TOKYO: Japanese Premier Sanae Takaichi said Monday that the public saw an &quot;urgent need&quot; for major reform after a historic election landslide, pledging to boost the country&#39;s defences in order to protect its territory. Sunday&#39;s snap vote saw Takaichi&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) win a two-thirds majority in the lower house for the first time in its history, capitalizing on her strong popularity since taking office in October. The outcome allows Japan&#39;s first woman prime minister to stamp her mark on the country of 123 million people over the next four years, having pledged to boost the economy and get tough on immigration. &quot;This is the start of a heavy, heavy responsibility to make Japan stronger, more prosperous,&quot; Takaichi, 64, told a news conference on Monday. &quot;We believe that the public has shown understanding and sympathy regarding our appeals concerning the urgent need for a major policy shift,&quot; she said. The admirer of &quot;Iron Lady&quot; Margaret Thatcher also said she would bolster Japan&#39;s defences, including by creating a new intelligence bureau and revising key security policy documents. &quot;No one will come to the aid of a nation that lacks the resolve to defend itself with its own hands,&quot; Takaichi said. &quot;We will steadfastly protect our nation&#39;s peace and independence, our territory, territorial waters, airspace, and the lives and safety of our citizens,&quot; she added. Such comments are likely to go down badly in China, especially after Takaichi suggested in November that Japan could intervene militarily if Beijing sought to seize Taiwan by force. China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious. On Monday, a spokesman for China&#39;s foreign ministry again urged Japan to retract the comments. Beijing warned Tokyo that &quot;reckless&quot; actions would be met with a &quot;resolute response from the international community.&quot; &quot;Our nation is open to various dialogues with China. We already have exchanges of views. We will continue the exchanges of views. But we will deal with them in calm and appropriate ways,&quot; Takaichi said. HoneymoonCapitalizing on her honeymoon start after becoming Japan&#39;s fifth premier in as many years in October, Takaichi called the snap election last month. The gamble paid off, with the LDP winning around 316 of the 465 seats contested, according to Japanese media. That takes the party past the 310-seat threshold needed for a two-thirds majority for the first time in its history and may prompt the government to try and make changes to the country&#39;s constitution. US President Donald Trump -- who is due to host Takaichi in Washington next month -- congratulated her after an earlier endorsement. &quot;I wish you Great Success in passing your Conservative, Peace Through Strength Agenda,&quot; Trump wrote on Truth Social. Takaichi said that the talks on March 19 will &quot;reaffirm the unshakeable unity between Japan and the United States&quot;. DrummerA heavy metal drummer in her youth, Takaichi was on the ultra-conservative fringe of the LDP when she became party chief. Despite being her country&#39;s first woman premier, Takaichi has shown little appetite for framing her leadership around gender in male-dominated Japanese politics. She has been a hit with voters, especially young ones, with fans lapping up everything from her handbag to her jamming to a K-pop song with South Korea&#39;s president. But she will have to deliver on the economy to remain popular. &quot;With prices rising like this, what matters most to me is what policies they&#39;ll adopt to deal with inflation,&quot; voter Chika Sakamoto, 50, told AFP on Sunday. But helping households could make markets jittery about Japan&#39;s colossal debts, which are more than twice the size of the economy. This was shown by yields on long-dated Japanese bonds hitting record highs during the election campaign after Takaichi floated the idea of suspending the food tax. Tokyo&#39;s Nikkei index of stocks jumped more than 5% early Monday and closed 3.9% higher. Takaichi reiterated on Sunday her mantra of having a &quot;responsible&quot; fiscal policy but added that she wanted &quot;to build a strong and resilient economy.&quot; &quot;In reality, the policies of a Takaichi administration are unlikely to curb the inflation that voters expect her to address,&quot; said Tetsuo Kotani at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. &quot;An income tax hike linked to increased defense spending will also be unavoidable. If these policies lead to a triple decline in stocks, the yen, and government bonds, people&#39;s lives will become even more difficult,&quot; Kotani told AFP. Pakistan PM facilitates TakaichiPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Sanae Takaichi on her re-election as Japan&#39;s prime minister.&nbsp; &quot;We look forward to continue working with Prime Minister Takaichi to further strengthen and diversify our excellent bilateral relations with Japan,&quot; the prime minister wrote on his official X handle. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 344px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2020754408943058966&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=bc1cdc1101a45a76f68e837f9c3424005a377066&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2020754408943058966"></iframe></div></div>

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), speaks during a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo on February 9, 2026.

Asia

The outcome allows Japan's first woman prime minister to stamp her mark on the country of 123 million people over the next four years, having pledged to boost the economy and get tough on immigration.

Japan PM Takaichi basks in historic election triumph

KARIWA: The world&#39;s biggest nuclear power plant was restarted Wednesday for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, its Japanese operator said, despite persistent safety concerns among residents.&nbsp;The plant was &quot;started at 19:02&quot; (1002 GMT), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) spokesman Tatsuya Matoba told AFP of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata prefecture.&nbsp;The regional governor approved the resumption last month, although public opinion remains sharply divided.&nbsp;On Tuesday, a few dozen protesters mostly elderly braved freezing temperatures to demonstrate in the snow near the plant&#39;s entrance, whose buildings line the Sea of Japan coast.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s Tokyo&#39;s electricity that is produced in Kashiwazaki, so why should the people here be put at risk? That makes no sense,&quot; Yumiko Abe, a 73-year-old resident, told AFP.&nbsp;Around 60 percent of residents oppose the restart, while 37 percent support it, according to a survey conducted in September.&nbsp;TEPCO said Wednesday it would &quot;proceed with careful verification of each plant facility&#39;s integrity&quot; and address any issues appropriately and transparently.&nbsp;Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the world&#39;s biggest nuclear power plant by potential capacity, although just one reactor of seven was restarted.&nbsp;The facility was taken offline when Japan pulled the plug on nuclear power after a colossal earthquake and tsunami sent three reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011.&nbsp;However, resource-poor Japan now wants to revive atomic energy to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and meet growing energy needs from artificial intelligence.&nbsp;Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has voiced support for the energy source.&nbsp;Fourteen reactors, mostly in western and southern Japan, have resumed operation since the post-Fukushima shutdown under strict safety rules, with 13 running as of mid-January.&nbsp;Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is the first TEPCO-run unit to restart since 2011. The company also operates the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, now being decommissioned.&nbsp;Nearly 15 years after the disaster, &quot;the situation is still not under control in Fukushima, and TEPCO wants to revive a plant? For me, that&#39;s absolutely unacceptable&quot;, said Keisuke Abe, an 81-year-old demonstrator.&nbsp;&nbsp;Anxious and fearfulThe vast Kashiwazaki-Kariwa complex has been fitted with a 15-metre-high (50-foot) tsunami wall, elevated emergency power systems and other safety upgrades.&nbsp;However, residents raised concerns about the risk of a serious accident, citing frequent cover-up scandals, minor accidents and evacuation plans they say are inadequate.&nbsp;&quot;I think it&#39;s impossible to evacuate in an emergency,&quot; Chie Takakuwa, a 79-year-old resident of Kariwa, told AFP.&nbsp;On January 8, seven groups opposing the restart submitted a petition signed by nearly 40,000 people to TEPCO and Japan&#39;s Nuclear Regulation Authority.&nbsp;The petition said the plant sits on an active seismic fault zone and noted it was struck by a strong quake in 2007.&nbsp;&quot;We can&#39;t remove the fear of being hit by another unforeseen earthquake,&quot; it said.&nbsp;&quot;Making many people anxious and fearful so as to send electricity to Tokyo... is intolerable.&quot;&nbsp;Before the 2011 disaster -- which killed around 18,000 people -- nuclear power generated about a third of Japan&#39;s electricity.&nbsp;String of scandalsJapan&#39;s nuclear industry has also faced a string of scandals and incidents in recent weeks, including data falsification by Chubu Electric Power to underestimate seismic risks.&nbsp;At Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, TEPCO said Saturday that an alarm system failed during a test.&nbsp;&quot;Safety is an ongoing process, which means operators involved in nuclear power must never be arrogant or overconfident,&quot; TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said in an interview with the Asahi daily newspaper.&nbsp;Japan is the world&#39;s fifth-largest single-country emitter of carbon dioxide after China, the United States, India and Russia, and is heavily dependent on imported fossil fuels.&nbsp;Nearly 70 percent of its electricity in 2023 came from coal, gas and oil -- a share Tokyo wants to slash to 30-40 percent over the next 15 years as it expands renewable energy and nuclear power.&nbsp;Under a plan approved by the government in February, nuclear power will account for around a fifth of Japan&#39;s energy supply by 2040 -- up from around 8.5 percent in the fiscal year 2023-24.&nbsp;Meanwhile Japan still faces the daunting task of decommissioning the Fukushima plant, a project expected to take decades.

Japan restarted the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant for first time since fukushima disaster, despite strong local opposition and safety fears. The move reflects Tokyo’s push to revive nuclear power, cut fossil fuel dependence, and meet climate and energy demands. 

Japan restarts world's biggest nuclear plant

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

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"

Japan PM Takaichi basks in historic election triumph

Japan restarts world's biggest nuclear plant

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