Page 8 - Japan

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

India surpasses $20 bn in cumulative, new investment commitments in AI

Stanford AI Index Report in 2025 said India's cumulative private investment in AI from 2013 to 2024 was at $11.1 billion in 2024 (adding the government's, it is $12.3 billion)

Japan to raise visa fees after 48 years, match US and Europe rates

Japan plans to raise visa and tourist fees from 2026, citing low rates compared with the US and Europe, even as inbound tourism hits record highs

What to expect for Japan's economy under Sanae Takaichi, its 1st female PM

Share prices have soared recently in Tokyo on hopes that conservative Japanese lawmaker Sanae Takaichi, who was chosen on Tuesday to be Japan's first female prime minister, will double down on market-friendly policies, including hefty spending on defense and cheap credit. The benchmark Nikkei 225 share index climbed close to the symbolically important 50,000 level, gaining 0.7 per cent to 49,517.57. Takaichi, a motorbike and heavy metal enthusiast, prevailed in a lower house parliamentary ballot that gave her 237 votes, above the 233 votes required to win. Here's what might be expected from what has been dubbed Sanaenomics: Inflation and wages are the top concerns ----------------------------------------------- Increases in consumer prices have surpassed the Bank of Japan's 2 per cent target range at 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent. So the central bank is gradually raising rates from their longstanding level near or below zero. Wages remain near the level they were at 30 years ago, onl

PM Modi congratulates Sanae Takaichi on becoming Japan's new prime minister

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her election as Japan's prime minister and said he looked forward to working closely to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations. Takaichi, the first woman prime minister of Japan, succeeds Shigeru Ishiba. "Heartiest congratulations, Sanae Takaichi, on your election as the Prime Minister of Japan," Modi said in a post on X. "I look forward to working closely with you to further strengthen the India'?Japan Special Strategic and Global Partnership. Our deepening ties are vital for peace, stability, and prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond," Modi said.

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's first woman PM after parliamentary vote

She secured 237 votes in the more powerful lower house, bringing her four votes above the majority line needed to confirm her victory

Japan's parliament set to elect Sanae Takaichi as nation's first female PM

Japan's parliament is set to elect ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country's first female prime minister on Tuesday, one day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner that would pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi will replace Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Party's disastrous election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year in office, resigned with his Cabinet earlier Tuesday, paving the way for his successor. The LDP's off-the-cuff alliance with the Osaka-based rightwing Japan Innovation Party, or Ishin no Kai, ensures her premiership in a vote later in the day because the opposition is not united. Takaichi's untested alliance is still short of a majority in both houses of parliament and they need to court other opposition groups to pass any legislation -- a risk that could make her government unstable and short-lived. Political stability i

Japan to accept UPI soon, making payments easier for Indian tourists

Indian tourists visiting Japan will soon be able to pay with UPI, making shopping, dining, and travel more convenient without cash or forex cards.

Asian shares rise on earnings optimism, US inflation seen as minor hurdle

Japan's Nikkei led Asia higher with a rise of 1.5 per cent encouraged by news the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party have agreed to form a coalition government

Toshiba plans ₹3,232 cr investment to double output in Japan and India

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba) on Friday announced its plan to invest 55 billion yen (around Rs 3,232 crore) by FY2027, aimed at doubling output capacity at its key facilities in Japan and India. Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba) has announced a significant expansion of its investment in the power transmission and distribution (T&D) equipment business, in response to accelerating global electricity demand, a company statement said. According to the statement, the company will invest a total of 55 billion yen by FY2027. This investment is expected to more than double combined production capacity at Toshiba's key facilities in Japan and India by FY2030, against FY2024 levels. This initiative builds on the 20-billion-yen investment announced in July 2024 for FY2024FY2026. With demand now projected to exceed initial forecasts, Toshiba has decided to invest an additional 35 billion yen in its Hamakawasaki Operations in Kawasaki, .

Former Japanese PM Murayama, known for 1995 wartime apology, dies at 101

Japan's former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who was known for his 1995 Murayama statement apologising to Asian victims of his country's aggression, died Friday. He was 101. Murayama died at a hospital in his hometown Oita, southwestern Japan, according to a statement from Mizuho Fukushima, the head of Japan's Social Democratic Party. As head of what was then known as the Japan Socialist Party, Murayama led a coalition government from June 1994 to January 1996. The apology he issued as prime minister on Aug 15, 1995, marking the 50th anniversary of Japan's unconditional surrender ending World War II, is seen as Japan's main expression of remorse for its wartime and colonial past. It has since been endorsed by all prime ministers until nationalist Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stopped apologising in 2013. Murayama had criticised growing attempts by nationalist lawmakers to discredit the apology for forced prostitution by citing the lack of official wartime documents specifically ..

Asian shares retreat after worries over bank lending pull Wall St lower

Asian shares skidded Friday following a retreat on Wall Street driven by concerns over banks' loan portfolios. US futures and oil prices also fell, while the price of gold climbed to over $4,383 an ounce as Washington and Beijing swapped harsh words over trade. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 1.3% to 47,646.31, tracking US losses. Uncertainty over the choice of a new prime minister has also weighed on investor sentiment. Conservative lawmaker Sanae Takaichi was elected to head the ruling Liberal Democratic Party but last week's collapse of its coalition with the Buddhist-backed Komeito cast doubt over whether she would garner enough support in the lower house of parliament to prevail in a vote expected next week. Takaichi has led efforts to form a new alliance with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party, which would improve her chances of becoming Japan's first female prime minister. In Chinese markets, shares fell as trade tensions with Washington intensified. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index