Tag: Japan

WWII shipwrecks off Malaysia broken for scrap: divers

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Three World War II shipwrecks off the coast of Malaysia — the final resting place of dozens of seamen — have almost disappeared, local divers say, with the finger pointing at possible scrap metal scavengers. The Japanese cargo vessels, which went down with their crews off the coast of Sabah in 1944, had become popular dive sites, teeming with fish and coral. But local operators say the wrecks have been reduced […]

US, Japan, S. Korea request UN Security Council meeting on N. Korea

UNITED NATION, United States (AFP) –The United States, Japan and South Korea on Sunday requested an urgent UN Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea’s missile launch, Pyongyang’s first test since US President Donald Trump took office. The council is expected to hold consultations on Monday after North Korea confirmed it had “successfully” tested a ballistic missile. “The United States, along with Japan and the Republic of Korea, have requested urgent consultations on the DPRK’s […]

Trump welcomes Abe with warm White House embrace

  by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a brotherly hug and warm words of admiration Friday, as he ditched previously hard-charging rhetoric toward Tokyo during a White House summit. Trump praised his guest’s “strong hands,” the pair’s “very, very good chemistry” and rolled out a White House military honor guard in a remarkable public display of diplomatic affection. “When I […]

Japan PM Abe in Washington for talks with Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Washington on Thursday for talks with US President Donald Trump aimed at setting a new course for the crucial bilateral relationship, amid strains over trade and defense. Abe and his wife Akie descended the stairs of their jet at Joint Base Andrews just outside the US capital, their overcoats blowing in the fierce winter wind. On Friday, the Japanese prime minister will meet […]

Japan PM calls for ‘new’ approach to end islands dispute with Russia

  (Reuters) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a new approach to resolve the territorial dispute with Russia on Tuesday (February 7) as Japan marked Northern Territories Day. The islands, known as the Southern Kuril islands in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, have been at the root of strained relations between the two countries since the end of World War Two when soldiers from the former Soviet Union seized the islands […]

US, Japan conduct test of joint missile

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States and Japan have conducted the first interception of a ballistic missile target using a jointly built system, amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s missile program. The two nations have been working together since 2006 to develop a variant of the Standard Missile-3, a ship-launched missile that operates as part of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System. Friday’s test off Kauai in Hawaii saw the Standard Missile-3 “Block […]

Japan’s troubled ‘space junk’ mission fails

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — An experimental Japanese mission to clear ‘space junk’ or rubbish from the Earth’s orbit has ended in failure, officials said Monday, in an embarassment for Tokyo. Over 100 million pieces of garbage are thought to be whizzing around the planet, including cast-off equipment from old satellites and bits of rocket, which experts say could pose risks for future space exploration. Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) were trying to test […]

US-Japan alliance ‘cornerstone’ of stability: Mattis

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — US Defense Secretary James Mattis told his Japanese counterpart on Saturday that their alliance remained a “cornerstone” of regional stability as he wrapped up a visit aimed at reassuring key Asian allies about Washington’s commitment to their security. Japan and the US have a decades-long security alliance while US-South Korea military ties date back to the 1950-53 Korean War. But on the campaign trail, US President Donald Trump accused Seoul and […]

Tokyo stocks open higher before US jobs data

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks opened higher on Friday with the yen taking a breather as investors waited for key US jobs data later in the day. The closely watched monthly US employment report — the first under the Donald Trump presidency — was expected to show the world’s largest economy added 170,000 jobs in January, with unemployment rate holding steady at 4.7 percent. Analysts said investors remain anxious over uncertainty surrounding Trump’s policies and […]

New Pentagon chief seeks to underscore alliances with Japan, S.Korea

by Thomas WATKINS Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — New Pentagon chief James Mattis on Wednesday heads to South Korea and Japan, where he will seek to reassure the key US allies about American security commitments in the region. The defense secretary’s visit marks the first overseas trip of any senior official in the government of President Donald Trump, who suggested while campaigning that America’s longstanding role in Northeast Asia could change. “The trip […]

Tokyo stocks up in morning after Dow hits 20,000

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo stocks rose Thursday morning after the Dow topped 20,000 points for the first time on hopes US President Donald Trump’s economic plans will ramp up growth. The surge was the latest sign that investors are brushing aside worries about Trump’s bent towards trade protectionism and instead betting that the White House and Republican Congress will usher in tax cuts, spend big on infrastructure and slash red tape. “The US economy […]

Japan criticizes South Korean province governor over visit to disputed islands

TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japan on Wednesday (January 25) lodged a protest with South Korea after a South Korean official visited a group of islets claimed by both countries, putting more strain on ties already damaged by the legacy of Japan’s 1910-1945 rule of Korea. The islands that lie equidistant between the two countries are called Takeshima in Japanese and Dokdo in Korean. They are controlled by South Korea and also claimed by Japan, a […]