A Chinese Coast Guard ship is cruising near the disputed islets known as the Senkaku islands in Japan in the East China Sea on August 8, 2013. Four Chinese coastguard vessels have sailed into waters around a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Japanese Coast Guard says. According to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, the four vessels entered the waters... 

Japan Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says reports of the US spying on Tokyo, if proved to be true, could hurt the ties between the two countries. Onodera made the remarks two days after The New York Times reported that US National Security Agency (NSA) has spied on Japan, adding that the NSA had used its surveillance powers to achieve economic advantage on Japan, Brazil and a number of other nations. On... 

The Kyoto Protocol has become that document in the international politics that world leaders prefer not to think about. The issue is particularly painful for the U.S., China and India. Will there be an extension of the protocol, or are the interested players wasting their time? This question was raised in “Point of View” project by Doctor of Technical Sciences Igor Ostretsov. Igor, it... 

Army Col. Eric Tilley The Army has relieved the commander of its largest base in Japan after an investigation into alleged misconduct, according to a US Army Japan press statement sent late Friday. The investigation had been ongoing since June 7, when Col. Eric Tilley was suspended from his job as commander of US Army Garrison Japan. Maj. Gen. James C. Boozer, Sr., commander of US Army Japan and I... 

A unique space cannon developed for Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft has successfully test-fired on Earth in preparation for a 2014 mission. During its upcoming journey into space, the cannon will blast an asteroid and mine samples of its soil. The test took place in the Japanese prefecture of Gifu, paving the way for the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft to extract soil samples from the asteroid, the Japan Aerospace... 

Typhoon Wipha shot through Tokyo and up Japan’s Pacific coastline early Wednesday, killing at least 17 people. Thousands were advised to evacuate, although no major damage was reported. The storm, with sustained winds of 126 kph (78 mph) at its center, was marked by hurricane-level winds and rain that soaked the city’s morning rush hour, leading to disrupted flights, train services, and school... 

North Korea has slammed the three-nation naval drills involving US, South Korean and Japanese warships, threatening to ‘bury in the sea’ a US aircraft carrier. The Friday warning came a day after the US started a two-day joint military exercise with South Korea and Japan off the southern coast of the peninsula. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, guided-missile ships, anti-submarine... 

Another cooling tank has sprung a leak at Japan’s troubled Fukushima nuclear power plant. As in previous instances, the highly radioactive water is thought to be seeping directly into the Pacific Ocean. This is the second such incident in two months. Although the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has promised more accountability following a series of blunders in recent months, it has become clear... 

Tokyo is to foot a $3.1 billion bill, which is part of the cost for relocating American troops from Okinawa. For the first time, it will also host US long-range surveillance drones, which would help to monitor disputed islands in the East China Sea. The cost-sharing agreement for the troop transfer and the future deployment of drones by next spring are both part of an effort aimed at updating the... 

Financial markets in Asia and Europe have been rocked over concerns that the United States’ government might be heading for a partial shutdown. Washington should agree to a new spending bill before the end of the financial year at midnight on Monday amid political divisions that have created a stalemate. If the American lawmakers fail to agree on the budget deal, essential federal services could... 

Russia has threatened to forbid visa-free travel for Japanese officials to the disputed Kurile Islands if Tokyo goes on making statements assuming ownership of the islands. “If for some reason Japanese politicians cannot refrain from making public statements on the subject of the islands after a visit to Russian territory, we reserve the right to limit their participation in such trips,” the Russian... 

Several new hotspots reading potentially lethal doses of radiation have been detected near the tanks storing the radioactive water, forcing the operator to admit there might be even more leaks at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The high radiation readings were detected during the daily inspection on Saturday near three water tanks and one pipe stretched between the tanks and the plant,... 

Another tank with highly radioactive water at the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant has leaked, reported operator TEPCO. The contaminated water contains an unprecedented 80 million Becquerels of radiation per liter. The norm is a mere 150 Bq A spokesman for the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said on Tuesday that 300 tons of highly radioactive water has leaked from a stainless steel tank on... 

Even the tiniest mistake during an operation to extract over 1,300 fuel rods at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan could lead to a series of cascading failures with an apocalyptic outcome, fallout researcher Christina Consolo told RT. Fukushima operator TEPCO wants to extract 400 tons worth of spent fuel rods stored in a pool at the plant’s damaged Reactor No. 4. The removal would... 

Contaminated groundwater accumulating under the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant has risen 60cm above the protective barrier, and is now freely leaking into the Pacific Ocean, the plant’s operator TEPCO has admitted. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is responsible for decommissioning the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, on Saturday said the protective barriers that were...