A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced Tetsuya Yamagami to life in prison for the assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe, concluding a case that shocked a country where violent political attacks are exceptionally rare. Public broadcaster NHK reported the verdict from the Nara District Court, more than three years after Abe was fatally shot […]
Shinzo Abe
Japanese indicator points to recession amid fresh Abenomics risks
Japan may already be in recession, a government assessment of its own economic indicators showed on Monday, as the US-China trade war and weak external demand hurt activity and pose fresh challenges for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s policies. The country’s indexes on leading and coincident economic indicators both declined in March from the previous month, […]
Japanese exports fall due to weak China demand, heaping pressure on economy
Japan’s exports fell for a fourth straight month in March as China-bound shipments slumped again, reinforcing growing anxiety that weak external demand is likely to have knocked first quarter economic growth. Ministry of Finance data out on Wednesday showed exports fell 2.4 percent in March from a year earlier, compared with a 2.7 percent drop […]
Japan’s Abe to visit US, France on pre-G20 tour
Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced Monday plans to visit the United States, Canada and France this month before his country hosts the G20 later this year. The tour from April 22 to 29 will also include stops in Italy, Belgium and Slovakia, a foreign ministry official said. The trip comes ahead of long-awaited trade […]
US, Japan united on North Korea’s denuclearisation
President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed Monday that it is “imperative” to completely dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program, the White House said. The US and Japanese leaders will meet ahead of a much anticipated summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un back on schedule for June 12 […]
Don’t sleepwalk into war over North Korea: Antonio Guterrres
United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Thursday warned the world against “sleepwalking into war” over North Korea, as he called for diplomatic efforts to banish nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula. Speaking on a visit to Japan, Secretary-General Guterres said: “The worst possible thing that could happen would be for us all to sleepwalk into […]
Abe targets N. Korea after storming to ‘super-majority’ vote win
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stormed to a landslide “super-majority” in snap Japanese elections, near complete projections showed Monday, with the hardline nationalist immediately pledging to “deal firmly” with North Korea. Abe’s conservative coalition is on track to win at least 312 seats with only a handful left to call, according to public broadcaster NHK, giving […]
Typhoon Lan leaves two dead after lashing Japan on election day
A powerful typhoon left two dead, two missing and dozens injured in Japan Monday, moving northward off the Pacific coast after millions struggled to the polls for a national election. Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters before Typhoon Lan, described as “very large and very strong”, hit […]
Abe on course for landslide win in Japan vote: poll
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is on track for a landslide win in Japan’s upcoming election, the latest survey suggested Monday, as a new party founded by Tokyo’s popular governor loses momentum. Abe’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is projected to win as many as 303 of the 465 seats up for grabs in the October […]