A Chinese campaign to have documents related to Japan’s use of wartime sex slaves and its bloody invasion of Nanjing recognised by Unesco has sparked a new round of diplomatic tension between Beijing and Tokyo.
Japan has left the stage of the United Nations General Assembly with a promise from Russia to strengthen bilateral relations– and schedule a visit by President Vladimir Putin– as both nations take on larger roles in Syria.
In his remarks before the U.N. General Assembly, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced a large increase in aid money for Middle Eastern refugees, but notably declined to allow migrants to resettle in Japan.
Contents: Suspicions grow that PKK doing Russia’s bidding in bombing Turkey’s pipelines; Report: Repeated failures in Afghanistan reconstruction projects; Japan’s economy returns to deflation
Anyone watching the debate over Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s drive to change the laws governing his nation’s self-defense force and permit overseas military deployments knows it is a highly contentious issue.
Even the most energetic free-trade enthusiast can find a few things to be queasy about in Bloomberg Businessweek’s announcement of a major joint venture to build a Chinese bullet train connecting Los Angeles with Las Vegas.
The moment of truth is nearly at hand for a bill that would revise Japanese defense policy to let its troops fight abroad, a dramatic change from its postwar military posture.
Contents: China continues rapid military deployment in South China Sea; Japan and Vietnam boost military ties to counter China
A Chinese commander, sitting alongside a fellow military leader from the United States and another one from Japan, defiantly said China owns the South China Sea at a conference in London.
An article in the current issue of The Economist shines a spotlight on an ugly problem in Japanese corporate life: harassment of pregnant women to the point of urging them to get abortions if they wish to save their careers.
China is celebrating the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II today, and what state outlet Xinhua calls the “Chinese People’s War Against Japanese Aggression” that happened alongside it. The nation has organized a massive parade featuring an international coalition of leftist allies.
MECHANICVILLE, N.Y. (AP) — Stephen Dennis enlisted in the Navy soon after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. Less than a year later, the raw 19-year-old recruit was thrust into fighting off the Solomon Islands and survived one of the fiercest naval battles in the South Pacific.
Contents: China leads a worldwide stock selloff; Oil volatility illustrates exogenous factors affecting Wall Street; China rescues the stock market every day at 2 pm; China arresting people who spread malicious rumors by telling the truth
The Japanese Defense Ministry has requested its largest budget ever, a 2.2 percent raise following three years of steady increases, driven by concerns over Chinese expansion in the South China Sea.
On August 27, Japan launched a new, Izumo-class helicopter carrier named the “Kaga” (DDH-184).
Russia and China began their Joint Sea 2015 II exercises in the Sea of Japan with 22 vessels, 20 aircraft, and 40 armored vehicles. The exercises occur just off the coast of Vladivostok
A United States military installation in Japan has reportedly been subject to a series of massive explosions, with eyewitnesses claiming that a towering inferno and a series of loud blasts came from the base that houses American ammunition and petroleum products.
Contents: Japan’s Shinzo Abe blames WW II on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff act; Brief generational history of Japan
TOKYO, Japan – A Japanese man is accused of cutting off the penis of his wife’s alleged lover before flushing it down a toilet.
(Reuters) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will include the words “apology” and “aggression” in his statement marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two, NHK public TV said, an apparent nod to critics who fear he will dilute past apologies.
Contents: Japan’s Shinzo Abe raises controversy at Hiroshima commemoration; Japan’s Shinzo Abe ‘insults’ Korea in plans for commemorating end of WW II; Palestinians promise to continue efforts to pursue Israeli ‘criminals’
Seventy years ago, the B-29 Enola Gay, piloted by Paul Tibbets, Jr., dropped an atomic bomb, Little Boy, on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Japanese officials are concerned over the recent WikiLeaks exposure of American spying.
Tokyo (AFP) – Japan’s Suntory whisky will be sent into space next month to test how time in a zero-gravity environment affects its flavour, one of the country’s biggest drinks makers said Friday.
Moses Weisberg was walking his bicycle through the National Arboretum in Northeast Washington when he stopped at a mushroom-shaped tree. The first thing he noticed was the thickness of the trunk, estimated at almost a foot and a half in diameter. And then there was the abundance of spindly leaves, a healthy head of hair for a botanical relic 390 years old.
Chinese officials are trying to downplay accusations of aggression at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this Tuesday.
A video shot in Japan’s port city of Osaka has been making the rounds online, displaying a swarm of white spherical objects of unknown origin flying across the sky. The low-quality footage has triggered speculation over extra-terrestrial life and UFOs.
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii (AP) — The military and a private organization have brought home the remains of 36 Marines killed in one of World War II’s bloodiest battles.
It will surprise no one but mutant daisies with two connected flowers and four stems have been found growing near the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.
China is calling Japan’s photos of Chinese construction near disputed waters a “provocation.” In 2008, China and Japan agreed to jointly develop natural resources in a disputed part of the East China Sea. Now, however, the countries are still bickering over development rights.
(AFP) Japan’s Mitsubishi Materials made a landmark apology to US prisoners of war forced to work in its mines during World War II, seven decades after the conflict.
Contents: China reacts harshly to Japan’s plans for ‘collective self-defense’; European officials prepare to negotiate Greece’s next bailout
Doctors and staff at a Japanese university dissected at least eight U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) while they were still alive during World War II, acknowledges a museum at the university, the Daily Mail reported.
Contents: Greece approves harsh reforms as IMF throws Europe under the bus; Japan’s Shinzo Abe pushes ‘collective defense’ bill for vote; Mexico’s first ‘historic’ attempt to re-privatize oil industry flops
Japan’s long-standing policy of self defence may be on the verge of being swept away, unleashing onto the world stage one of the most powerful militaries in the world for the first time in 70 years. New legislation designed to override
TOKYO (AP) — When the dust settles on the marquee venue for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, it could well be the most expensive sports stadium in the world.
Contents: Pope Francis in Paraguay alludes to 1860s War of the Triple Alliance; Distrust of Greece dominates indecisive Eurogroup meeting on Saturday; France and Italy welcome Greece’s proposals
Japanese health officials are attempting to deal with a growing problem—a million young adults, mostly men, have locked themselves in their bedrooms and are refusing to come out. This condition, called “hikikomori” by Japanese health professionals, is deeply troubling Japanese leaders.
A Twitter firestorm broke out when some soccer fans referenced Pearl Harbor, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki after the U.S. Women’s National Team trounced Japan 5-2 to win the World Cup in Vancouver Sunday night.
During the 2015 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan, midfielder Carli Lloyd nailed a shot from the middle of the field to put the U.S. up 4-0 and giving Lloyd a hat trick. U.S. now leads 4-1
