# Japan
Latest news and articles about Japan
Total: 85 articles found
Japan’s Militarist Gamble: Is Sanae Takaichi Betting on Revival — or Self-Destruction?
Sanae Takaichi’s push for a more militarized Japan has reignited debate over constitutional revision, defense spending, and the country’s postwar identity. While proponents frame militarization as necessary national revival in the face of regional threats, critics warn it could spark domestic division, economic strain, and a regional arms dynamic.
Beijing Rebukes Tokyo as Japanese Leader Signals Push to Normalize Yasukuni Visits
China’s foreign ministry condemned Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after she said she was working to create conditions for visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, calling such moves a relapse into militarism on the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Trials. Beijing framed the issue as central to Japan’s moral responsibility and regional trust, warning that denial of wartime crimes risks repeating them.
Beijing Says Japan Election Won’t Alter China Policy, Warns Against Right‑wing Drift
China’s foreign ministry said its policy toward Japan will remain stable despite the ruling coalition’s victory and Sanae Takaichi’s continued leadership, while warning Tokyo against right‑wing adventurism and urging withdrawal of contentious Taiwan remarks. Beijing framed the election as a domestic matter but used the briefing to reiterate core demands and to signal vigilance over Japan’s future defence and Taiwan posture.
Takaichi’s Electoral Mandate Fuels Fiscal Boldness — and Fresh Downward Pressure on the Yen
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s governing coalition won a decisive lower-house majority, clearing the path for expansionary fiscal measures such as cuts to the food consumption tax and a new sovereign wealth fund. Markets have swiftly priced in a higher probability of yen weakness and a Japanese equity rally, while analysts warn that persistent fiscal loosening could exacerbate sovereign-financing pressures and elevate the risk of market intervention if the currency weakens beyond key thresholds.
Hibakusha Families Protest Plans to Weaken Japan’s Non‑Nuclear Stance as Councils Urge Upholding the Three Principles
Relatives of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic‑bomb survivors protested in Hiroshima against Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s reported consideration of revising Japan’s “three non‑nuclear principles,” calling on Tokyo to join the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Municipal assemblies in Hiroshima and Nagasaki have formally urged the central government to respect survivors’ feelings and retain the prohibition on possessing, producing or introducing nuclear arms.
Hibakusha Groups and City Councils Push Back as Tokyo Considers Weakening Japan’s Non‑Nuclear Pledge
Family members of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic‑bomb survivors and both cities’ councils have protested proposals by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government to revise the "no‑import" element of Japan’s Three Non‑Nuclear Principles. The protests underline the moral authority of hibakusha and foreshadow a contentious domestic and diplomatic debate over Japan’s nuclear posture and its role under the US security umbrella.
Japan’s Deep‑Sea Rare‑Earth Claim Provides Political Cover — Not a Market Breakthrough
Japan’s claim to have located large rare‑earth deposits near Minamitorishima and its plan for a 2027 trial eases domestic political pressure after Chinese export curbs, but substantial technical, economic and environmental barriers make rapid independence from Chinese supplies unlikely. Beijing’s structural advantages in extraction and refining mean China is likely to remain central to global rare‑earth supplies in the near to medium term.
Tokyo’s Fertility Rebound: How Big Cash and Free Services Are Turning Babies Into a Public Good
Tokyo’s bold package of cash payments, free services and subsidies — financed at roughly ¥2 trillion a year — appears to have nudged births higher in 2025 after years of decline. The metropolis’s experiment suggests that reducing the explicit and implicit costs of childrearing can influence fertility, but it raises questions about fiscal sustainability and regional divergence.
Tokyo’s “Existential Crisis” Rhetoric on Taiwan Raises Stakes — and Questions About Motives
Hardline Japanese rhetoric framing Taiwan as an “existential” security concern has reignited debate over Tokyo’s military role and constitutional limits. The language reflects both electoral tactics and substantive policy shifts — higher defence spending, island missile deployments and moves to enshrine the Self-Defense Forces — that raise regional tensions and the risk of miscalculation with China.
Japan Declares Breakthrough in Deep‑sea Rare‑earth Harvesting as Beijing’s Export Curbs Bite
Japan says it has successfully retrieved rare‑earth mud from seabed deposits near Minami‑Tori‑Shima and hopes to begin commercial mining by February 2027 if trials continue to succeed. The move is partly a response to China’s recent export controls, but technical, financial and environmental barriers make the 2027 timeline ambitious.
African Leaders Warn Takaichi’s Rhetoric and Japan’s Militarisation Threaten Post‑War Order
African political figures have criticised Japanese prime minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent rhetoric and Japan’s military expansion as threatening the post‑World War II international order. They warn that such moves risk inflaming regional tensions, undermining treaties and norms, and alienating countries that uphold principles of sovereignty and non‑interference.
African voices warn Japan’s hawkish turn risks unraveling the post‑war order
African public figures have criticised remarks by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Tokyo’s perceived tilt toward military expansion as threats to the post‑World War II international order. Their comments highlight wider anxieties about remilitarization, colonial nostalgia, and possible ramifications for regional stability around Taiwan and East Asia.