning her ruling party’s leadership election in October, putting her on course to become Japan’s first female prime minister, she vowed to “work, work, work, work and work”, a phrase that became a catchphrase in 2025. “I want to get a little more sleep,” the 65-year-old prime... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351142/japans-pm-takaichi-tells-fellow-politician-she-needs-more-sleep https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351142/japans-pm-takaichi-tells-fellow-politician-she-needs-more-sleep Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:37:21 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sent a ritual offering on Tuesday to a shrine honouring the country’s war dead that has long angered neighbouring countries but did not visit in person, media reports and an unidentified source close to the matter said. The Yasukuni shrine in central Tokyo is dedicated to 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who perished in conflicts since the late 19th century. That number includes senior military and political figures convicted by an international... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350867/japans-takaichi-sends-yasukuni-shrine-offering-south-korea-expresses-regret https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350867/japans-takaichi-sends-yasukuni-shrine-offering-south-korea-expresses-regret Tue, 21 Apr 2026 08:58:05 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pursuing the first ever revision of her country’s post-World War II pacifist constitution, a step that observers say is likely to be welcomed in Washington and condemned in Beijing. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) secured a historic two-thirds majority in the National Diet’s lower house in February’s election, passing the threshold needed to pass constitutional amendments without other parties’ support. “An independent constitutional amendment... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350506/peace-out-takaichi-putting-japans-pacifist-constitution-chopping-block https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350506/peace-out-takaichi-putting-japans-pacifist-constitution-chopping-block Sat, 18 Apr 2026 08:00:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan and Nato are drawing closer together, with 30 representatives from the transatlantic security alliance’s member states set to visit Tokyo this month amid mounting concern over Washington’s reliability as a security partner. The Nato envoys will reportedly hold talks on China’s expanding regional influence, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the implications of a more volatile global security order, according to Japanese public broadcaster NHK. “A delegation of this size underlines just... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3349766/japan-welcome-30-nato-envoys-trump-rattles-us-allies Mon, 13 Apr 2026 00:00:18 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles As Japanese combat troops prepare to join war games in the Philippines next month – their first return to Philippine soil since 1945 – some Filipinos say the real issue is not only what Japan is doing now, but what it still has not fully reckoned with from the past. For survivors, activists and historians, Tokyo’s expanding security role in the Philippines has revived what one campaigner called “the elephant in the room” – the absence, in their view, of a formal state apology and official... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3348443/japans-wartime-past-weighs-growing-military-role-philippines https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3348443/japans-wartime-past-weighs-growing-military-role-philippines Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is facing accusations of diplomatic sycophancy after White House footage showed her giggling at a portrait of an autopen – placed by US President Donald Trump in the spot reserved for his predecessor Joe Biden – during summit talks last week. The clip, posted on the official White House website, shows Takaichi pointing at the framed picture, then laughing and covering her mouth. It was filmed on the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, a gallery unveiled by Trump... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3347717/japan-pm-mocked-trump-sycophant-after-giggling-bidens-autopen-portrait Tue, 24 Mar 2026 09:40:50 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang A White House photo of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi appearing to break into a dance at an official function ignited a wave of mockery across Chinese social media on the weekend, with commenters framing her as Washington’s biggest cheerleader. The photograph, the first in an official White House gallery from her summit with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, captures Takaichi in a moment of unbridled exuberance during a welcome reception. Making her first trip to Washington since... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347471/trumps-biggest-cheerleader-why-japans-takaichi-making-waves-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347471/trumps-biggest-cheerleader-why-japans-takaichi-making-waves-china Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier A high-stakes summit between US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Thursday appeared to get off to a good start as the two touted the bilateral relationship and pledged to work cooperatively on trade, stabilising the global energy market and regional security. Takaichi was the first US ally to meet face to face with the mercurial president, amid concern that he would take out his anger on her for the large number of security partners who have declined to help... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347220/trump-talks-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-positive-start https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/diplomacy/article/3347220/trump-talks-japanese-prime-minister-sanae-takaichi-positive-start Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:21:23 +0000 Laura Zhou Laura Zhou China and Japan’s long-standing rivalry has deep historic roots, and relations between the two have taken a significant turn for the worse in recent months. This article, the third in a three-part series, looks at how US President Donald Trump, Taiwan and war in the Middle East factor into their relationship. Read the second part here. As Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to host regional leaders for the Apec summit later this year, observers are closely watching whether the summit could... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3347188/uncompromising-takaichis-meeting-trump-seen-key-china-japan-ties Thu, 19 Mar 2026 12:00:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The rapidly escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow this week’s meeting between Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and US President Donald Trump, where the two leaders are expected to deepen economic cooperation and collaboration in shipbuilding. Thursday’s summit at the White House puts Takaichi in a bind, caught between Trump’s call for Tokyo and others to send warships to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and her country’s constitutional limits on taking part in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3346660/trump-wants-japanese-warships-hormuz-can-takaichi-dodge-bullet https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3346660/trump-wants-japanese-warships-hormuz-can-takaichi-dodge-bullet Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo A Japanese high court on Wednesday upheld a dissolution order for the Unification Church in line with the central government’s request, with liquidation procedures beginning immediately. Presiding Judge Motoko Miki of the Tokyo High Court said the decision was made as it is possible that the organisation is still engaging in unlawful solicitation of donations that financially ruin its members and others. “One can hardly expect the church to voluntarily take measures to prevent its members from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345349/unification-church-faces-liquidation-after-japanese-court-backs-dissolution-order https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3345349/unification-church-faces-liquidation-after-japanese-court-backs-dissolution-order Wed, 04 Mar 2026 03:32:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Representatives of the Unification Church, the controversial South Korea-founded religious group that became a political flashpoint in Japan after the 2022 assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, are set to return to court on Wednesday as judges consider whether to strip it of its legal status. The Tokyo High Court is widely expected to uphold a lower court’s order to dissolve the organisation, officially known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, in a ruling that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345196/unification-church-faces-uphill-task-japan-fight-courts-liquidation-ruling https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3345196/unification-church-faces-uphill-task-japan-fight-courts-liquidation-ruling Tue, 03 Mar 2026 02:00:26 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s reputation as a nation where employees put in brutally long hours may have to be reassessed, according to recent official statistics showing that Japanese workers now clock fewer hours on average than Americans, Canadians and Italians. At first glance, the numbers suggest that government efforts to curb karoshi, or death by overwork, have paid off. But analysts and employees caution that the figures may not be directly comparable with those from other nations. According to figures... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344130/no-more-overworked-japan-new-figures-show-employees-clock-fewer-hours https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3344130/no-more-overworked-japan-new-figures-show-employees-clock-fewer-hours Mon, 23 Feb 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall A bizarre, previously unreported incident involving a naked man at Japan’s Imperial Palace during a new year’s celebration has raised questions about the emperor’s security as the royal household prepares for his birthday audience on Monday. The breach occurred on January 2 but only came to light this week, when the magazine News Post Seven published an account of the episode. An official from the Imperial Household Agency confirmed to This Week in Asia that a security incident had taken place... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3343918/naked-intruder-exposes-gaps-japans-royal-security-enormous-failure https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3343918/naked-intruder-exposes-gaps-japans-royal-security-enormous-failure Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide victory in Sunday’s snap election has raised concern in China that she may seek to change the country’s pacifist constitution. Beijing would regard any change to the constitution, which renounces the use of force to settle international disputes, as a threat to regional stability and is likely to react strongly to any changes. Takaichi has previously signalled she wanted to change Article 9 of the constitution, imposed after Japan’s defeat in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342964/why-china-worried-japan-election-may-prompt-change-pacifist-constitution https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342964/why-china-worried-japan-election-may-prompt-change-pacifist-constitution Mon, 09 Feb 2026 14:00:26 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley When the world’s leading central banks rode to the rescue during the global financial crisis in 2008, they were hailed as knights in shining armour intent upon slaying the twin dragons of economic recession and deflation. Now it seems the knights are no more, to quote an old English hymn, and yet the dragons are not dead. US President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, has expressed doubts over whether the Fed acted wisely when it became the biggest buyer of US... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342516/trump-takaichi-meddling-finance-spells-more-turbulence-ahead https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3342516/trump-takaichi-meddling-finance-spells-more-turbulence-ahead Sat, 07 Feb 2026 08:30:09 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Voters are less likely to support female politicians when they are wearing face masks, while there was no such effect for their male counterparts, according to a study by a Japanese university research team. The findings, published last month ahead of Sunday’s general election, underscored the differences in how the public perceived politicians following the Covid-19 pandemic, when wearing masks became more common for politicians across the world. “Differences in how masked faces are perceived... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342029/japanese-researchers-unmask-hidden-bias-against-female-politicians https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342029/japanese-researchers-unmask-hidden-bias-against-female-politicians Mon, 02 Feb 2026 00:57:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The gunman charged with killing Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was found guilty and jailed for life on Wednesday, more than three years after the broad daylight assassination shocked the world. The slaying forced a reckoning in a country with little experience of gun violence and ignited scrutiny of alleged ties between prominent conservative lawmakers and a secretive sect, the Unification Church. As he handed down the sentence at a court in the city of Nara, Judge Shinichi Tanaka said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340647/japan-ex-pm-shinzo-abes-killer-tetsuya-yamagami-sentenced-life-prison https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3340647/japan-ex-pm-shinzo-abes-killer-tetsuya-yamagami-sentenced-life-prison Wed, 21 Jan 2026 04:46:56 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao A group of about 200 prominent Japanese business leaders has reportedly postponed their annual visit to mainland China, the first such deferral in more than a decade, amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo over Taiwan. The postponement, first reported by Bloomberg and Kyodo, is widely seen by observers as a worrying sign of fraying corporate diplomacy – long regarded as a stabilising channel in the countries’ complicated relationship. It comes amid Beijing’s intensified efforts to rally a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338421/200-prominent-japanese-business-leaders-postpone-annual-china-trip-amid-bilateral-tensions https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3338421/200-prominent-japanese-business-leaders-postpone-annual-china-trip-amid-bilateral-tensions Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:30:25 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea’s rival political parties are set to appoint special prosecutors to investigate allegations that the Unification Church bribed and lobbied politicians across the ideological divide, a rare move that observers have said could test the country’s constitutional separation of religion and politics. On Monday, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said it would accept a proposal from the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) for the team of special prosecutors to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3337368/south-korean-politicians-agree-unification-church-special-probe-rare-move https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3337368/south-korean-politicians-agree-unification-church-special-probe-rare-move Tue, 23 Dec 2025 01:30:14 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time proponent of tightening rules on espionage and secrecy, was already formulating policies before she took office in October. On November 26, Takaichi told a Diet session... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns Sun, 14 Dec 2025 01:30:17 +0000 Lijia Zhang Lijia Zhang During a trip home, I took my daughters to the Nanking massacre memorial hall. It is not an easy place to visit. In shadowy rooms, photographs of victims line the walls. The names of the dead stretch across black stone. In glass cases lie bones unearthed from mass graves. I wanted my children to learn history honestly, to understand what war does to people. I shared stories my grandma had told me: as she fled town, a bomb fell on a nearby street. One neighbour vanished. Only bits of her remained... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3335767/only-true-repentance-japan-can-resolve-east-asias-memory-wars Fri, 12 Dec 2025 21:30:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Japanese #MeToo campaigner’s documentary premiered in her homeland on Friday after months of delays, with one audience member saying she hoped it triggered a change in society. Shiori Ito won a landmark 2019 civil case against a Japanese TV reporter accused of raping her – a charge he denies – and turned her ordeal into a film released last year and screened worldwide. But some segments of Black Box Diaries contained video and audio that had been clandestinely shot or meant only for use in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336249/japan-finally-airs-oscar-nominated-metoo-film-black-box-diaries-after-lengthy-delay https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3336249/japan-finally-airs-oscar-nominated-metoo-film-black-box-diaries-after-lengthy-delay Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:28:02 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong South Korea is bracing for a showdown between political power and religious influence, as a widening bribery scandal linked to the Unification Church has thrust President Lee Jae-myung into a battle over how far the state should go in policing faith-based organisations. With allegations of illicit lobbying spreading across the country’s two major political parties, Lee has ordered a review of whether religious groups accused of systematic election interference and covert funding networks can be... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3335911/south-koreas-threat-dissolve-corrupt-religious-groups-risks-political-blowback https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3335911/south-koreas-threat-dissolve-corrupt-religious-groups-risks-political-blowback Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:00:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The leader of one of South Korea’s largest cultlike churches stood trial on Monday accused of bribing the country’s former first lady with gifts including a designer handbag and a diamond necklace. The arrest of leader Han Hak-ja in September rocked the Unification Church, which claims to have 10 million followers worldwide and controls a sprawling business empire. The 82-year-old defendant, known to her followers as “holy mother”, also faces corruption charges over cash payments to a lawmaker... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3334732/south-korean-unification-church-leader-denies-knowing-about-bribes-kim-keon-hee Mon, 01 Dec 2025 05:44:23 +0000 Sylvie Zhuang Sylvie Zhuang The diplomatic crisis between Tokyo and Beijing is the result of a years-long fundamental shift to the right in Japan – and part of a “long-term struggle” that China must prepare for, according to analysts. The assessment comes as relations between the two countries nosedive, prompted by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion earlier this month that a hypothetical conflict in the Taiwan Strait would trigger a military response from Tokyo. For Beijing, the comments ventured into a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333837/why-japans-drift-right-means-long-term-struggle-china Sun, 23 Nov 2025 13:00:10 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Imagine Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a German leader. Instead of being euphemistically labelled a nationalist conservative by an adoring Western media, she would have been more accurately called a far-right extremist. Her biggest fans like to spew hate on tourists (especially Chinese), foreigners and immigrants, though the latter’s population is insignificant when compared with many Western countries. She has breached Japan’s notorious glass ceiling, but she wants to make sure it’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/article/3333008/takaichis-stance-over-taiwan-just-what-west-wants Sun, 16 Nov 2025 15:58:30 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is under growing pressure from nationalist conservatives to make a high-profile visit to Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, a symbolic move that analysts warn could embolden the country’s far-right and strain relations with neighbours. While Takaichi has long championed visits to the shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead including 14 convicted Class A war criminals, she has so far held off as leader – opting instead to send a ritual offering during... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3331994/yasukuni-litmus-test-looms-japans-new-pm-takaichi https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3331994/yasukuni-litmus-test-looms-japans-new-pm-takaichi Sat, 08 Nov 2025 02:00:19 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A near-incursion by Russian fighter jets into Japanese airspace last week was a bid by Moscow to intimidate Tokyo amid its strengthening ties with Washington, observers warned. And without a breakthrough in US-Russia relations, few expect Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to make much headway at easing the tension. Tokyo said it scrambled fighter jets last Friday to monitor Russian warplanes, including nuclear-capable strategic bombers, which had flown close to Japanese airspace along... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3330880/was-russian-jet-fly-past-bid-intimidate-japan-cooling-ties-us https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3330880/was-russian-jet-fly-past-bid-intimidate-japan-cooling-ties-us Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines and Japan have agreed in principle to a military logistics deal, signalling a renewed commitment from Tokyo to the late Shinzo Abe’s vision of a “Free and Open Indo-Pacific”. Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s new prime minister and a former protege of Abe, met Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on the sidelines of the recently concluded Asean summit in Malaysia to advance discussions on an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). The pact would allow the two nations’ armed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3330876/what-japan-philippines-military-logistics-pact-reveals-about-tokyos-asean-strategy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3330876/what-japan-philippines-military-logistics-pact-reveals-about-tokyos-asean-strategy Thu, 30 Oct 2025 07:12:32 +0000