Takaichi Sanae

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said on Monday she will dissolve the lower house of the Japanese Parliament on Friday, setting the stage for snap elections on February 8. The next parliamentary election was not scheduled until October 2028.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung met with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Monday, during Lee’s first visit to Beijing as president. Lee said he wanted 2026 to become “the first year of the full-scale restoration of Korea-China relations.”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) offered a dismaying projection for Japan’s economy on Friday, projecting mediocre growth in the first half of 2026 that will cause Japan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to fall behind India’s.

The Japanese government is preparing to revise its immigration rules to make it more difficult for foreigners to obtain citizenship, including doubling the required period of residency in Japan and adding a requirement for Japanese language proficiency.

Chinese state media has been heavily promoting a rumor that the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae wants to develop nuclear weapons that could potentially be used against China.

An unnamed World Health Organization (W.H.O.) spokesperson insisted in remarks published on Thursday that the agency is not seeking to change its current, meager relationship with Taiwan after a senior Japanese government official claimed this week that W.H.O. chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus promised more cooperation with Taipei.

Japanese pop singer Maki Otsuki was in the middle of a concert in Shanghai on Friday when her performance was abruptly cut short, her sound system was turned off, and the organizers ordered her to leave the stage.

President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and said he accepted an invitation to Beijing for a face-to-face meeting.

The Japanese government on Monday warned citizens visiting China to increase their safety precautions and avoid visiting crowded areas.

The Chinese communist regime on Wednesday informed Tokyo it is suspending imports of Japanese marine products amid rising tensions between both countries, according to reports.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a bulletin on Sunday to “solemnly remind” Chinese tourists they should avoid traveling to Japan for the foreseeable future, alleging that their safety cannot be guaranteed.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong called Japanese Ambassador Kanasugi Kenji into his office for a tirade about Taiwan on Thursday, the latest escalation of a diplomatic row that has already seen one Chinese official threaten to cut Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s head off.

The Japanese government on Monday demanded explanations from China after Xue Jian, the Chinese consul general in Osaka, threatened to “cut” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s “dirty neck.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday confirmed that dictator Xi Jinping will meet with President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea on Thursday.

President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae met on Tuesday with the families of Japanese nationals believed to have been abducted by North Korea.

President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae praised each other in glowing terms on Tuesday, and Trump cemented the friendship by signing major deals on trade and rare earth minerals. 

President Donald Trump said Tuesday in Japan the delivery of the first batch of missiles for the East Asian country’s F-35 fighter jets was ahead of schedule.

President Donald Trump forecast that the United States-Japan relationship “will be stronger than ever before” during his state visit on Tuesday and congratulated newly minted Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. 

Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae praised President Donald Trump’s diplomatic record during his visit to Tokyo, commending his leadership in securing ceasefire agreements in Asia and the Middle East as part of his ongoing international peace efforts.

President Donald Trump revealed during a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on Monday that he has “always had a great love of Japan,” adding that he also has “great respect” for Japan.

President Donald Trump meets with new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo on Monday, October 27.

President Donald Trump met with Japanese Emperor Naruhito at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday, continuing a tour of Asia that began at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia on Sunday and is scheduled to end with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in South Korea on Thursday.

Japan’s new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae, plans to increase defense spending and accelerate Japan’s military buildup.

President Donald Trump will be conducting high-stakes diplomacy during his trip to Asia next week. Trump will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia on Sunday, followed by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in South Korea, and possibly a bilateral meeting with Chinese dictator Xi Jinping on Thursday. 

President Donald Trump is set to depart for an action-packed trip to Asia, bookended by meetings with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim on Sunday and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

China insisted that its muted response to Japan electing its first woman prime minister, conservative Takaichi Sanae, was “appropriate.”

Yamamoto Taku is a Japanese politician from a dovish faction of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) who has serious policy disputes with the new prime minister, Takaichi Sanae.

Conservative Takaichi Sanae is Japan’s first female prime minister after the 64-year-old triumphed Tuesday in an historic vote to clear the way for her ascendancy.