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The first contingent of Self-Defense Forces members authorized to use their weapons against enemy combatants while engaged in protection and rescue operations overseas left here Nov. 20 to take part in a U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan. The advance corps of 130 or so members is expected to arrive in the South Sudan capital of Juba on Nov. 21. They are authorized to engage in "kaketsuke-keigo" activities, which literally means "rushing (to distant places) to protect and rescue (people)," when members of peacekeeping operations or other nongovernmental organizations come under attack. Unlike in past missions, those in the latest...

full title....................What was Ivanka doing there? Fury as Trump's daughter and husband join him for first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister.............................Pictures released on Thursday evening by the Japanese government that showed Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner joining the president-elect for a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have led to widespread criticism on social media. A number of Twitter users are expressing their outrage and shock after learning that Ivanka - who has no security clearance and is set to run her father's business in a blind trust once he takes office - was present for Donald's first sit-down talk...

It's been less than two weeks since Donald Trump was elected president, and already his first foreign diplomacy meeting is turning heads. A handout photo shows Trump meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Manhattan's Trump Tower...with his daughter, Ivanka Trump, listening in. CNN correspondent Ivan Watson deleted his tweet of the picture, but not before various reporters, political commentators, and other users pointed out the inappropriateness of Ivanka's presence.

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe has said he has "great confidence" in US President-elect Donald Trump and he believes they can build a relationship of trust. Mr Abe described the 90-minute meeting in Trump Tower, New York, as "candid", with a "warm atmosphere".

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he believes Donald Trump is a leader in whom he can have great confidence after meeting with the president-elect Thursday. Abe, who became the first world leader to meet with Trump since his election, was seeking reassurances over the future of U.S.-Japan security and trade relations. He described the meeting as "really, really cordial" but offered few details of their discussion. "I do believe that without confidence between the two nations (the) alliance would never function in the future and as an outcome of today's discussion I am convinced Mr. Trump is a leader...

NEW YORK – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe became the first world leader to meet President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday, seeking reassurances over the future of U.S.-Japan security and trade relations. Abe met with Trump in New York, where the incoming president is working on setting up an administration after his surprise election victory last week that has injected new uncertainty into old U.S. alliances. "I do believe that without confidence between the two nations (the) alliance would never function in the future and (after) the outcome of today's discussion I am convinced Mr. Trump is a leader in whom...

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's leader will likely seek reassurances that President-elect Donald Trump remains committed to the U.S.-Japan security alliance when the two meet in New York on Thursday. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to meet the incoming president on Thursday. It will be Trump's first meeting with a world leader since his election last week. Statements made by Trump during the campaign have caused consternation in many world capitals, including Tokyo. Trump said he would demand that allies such as Japan and South Korea contribute more to the cost of basing U.S. troops in their countries.

After thousands of tests and training missions, China's first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, is combat ready. A Global Times reporter recently visited the carrier, to find out how its crew members are selected and what roles they perform. After four years, the crew of the Liaoning went from knowing virtually nothing about the vessel to achieving an astonishing series of firsts. Fighter planes sit on the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier. Photo: Zhang Kai Fighter planes sit on the deck of the Liaoning aircraft carrier. Photo: Zhang Kai For an outsider, seeing the Liaoning, with a displacement of more...

Theresa May is facing a growing Cabinet backlash over her decision to dismiss Nigel Farage despite him being the only British politician to meet with Donald Trump since his victory. The Daily Telegraph understands a number of members of the Cabinet and other Government ministers believe the Prime Minister’s allies have made a mistake by referring to Mr. Farage as an “irrelevance”. One Cabinet source also accused Downing Street of having “made no plan” for a Trump victory, despite Government claims that officials have for months been holding talks with members of his inner circle. Mrs. May has made clear...

Main picture: NK Pro A new modern-style corvette with low-observable radar characteristics has been spotted in North Korea’s northeastern port of Najin in Rason, high-resolution photos obtained exclusively by NK Pro have revealed. Two sets of photos taken during different periods in 2016 show a heavily armed, 77-meter long vessel with radar cross-section (RCS) reducing features docked adjacent to a helicopter-capable but minimally armed support ship. Equipped with two Kumsong-3 anti-ship cruise missile launchers, a short-range surface-to-air missile system, torpedo launchers and rotary canons, the reduced-RCS corvette also includes capacity for large caliber naval cannon, the NK Pro analysis reveals....

A former Clintonista and current Goldman Sachs biggie Jake Siewert is writing in mid-2015 to a current Clintonista and suspected PEDO, Podesta. In a panicky tone, Siewert admonishes Pedo Podesta that convicted Pedo (Denny) Hastert (Repub.) should for some reason disappear to a Japanese island. Both Podesta and Hastert long ago briefly taught at CAMP NOSE, near Osaka, Japan's 2nd biggest city. Unknown is what triggered this panicky advice from Clintonista 1 to Pedo-Clintonista 2. . Jake Siewert: Richard L. "Jake" Siewert, Jr. (born February 1, 1964) is head of corporate communications for Goldman Sachs. He served as White House...

An active shooter was reportedly on the loose Thursday morning at an American naval base in Japan, the commander of the base confirmed.

Jennifer Lopez is being sued for her performance at the Magazine Festival in Morocco after citizens were outraged that her performance was too “sexy”. The 45-year-old’s concert at the Mawazine World Rhythms International Music Festival featured sexy dance moves and stage outfits that showed off the “Booty” singer’s famous assets. The group reportedly objected to Lopez’s May 29 performance because it “disturbed public order and tarnished women’s honour and respect.”

Against the backdrop of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) military modernization and growing precision strike capabilities, some media reports indicate that Taipei may have plans to produce 10 to 60 Hsiung Feng III (HF-3; 雄風三型, “Brave Wind III”) supersonic missiles with a range above 162 nautical miles under projects codenamed “God’s Spear” (神戈計劃) and “Coiled Dragon” (蟠龍計畫), respectively. According to the media, an “HF-3 extended range model missile” (雄三增程型飛彈) project may be in the works and a testing phase is slated for completion by the middle of 2017, to enter mass production in 2018. The missiles could be deployed in...

Asia's most powerful warship has been shrouded in mystery since construction began last year at the Jiangnan Changxing shipyards. Known as a Type 005 destroyer, the vessel is said to be armed with electromagnetic railguns that can shoot down missiles and attack land targets. Now, leaked images give a glimpse of the battle ship's progress - there appears to be four portals on the stern for sensors and weapons - along with up to 128 vertical launch system cells for missiles. Construction of this 175 meter long ship began in 2015, but officials have been very careful not to reveal...

BEIJING --- Photos about the progress of China's first home-made aircraft carrier were revealed online again lately. Britain's Jane's Defence Weekly claimed that the carrier island is already lifted in place, a milestone before China's second aircraft carrier enters water. Military expert Cao Weidong said in an interview that China's first home-made aircraft carrier is likely to have Active Phased Array Radar (APAR) and can carry 40-50 aircraft of various types at most. Laser weapon will probably find its way to future carriers and large vessels too. According to Cao, carrier island installation is the last step of building the...

Full Title: "Fukushima nuclear zone 'to become world's next macabre tourist hotspot' as visitors get set to don radioactive suits" "The site of the Fukushima nuclear disaster is set to become a bizarre new tourist attraction, as people flock to visit the radioactive exclusion zone."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is pitching Japan’s maglev technology for the railway system in the United States. Speaking in a meeting with US business leaders and financial experts in New York on Wednesday, Abe said that in the late 2030s, a maglev train linking Tokyo to Nagoya in central Japan will take just 40 minutes - an hour shorter than currently required for the shinkansen bullet train. The two cities are about 260km apart, as the crow flies. “The distance between Tokyo and Nagoya is almost the same as that between New York and [Washington] DC,” he said. “You...

New imagery shows that the China's carrier borne fighter, the J-15, will receive major upgrades, which point to gains in not just China's engine making but overall carrier fleet. Chinese Military Aviation The Original Article The initial J-15s, derived from the Soviet Su-33, had lighter landing gears (see the nosewheel) and Russian made AL-31 turbofan engines. The J-15 is derived from the Russian Su-33 (itself developed from the Su-27 fighter), is currently in limited production by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation. It is used by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) on its sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning. Chinese Internet J-15A The...

Miss Japan (Miss World Pageant i2016 in Tokyo) More than forty per cent of young singletons in Japan are virgins, according to a new study that highlights concerns about the country's demographic challenges. Japan already suffers from the world's oldest population and a shrinking birthrate, with the government struggling to incentivise marriage and parenthood. Now a survey of unmarried people aged 18 to 34 found that around 42 per cent of men and 44.2 per cent of single women had never had sex. The study is carried out by Japan's National Institute of Population and Social Security every five...