After Pearl Harbor trip, Japan Defense Minister visits Yasukuni Shrine

Japan’s defence minister visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in Tokyo Thursday, the day after accompanying Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on a highly symbolic visit to Pearl Harbour.  “I put Defense Minister Tomomi Inada in the visitor’s log as my name,” the minister told reporters after her visit.…

Barack Obama and Shinzo Abe hail reconciliation at Pearl Harbor

In a historic pilgrimage, the leaders of Japan and the United States took to the hallowed waters of Pearl Harbor on Tuesday to prove that even the bitterest enemies can become allies. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not apologize, but conceded Japan ‘‘must never repeat the horrors of war again.’’ Obama called…

Japan cabinet Approves Record Defense Budget Amid China Tensions

The cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today approved Japan’s biggest annual defence budget in the face of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and a territorial row with China. Spending on fighter jets and submarines are partly behind the increase to 5.13 trillion yen (£35.2bn, $43.6bn). A separate…

Vladimir Putin, Shinzo Abe to huddle at hot spring over Japan-Russia islands row

Russian President Vladimir Putin goes to Japan to meet PM Shinzo Abe for talks on the volcanic islands that have stood in the way of a peace deal since World War II. Russia and Japan kick off a summit Thursday aimed at reaching a deal over a group of small islands that have prevented the countries from formally ending…

Japan PM Shinzo Abe: TPP would be “meaningless” without the US

Japan’s prime minister said on Monday the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal would be “meaningless” without U.S. participation, as Donald Trump announced he planned to quit the pact. Abe spoke after attending a weekend meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Peru at which some said they might seek to…