Japan

[ad_1] Doha – Bahrain has "high morale" heading into its last-16 clash against Japan at the Asian Cup in Qatar, manager Juan Antonio Pizzi said Thursday.The Middle Eastern side booked its meeting with the four-time Asian champion by winning Group E with a 1-0 victory over Jordan.Group D runner-up Japan had been on course for a showdown with archrival South Korea until Jurgen Klinsmann's team conceded a late equalizer to […]

[ad_1] Japan's parliament convened a 150-day ordinary session on Friday, with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida set to be grilled over a political fundraising scandal that has continued to rattle his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.During the Diet session through June 23, the government's response to a powerful earthquake in central Japan on New Year's Day is also likely to be a key item on the agenda, as the disaster-hit areas will […]

[ad_1] The operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant said Thursday it has given up on a plan to begin retrieving debris that contains melted nuclear fuel at the facility's Unit 2 reactor by March, due to technical difficulties.Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) now aims to start the process by October this year at the plant, where reactors were severely damaged by the loss of cooling […]

[ad_1] When asked who won the recent presidential election in Taiwan, the world’s most advanced Chinese-language chatbot gives a confusing answer."Lai Ching-te,” Baidu’s Ernie Bot accurately says. But then it adds: "No matter how the situation in Taiwan changes, the basic fact is that there’s only one China” — a comment that echoes what Beijing’s diplomats said after the U.S.-friendly candidate won the race to be the next president of […]

[ad_1] Russian President Vladimir Putin is testing the waters on whether the United States is ready to engage in talks for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.He’s put out feelers to the U.S. via indirect channels to signal he’s open to discussion, including potentially on future security arrangements for Ukraine, according to two people close to the Kremlin.U.S. officials say they’re not aware of the supposed overtures, which may amount to […]

[ad_1] DUBAI – Chinese officials have asked their Iranian counterparts to help rein in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthis, or risk harming business relations with Beijing, four Iranian sources and a diplomat familiar with the matter said.The discussions about the attacks and trade between China and Iran took place at several recent meetings in Beijing and Tehran, the Iranian sources said, declining to provide […]

[ad_1] TAICHUNG, Taiwan – The first batch of new recruits began their one-year compulsory military service in Taiwan on Thursday after the conscription period was extended from four months due to government concerns about China's rising military threat.President Tsai Ing-wen announced the extension in late 2022.China has ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims, including almost daily Chinese air force missions near the […]

[ad_1] Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet approved a financial aid package Thursday for the quake-stricken Noto Peninsula region in Ishikawa Prefecture.The package is intended to support recovery efforts and aid the local economies of Ishikawa and the surrounding prefectures that were devastated after a 7.6 magnitude quake hit the region on New Year’s Day.The funding comes more than three weeks after the quake struck. And yet, more than 46,000 households […]

[ad_1] The prices of new condos in Tokyo jumped to a record high for the third straight year in 2023, driven by low supply and rising building costs.The average price of a new apartment for sale in the Greater Tokyo area surged 29% to a fresh high of ¥81 million ($548,000), according to the Real Estate Economic Institute, which has been tracking the data since 1973.New condo values have now […]