Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was holding her first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, with trade and security issues on the agenda, as Japan’s new leader looks to cultivate ties with her counterpart. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/28/japan/politics/trump-takaichi-us-japan-summit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #us #usjapanrelations #shinzoabe #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #usmilitary #defense #trade #tariffs #investments #budgets #ldp

U.S. President Donald Trump was bound for Tokyo on Monday, where he is set to meet the emperor in the evening and new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday for a summit that will focus on trade and defense spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/27/japan/politics/trump-takaichi-japan-arrives/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #us #usjapanrelations #shinzoabe #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #usmilitary #defense #trade #tariffs #investments #budgets #ldp

When new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Tokyo on Tuesday, she will have a “Trump card” that other leaders have not: her closeness to late former Japanese leader Shinzo Abe. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/26/japan/politics/trump-takaichi-abe-focus/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #us #defense #budgets #trade #tariffs #usjapanrelations

The Pentagon said it received an anonymous $130 million donation to pay the military during the U.S. government shutdown, a move the administration might not legally be able to carry out. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/25/world/politics/pentagon-anonymous-gift-pay-troops/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #usmilitary #budgets #congress #donaldtrump

Maintaining the quality of Japan's medical and nursing care services while lowering related expenses, amid an aging population, will pose a difficult challenge for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/23/japan/politics/japan-pm-takaichi-medical-costs-balance/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #nursingcare #elderly #hospitals #budgets

Japan’s new ruling coalition policy agreement has quietly tucked in a number of defense initiatives that could further accelerate the country’s push to beef up its security and shed some postwar constraints. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/21/japan/politics/japan-ruling-bloc-defense/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #nipponishinnokai #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #us #usjapanrelations #budgets #defense #defenseministry

U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardball tactic of ordering permanent layoffs amid a government shutdown has hardened Democrats’ deep distrust of Republicans and risks prolonging the standoff. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/12/world/politics/trump-trust-democrats-shutdown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #congress #budgets #republicans #democrats #donaldtrump

The Trump administration said on Saturday it would pay troops during the federal government shutdown by tapping unused funds that had been set aside for research and development. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/12/world/politics/us-military-pay-troops-shutdown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #congress #us #usmilitary #donaldtrump #budgets

The White House is making good on threats to fire thousands of federal workers amid a government shutdown now in its 10th day, with job cuts across several federal agencies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/11/world/politics/us-government-shutdown-firings/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #jobs #donaldtrump #budgets #congress #republicans #democrats

U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee to be the Pentagon's top Asia official has urged Japan to ramp up its defense budget, saying Tokyo “has long underemphasized spending for its own defense.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/08/japan/japan-us-defense-spending-pentagon/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump #defense #budgets #shigeruishiba #defenseministry #indopacific #johnnoh #sanaetakaichi

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will start laying off federal workers if Trump decides negotiations with Democrats to end a government shutdown are "going nowhere," a White House official said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/06/world/politics/white-house-mass-layoffs-shutdown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #politics #us #congress #budgets #donaldtrump #republicans #democrats

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said the country's defense budget for next year would rise by 8.2% to $47.1 billion, adding that peace would only be possible on a strong foundation of security. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/01/asia-pacific/politics/south-korea-defense-budget-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #southkorea #defense #budgets #leejaemyung #northkorea

Foreign policy experience aside, the next prime minister will have to deal with the U.S. president’s “quirks” in the practice of diplomacy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/01/japan/trump-effect-on-the-ldp-race/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #ldp #defense #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi #toshimitsumotegi #yoshimasahayashi #takayukikobayashi #budgets #china #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump

On defense and foreign policy, the five candidates vying to be the LDP's next president largely align. But the nuanced differences they do have could mean significantly distinct policies depending on who is elected. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/09/28/japan/politics/ldp-leadership-race-candidates-foreign-defense-policies/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #ldp #defense #sanaetakaichi #shinjirokoizumi #toshimitsumotegi #yoshimasahayashi #takayukikobayashi #budgets #china #usjapanrelations #donaldtrump

U.S. President Donald Trump’s most concrete step to rein in unprecedented budget deficits — sweeping tariff hikes — faces the danger of a legal reversal that would put the nation’s finances on an even shakier footing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/14/economy/tariffs-trump-deficit/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #us #tariffs #trade #donaldtrump #budgets

General-account budget requests from government agencies topped ¥120 trillion for the first time for fiscal 2026, led by higher debt serving costs and social security spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/09/04/general-account-budget-requests/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #wages #financeministry #budgets #japaneseeconomy

Hours before arriving in the U.S., South Korean leader Lee Jae Myung has signaled difficulties in reaching a deal with Washington on its demand that U.S. forces in South Korea play a larger role in countering China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/25/asia-pacific/politics/south-korea-lee-us-trump-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics#leejaemyung #donaldtrump #usmilitary #defense #budgets #china #northkorea #southkorea #nuclearweapons #us

Voters in Taiwan have once again rejected an effort by President Lai Ching-te’s party to flip parliament, a setback that could deepen political deadlock and complicate the island’s push to ramp up defense spending. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/24/asia-pacific/politics/taiwan-reject-recalls-defense-budget/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #politics #taiwan #dpp #kuomintang #laichingte #defense #budgets #china #pla

The Environment Ministry is looking to increase its funding to local governments to enable them to respond better to bear attacks, which are becoming increasingly common throughout the nation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/22/japan/budget-increase-eyed-bear-shooting/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #bears #animals #environmentministry #budgets

Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his Turkish counterpart have pledged to boost defense tie-ups between both countries as Tokyo weighs the possibility of purchasing drones from the NATO member. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/20/japan/politics/japan-turkey-defense-chiefs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #turkeyjapanrelations #turkey #defense #drones #gennakatani #defenseministry #budgets