Japan

[ad_1] The Tokyo Metropolitan Government has revealed that it is planning to build an underground missile shelter under the Azabu-Juban subway station in Tokyo's Minato Ward, in a move that comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and concerns over national security.“We have prepared other evacuation facilities in the past, but considering how rocky international affairs are right now we think it's important to prepare for the serious and significant threat of […]

[ad_1] Frustrated with the slow progress in reaching a regional maritime code-of-conduct with China, Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is turning to neighboring South China Sea claimant states to boost regional security cooperation and potentially forge a united front against Beijing at a time of growing friction in contested waters.A first step in this direction came Tuesday as the Philippines signed two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on security with Vietnam […]

[ad_1] Rapid growth in the number of post-pandemic tourists has left many local authorities in Japan confronting the challenge of overtourism and its negative impact on residents and the environment.Issues such as overcrowding on public transportation systems and problems related to garbage disposal have emerged in various parts of the country.The challenge has caught the attention of the central government, which is aiming to support local efforts at overcoming these […]

[ad_1] At a time of languishing approval ratings and soul-searching for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida made "power" the key leitmotif of his policy speech in parliament on Tuesday.He emphasized the "power of bonds" on full display in the country’s response to the earthquake that devastated the Noto Peninsula on New Year’s Day and how it became a "new power" for the future, as well as […]

[ad_1] Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa appeared unfazed Tuesday following remarks by Liberal Democratic Party veteran Taro Aso, who called her an obasan (old lady) and said she’s “not that good looking.”When asked about Aso’s comments at a post-Cabinet news conference on Tuesday, Kamikawa said she was aware of “a variety of opinions and voices out there.”“I am grateful for all of them,” she said. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The Supreme Court has rejected a 10th and likely final retrial request to review the 1961 murders of five women with poisoned wine in the city of Nabari.In a decision dated Monday, the top court rejected a special appeal for reopening the case involving Masaru Okunishi, who died at age 89 of pneumonia while on death row in 2015, some 43 years after his death sentence for killing the […]

[ad_1] Japan's agricultural, fisheries and forestry product exports rose 2.9% in 2023 to a record ¥1.45 trillion ($9.9 billion), with increased shipment to the United States and Hong Kong making up for a decline in sales to mainland China, government data showed Tuesday. Despite rising for the 11th consecutive year, growth was heavily blunted compared to 2022's rise of 14.2%, hampered by China's import ban on Japanese marine products over […]

[ad_1] WEST BANK/GAZA/DOHA – Hamas said on Tuesday it would study a new cease-fire proposal in the war with Israel in Gaza, hours after Israeli commandos killed three Palestinian militants in a raid on a hospital in the occupied West Bank.The raid underscored the risk of the Gaza war spreading to other fronts, while Israeli forces fought new battles with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave.Clashes in northern Gaza forced […]

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD – A Pakistan court sentenced Imran Khan to 10 years' jail on Tuesday for leaking state secrets, his party said, the harshest sentence against the former prime minister and cricketer in multiple cases coming just days before national elections.The special court found Khan guilty of making public the contents of a secret cable sent by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington to the government in Islamabad, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) […]