Page 7 - Japan

Japan to invest $300 mn in Pakistan's copper mine amid supply crunch

Situated in Pakistan's Balochistan province, the Reko Diq copper-gold mine is poised to become one of the world's five largest copper reserves, drawing Japanese financing and industrial support

South Korea trade deal appears elusive as Trump seeks $350 bn investment

After a charm offensive in Japan that culminated in USD 490 billion in investment commitments, President Donald Trump is set to meet with South Korea's leader on Wednesday as a trade deal with that country appears more elusive. Top officials in Washington and and Seoul say the sticking point for an agreement continues to be the logistics behind Trump's demand that South Korea invest USD 350 billion in the United States. Korean officials say a direct cash injection could destabilise their economy, and they'd rather do loans and loan guarantees instead. The country would also need a swap line to manage the flow of its currency into the US. The disparity between what Trump is asking for and what South Korea can deliver threatens to overshadow the meeting between Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Gyeongju, a historical city playing host to the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Oh Hyunjoo, a deputy national security director, told reporters that the ...

Ford's enormous F-150 becomes unlikely part of Japan's efforts to woo Trump

Japan is filled with tiny white trucks that farmers and commercial workers use to lug their gear along the narrow roads of a nation smaller than California. But Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had another, more substantial truck in mind as she looked to build rapport with visiting US President Donald Trump. Takaichi, who wants to improve economic ties with Washington and cement a strong relationship with Trump, placed an enormous American Ford F-150 truck, as well as US-made Japanese automobiles, in the courtyard of the Akasaka Palace where the leaders held their first talks Tuesday. Trump is a fan of the Ford F-150 and has responded positively to reports that the Japanese government is considering buying dozens of the pickups. He has also complained that there are hardly any American cars in Japan and that the country's vehicle safety standards are too strict. But the lack of big American automobiles in Japan might be linked to more practical reasons, including local taste

India, Japan boost naval ties as INS Sahyadri makes port call at Sasebo

As part of the two nations' defence cooperation, INS Sahyadri also made a port call at the Maritime Self-defence Force's Sasebo base in southwest Japan, according to Japan's Kyodo News

Trial begins for man accused of killing former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe

The trial of the accused killer of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to begin Tuesday. Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, goes to court as US President Donald Trump visits Japan for talks with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi, a conservative protege of Abe, highlighted their close ties in talks Tuesday with Trump, who called Abe a "great friend." Yamagami allegedly shot Abe in 2022 with a homemade firearm during an election speech because of a grudge against the controversial Unification Church, which he believed had close ties to Abe and other Japanese politicians. He has told officials that massive donations his mother made to the church, which was founded in South Korea a year after the Korean War ended in 1953, caused his family's financial collapse. Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister since World War II, is regularly mentioned by both Trump and Takaichi. The trial in the western city of Nara is set to finish in mid-December, Kyodo news agency reported. The

Japan PM tells Trump she has nominated him for Nobel Peace: White House

At their meeting in Akasaka Palace, Takaichi praised Trump for his diplomatic efforts, particularly his role in promoting peace between Thailand and Cambodia and ending Gaza conflict

Trump hails US-Japan alliance, offers PM Takaichi 'anything you want'

Takaichi told Trump she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize over his diplomatic efforts, while Trump offered the prime minister signed golf hats reading 'JAPAN IS BACK' in gold text

Trump meets Japan's Emperor Naruhito in Tokyo, calls him 'a great man'

Japan is Trump's second stop on his current five-day Asia tour. Earlier, he was in Malaysia, where he attended the 47th ASEAN Summit and participated in the signing of the Cambodia-Thailand peace deal

Toyota Motor posts record first-half as US offsets Japan and China

The world's biggest carmaker has managed to achieve overall growth, despite volatility in China and trade tensions brought about by President Trump's tariffs on cars and parts imported to the US

Donald Trump gets royal welcome in Japan, China trade truce hopes rise

Negotiators from the world's top two economies hashed out a framework on Sunday for a deal to pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, U.S. officials said

Asian shares rally on US-China trade hopes; Japan's Nikkei tops 50,000 mark

Asian shares rallied and US futures jumped Monday, with Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 topping 50,000 for the first time. Work on trade deals that might alleviate friction between the US, China and other major trading partners contributed to upbeat sentiment as US President Donald Trump visited Malaysia for a summit of Southeast Asian nations where he reached preliminary trade agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. A trade deal between the United States and China was drawing closer, officials from the world's two largest economies said Sunday as they reached an initial consensus for Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try to finalise during a high-stakes meeting later in the week. This isn't just photo-op diplomacy. Behind the showmanship, Washington and Beijing's top trade lieutenants have quietly mapped out a framework that might, just might, keep the world's two largest economies from tearing up the field again, Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a

New PM Takaichi moves to unleash Japan's long-restrained defence industry

The country's five biggest defence companies account for less than 2 per cent of global defence shipments, but their share prices have risen on expectations of fresh orders

For Japan's new PM, building rapport with Trump may depend on a Ford F-150

President Donald Trump arrives Monday in Japan where new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with the US leader to ease trade tensions. One key to this strategy might lie in an idea floated by Japan's government to buy a fleet of Ford F-150 trucks, a meaningful gesture that may also be impractical given the narrow streets in Tokyo and other Japanese cities. It's an early diplomatic test for Takaichi, the first woman to lead Japan. She took office only last week, and has a tenuous coalition backing her. Trump instantly bought into the idea of Ford trucks as he flew to Asia aboard Air Force One. She has good taste, Trump told reporters. That's a hot truck. The two spoke over the phone while Trump was mid-flight on Saturday. Takaichi stressed her status as a protege of the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a favorite of Trump's from his first term, and said she praised him for brokering the Gaza ceasefire that led to the return of hosta

Japan's PM holds summit call with Trump, pledges to strengthen alliance

The telephone call between the two leaders was held on October 25 while attending Asean-related Summit meetings in Kuala Lumpur

Japan successfully launches new H3 rocket carrying cargo spacecraft to ISS

Japan's space agency on Sunday successfully launched its new flagship H3 rocket carrying an unmanned cargo spacecraft for its first mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the HTV-X1 spacecraft successfully lifted off atop the No. 7 H3 rocket from Japan's Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The spacecraft was separated and placed into a planned orbit, JAXA said. If everything goes smoothly, it is expected to arrive at the ISS in a few days to deliver supplies. Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui, currently at the ISS, is set to catch the craft with a robot arm in the early hours of Thursday. The HTV-X is the successor to JAXA's unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle known as Kounotori, or stork in Japanese, which flew nine missions to the ISS between 2009 and 2020. The new freighter can carry a bigger payload and supply power during flight, enabling transport of cells and other lab samples that requires storage in low ..

Japan's new PM faces foreign policy tests with Trump and regional summits

Just days after taking office, Japan's new leader faces a series of back-to-back foreign policy tests, with a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Tokyo sandwiched between Asia-region summits in Malaysia and South Korea. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with limited experience in international affairs, will have to manage Trump's demands and unpredictability and China's wariness of her strong support for a military build-up and her right-wing views on Japan's invasion of China before and during World War II. She arrives in Malaysia on Saturday for meetings with Southeast Asian leaders, then returns to Japan to meet Trump before heading to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit at the end of the week. In her first news conference as prime minister, she described her schedule as packed with diplomatic events and said it will be a valuable opportunity to meet other regional leaders. Chinese leader Xi Jinping will also attend the summit in South Korea, where ta

Will deepen multilateral dialogue with India, says Japan's new PM

In an effort to fight inflation, Takaichi said she aims to abolish the provisional gasoline tax rate, which has been in place since 1974

Japan plans to tell Trump it will boost military, upgrade security strategy

Japan's new foreign minister said Wednesday his country plans to show its determination to further build up its defence to rapidly adapt to changing warfare realities and growing tension in the region when US President Donald Trump visits Tokyo next week. Trump is expected to hold talks next Tuesday with Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who took office Tuesday after being elected as Japan's first female leader. Takaichi, who had spent much of past few weeks embroiled in internal political wrangling, has to face major diplomatic tests within days of taking office Trump and two regional summits. We are firmly preparing for President Trump's visit, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said. Motegi said he hoped Trump's first meeting with Takaichi during his Oct 27-29 visit would serve as an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss further strengthening of the Japan-US alliance while fostering their personal relationship of trust. He said Japan also hopes to further cooperate w

INS Sahyadri arrives for India-Japan maritime exercise 'JAIMEX 25'

India-Japan defence exchanges have gained strength in recent years due to growing convergence on strategic matters

Trump to hold first in-person talks with Japan's new PM during 3-day visit

This will mark Trump's first trip to Japan in nearly six years. Takaichi, who secured the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's presidential election on October 4, became Japan's first woman PM