Free Republic

Japanese Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito, on Thursday said he has “mixed feelings” about the government’s revision to the Imperial House Law that reinforces a rule dictating only men can become emperor. “I believe there is no difference between men and women” in serving the roles of the imperial family to respond to social needs, Akishino said at a news conference ahead of a trip to Paraguay later this month to mark the 90th anniversary of Japanese emigration to the South American country. The comments by Akishino, the next in line for the throne, come just...

Today, it's a field of grass. But soon, it'll be the site of the first mosque in this Japanese town. "It makes me worry about how our community might change," says long-time resident Noriko Izumizawa. Plans to build an Islamic religious site in Fujisawa, a laid-back seaside town about an hour's drive south of Tokyo, have sparked a wide range of emotions. There is anger and fear, as well as hope and acceptance, exposing the growing anxieties over immigration and social change as Japan grapples with a labour shortage from a shrinking and ageing population. Although immigration remains politically sensitive...

Japan is launching a new centralized intelligence body for the first time since World War II – a controversial move that some fear deviates from Tokyo’s pacifist ideals, but one others say is much needed in a country so riddled with security weaknesses it has been called a “paradise for spies.” The National Intelligence Bureau will formally launch on Friday, replacing previous structures criticized as disjointed and ineffective – and laying the foundation, experts say, for broader changes that could include an anti-spy law and a new external foreign intelligence agency similar to the CIA in the US, or MI6...

A shopping centre has collapsed leaving a 'considerable number' of people dead, after a strong 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan on Tuesday. Japanese police previously said they had received reports of what sounded like an explosion at the Aeon Mall outlet in Kumamoto. Emergency services said that 'many people' were trapped inside the centre, which was severely damaged as a result of the quake. The tremor measured at the highest possible level seven on Japan's own Shindo scale of shaking. The Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan's...

ORLANDO, Florida, July 22 (Reuters) - As Japan's yen sinks to its lowest in 40 years, Tokyo's policy credibility in the eyes of international investors appears to be sinking too. The dollar/yen rate, the world's second most traded currency pair, is now above 163.00 for the first time since 1986. Why is Japan's currency so weak? Partly it is dollar strength. Most major ​currencies have weakened against the greenback in the last few months as a second wave of the global energy shock has reignited inflation fears, pushing up U.S. Treasury yields. While most ‌developed market government debt has come...

President Donald Trump appeared to confuse Iran with Japan during a jaw-dropping verbal slip at the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, telling reporters that the “Islamic Republic of Japan” had fired more than 100 missiles at a U.S. aircraft carrier as he touted the effectiveness of Patriot missile defense systems.

The mayor of the city of Shimotsuma in eastern Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture was found dead in a drainage canal early on June 15. Based on the circumstances at the scene, police are investigating the possibility that he took his own life. The body of Mayor Toyoji Sudo, 67, was found in the drainage canal in Yachiyo, Ibaraki Prefecture, at about 12:50 a.m. According to Shimotsuma Police Station, Sudo's family visited the station at about 11:15 p.m. on June 14, saying that he was late in coming home, and reported him missing. During a subsequent search, a police officer found Sudo...

They fought a world war, and they lost it, and their populations spent the next 85 years with shrunken militaries and a heavy reliance on their former enemy, America, for security. Now, both countries’ wariness of America has resurfaced, alongside heightened fears about a surging world power, China, and an aggressive Russia. Tokyo and Berlin are rushing to rebuild their militaries. And, once again, they are strengthening ties. Their cooperation is expected to gather momentum at the meeting of the leaders of the Group of 7 nations in Evian, France, this week. It already includes sharing know-how, technology and weapons,...

Capt. Wendel Penetrante, Capt. Edwin Catubig and Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Dean Howell were relieved on Wednesday. No specific reason for their firing has been given. The commanding officer, executive officer and senior enlisted leader of a Navy ship repair facility in Yokosuka, Japan, have been fired, service officials announced on Wednesday. Capt. Wendel Penetrante, Capt. Edwin Catubig and Master Chief Petty Officer Thomas Dean Howell were relieved of their duties on Wednesday as commanding officer, executive officer, and command master chief, respectively, a Navy news release says. They were all assigned to the U.S. Naval Ship Repair Facility...

U.S. Defence Secretary ​Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies on Saturday to ramp up military spending to counter China's growing power and prevent its dominance in the region, warning of "rightful alarm" ‌over its rapid military buildup. Hegseth, speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, said a stronger, more self-reliant network of allies is essential to deter aggression and preserve the balance of power. "There is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond," he said. "A Pacific dominated by any...

Japan’s Honda (HMC) posted its first-ever loss in its nearly 80-year history, following a strategy shift from EVs, which cost it dearly. But a refocused plan to lean into hybrids and upbeat guidance for the year ahead have investors bullish. Honda said total EV-related losses for the fiscal year ended March 2026 came in 1.579 trillion yen ($10 billion), leading to an operating profit loss of 414.3 billion yen ($2.625 billion). “Although the automobile business faced a harsh business environment - including higher tariff burdens and lower unit sales due to factors such as semiconductor supply shortages — we implemented...

Fujisawa, Kanagawa Pref. – A mosque construction project in Fujisawa, a city of 440,000 about an hour south of Tokyo, has become a focal point for debate over how Japanese communities are adapting to a growing Muslim population.Sri Lankan businessman Mohamed Khaleel, 54, says the idea of building a mosque in his adopted hometown emerged over a decade ago among the local Muslim community. The closest big mosque to the city center, Ebina Masjid, is 20 kilometers away and has been struggling to serve the increasing Muslim population in the area. . . . Hirofumi Tanada, a professor emeritus at...

Host Bill Hamblet speaks with Admiral Harry Harris on how a war with Iran could reshape global strategy across two theaters. The discussion explores impacts on U.S. commitments, Indo-Pacific stability, China’s role, and regional security dynamics, highlighting how crises in the Middle East reverberate across East Asia’s strategic and economic landscape.

Japan for the first time has deployed ground troops to the Balikatan exercise, a series of multidomain drills staged across the Philippine archipelago. Participation by about 1,000 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) Soldiers augments the annual training that began decades ago as a Philippines-United States exercise and now involves about 20 nations. Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) personnel previously attended Balikatan as observers and in noncombat roles focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR). They participated in a maritime drill in 2025. A reciprocal access agreement between Manila and Tokyo, which took effect in September 2025, allows JSDF and Armed...

Tokyo — A powerful earthquake struck off the northern Japanese coast Monday, prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to issue a tsunami alert for a wide section of coastline, though waves of only about three feet were observed and the emergency appeared to be easing. The quake registered a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 but was later upgraded to 7.7. It occurred off the coast of Sanriku in northern Japan at around 4:53 p.m. (2:53 a.m. Eastern on Sunday), at a depth of about 6 miles below the sea surface, the agency said....

[HONG KONG/TOKYO] TCL Electronics Holdings agreed to buy a majority stake in Sony Group’s global home entertainment business as the Chinese company seeks to expand overseas. TCL will pay 75.4 billion yen (S$610 million) for a 51 per cent stake in a new joint venture that will hold Sony’s home entertainment business including Bravia televisions, according to a statement on Tuesday (Mar 31), which confirmed an earlier Bloomberg News report. Sony will retain a 49 per cent stake in the business, which also include research and development, design, manufacturing and product sales, as well as home audio equipment. As part...

Trump’s former national security advisor has slammed European leaders’ inaction on the war in Iran as a “mistake” that invites the US president to halt support for Ukraine against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Europe’s stance on the Iran war risks US President Donald Trump walking away from the conflict in Ukraine, his former national security advisor, John Bolton, has said, criticising the EU’s reaction to the situation in the Middle East. In an interview with Euronews, Bolton, who also previously served as the US’s ambassador to the UN, branded the Iran conflict as “Europe’s war.” “Europe is just as much, if...

Takaichi had sparked a furious response from Beijing in November when she told parliament that a Chinese attempt to seize Taiwan by force could prompt the intervention of Japan's Self-Defense Forces. China responded by suspending imports of seafood and issuing travel advisories for its nationals not to travel to Japan, resulting in a sharp decline in Chinese tourist numbers to the country. The intelligence report, issued on March 18, said that Takaichi's characterization of a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan — as a "survival threatening situation" for Japan — carried weight. The term could open the door for Japan to...

When asked by a reporter about why the U.S. didn't share their Iran war plans with Japan, President Donald Trump said it was necessary for the element of surprise. The president followed this with a joke, saying, "Who knows better about surprise than Japan? Ok, why didn’t you tell me about Pearl Harbor?"

LONDON, March 19 (Reuters) - Leading ⁠nations ⁠in Europe ⁠said in a joint statement ​with Japan on Thursday they would ‌take steps to stabilise ‌energy markets and were ⁠ready ⁠to join "appropriate efforts" to ensure safe passage ​through the Strait of Hormuz. The statement from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the ​Netherlands and Japan, condemned attacks by ⁠Iran and ⁠called on it ⁠to ​halt its actions immediately. It also said ​they would ⁠work with certain energy producing nations to increase output and stabilise markets. "We express our readiness ⁠to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe ⁠passage through the Strait," the...