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Japan
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
A participant holds a placard reading “No War” during a protest against Japan’s lethal arms export rule change, in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district on Friday. Photo: AFP
Mainland China

Japanese protest ‘frightening’ easing of decades-old arms export curbs

New rules permitting the sale of lethal weapons overseas come as Japan ramps up defence ambitions and seeks to enter the global arms market.

Video | Japan’s vending machines feel the pain of high prices

China’s military drills

China stages navy drill as US and Philippines embark on Balikatan 2026

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India

Chinese drone discovery sharpens focus on Asia’s undersea security race

Experts say India is playing ‘steady catch-up’ in boosting undersea surveillance, while Southeast Asian nations’ capabilities differ widely.

South and Southeast Asian nations are stepping up capabilities to boost undersea surveillance and defend deep-sea cables, analysts say. Photo: Shutterstock
McDonald's

Burger King in Japan dangles US$250,000 to lure rival franchisees

Meanwhile, Philippine fried chicken chain Jollibee has announced a record operating income and is accelerating its global expansion.

Viral stories

Unexpected love: Japan traditional dancer finds love at 60 with 26-year-old protege

The couple’s recent appearance on a Japanese television show generated considerable buzz and discussion among the public.

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Fukushima nuclear disaster and water release

Japan injects new life into Fukushima with nuclear plant ‘hope tourism’

Visitors flock to barely inhabited towns, attracted for the most part by the very catastrophe that drove their residents away.

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Foreign journalists are guided along with tanks containing treated radioactive waste water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Okuma town, northeastern Japan, in 2023. Photo: EPA-EFE
US-China tech war

Tech war: US Congress rolls out ‘largest’ export control upgrade against China

US lawmakers push export controls to limit China’s tech access in a bid to protect the US semiconductor industry.

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Australia

Australia signs US$7 billion Japan warship deal to boost firepower against China

The formalised deal offers Canberra a strategic alternative to uncertain US defence ties, analysts say.

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US-China relations

What the Iran war could tell China about US focus on maritime chokepoints

The Iran war reflects Washington’s greater emphasis on implementing its maritime security strategy, analyst says.

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The liquefied natural gas tanker LNG Jia Xing passes through the Strait of Malacca, a route for most of China’s maritime trade and energy imports. Photo: EPA
Semiconductors

Asia’s chipmakers feel the heat as naphtha crunch hits photoresist supply

Japanese suppliers warn of photoresist strain as upstream shocks ripple through Asia’s semiconductor supply chain.

Shortages are expected to hit advanced nodes that rely on extreme ultraviolet lithography the hardest. Photo: EPA
Natural disasters

Video | Northern Japan battles large wildfires

2,500 residents forced to evacuate as wildfires burn for a second day in Japan’s northern Iwate prefecture.

The Philippines

How the Philippines became Japan’s closest security partner in Southeast Asia

Japan’s participation in the Balikatan drill and its new weapon export rules are set to further defence ties between the two countries.

Sanae Takaichi

Japan’s PM Takaichi tells fellow politician she needs ‘more sleep’

The remark came as Takaichi’s leadership recently hit the six-month mark.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi during a plenary session of the House of Representatives in Tokyo on Thursday. After winning her ruling party’s leadership election in October, she vowed to “work, work, work, work and work”. Photo: AFP
US, Israel war on Iran

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

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A couple looks at a model of the entire industrial chain of green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and oil displayed at the China Energy Engineering Group pavilion in Boao on March 25. Photo: Xinhua
Central banks

Macroscope | Why fixing Japan’s monetary policy isn’t getting any easier

The wrong kind of inflation and the effects of the war in Iran complicate the outlook for Japanese interest rates.

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Crime in Hong Kong

Hong Kong police arrest 9 over HK$1.7 million in fake travel insurance claims

Syndicate allegedly faked overseas accidents with forged documents to claim payouts from insurers without ever leaving the city.

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Millionaires and billionaires

Mainland China’s ultra-wealthy numbers rise as Hong Kong poised for rebound

China’s ultra-wealthy population has grown 23 per cent in five years, while Hong Kong is forecast to see a 25 per cent rebound by 2031.

China’s share of global UHNWIs edged down by one percentage point to 17 per cent this year. Photo: Getty Images
China stock market

Asian, emerging-market funds rotate into China and Taiwan stocks: HSBC

Fund managers shift focus to Chinese and Taiwanese stocks, while reducing exposure to South Korea amid global market turbulence.

China exports

How a Chinese plastics hub shapes Tesla’s supply chain – and moulds the modern world

From car components to keyboards, this little-known industrial district in eastern China is crafting the small parts the world relies on.

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China’s navy

Warning over Taiwan? PLA warships make rare transits off southwest Japan

‘Rare passage is a direct deterrent’ to the Japanese military bases along the coast, former PLA instructor says.

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The PLA’s Type 052DL upgraded guided-missile destroyer Baotou, which led the 133rd task force in western Pacific exercises this week. Photo: Handout
Extreme weather

Searchers find body of 1 of 6 missing crew members after typhoon overturns ship

The crew of the Mariana notified the US Coast Guard on April 15 that the vessel lost its starboard engine during Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

A satellite image shows Carolinas Heights after Typhoon Sinlaku, in Tinian, Northern Mariana Islands on April 17, 2026. Photo: via Reuters
China travel

2,700 China-Japan flights axed in March as rift between Asian powers deepens

Nearly half of the planned flights between China and Japan were cancelled last month, as Beijing and Tokyo remain locked in a diplomatic feud.

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Food and Drinks

Your Hong Kong weekend drinks guide for April 23-25

Parisian bistro Jean-Pierre launches new cocktails, Qura at the Regent is doubly taken over, and Osaka’s Craftroom heads to The Aubrey.

Mainland China

Video | Japan scraps long-standing arms export rules

Tokyo approves plan to scrap restrictions, prompting warnings that this could undermine the country’s pacifist constitution.

Cruise missiles, flag of Japan in background - defense concept - 3D illustration. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Indonesia

Why Japan’s earthquake has Bali on edge over magnitude 9 ‘megathrust’ risk

Bali, Sumba and the Flores Islands are expected to be the worst hit from a megathrust earthquake in the Sumba fault.

The sun rises behind boats moored at a pier on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali on April 12. Bali recorded 547 earthquakes last year. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks drop as war uncertainty lingers after ceasefire extension

Investors need more conviction about material progress on a ceasefire and the normalisation of oil flow, investor says.

Ageing society

Subsidies for dating apps latest tactic to battle low birth rates in rural Japan

Kochi prefecture says residents aged between 20 and 39 can receive a US$125 subsidy to use certified matchmaking apps.

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