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Sanae Takaichi

(高市早苗)

Sanae Takaichi

高市早苗

The latest news and top stories on Sanae Takaichi. A long-serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, she has held numerous significant cabinet roles. Her past positions include Minister of State for Economic Security, Internal Affairs and Communications, Science and Technology Policy, and Youth Affairs and Gender Equality. Known for her staunch conservative views and close alliance with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi has focused on strengthening Japan’s economic security, cybersecurity and national defence. She has also chaired the LDP’s Policy Research Council and recently led a commission on public safety and cybercrime. Takaichi has twice contended for the LDP leadership.

Tokyo has indicated that nearly all of the PLA’s ballistic missiles, from short-range to intercontinental systems, are capable of reaching Japanese territory. Photo: AFP

China-Japan relations

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

19 Dec 2025 - 6:33PMvideocam

Japan

Bank of Japan’s historic rate increase signals new era for economy

19 Dec 2025 - 4:52PM

US-China relations

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

19 Dec 2025 - 11:06AMvideocam

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.

19 Dec 2025 - 2:56PMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks after an extraordinary parliamentary session on Wednesday. Photo: Kyodo

Taiwan

Beijing condemns Washington’s landmark US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

US State Department approves massive deal that includes billions in Himars and howitzer equipment, drones and software.

18 Dec 2025 - 10:07PMvideocam

China-Japan relations

China’s military accuses Japan of raising ‘space arms race’ risk

Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans.

18 Dec 2025 - 7:03PMvideocam

Japan

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:41PMvideocam

Vendors sell traditional Uzbek clothing and jewellery inside a madrasah in Registan Square in Samarkand, Uzbekistan In September. Photo: EPA

US-China decoupling

Open Questions | Yeo on how Trump wants to avoid Taiwan upending China relations

Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo says that Donald Trump is prioritising stable relations with China, and that the US is facing decline amid a shift to a multipolar world.

18 Dec 2025 - 12:28PM

Hong Kong society

Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction

Readers discuss how addressing risk factors can save lives and minimise loss, the turnout of the Legislative Council election, and the Japanese prime minister’s controversial remarks on Taiwan.

18 Dec 2025 - 11:30AM

China-Japan relations

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland visitor numbers rose just 3% in November after flight cuts and travel warnings took effect as diplomatic strains escalated.

18 Dec 2025 - 9:14AMvideocam

Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday Photo: AP

China travel

Why South Korea is becoming China’s new bargain travel hotspot amid Japan spat

A slump in the won is making South Korea increasingly affordable for mainland tourists just as China warns against travel to Japan.

16 Dec 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

A large crowd of tourists walks through a street in Seoul. South Korea is expected to receive an uptick in Chinese tourism over the coming months. Photo: Reuters

China-Japan relations

Japan defined its stance on Taiwan but Beijing is angered by what it didn’t say

Tokyo ‘deliberately sidestepped the important information that they are territories Japan has stolen’: Chinese foreign ministry.

16 Dec 2025 - 9:37PMvideocam

Japan

Japan boosts scrutiny after Chinese buyers lead property rush near critical sites

Japan to require nationality disclosure for land near key sites after study finds Chinese nationals bought half of 3,498 such properties in 2024.

16 Dec 2025 - 5:07PM

Japan

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.

16 Dec 2025 - 1:39PMvideocam

South Korean armed forces hold a defensive drill on the Liancourt Rocks, known as Dokdo or the Takeshima Islands, in 2019. Photo: South Korean Navy/EPA-EFE

Taiwan

Opinion | Momentum for peaceful reunification across Taiwan Strait is growing

Recent shifts in Taiwan’s political environment and international attitudes suggest the time is right for cross-strait engagement.

16 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

US-China relations

Opinion | US global retreat shows Japan’s folly in defying China

The new US security strategy has sent shock waves through its allies and leaves Japan exposed.

15 Dec 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Japan

Japan’s retreat from global health funding hands China diplomatic opening

Tokyo’s over 52 per cent funding cut to a global body fighting Aids and malaria risks damaging its hard-won reputation as a ‘peace nation’.

15 Dec 2025 - 3:08PMvideocam

Japan

Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns

Prime Minister Takaichi’s plans to tighten spying and secrecy rules could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom, analysts say.

14 Dec 2025 - 10:01AMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks to the media in Tokyo on Monday. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters

China-Japan relations

China marks Nanking massacre anniversary with warning against Japan’s militarism

Top Communist Party official says attempts to challenge post-war order are ‘doomed to failure’ as tensions with Tokyo flare.

13 Dec 2025 - 9:42PMvideocam

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Japan

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

13 Dec 2025 - 11:00AM

War and conflict

Opinion | Only true repentance from Japan can resolve East Asia’s ‘memory wars’

It is important that Japan, China and South Korea collectively reckon with the legacy of military aggression and wartime atrocities.

13 Dec 2025 - 5:30AM

China-Japan relations

Provocative Japanese actions risk plunging Asia into peril: PLA Daily

Chinese military mouthpiece’s commentary comes as Beijing marks 88th anniversary of Nanking massacre amid full-blown diplomatic crisis with Tokyo.

12 Dec 2025 - 7:46PM

People attend the national memorial ceremony honouring the victims of the Nanking massacre of 1937 in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, on December 13, 2024. Photo: Getty Images

Japan

Letters | Japan overplayed its hand at the table of great powers

Readers discuss the broader implications of Tokyo’s miscalculation, Hong Kong’s entry requirements for native English-speaking teachers, and whether anything could have been done differently in Tai Po.

12 Dec 2025 - 11:30AM

Japan

Overwork victims’ kin ‘trembled with rage’ after Japan PM won buzzword award

A family member said honouring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘seems to praise a workstyle that can take someone’s life’.

12 Dec 2025 - 10:14AMvideocam

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.

12 Dec 2025 - 12:29AMvideocam

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi gestures as US President Donald Trump delivers a speech during their visit to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, on October 28. Photo: AP

China-Japan relations

US military sends show of support to Japan as China’s navy, air drills continue

Japanese fighters train with US B-52s and USS George Washington arrives in Yokosuka amid heightened China-Japan tensions.

11 Dec 2025 - 7:13PMvideocam

A US B-52 strategic bomber (bottom) and Japanese F-15 fighter jets take part in a joint exercise over the Sea of Japan on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

China-Japan relations

Studio Ghibli co-founder Miyazaki’s China show cancelled as Japan row continues

The event in Guangzhou appears to be the latest victim of the dispute that has already hit concerts and film releases by Japanese artists.

11 Dec 2025 - 6:14PMvideocam

China-Japan relations

US joins Japan for military exercise amid Takaichi China row

The Japanese and US air forces flew a training mission over the Sea of Japan in wake of complaints from Tokyo about Chinese military activities in the region.

11 Dec 2025 - 5:18PM

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Sanae Takaichi

(高市早苗)

China’s military build-up could ‘seriously’ affect Japan’s security, Tokyo warns

Release of defence ministry report comes amid soaring tensions with Beijing and a boost to Japan’s military budget and goals.

Bank of Japan’s historic rate increase signals new era for economy

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

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.

Beijing condemns Washington’s landmark US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan

US State Department approves massive deal that includes billions in Himars and howitzer equipment, drones and software.

China’s military accuses Japan of raising ‘space arms race’ risk

Diplomatic war of words continues with PLA Daily articles targeting Tokyo’s defence and intelligence plans.

Steppe in the right direction? ‘Japan is back’ in Central Asia with new summit

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the leaders of five Central Asian nations are expected to establish a new framework for cooperation in AI.

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | Yeo on how Trump wants to avoid Taiwan upending China relations

Former Singapore foreign minister George Yeo says that Donald Trump is prioritising stable relations with China, and that the US is facing decline amid a shift to a multipolar world.

Letters | Tai Po fire tragedy shows importance of disaster risk reduction

Readers discuss how addressing risk factors can save lives and minimise loss, the turnout of the Legislative Council election, and the Japanese prime minister’s controversial remarks on Taiwan.

Chinese tourist arrivals to Japan lose momentum amid tensions: official data

Mainland visitor numbers rose just 3% in November after flight cuts and travel warnings took effect as diplomatic strains escalated.

Why South Korea is becoming China’s new bargain travel hotspot amid Japan spat

A slump in the won is making South Korea increasingly affordable for mainland tourists just as China warns against travel to Japan.

Japan defined its stance on Taiwan but Beijing is angered by what it didn’t say

Tokyo ‘deliberately sidestepped the important information that they are territories Japan has stolen’: Chinese foreign ministry.

Japan boosts scrutiny after Chinese buyers lead property rush near critical sites

Japan to require nationality disclosure for land near key sites after study finds Chinese nationals bought half of 3,498 such properties in 2024.

Japan and South Korea clash over islets as old grievances resurface

Analysts warn the squabble is a ‘step backwards’ that offers Beijing a chance to drive a wedge between the two US allies.

Opinion | Momentum for peaceful reunification across Taiwan Strait is growing

Recent shifts in Taiwan’s political environment and international attitudes suggest the time is right for cross-strait engagement.

Opinion | US global retreat shows Japan’s folly in defying China

The new US security strategy has sent shock waves through its allies and leaves Japan exposed.

Japan’s retreat from global health funding hands China diplomatic opening

Tokyo’s over 52 per cent funding cut to a global body fighting Aids and malaria risks damaging its hard-won reputation as a ‘peace nation’.

Security or freedom? Japan’s proposed anti-spy laws raise human rights concerns

Prime Minister Takaichi’s plans to tighten spying and secrecy rules could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom, analysts say.

China marks Nanking massacre anniversary with warning against Japan’s militarism

Top Communist Party official says attempts to challenge post-war order are ‘doomed to failure’ as tensions with Tokyo flare.

Opinion | From Singapore to Taiwan, Japan must face its past for Asia’s future

Lasting peace in Asia demands that Tokyo abandons its historical revisionism and refusal to acknowledge past crimes.

Opinion | Only true repentance from Japan can resolve East Asia’s ‘memory wars’

It is important that Japan, China and South Korea collectively reckon with the legacy of military aggression and wartime atrocities.

Provocative Japanese actions risk plunging Asia into peril: PLA Daily

Chinese military mouthpiece’s commentary comes as Beijing marks 88th anniversary of Nanking massacre amid full-blown diplomatic crisis with Tokyo.

Letters | Japan overplayed its hand at the table of great powers

Readers discuss the broader implications of Tokyo’s miscalculation, Hong Kong’s entry requirements for native English-speaking teachers, and whether anything could have been done differently in Tai Po.

Overwork victims’ kin ‘trembled with rage’ after Japan PM won buzzword award

A family member said honouring Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ‘seems to praise a workstyle that can take someone’s life’.

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.

US military sends show of support to Japan as China’s navy, air drills continue

Japanese fighters train with US B-52s and USS George Washington arrives in Yokosuka amid heightened China-Japan tensions.

Studio Ghibli co-founder Miyazaki’s China show cancelled as Japan row continues

The event in Guangzhou appears to be the latest victim of the dispute that has already hit concerts and film releases by Japanese artists.

US joins Japan for military exercise amid Takaichi China row

The Japanese and US air forces flew a training mission over the Sea of Japan in wake of complaints from Tokyo about Chinese military activities in the region.

Opinion | Mark 2025. It’s the year China became a peer power to America

Open Questions | Yeo on how Trump wants to avoid Taiwan upending China relations