Japan’s foreign minister said Thursday that Tokyo’s claim over the disputed Kuril islands remains “absolutely unwavering” despite Russia’s decision to boost its military presence on the territory. Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, who is due to visit Moscow from Friday, said Russia’s occupation of the islands is illegal and shrugged off President Dmitry Medvedev’s... 

Australian anti-whaling activists Japanese and American officials discussed taking action to weaken a prominent anti-whaling group, with Tokyo insisting that Sea Shepherd’s confrontations on the high seas actually hurt efforts to reduce whaling, U.S. diplomatic cables show. The U.S. representative to the International Whaling Commission, Monica Medina, discussed revoking the U.S.-based conservation... 

Protesters chant slogans during an anti-China protest rally in central Tokyo. About 4,000 anti-China protesters rallied in Tokyo on Saturday, with their anger fuelled by a video capturing a collision between Chinese and Japanese vessels which sparked a diplomatic spat. About 4,000 anti-China protesters rallied in Tokyo on Saturday, with their anger fuelled by a video capturing a collision between Chinese... 

Fly in the sky: The Global Hawk, an unmanned spy plane, is unveiled at Edwards Air Force Base in California in January 2009. Spy planes sought amid regional rise in tensions. The Defense Ministry is looking to buy three Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft from the United States to deal with China’s militarization and North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Self-Defense Force... 

Protesters chanted: "We will not allow Communist China to invade our territory." Anti-China protesters gathered Saturday in Tokyo and six other major cities in Japan to rally against what it calls an invasion of disputed islands that both claim are part of their territories. Protesters held up Japanese flags and chanted, “We will not allow Communist China to invade our territory.” Beijing... 

Japan’s new foreign minister has taken tough stance toward China on territorial dispute. A security expert and China hawk, Japan’s new foreign minister has already taken a tough stance toward Beijing amid escalating diplomatic tension over a territorial dispute between the two Asian giants. Seiji Maehara, the former transport minister and most prominent symbol of change in Prime Minister... 

Shipping containers pile up at a new container port in Wuhan, China on March 27. After three decades of spectacular growth, China passed Japan in the second quarter to become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States, according to government figures released early Monday. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China’s ascendance... 

French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen leads a delegation of far-right European politicians to Japan this week where they plan to visit Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni shrine to war dead. When asked about the visit to the shrine, which honours 2.5 million Japanese war dead including 14 top war criminals from World War II, the party’s deputy leader Bruno Gollnisch said “bad... 

The $3million vessel was destroyed in the collision and Mr Bethune was delivering a bill for its replacement to the Shonan Maru 2 captain. A Tokyo court on Wednesday convicted a New Zealand activist of assault and obstructing Japanese whaling ships in the Antarctic Ocean, and sentenced him to a suspended prison term. Peter Bethune was also found guilty on three other charges: trespassing, vandalism... 

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday about 270,000 cars sold worldwide, including luxury Lexus sedans — have potentially faulty engines, the latest quality lapse to hit the automaker following massive global recalls of top-selling models. Japan’s top-selling daily Yomiuri said in its evening edition that Toyota will inform the transport ministry of a recall on Monday. The paper cited no sources. Toyota... 

The Japanese government has blocked legal efforts to clamp down on child pornography, with the country becoming the world's "kiddie porn superpower," according to a pressure group. The ruling Democratic Party of Japan has refused to support legislation that would outlaw the possession of child pornography on the grounds that it would infringe individuals’ freedom of expression –... 

Japanese Whaling Australia’s prime minister threatened legal action against Japan on Friday if it does not stop its research whaling program that kills up to 1,000 whales a year. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s comments came as the Australian Broadcasting Corp. quoted Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada as saying in an interview that Japan has no plans to halt its killing of whales in the... 

Here’s another recent bow to the Japanese Emperor. This very low degree bow makes Obama look like he is a slave of the emperor or a servant. Notice that the emperor doesn’t bow back. Obama is the first “American president” to ever bow before someone and practically to embarrass the American nation.  Read More »

For over 50 years, one party ruled Japan virtually uninterrupted. During that time, Japan remained a loyal ally and supporter of U.S. policy. This month, a historic event took place. Japan has new leadership. In a landslide victory, a new party has done the seemingly impossible. A new freshman class of leaders now governs the Land of the Rising Sun. The effects are already rippling across the... 

A Japanese court sentenced an Israeli to eight years in prison on Friday after convicting him of attempting to smuggle Ecstasy into the country, according to friends of his family. The Israeli, who was a minor at the time of the crime, is the youngest of three yeshiva students arrested a year ago while attempting to enter Japan with suitcases containing large quantities of Ecstasy pills. The other...