The Defense Ministry has established a new unit dedicated to maritime transportation, with a primary mission of enhancing the rapid movement of personnel and the delivery of supplies using transport vessels. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/22/japan/japan-sdf-maritime-transport-group/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #defense #sdf #maritimetransportgroup #chinajapanrelations #taiwan
A Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, who was sentenced to three years and six months in prison for espionage in China on Wednesday, has no intention to appeal the ruling. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/20/japan/crime-legal/japanese-man-china-spy-ruling-no-appeal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #chinajapanrelations #espionage #astellaspharma
Concerns are growing among Japanese firms operating in China after a Chinese court on Wednesday found an employee of major Japanese drugmaker Astellas Pharma guilty of spying. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/17/japan/japan-firms-in-china-worry-spying-charges/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #astellaspharma #espionage
A Chinese court sentenced a Japanese citizen to a prison term for espionage, in a verdict that threatens to damage ties between Asia’s two largest economies. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/16/japan/crime-legal/china-court-jails-japanese-executive/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #chinajapanrelations #china #astellaspharma #espionage
The Pentagon's No. 3 official has lauded Japan’s latest defense white paper — but that praise was couched in language suggesting the Trump administration will continue to push Tokyo to hike defense spending even further. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/16/japan/politics/us-china-japan-defense-white-paper/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #chinajapanrelations #china #pla #defense #defenseministry #sdf #defenseministry #usjapanrelations #us #elbridgecolby #donaldtrump #budgets
China has denied that its warplanes risked collisions with Japanese surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea last week, calling “close-in reconnaissance and harassment” by Tokyo “the root cause” of the incidents. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/13/japan/japan-china-military-close-encounter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #china #pla #eastchinasea #senkakus #disputedislands
Liberal Democratic Party executive Hiroshi Moriyama and visiting Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng held talks in Osaka on Friday, apparently focusing on beef trade. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/11/japan/politics/moriyama-china-beef-trade/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #hiroshimoriyama #chinajapanrelations #osaka #food #ldp #trade
A district court in Beijing will hand down a ruling on Wednesday for a Japanese employee of Astellas Pharma, who has been charged with espionage in China, sources have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/11/japan/crime-legal/china-court-astellas-pharma-ruling-date/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #astellaspharma #espionage #china #chinajapanrelations
Chinese fighter jets twice risked collisions with Air Self-Defense Force surveillance aircraft, Tokyo said, coming within 30 meters of the planes over the East China Sea on Wednesday and Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/10/japan/china-japan-aircraft-encounter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #china #defense #defenseministry #sdf #asdf #pla #senkakus #disputedislands #eastchinasea
Japan’s foreign minister urged his Chinese counterpart to ensure Japanese companies have access to rare earths and expressed concern about Chinese military activity close to Japan. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/10/japan/japan-china-rare-earths-magnets/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #chinajapanrelations #takeshiiwaya #wangyi
Four Chinese coast guard ships temporarily sailed in Japanese territorial waters off the Senkaku Islands within the city of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, on Thursday afternoon. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/04/japan/senkakus-china-ships/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #naha#senkakuislands #china #chinajapanrelations #japancoastguard #eastchinasea
China will allow the import of some seafood products from Japan to resume, a partial lifting of the blanket ban imposed following Tokyo’s release of wastewater from a wrecked nuclear power plant in 2023. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/30/china-seafood-imports-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #seafood #china #fukushimano1 #fish #fishing #trade #chinajapanrelations
Fans bid farewell to four giant pandas at a zoo in the Adventure World amusement park in Shirahama, Wakayama Prefecture, on Friday, the final viewing day for the animals ahead of their return to China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/27/japan/wakayama-pandas-china-return/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #adventureworld #wakayama #china #chinajapanrelations #pandas
China has stepped up construction of drilling rigs and other platforms off its east coast to tap into maritime resources such as natural gas and fish, raising the ire of Japan and South Korea. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/25/japan/east-china-sea-construction-protest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #eastchinasea #chinajapanrelations