Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s conservative Liberal Democratic party (LDP) has secured the biggest election victory seen in Japan since the end of the second world war. In elections on February 8, it won 316 seats out of a total of 465 in the lower house of Japan’s parliament. The Japan Innovation party, its junior coalition partner, secured a further 36 seats. Many had predicted an LDP win. Takaichi called the snap election in January to capitalise on her high approval ratings since becoming Japan’s first female prime minister months earlier.…
The Tokyo Times
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran has briefed Moscow and Beijing on the details and progress of its negotiations with Washington over differences regarding Iran’s nuclear program, Russian media outlet RIA Novosti reported Monday. A Chinese expert said the move reflects routine coordination under the strategic partnership and shows Iran actively seeking support and balance amid a complex geopolitical environment. A day earlier, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi wrote on social media platform X that he had held meetings with the Chinese and Russian ambassadors in Tehran following…
The second largest natural gas producer in northwest Louisiana and east Texas has sold its assets to Japanese conglomerate Mitsubishi. Aethon, a Dallas-based company that operates in the prolific Haynesville shale formation, agreed to a deal worth approximately $7.5 billion, according to an announcement on Friday. Mitsubishi agreed to pay $5.2 billion for Aethon’s equity interests and will assume approximately $2.33 billion in net debt. The company expects the transaction will close in the second quarter of 2026. Aethon’s Haynesville shale assets currently produce about 2.1 billion cubic feet a…
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has delivered her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections she called shortly after taking office. Now that she has consolidated her power in Japan’s legislature (called the Diet), the big question is what she will do with it. Since her ascent to the prime ministership in a parliamentary vote in October, the ultra conservative Takaichi has upended the normally staid Japanese political system. She has connected with younger voters like no other Japanese leader in recent history with her savvy…
Japan’s first superconducting quantum computer designed and built entirely with components developed domestically began operating at the University of Osaka at the end of July. The new system uses a chip with superconducting quantum bits, derived from metals that exhibit negligible electrical resistance when cooled to temperatures near absolute zero. All the components, including the quantum processing unit developed at the Institute for Research in Physics and Chemistry (RIKEN), are housed in a cryogenic device that allows for extremely low temperatures. Developed in partnership with companies such as Fujitsu, the…
Trump’s Venezuela operation marks a move towards ‘Donroeism’ as the United States seeks to assert dominance over the Western Hemisphere. While this shift may create strategic space for China by reducing the likelihood of direct US–China confrontation, it is unlikely to directly trigger Chinese military action over Taiwan. Instead, a key determinant will be the credibility of the US response to a Taiwan contingency — which appears increasingly uncertain. While Japan remains dependent on the United States for its security, it could bolster regional stability by pursuing a more autonomous…
John Deere future generation excavators previously produced in Japan will be manufactured at a $70 million factory in North Carolina, the company said Tuesday. Kernersville, a Forsyth County community off Interstate 40 between Greensboro and Winston-Salem, will be the new home with an expected employment of 150 workers. In May 2024, county commissioners approved an incentive package for the company over five years valued at $944,006. At the time, average annual wages were projected to eclipse $64,000. Economists are historically skeptical on average wage comparisons because salaries of a few…
Less than four years after fleeing the 2022 Russian invasion and landing in Japan, Ukrainian sumo wrestler Danylo Yavhusishyn stands poised to become the first-ever European-born wrestler to be named a Yokozuna (Grand Champion), the highest ranking in the sport. In January, the 21-year-old won his second consecutive top-division title. Yavhusishyn was born in Vinnytsia in central Ukraine in 2004. His first glimpse of sumo wrestling came around 2010, when his mother was running late to pick him up from a judo lesson. As the boy waited, a sumo training…
Japan elevated its Silk Road diplomacy with Central Asia in 2025 by launching an AI cooperation partnership focused on governance, training and institution-building rather than infrastructure. By embedding AI into public administration, logistics and customs systems, Tokyo is reshaping how Central Asian states define efficiency, risk and compliance. The strategy offers capacity gains but risks entrenching external administrative frameworks. Japan introduced the notion of ‘Silk Road diplomacy’ in 1997 to describe its approach to cooperation with Central Asia. But Japan’s engagement with the region was only elevated to heads-of-state level…
In the first week of Black History Month, President Donald Trump posted a racist depiction of former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama on social media — a video clip showing the Obamas’ faces on apes. The post was later deleted, and the White House blamed a staffer for “erroneously” posting it. On Friday evening, Trump refused to apologize for the post: “I didn’t make a mistake,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. The post was one of dozens Trump shared in the middle of the night…