Japan | DD News

June 1, 2024 11:21 AM

Japan, China defence ministers meet on sidelines of Shangri-La Dialogue

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and his Chinese counterpart Dong Jun held bilateral talks on Saturday (June 1) on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. Speaking to Dong during the meeting, Kihara addressed the security concerns over China's increasing military activities in the sea and airspace surrounding Japan. The Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore runs till Sunday (June 2) and Kihara will deliver a speech in a plenary session about the regional securi...

September 16, 2024 6:16 PM

Asia shares nudge higher as US, EU inflation data loom

Asian shares firmed on Monday as investors braced for a busy run of inflation data that could set the scene for a European rate cut as soon as next week and a U.S. policy easing within just a few months. Holidays in Britain and the United States made for thin trading ahead of Friday's figures on core personal consumption expenditures (PCE), the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. Median forecasts are for a rise of 0.3% in April, keeping the annual pace at 2.8%, with risks on the ...

May 21, 2024 1:33 PM

Swarmed with tourists, Japan town blocks off viral view of Mt. Fuji

Japan's majestic Mt. Fuji was some 700,000 years in the making, but on one sultry May morning, it was gone. At least on one side of a busy road, views of the 3,776-metre (12,388 foot) symbol of Japan and the Lawson convenience store beneath it have vanished, as officials finished a 20-metre by 2.5-metre barrier to obstruct a photo spot that had become viral among tourists. For locals, the mass of visitors and their refusal to obey rules on littering and parking had become a nuisance and traffi...

May 21, 2024 11:14 AM

EAM Jaishankar reaffirms Quad’s commitment to a secure Indo-Pacific

External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said on Monday that the Quad alliance is working towards realising its shared vision of a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific and delivering in the field of clean energy, disaster relief and health security. "Whether it's delivering clean energy, STEM talent, disaster relief, health security or resilient communication infrastructure, the Quad is working towards realising its shared vision of a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Quad partners would co...

May 16, 2024 3:37 PM

Japan’s economy skids, clouding BOJ’s rate hike plans

Japan's economy fell faster than expected in the first quarter as the weak yen continued to batter consumers, throwing a fresh challenge to the central bank's push to get interest rates further away from near zero. Preliminary gross domestic product (GDP) data from the Cabinet Office on Thursday showed Japan's economy shrank 2.0% annualised in January-March from the prior quarter, faster than the 1.5% drop seen in a Reuters poll of economists. Downwardly revised data showed GDP barely grew in ...

May 9, 2024 10:39 AM

In rapidly aging China, millions can’t afford to retire

China's latest statistics showed some 94 million working people - around 12.8% of China's 734 million labour force - were older than 60 in 2022, up from 8.8% in 2020. That share, while lower than in wealthier Japan and South Korea, is set to skyrocket as 300 million more Chinese reach their 60s in the coming decade. A third of this cohort are rural migrants, who typically lack the professional skills for an economy aspiring to move up the value chain. The main reason China has not built a str...

May 6, 2024 9:22 AM

Japan’s Foreign Minister visiting Kathmandu to hold bilateral talks with Nepal

Japan's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kamikawa Yoko, arrived in Kathmandu Sunday afternoon on an official visit to Nepal. The Minister arrived at the cordial invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Narayan Kaji Shrestha. Foreign Service Secretary Sewa Lamsal received the Japanese Minister at Tribhuvan International Airport. This marks her first visit to Nepal after she was appointed to the post. The Japanese Minister paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Pushpa Ka...

April 22, 2024 3:34 PM

North Korea fires ballistic missiles, South Korea, Japan say

North Korea fired "several" short-range ballistic missiles on Monday toward the sea off its east coast, South Korea's military said, drawing a swift condemnation from Seoul, which called it a grave threat to stability on the Korean peninsula. A Japanese government alert and its coast guard also said North Korea had fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile. The projectile appeared to have landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone area, the NHK broadcaster said. South Korea'...

April 21, 2024 11:10 AM

Two Japan navy helicopters crash, one body found, 7 missing

Two Japanese navy helicopters crashed into the sea during a training exercise, killing at least one of the eight crew members on board, the defence minister said on Sunday. The two SH-60 patrol helicopters were conducting anti-submarine exercises on Saturday night near Torishima in the remote Izu island group, off the southern coast of central Japan. Defense Minister Minoru Kihara told a press conference the cause of the crash is under investigation. The two flight recorders had been disco...

April 3, 2024 3:27 PM

Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years kills nine; 50 missing

Taiwan's biggest earthquake in at least 25 years killed nine people on Wednesday, injuring more than 800, while 50 went missing en route to a national park, authorities said, as rescuers used ladders to bring others to safety. Television broadcast images of buildings tilted at precarious angles in the mountainous, sparsely populated eastern county of Hualien, near the epicentre of the 7.2 magnitude quake, which struck just offshore at about 8 a. m. (0000GMT). "It was very strong. It felt as if...