LONDON: The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed &quot;serious concerns&quot; about a &quot;renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation&quot; in Gaza, saying the situation was &quot;catastrophic&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping,&quot; the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK&#39;s Foreign Office.&nbsp;&quot;1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding,&quot; the statement added.&nbsp;The ministers said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.&nbsp;&quot;However, we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza,&quot; they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of &quot;urgent and essential&quot; steps.&nbsp;These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a &quot;sustained and predictable&quot; way.&nbsp;&quot;As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the government of Israel&rsquo;s restrictive new requirements,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;It also called for the UN and its partners to be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of &quot;unreasonable restrictions on imports considered to have a dual use&quot;.&nbsp;This included medical and shelter equipment.&nbsp;The foreign ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza.&nbsp;While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid, including the Rafah crossing.&nbsp;&quot;Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;&quot;The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor, not a ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed,&quot; it added.

Middle East

Foreign ministers say Gaza’s humanitarian situation is catastrophic as winter arrives, with severe shortages of shelter, healthcare, and sanitation; urge Israel to allow NGOs and the UN to work freely, open crossings, and increase aid deliveries.

10 countries warn of 'catastrophic' Gaza situation

SEOUL: South Korea and Japan reacted furiously on Wednesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols around the two countries, with both Seoul and Tokyo scrambling jets.&nbsp;South Korea said it had lodged a protest with representatives of China and Russia, while Japan said it had conveyed its &quot;serious concerns&quot; over national security.&nbsp;According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.&nbsp;The incident comes as Japan is locked in a dispute with China over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.&nbsp;The bombers&#39; joint flights were &quot;clearly intended as a show of force against our nation&quot;, defence minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X Wednesday.&nbsp;Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said that Tokyo had &quot;conveyed to both China and Russia our serious concerns over our national security through diplomatic channels&quot;.&nbsp;Seoul said Tuesday the Russian and Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone and that a complaint had been lodged with the defence attaches of both countries in the South Korean capital.&nbsp;&quot;Our military will continue to respond actively to the activities of neighbouring countries&#39; aircraft within the KADIZ in compliance with international law,&quot; said Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the International Policy Bureau at Seoul&#39;s defence ministry, referring to the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.&nbsp;South Korea also said it deployed &quot;fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies&quot; in response to the Chinese and Russian incursion into the KADIZ.&nbsp;The planes were spotted before they entered the air defense identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.&nbsp;Japan&#39;s defense ministry also scrambled fighter jets to intercept the warplanes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Routine exerciseBeijing later Tuesday confirmed it had organized drills with Russia&#39;s military according to &quot;annual cooperation plans&quot;.&nbsp;Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.&nbsp;Since 2019 China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea&#39;s air defence zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.&nbsp;In November last year Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone.&nbsp;Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.&nbsp;Meanwhile Tokyo said Monday it had scrambled jets in response to repeated takeoff and landing exercises involving fighter jets and military helicopters from China&#39;s Liaoning aircraft carrier as it cruised in international waters near Japan.&nbsp;It also summoned Beijing&#39;s ambassador after military aircraft from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese jets, the latest incident in the row ignited by Takaichi&#39;s comments backing Taiwan.&nbsp;Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

China

Asia

South Korea and Japan condemned joint Russian and Chinese military aircraft patrols near their borders, with both countries scrambling jets. The incident, amid rising tensions over Taiwan, sparked diplomatic protests over national security concerns.

South Korea, Japan accuse China, Russia over aircraft incursions

TOKYO: Japan&rsquo;s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country&rsquo;s first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right. Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and infighting since the Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for his successor. Takaichi won 237 votes &mdash; four more than a majority &mdash; compared to 149 for Yoshiko Noda, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, in the lower house, which elects the prime minister. As the results were announced, Takaichi stood and bowed deeply. The Liberal Democratic Party&rsquo;s alliance with the Osaka-based Japan Innovation Party, known as Ishin no Kai, ensured her premiership because the opposition remains divided. The coalition still lacks a majority in both houses of parliament and will need to court other groups to pass legislation &mdash; a challenge that could make her government unstable. &ldquo;Political stability is essential right now,&rdquo; Takaichi said Monday at the coalition signing ceremony with Japan Innovation Party leader and Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura. &ldquo;Without stability, we cannot push measures for a strong economy or diplomacy.&rdquo; The agreement reflects Takaichi&rsquo;s nationalist positions. The deal followed the Liberal Democrats&rsquo; split with the Buddhist-backed Komeito party, which has a more centrist stance. The breakup threatened a change of power for the Liberal Democrats, which have governed Japan almost continuously for decades. Later Tuesday, Takaichi, 64, is expected to present a Cabinet filled with allies of Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Taro Aso and others who supported her in the party leadership race. Yoshimura said the Japan Innovation Party will not take Cabinet posts until it gains confidence in its partnership with the ruling party. Takaichi faces immediate challenges, including rising prices and slowing growth. She is expected to deliver a major policy speech later this week and hold talks with US President Donald Trump, as well as regional leaders. She has pledged to announce economic stimulus measures by December to ease public frustration. While breaking barriers as Japan&rsquo;s first female leader, Takaichi has shown little enthusiasm for advancing gender equality. She opposes same-sex marriage, allowing separate surnames for married couples, and permitting women in the imperial line of succession. A prot&eacute;g&eacute; of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Takaichi is expected to continue his policies of strengthening Japan&rsquo;s military and revising its pacifist constitution. However, with limited parliamentary control, analysts say it remains uncertain how much she can achieve. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Takaichi entered parliament in 1993 and has held senior roles, including minister of economic security and minister of internal affairs, though she has limited diplomatic experience. Komeito&rsquo;s departure from the ruling coalition followed frustration over corruption scandals and concerns about Takaichi&rsquo;s revisionist views on Japan&rsquo;s wartime history, including her visits to Tokyo&rsquo;s Yasukuni Shrine &mdash; regarded by China and South Korea as a symbol of militarism. In a recent gesture to ease regional tensions, Takaichi sent a religious offering instead of visiting the shrine in person on Friday.

Lawmakers applaud as Sanae Takaichi, standing, was elected as Japan's new prime minister during the extraordinary session of the lower house, in Tokyo, Japan, Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan’s parliament elected ultraconservative Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister Tuesday, a day after her struggling party struck a coalition deal with a new partner expected to pull her governing bloc further to the right.

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister

TOKYO: Japan beat Brazil for the first time on Tuesday, fighting from two goals down to win the friendly 3-2 in Ajinomoto Stadium.&nbsp;Ayase Ueda grabbed the winning goal with a header in the 71st minute, sending the sell-out crowd into celebration.&nbsp;It was Japan&#39;s historic first win over the South American powerhouse at its 14th attempt.&nbsp;Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti made several changes to the team that won 5-0 in South Korea four days ago, but the five-time world champion continued its strong form from Seoul with a dominant first half in the Japanese capital.&nbsp;Goals from Paulo Henrique and Gabriel Martinelli put the visitors seemingly in control at halftime, and a 12th win over Japan appeared likely.&nbsp;Seven minutes after the restart, however, Takumi Minamino capitalized on a mistake by Fabricio Bruno to score from inside the area. Just after the hour, Keito Nakamura&rsquo;s shot deflected off Bruno to bring Japan level.&nbsp;Both teams have already qualified for the 2026 World Cup which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Football

Japan earned their first-ever win over Brazil, coming from two goals down to triumph 3-2 in Tokyo. Minamino, an own goal, and Ueda’s header sealed victory after Brazil’s early dominance in the friendly.

Articles tagged with "japan"

10 countries warn of 'catastrophic' Gaza situation

South Korea, Japan accuse China, Russia over aircraft incursions

Sanae Takaichi becomes Japan's first female prime minister

Japan beats Brazil for the first time in Tokyo comeback