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US-Japan relations

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US-Japan relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-Japan relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy.
A launcher for an upgraded Type 12 land-to-ship guided missile is displayed at the Ground Self-Defence Force’s Camp Kengun in Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

Businesses, smokers burnt by Japan’s record US$8 billion defence budget

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has pledged to increase defence spending to 2 per cent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

Japan

Trump’s ‘wind-up doll’? Japan’s PM faces backlash over White House fawning

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Japan

Japan may send ‘top level’ minesweepers to Hormuz after ceasefire

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Japan

Japan PM conveys to Trump her ‘strong intent’ to meet North Korea’s Kim

Takaichi said she has ‘received full support from the president towards an immediate solution’ to Pyongyang’s abductions of Japanese nationals.

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US President Donald Trump kisses Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a dinner at the White House on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
United States

Trump compares Iran attack to Pearl Harbour in otherwise positive Takaichi talks

Two leaders tout bilateral relationship and pledge to work cooperatively on trade.

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US-China relations

Why delayed US-China summit raises stakes for Takaichi ahead of White House visit

Analysts say the combination of the Iran war and the new date for Trump’s trip to Beijing could put Japan’s leader on the defensive.

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Japan

Trump wants Japanese warships in Hormuz. Can Takaichi ‘dodge the bullet’?

The Iran war complicates Trump-Takaichi talks, putting her in a bind between US demands and constitutional limits on military action.

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A naval vessel sails in the Strait of Hormuz on March 1. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Japan

In Japan, video of exhausted Takaichi sparks health fears ahead of US trip

The prime minister is expected to announce Tokyo’s participation in the US’ ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence system when she meets Trump.

China-Japan relations

Opinion | Japan’s rightward shift puts it on a collision course with China

Any attempt by the Takaichi administration to revise the constitution and re-arm the country will ignite fierce opposition from Beijing.

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Japan

Macroscope | Why Japan should push back on Trump’s investment demands

Trump’s use of tariff threats to strong-arm foreign governments, companies and investors into funding US projects should be resisted.

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with US President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the military aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier docked at the American naval base in Yokosuka, Japan on October 28, 2025. Photo: AP
Japan

Why plan by US and Japan to relocate Okinawa airbase is hitting turbulence

The US does not intend to vacate the current airbase for now due to disagreement over runway length at a replacement site, a report says.

Residential buildings are seen near US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan, Japan’s Okinawa prefecture. Photo: AFP
Japan

Trump unveils first Japan investments under trade deal with US

The president hailed the projects – a critical minerals site, a gas power plant and an LNG facility in the US – ahead of PM Takaichi’s visit.

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Japan

Is Japan’s US$550-billion Trump ‘signing bonus’ a deal with strings attached?

Tokyo races to fund US projects to keep a 15 per cent tariff rate, as critics question if the ‘signing bonus’ is a gift or a high-interest loan.

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Japan

Opinion | Will Japan’s election result trigger a security spiral with China?

The result of Japan’s election has altered Tokyo’s domestic political calculus while raising the stakes for regional stability.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Banking & finance

Macroscope | Trump-Takaichi meddling in finance spells more turbulence ahead

The two leaders’ moves into economics despite their lack of knowledge threaten to further destabilise global finance and inflate debt levels.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, (left) gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28, 2025. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump announces White House visit by Japanese PM Takaichi on March 19

The US and Japan have been working to strike a ‘very substantial’ deal on trade, as well as collaborating on national security, Trump said.

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Japan

Japan’s conservatives turn sour on Trump as ‘fears of abandonment’ deepen

Right-wing media outlets and politicians are now concerned that Trump’s second term will harm Japan’s trade and security interests.

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US-China relations

How narrowing China-US gap could reshape global power play by 2035

Political scientist Yan Xuetong predicts Beijing will be on ‘equal footing’ in strategic rivalry with Washington in the post-Trump era.

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China and the US have been working to keep the peace ahead of possible reciprocal visits by US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (right), shown here in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan, US vow ‘unshaken’ defence ties despite Trump’s pivot from Asia

‘We talk about America first, yes, but it doesn’t mean America alone,’ Pentagon chief Hegseth tells Japanese Defence Minister Koizumi.

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US-China relations

Trump to meet US’ China envoy after call with Japanese PM Takaichi

Trump and Takaichi telephone conversation reaffirms ‘close coordination’ of US-Japan alliance and hopes of a ‘new chapter’ for partnership.

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US-China relations

‘No worries’: Trump plays down Beijing’s military drills around Taiwan

Trump dismisses ‘routine’ drills in Taiwan Strait even as US arms sales hit record high and Pentagon repeats 2027 timeline.

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US President Donald Trump spoke about China’s military drills around Taiwan during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Japan

Macroscope | Japan’s economic security push heralds rising protectionism in Asia

The emphasis on securing supply chains and stockpiling critical resources is no substitute for free and open trade and investment.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech in front of US Navy personnel on board the USS George Washington aircraft carrier at the US naval base in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28. Photo: AFP
Japan

Japan vows never to possess nuclear weapons, rebuffing official’s idea

The government’s response came after a senior security official suggested that Tokyo needed nuclear arms to deter ‍potential aggressors.

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China-Japan relations

Donald Trump left facing ‘dilemma’ as China-Japan spat worsens: analyst

White House navigates backing long-time ally Japan while preserving trade truce with China amid fraying ties between the Asian neighbours.

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India

Macroscope | India and Japan show impact of Trump’s tariffs extend beyond trade

While Japan is grappling with acute policy dilemmas and AI bubble fears stalk markets, India seems relatively resilient and forward-looking.

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Workers put switches and connectors on solar panels after they come out of automated framing at a ReNew solar panel manufacturing plant on the outskirts of Jaipur, India, on August 21, 2025. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Bessent calls Beijing an ‘ally’ after Trump signs bill on ties with Taiwan

US Treasury Secretary tries to ease further tension after Trump signs act aimed at regularly reviewing and updating guidelines with Taiwan.

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during The New York Times DealBook Summit, at the Lincoln Centre, New York, on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
China-Japan relations

China’s volatile Japan ties

China and Japan have built deep economic links, while also still having regular diplomatic rows. The latest blow-up came after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in November that the nation’s military forces could potentially be deployed in the event of a Taiwan conflict.

Japan

‘Looming crisis’: why US universities are cutting critical Japanese studies

Academics bemoan the myopic approach after a recent report calls dropping Japan-focused subjects a ‘looming crisis in US-Japan relations’.

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