September 06, 2012
The young, handsome and familiar face of nuclear policy minister Goshi Hosono has emerged as the last hope for ruling party members fearing for their political lives.
September 06, 2012
VLADIVOSTOK, Russia—Japan will not join talks this year on creating a free-trade zone for the Pacific region, as ruling party members remain opposed to Tokyo's entry and politicians are focusing on a looming election, sources said.
September 06, 2012
In the long-running rivalry between Tokyo and Osaka over such topics as trend-setting, sports and cuisine, the subject of national politics has rarely entered the mix.
September 05, 2012
A landowner agreed to sell three of the disputed Senkaku Islands to the Japanese government, a development largely accepted by Tokyo’s nationalist governor, who sparked the latest uproar with China, sources said.
September 05, 2012
The territorial dispute over the Senkaku Islands has intensified in recent weeks with tit-for-tat landings by activists from Hong Kong and Japan.
September 04, 2012
For months, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and opposition leader Sadakazu Tanigaki have wheeled and dealed behind the scenes, with the promise of a Lower House election a key part of the negotiations.
September 04, 2012
SEOUL--South Korea's National Assembly on Sept. 3 adopted two resolutions, one calling on Japan to retract its sovereignty claims over the Takeshima islets and another demanding an official apology and compensation for former "comfort women."
September 04, 2012
JAKARTA--China and its neighbors in Southeast Asia must move to draw up a code of conduct in coming months to help resolve disputes in the South China Sea, and should refrain from threats and coercion that have sent tension skyrocketing, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Sept. 3.
September 03, 2012
Uotsurishima islet, the largest of the disputed Senkaku Islands, came into view about 40 minutes after The Asahi Shimbun plane took off from Naha airport on Sept. 2, on the mainland of Okinawa Prefecture.
September 03, 2012
Decades ago, when possession of the Senkaku Islands started to shift to a man in Saitama Prefecture, the new owner reportedly expressed a sense of patriotism. The previous owner had urged the man to “protect” the islands, which had recently come under sovereignty claims from China.
September 02, 2012
While exchanges between the Self-Defense Forces and South Korea's military have deepened in recent years, the diplomatic row over the Takeshima islets has led to a sudden halt in cooperation.
September 02, 2012
ABOARD THE KOYO MARU--Tokyo city officials planning to buy tiny islands at the center of a longtime territorial dispute with China surveyed the area Sept. 2 on a visit meant to send a message of ownership.
September 01, 2012
SEOUL--South Korea has ordered its diplomatic missions abroad to emphasize during their foreign relations activities that its dispute with Japan over the sovereignty of the Takeshima islets is a "history issue."
September 01, 2012
BEIJING--Beijing police are questioning three men and one woman in connection with an attack which saw a national flag snatched from the Japanese ambassador's limousine, sources in the Chinese government said.
September 01, 2012
An influential Japanese nationalist politician has demanded that Japan build a port on the Senkaku Islands, in apparent disregard of efforts by the Japanese and Chinese governments to calm tensions over the disputed territory.
August 31, 2012
North Korea and Japan, normally barely on speaking terms other than to exchange accusations, ended their first direct talks in four years on Aug. 31 by agreeing to meet again, the latest sign of Pyongyang's recent attempts to come in from the cold.
August 31, 2012
Japan's government laid out plans on Aug. 31 to suspend some state spending as it could run out of cash by October, with a deficit financing bill blocked by opposition parties trying to force Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda into an early election.
August 31, 2012
South Korea has issued demands during summits, proposed action plans and even had its president land on an island at the center of a territorial dispute. All of these measures were taken in the name of urging Japan to take action to resolve the “comfort women” issue.
August 31, 2012
Japan will ask an international court to judge whether it or South Korea owns the Takeshima islets, despite refusal by Seoul to cooperate.
August 31, 2012
BEIJING--An activist who ripped a flag from the limousine of Japan’s ambassador could be fined or briefly detained but likely will not be indicted for his actions, Chinese government sources told The Asahi Shimbun on Aug. 30.