Kishida begins ‘condolence diplomacy’ ahead of Abe funeral

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida meet at the Akasaka Palace State Guest House in Tokyo on Monday, ahead of the state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. | POOL / VIA AFP-JIJI

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Monday kicked off “condolence diplomacy” with foreign dignitaries scheduled to attend the state funeral for former leader Shinzo Abe, in an attempt to boost ties with other countries amid an unstable regional security environment. On the first of three days of talks with overseas delegations, Kishida received a pledge from

Japan, U.S. and South Korea affirm cooperation over North Korea and Taiwan

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left), Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (center) and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin in New York on Thursday prior to a trilateral meeting | FOREIGN MINISTRY / VIA KYODO

New York – The top diplomats of Japan, the United States and South Korea on Thursday said they oppose any attempts to change the status quo of territories by force amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Asia-Pacific region, while showing their resolve to resolutely respond to any nuclear test by North Korea. The meeting of

Kishida hails Biden’s call for U.N. reform during brief talks

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, French President Emmanuel Macron, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. President Joe Biden applaud at the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in New York on Wednesday. | AFP-JIJI

New York – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida welcomed U.S. President Joe Biden’s call for reforming the United Nations during a brief conversation on Wednesday on the sidelines of a U.N. gathering of world leaders, according to the government. During a speech before the U.N. General Assembly the same day, Biden expressed his support for expanding

Japan and U.S. consider joint research to counter hypersonic weapons

Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada (left) and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (second from right) hold talks at the Pentagon on Wednesday. | KYODO

Washington – The Japanese and U.S. defense chiefs agreed on Wednesday that their nations will undertake joint technological research to counter hypersonic weapons, as they work to closely align their national security strategies amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region. The talks between Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin at the

U.S. launches formal talks with Indo-Pacific countries on new economic framework

Economy minister Yasutoshi Nishimura (second from left) and ministers from other countries who have joined the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, in Los Angeles on Thursday | KYODO

The United States began a two-day meeting Thursday with ministers from Japan and 12 other countries to forge a path forward for the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a Washington-led initiative that aims to set trade standards, boost supply chains in the region and act as a counterbalance to China’s growing influence. Organizers say

U.S. hosts lawmaker events to improve soured Japan-South Korea ties

U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters last week that the United States recognizes trilateral cooperation with Japan and South Korea 'is indispensable if we are going to effectively confront' the North Korean nuclear threat. | POOL / VIA REUTERS

WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is hosting events involving Japanese and South Korean lawmakers this week to help the Asian neighbors improve bilateral relations that have soured in recent years due to differences over historical issues, according to a U.S. government source. The State Department has organized a series of events that began Monday in

Japan and U.S. to cooperate on maintaining peace in Taiwan Strait

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shakes hands with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi ahead of a breakfast meeting at his official residence Friday. | POOL / VIA KYODO

Japan and the United States agreed Friday to work together on maintaining peace in the increasingly tense Taiwan Strait, amid unprecedented military drills by China including five missiles that landed in Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in Japan on the last stage of an Asian trip that

Japan, U.S., South Korea vow to closely cooperate to counter North Korea

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin stand for a photo during a trilateral meeting at the Groups of 20 foreign ministers meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, on Friday.  | POOL / VIA REUTERS

NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States and South Korea on Friday agreed that the three nations will work together closely to deal with North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, including strengthening their regional deterrence. They also exchanged views on China, which has been intensifying maritime assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region,

SDF conducting joint drill with U.S. aircraft carrier in Sea of Japan

The USS Abraham Lincoln deploys from San Diego Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California, on Jan. 3. | REUTERS

Seoul – The strike group led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is conducting joint training with Japan’s Self-Defense Forces in the Sea of Japan, the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet said Wednesday. “Routine bilateral operations like this one reassure our allies and partners of the U.S. commitment to maintaining a free and open

Biden vows ‘never again’ in marking 80 years since Japanese American internment

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on Friday. | AFP-JIJI

” Despite never being charged with a crime, and without due process, Japanese Americans were by force eliminated from their homes and communities and put behind bars, just since of their heritage,” Biden said.For years, numerous Japanese Americans lived in extreme, overcrowded conditions, surrounded by armed guards and barbed-wire fences. They not only lost their

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