Kazuhiro Sugita, who was Japan's longest-serving deputy chief Cabinet secretary, with a tenure of eight years and nine months, has died at 84. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/society/japan-former-top-bureaucrat-sugita-obituary/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #kazuhirosugita #obituary #npa #shinzoabe
Prosecutors demanded a 45-year-old man charged with fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022 be sentenced to life in prison, according to media reports. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/18/japan/crime-legal/prosecutors-yamagami-court/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabe #shinzoabeassassination #nara
The Finance Ministry disclosed a fifth set of Moritomo Gakuen papers to the widow of a regional official who died by suicide after being ordered to tamper with official records on the sale. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/18/japan/politics/moritomo-papers-widow/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #akieabe #corruption #financeministry #japanesecourts #osaka #shinzoabe #moritomogakuen
In 2025, Trump’s second-term policies, including aggressive U.S. tariffs, a trade war with China and inconsistent commitments to allies, disrupted economic and security trends that are expected to continue in 2026. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/16/world/washington-transform-asia-in-2025-2026/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #donaldtrump #us #china #asia #shinzoabe #vietnam #japan #australia #europe #thailand #xijinping #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #myanmar #cambodia
Japan is moving to create a National Intelligence Bureau as part of a broader effort to break down intelligence silos, strengthen information protection and modernize its intelligence system. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/12/14/japan/japans-planned-intelligence-bureau/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #defense #intelligence #sanaetakaichi #nationalintelligencebureau #nationalsecuritysecretariat #nationalsecuritycouncil #liberaldemocraticparty #japaninnovationparty #shinzoabe #fiveeyes
Shiori Ito's Oscar-nominated #MeToo film finally screened in Japan https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/13/japan/society/shiori-ito-documentary-release/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #shioriito #documentaries #sexcrimes #rape #shinzoabe #noriyukiyamaguchi #japanesefilm #blackboxdiaries
The wife of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe attended the trial of Tetsuya Yamagami, who is charged with murdering Abe, for the first time on Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/03/japan/crime-legal/akie-abe-trial/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #nara #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabe #unificationchurch #shinzoabeassassination #akieabe
Traditional Japanese "hina" dolls featuring this year's iconic people and events have been unveiled in Tokyo. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/28/japan/doll-tokyo-showcase/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #tokyo #hina #ichirosuzuki #shinzoabe #sanaetakaichi #rice #2025osakaexpo
A man standing trial for the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Nara District Court that the attack was triggered by “despair and a sense of crisis.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/26/japan/crime-legal/yamagami-trial-abe/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabe #nara #japanesecourts
China is using threats, diplomatic pressure, economic measures and manufactured media narratives to attack new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and influence Japanese politics. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/11/20/japan/good-relations-with-communist-party-is-a-fools-errand/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #china #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #xuejian #reiwashinsengumi #us #ldp #shigeruishiba #komeito #japaninnovationparty #ccp #philippines #shinzoabe #laichingte #xijinping #worldwarii
“I should not have lived this long,” said Tetsuya Yamagami, the man accused of killing former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as he took the stand for the first time during his trial at the Nara District Court. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/21/japan/crime-legal/yamagami-speaks-first-time/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #nara #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabe #unificationchurch
The mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, on trial in connection with the 2022 killing of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, told a court she wants to keep her faith in the Unification Church, a controversial religious group. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/19/japan/crime-legal/yamagami-trial-mother/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #shinzoabe #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabeassassination #guns
The mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, who is charged with the 2022 murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Nara, apologized for the crime committed by her second son as she appeared in court as a defense witness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/14/japan/crime-legal/mother-abe-shooter-apology/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #nara #shinzoabe #shinzoabeassassination #tetsuyayamagami #guns #japanesecourts
Prime Minister Takaichi's comments on Taiwan have sparked controversy, as critics argue she undermined Japan's "strategic ambiguity" on the issue although her remarks did not specify military action. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/11/13/japan/takaichi-and-taiwan-strategic-ambiguity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #china #us #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #shinzoabe #joebiden #chinajapanrelations #defense #strategicambiguity
Sanae Takaichi’s first speech before Japan’s parliament highlighted her focus on economic reforms, navigating a divided coalition and addressing the challenges of a shrinking population and foreign labor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/11/07/takaichi-gets-squeezed-on-every-front/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #ldp #jip #shinzoabe #fumiokishida #sanseito #komeito #kimionoda #fumitakefujita
Seven guns made by Tetsuya Yamagami, charged with the murder of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, were all lethal, a police witness said at Nara District Court on Thursday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/11/07/japan/crime-legal/abe-shooter-guns-lethal/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #japanesecourts #shinzoabe #tetsuyayamagami #shinzoabeassassination #nara
In her first week as prime minister, Sanae Takaichi impressed at home and abroad through deft diplomacy with ASEAN leaders and a successful summit with Donald Trump that strengthened the Japan-U.S. alliance. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/editorials/2025/10/31/takaichi-shines-on-dilomatic-stage/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #editorials #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump #shinzoabe #malaysia #asean #philippines #ferdinandmarcosjr #anthonyalbanese #australia #china #apec #petehegseth #ldp #russia #northkorea #southkorea #leejaemyung #xijinping
Lawmaker Kei Sato, who was at the scene of the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, appeared at the trial of the suspect, Tetsuya Yamagami, as a witness Wednesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/30/japan/crime-legal/japan-pm-abe-shooting-trial-witness-testimony/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #keisato #shinzoabe #tetsuyayamagami #japanesecourts #nara
Japan’s top security adviser Keiichi Ichikawa is set to play a leading role in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s foreign policy strategy. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/10/30/japan/politics/national-security-adviser-change/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #keiichiichikawa #sanaetakaichi #defense #shinzoabe #shigeruishiba
Sanae Takaichi’s first meeting with Donald Trump mirrored Shinzo Abe’s charm-based diplomacy, earning her praise, strong poll numbers, and a positive start for her new government. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2025/10/29/trump-flattery-will-get-takaichi-everywhere/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #us #usjapanrelations #shinzoabe #sanaetakaichi #donaldtrump