Japan

Inspired by Thatcher, Japan's PM-in-waiting Takaichi smashes glass ceiling

Although Takaichi has pledged to increase the number of female cabinet ministers, an area where Japan has lagged its G7 peers, polls show her conservative positions chime more with men than women.

|ByREUTERS
Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected leader of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), poses in the party leader's office after the LDP leadership election in Tokyo, Japan, October 4, 2025.
An illustration of a Palestinian flag over a pile of US Dollar bills.

Multiple nations announce joint coalition to provide financial aid to the Palestinian Authority

Twelve nations have formed the Emergency Coalition for the Financial Sustainability of the Palestinian Authority to address an "urgent financial crisis."

|ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
(Illustrative) Spectators applaud as they watch Ara Style Senior, Japan's only breakdancing club made up of elderly citizens, perform on stage during a local festival in Tokyo, Japan, May 26, 2024.

Japan counts a record 99,763 centenarians as longevity soars

Women comprise about 88 percent of the centenarian cohort, numbering 87,784, while men total 11,979, health ministry figures show.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Protesters hold a Palestinian flag as they take part in the 'Stop the Genocide' rally in support of Gaza, at Place de la Republique, in Paris on September 17, 2025.

Japan plans not to recognize Palestinian state for now, foreign minister says

"The government has a responsibility to look hard into what will really lead to a two-state solution and to make diplomatic efforts towards that direction," FM Iwaya said.

|ByREUTERS

Ashdod Port and Chartered Group sign strategic innovation and investment agreement

Memorandum of Understanding signed after hosting innovation conferences in Japan

SEPTEMBER 17, 2025ByANNA AHRONHEIM
Ashdod Port

Japan won't recognize a Palestinian state given US ties, Asahi reports

Shigeru Ishiba, Japanese Prime Minister, will skip an upcoming United Nations meeting called to discuss a two-state solution.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2025ByREUTERS
Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya signs the guests book as he attends a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., April 28, 2025

US says China spreads 'false' World War II narratives to pressure Taiwan

Beijing says documents such as the Cairo Declaration and Potsdam Proclamation support its legal claims of sovereignty over the island, as they call for Taiwan to be "restored" to China.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2025ByREUTERS
IN RESPONSE to threats posed across the Taiwan Strait, the island has significantly bolstered its defenses. Here, a soldier is seen in front of a Hsiung Feng III mobile missile launcher during Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s visit to the base in October.

US Army shows off Typhon missile system in Japan

The land-based launcher is capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles with enough range to strike China's eastern seaboard

SEPTEMBER 15, 2025ByREUTERS
U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni demonstrates the Typhon, a ground-launched missile system, as part of Exercise Resolute Dragon, an annual military exercise held by the U.S. Marines and Japan's Self-Defence Forces, during a media opportunity at the air station in Iwakuni, western Japan

US Typhon missile system to temporarily deploy to Japan as part of exercise

The Typhon system is part of a drive by Washington to amass a variety of anti-ship weapons in Asia.

AUGUST 28, 2025ByREUTERS
Illustrative of US Typhoon Missile.

WATCH: Father of Gaza hostage: World must pressure Hamas, not Israel, to release hostages

Ilan, father of Gaza hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, urges the world to pressure Hamas, not Israel, to secure the release of hostages, speaking out in Tokyo amid growing global tensions.

AUGUST 28, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana flanked by Ilan and Gal Gilboa-Dalal, relatives of Gaza hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal, during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, August 28, 2025.

Russia launches missiles in Sea of Japan during drills

The Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the frigate launching the missiles, while it said that "Kalibr and Uran missiles were fired in the Sea of Japan."

AUGUST 22, 2025ByREUTERS
Russian warships leave a port during naval drills, which are staged by the Baltic Fleet forces of the Russian Navy, part of the military exercises Zapad-2021 opened by Russia and Belarus, in the Baltic Sea town of Baltiysk in Kaliningrad Region, Russia September 9, 2021

Israel and Turkey vie for Japanese drone order

Japan's defense budget grew by 21% in 2024 to about $55.3 billion, but is still low compared to countries like Ukraine, Saudi Arabia and Germany.

AUGUST 22, 2025ByDEAN SHMUEL ELMAS/GLOBES/TNS
Israel Aerospace Industry's Heron - 2 drone.

Fire breaks out on US naval ship off Japan's Okinawa

There have been no reports of injuries, and vessels from Japan's Self-Defense Forces are fighting the fire, NHK said.

AUGUST 20, 2025ByREUTERS
A US marine looks on during a guided tour of USS New Orleans, a transport dock ship for Sri Lankan sailors at the harbor in Colombo on July 26, 2016

On the hunt for Frédéric Chopin's footprints in Warsaw

Walking the cobblestone streets of the Old Town, meticulously rebuilt from wartime ashes, I found it postcard-perfect.

AUGUST 17, 2025ByMOTTI VERSES
A PAINTING in the district anchored by the Chopin University of Music

How an Israeli kidnapping comedy sold a million tickets

Saving Shuli-San was set for a June release, but the war with Iran made United King Films, the movie’s distributor, postpone the much-awaited film.

AUGUST 16, 2025ByHANNAH BROWN
FROM LEFT, Ben Bachar, the film’s director, with actors Shalom Michaelshwilli and Avi Israelof, producer Moshe Edery, and actors Tzion Baruch and Emma Medding, as they toast ‘Saving Shuli-San’s millionth ticket sale.