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Japan
The latest breaking news and stories on Japan, a country in East Asia known as a constitutional monarchy, and the world’s fifth largest economy. Also covering Japan’s relationship with China and Asia, plus commentary and updates on Japan’s economy, politics, society and trade.
Capital
Tokyo
Head of State
Emperor Naruhito
Head of Government
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida
Fumio Kishida
Survivors from a tourist bus crash walk along the highway in the Mamaku Ranges near Rotorua, New Zealand, on September 4. 2019. A bus carrying a group of Chinese tourists crashed near the popular New Zealand tourist town. Photo: AP
Travel Safety

Editorial | Unfamiliar roads demand caution from Hong Kong travellers

Hongkongers who do not drive often should think twice and prepare carefully if they plan to drive on foreign roads.

Defence

Japan, UK, Italy eye Japanese factory to build fighter jet

Ukraine war

Ukraine insists Japan’s pacifist rules permit Patriot missile help

Artificial intelligence

Japan courts India, Malaysia to escape US-China AI duopoly

Fears over foreign software curbs have pushed Tokyo to pitch its own tech to Asian partners and others.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend an economic forum in New Delhi on July 2. Photo: Kyodo
Cambodia

Asian Angle | Cambodia’s war on scammers needs a blueprint built to last

Rounding up foot soldiers is easy. The hard part is tracing cash, exposing high-level enablers and protecting coerced victims.

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Tourism

Millions visit Japan, yet few venture north of Tokyo. Here’s why

Tohoku is just a couple of hours north of Tokyo by bullet train, yet only 6 per cent of overseas visitors visited last year.

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China's military weapons

Is China building a new type of attack submarine? Images hint at stealth gains

Vessel spotted at Shanghai shipyard features smaller sail, suggesting a new class of nuclear sub with better range, analysts say.

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A US Navy officer has projected that China will have a fleet of about 80 submarines by 2035, roughly half of them nuclear-powered. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Asean

Can Southeast Asia survive more Iran war fuel shocks?

Analysts warn the region cannot fully insulate itself from an extended conflict if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted.

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Climate change

Raging wildfires in France and Spain force over 200,000 to flee

Spain has declared its first national emergency for wildfires, while France is mobilising its armed forces to help with the response.

United States

Outside In | Why Donald Trump may regret reheating his global trade war

Over the coming months, efforts to China-proof supply chains are likely to drive US foreign policy. Success, however, is unlikely to follow.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer departs following a Senate Finance Committee hearing on July 22, in Washington. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
US-China trade war

Trump’s new tariffs, stock market intervention, mega IPOs

This week: Trump levies new tariffs against 60 US trading partners, China’s ‘national team’ investors prop up tumbling stock market, and Bessent threatens sanctions against Chinese AI developers. Next week: CXMT debuts in Shanghai followed by Zhongji Innolight in Hong Kong after blockbuster IPOs, China’s Politburo likely to discuss economy, ChinaJoy draws gamers in Shanghai, and more.

Photo: Reuters
China-South Korea relations

South Korea returns looted Qing dynasty lions to China in cultural diplomacy win

Experts believe the marble sculptures guarded an imperial residence before they were taken by Japanese invaders in the early 20th century.

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Defence

Japan’s overworked defence ministry plans first new bureau since 2007

The ‘long overdue’ move is expected to boost the defence ministry’s capacity to work more closely with allies and ease operational strain.

SCMP Highlights

Fresh US tariffs on 60 economies; first China duo win Fields Medal: 7 highlights

From a new Chinese AI model to a Singapore minister’s resignation, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

US President Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia on Wednesday, before the administration’s tariff announcement. Photo: AP
Middle East

Japanese militant who took part in 1972 Israel airport attack dies in Beirut

Kozo Okamoto was part of a three-man team from the Japanese Red Army group that killed 26 people on May 30, 1972.

Kozo Okamoto on July 10, 1972. He was the only surviving member of the three-man unit that killed 26 at Israel’s Lod airport. Photo: AFP
Defence

Why Japan’s fighter jet future looks ‘more optimistic’ with Canada’s entry

Analysts say the move will be ‘a starting point’ for greater cooperation among like-minded partners amid concerns about US commitment.

Banking & finance

Hongkongers increase cross-border shopping splurges, spending data shows

Price differentials, changing consumer habits make mainland China a ‘major hotspot’ for Hongkongers’ spending, UnionPay International says.

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Taiwan

Why PLA jet sorties near Taiwan dropped to a 3-year low in first half of 2026

Beijing is shifting cross-strait military strategy, halving aerial missions and increasing coastguard patrols in the waters near the island.

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Illustration: Davies Christian
US-China trade war

Liberation Day 2.0? US slaps fresh wave of tariffs on China, 50-plus economies

‘Forced labour’ duties replace Trump administration’s original sweeping levies but are unlikely to generate the same level of global shock.

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Food and Drinks

How Hong Kong’s Ginza-style bars have evolved in the past 20 years

The likes of Bar De Luxe, Bar Anima and Mizunara: The Library are blending diverse traditions with omotenashi and ichigo ichie experiences.

Earthquakes

Japan’s deadliest fault line shifts, frustrating megaquake forecasts

As small quakes cluster off the coast, a new seabed study shows the Nankai Trough’s ‘locked zone’ is far more fluid than scientists believed.

A collapsed road in Tohoku in Aomori prefecture, Japan, following a strong earthquake that struck the region in December last year. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Retailing

Japanese firm acts to stop 7-Eleven store staff scalping anime, game merchandise

Some owners and employees have been caught setting aside merchandise before its release or buying up large quantities for resale.

A customer prepares to check out at the register inside a 7-Eleven store in Japan. Photo: Shutterstock
Sanae Takaichi

Japan voters ‘pretty angry’ with PM Takaichi as support frays

Recent opinion polls show Takaichi’s approval rating slipping, reflecting the public’s disdain for her priorities, analysts say.

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Britain

Joe Strummer’s enduring legacy at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival

Ahead of Fuji Rock Festival 2026, we trace the lineage of Japan’s seminal outdoor music event, from Glastonbury to the patronage of punk idol Joe Strummer.

US-China relations

US Congress weighs new tariffs, sanctions to counter China’s shipbuilding threat

US lawmakers search for ways to tackle Beijing’s rapid rise in commercial shipbuilding and restore America’s diminished commercial fleet.

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Ships under construction in Taicang, China. US lawmakers are examining ways to rebuild America’s severely diminished commercial fleet and counter China's shipbuilding dominance. Photo: AFP
South China Sea

Beijing, Manila should avoid South China Sea ‘miscalculation’: top diplomats

Foreign ministers meet on margins of Asean event in Manila, days after fresh sea clash and outrage over video mocking 2016 arbitral ruling.

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Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Asean foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila on Wednesday. Photo: AFP
Weather

Japanese agency warns of ‘cruelly hot days’ amid 40 degrees and above heat

At least 14 people have died from heat-related causes in the past week as emergency officials describe the rising heat as ‘a disaster’.

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Defence

Canada becomes first observer to British-Italian-Japanese GCAP fighter project

Ottawa gains front-row insight into the next-gen combat jet as it seeks to diversify ties amid Washington tensions.

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