# Japan
Latest news and articles about Japan
Total: 85 articles found
Slovak Lawmaker Criticises Japan’s Takaichi as Threatening One‑China Consensus and Regional Stability
Michal Bartek, vice‑chair of Slovakia’s parliamentary Defence and Security Committee, condemned remarks by Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi as irresponsible and dangerous for challenging the One China principle. He warned that confrontational rhetoric risks destabilising East Asia and reflects Tokyo’s growing alignment with Washington at the expense of regional and economic interests.
UAE President Cancels Japan State Visit as Iran‑US Tensions Rise, Underscoring Gulf’s Diplomatic Tightrope
The UAE president has cancelled a planned state visit to Japan amid rising U.S.–Iran tensions, a move widely interpreted as a precautionary response to growing regional instability. The decision underscores Gulf states’ delicate balancing between security ties with the United States and pragmatic engagement with Iran, with implications for diplomacy, energy markets and regional risk calculations.
Japanese Peace Groups Warn Takaichi’s Rhetoric and Rearmament Push Threaten Regional Stability
Japan’s leading domestic peace group has condemned Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments and policy direction on nuclear options and expanded offensive capabilities, warning they breach postwar consensus and could heighten regional tensions. The group also urged Tokyo to confront its wartime past to avoid repeating historical aggression.
New Confession from a Unit 731 Veteran Reconstructs an Industrial Plague Campaign
A newly released 47‑minute interview with former Unit 731 member Sato Hideo offers a detailed, first‑person account of how the unit cultivated plague at industrial scale, tested its lethality on animals and prepared biological munitions for aerial dispersal. The testimony strengthens the historical record of the Japanese army’s biological warfare program and highlights enduring questions about accountability, memory and biosecurity.
Under Beijing’s Pressure, Tokyo Quietly Urges Fishermen Away from Diaoyu/Senkaku Waters
Chinese media report that Beijing’s intensified coastguard patrols and economic pressure have prompted Japanese officials to privately advise fishermen to avoid the disputed Diaoyu/Senkaku waters. The episode illustrates how sustained maritime patrols and targeted economic measures can produce de‑facto control and compel rivals to change behaviour without open warfare.
“We Were Turning Plague into Weapons”: Full Testimony from a Unit 731 Member Rekindles Evidence of Industrialized Biological Warfare
A newly disclosed full interview with former Unit 731 member Sato Hideo provides direct testimony that the unit sought to weaponize plague bacteria, produced pathogens at industrial scales, and conducted systematic human experiments. Museum curators say the account, corroborated by archival evidence and court testimonies, reinforces the view that these were organised, state-connected crimes rather than isolated abuses.
The Last Witnesses: Philippine ‘Grandmothers’ and the Unfinished Demand for Japan’s Apology
Survivors of Japan’s wartime system of sexual slavery in the Philippines — known locally as “grandmothers” — are dwindling, yet their demand for a formal apology and compensation persists. Activists warn that unresolved accountability, historical revisionism and geopolitical pragmatism risk allowing the memory of these crimes to be erased for younger generations.
Japan's Deep‑Sea Gamble: Mining the Pacific to Escape China’s Rare‑Earth Grip
Japan has begun sea trials to harvest rare‑earth‑rich mud off Minami‑Tori‑shima, seeking to reduce reliance on China’s dominant refining industry. The tests face steep technical, economic and environmental hurdles, and even successful extraction would not immediately displace China’s lead in processing and supply chains.
A Costly Gamble: Japan’s Takaichi Retreats After US Demand for Bigger Defence Bill
Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, quietly scaled back hawkish rhetoric after a visit from a senior US defence official who urged Tokyo to boost defence spending toward 5% of GDP. The encounter exposed the strain between Washington’s demand for greater burden‑sharing and Japan’s domestic politics, while Beijing’s export controls and military pressure limit Tokyo’s room for manoeuvre.
South Korean C-130 Makes Emergency Landing in Okinawa En Route to Saudi Defence Expo
A South Korean C-130 transport made an emergency landing in Okinawa after one engine’s power dropped during a flight to a Saudi defence exposition; technicians replaced the faulty part and the aircraft departed later that day. The diversion, handled without injury, underscores routine maintenance and logistics challenges for long-range military flights and highlights practical benefits of regional basing and defence cooperation.
UN Showdown Over Taiwan: China Confronts Japan After Cabinet Minister’s Threat to Consider Force
A comment by Japanese cabinet minister Sanae Takaichi — that Japan should consider force if U.S. troops were attacked in a Taiwan contingency — provoked a sharp rebuke from China at the UN Security Council. Beijing used the forum to frame Tokyo’s rhetoric as dangerous and tied to domestic political manoeuvring, intensifying regional strategic tensions and complicating U.S.-Japan alliance management.
Tokyo Signs Logistics Pact with Manila, Deepening Military Ties and Raising Tensions over China
Japan and the Philippines signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement that will let their forces exchange supplies duty-free during joint operations, accompanied by Japanese security aid and coastal radar deliveries. Tokyo presents the pact as disaster-response and interoperability cooperation, but it also deepens military ties that could strengthen deterrence against China and raise regional tensions.