Japan's vote was for a realist in a dangerous neighborhood, not a license for performative nationalism or domestic culture wars. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/10/japan/takaichis-win-victory-for-realism/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #ldp #us #china #defense #indopacific #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations
Trade minister Ryosei Azakawa is heading to the United States to discuss the first project under Japan's $550 billion pledge with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/10/economy/akazawa-trip-us-pledge/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #ryoseiakazawa #tariffs #donaldtrump #trade #carmakers #us #japaneseeconomy #usjapanrelations
Following the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's landslide victory in Sunday's House of Representatives election, the United States plans to enhance cooperation with the Asian ally in security and economic matters. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/10/japan/politics/us-boost-economic-security-cooperation-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #us #usjapanrelations #2026lowerhouseelection #donaldtrump #defense
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s landslide election victory holds a foreign-policy lesson for American observers. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/09/japan/takaichi-us-foreign-policy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #2026lowerhouseelection #usjapanrelations
Japan is seen selecting gas-fired power generation, synthetic diamonds and ports as the first round of $550 billion investments and loans it agreed to make in the United States. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/08/economy/japan-investments-us-power-diamonds/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #usjapanrelations #investments
U.S. President Donald Trump has again broken with tradition, offering his “total endorsement” of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Sunday’s election and announcing the pair's planned meeting in Washington on March 19. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/06/japan/politics/trump-takaichi-endorsement/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #2026lowerhouseelection #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #china #xijinping #us #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #ldp
The option being talked about — whispered, actually — is the nuclear option. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/05/japan/the-list-of-japanese-security-options/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #markcarney #us #indopacific #shigeruishiba #defense #nato #sdf #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #china #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #nuclearweapons
The United States has unveiled a critical-minerals partnership with Japan and the European Union amid growing concerns about China's dominant role in the sector. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/02/05/economy/us-japan-eu-critical-minerals-partnership/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #rareearths #minerals #usjapanrelations #eujapanrelations
Japan's Supreme Court has dismissed a U.S. airman's appeal against his five-year prison sentence for kidnapping and sexually assaulting an underage girl in Okinawa Prefecture in 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/03/japan/crime-legal/okinawa-rejection-airman-appeal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #us #japanesecourts #okinawa #usmilitary #sexcrimes #usbases #usjapanrelations #women039sissues #childabuse #supremecourt
Opening a new chapter for Japan-U.S.-Europe cooperation may define the strategic legacy of the Takaichi administration. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/02/02/world/japans-strategic-crossroads/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #sanaetakaichi #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #eujapanrelations #indopacific #defense #donaldtrump
This month 25 and 50 years ago saw The Japan Times reporting on the discovery of Lucie Blackman's body and the beginnings of the Lockheed bribery scandal. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/02/02/japan/history/japanese-history-lockheed-blackman/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #history #lockheed #corruption #lucieblackman #usjapanrelations
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is considering treating Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as a state guest during her possible visit to the United States this spring, according to informed sources. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/31/japan/us-takaichi-state-guest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations
U.S. removes call for BOJ to raise interest rates https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/30/economy/us-removal-call-boj-interest-rates/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #us #usjapanrelations #boj #japaneseeconomy #inflation #yen #currencies
It is difficult for Japan to give up Russian liquefied natural gas, despite stepped-up sanctions by the United States and Europe, Japan Gas Association leader Takashi Uchida has said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/30/gas-leader-interview-lng-russia/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #lng #gas #utilities #russia #trade #russiajapanrelations #energy #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump
A top Pentagon official discussed strengthening the U.S.-Japan military alliance with a Japanese counterpart in Tokyo as Washington continues to put pressure on its allies in Asia to ramp up defense spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/29/japan/politics/japan-us-defense-alliance-talks/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #usjapanrelations #defense #defenseministry #elbridgecolby #takehirofunakoshi
A plan to build a synthetic diamond plant in the United States may be part of Japan's $550 billion investment package, amid a push to expand production of the material vital to chip and high-precision manufacturing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/27/economy/us-japan-synthetic-diamond-production/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #tariffs
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said the Japan-U.S. alliance would collapse if Tokyo did nothing in the event U.S. forces were attacked during an emergency involving the evacuation of the allies’ citizens from Taiwan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/27/japan/politics/japan-takaichi-taiwan-us-alliance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #usjapanrelations #taiwan #us #usmilitary #pla #china #sanaetakaichi #xijinping
Prime Minister Takaichi is advancing a more assertive security agenda, but insufficiently refined strategic signaling risks diplomatic friction and undermining the coherence and credibility of its foreign policy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/22/japan/takaichis-strengths-and-strategic-signaling/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #sanaetakaichi #apec #southkorea #china #ldp #komeito #jip #taiwan #nuclearweapons #freeandopenindopacific #chinajapanrelations #usjapanrelations #defense
Japan’s exports managed to rise last year despite the first fall in shipments to the U.S. since the pandemic, in a year that was roiled by tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/22/economy/japan-exports-rise-2025/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #economicindicators #trade #japaneseeconomy #tariffs #cars #donaldtrump #usjapanrelations
Despite Japan bracing itself for the worst when Donald Trump was elected for a second term as U.S. president, the tumult generated in his first year back has exceeded even Tokyo's deepest fears. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/21/japan/politics/trump-us-japan-year-one/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #us #usjapanrelations #indopacific #donaldtrump #sanaetakaichi #defense #budgets #china #pla #taiwan #greenland #venezuela #usmilitary