FUMIO KISHIDA

Bombed-out and poverty-stricken after surrendering in World War II, Japan disbanded its military and renounced war, devoting its efforts instead to economic development under a pacifist constitution. More than seven decades later, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spooked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s ruling party into calling for a doubling of defense spending over five year. Increased tension with China over Taiwan has only added to the sense of urgency.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda is due to step down in April after the longest stint at the helm of the central bank in its 140-year history. Kuroda has spearheaded the most ambitious monetary stimulus program of modern times, with measures that have turned the bank into the largest owner of stocks and government bonds in Japan and made it the last major anchor of ultra-low interest rates in the world. The BOJ’s first change of guard in a decade could have wide-reaching ripple effects in

Japan’s top government spokesperson said Monday that the number of babies born this year is below last year's record low.

Pacific Rim leaders are seeking common ground on the war in Ukraine and other dire threats to humankind in an annual meeting that began Friday in Bangkok.

With all the big issues dominating this week’s meeting of leaders of the world’s biggest economies — war, famine, poverty, to name just a few — there’s been little public discussion of North Korea and its pursuit of nuclear-armed missiles.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has COVID-19 and is leaving the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, just days after hosting President Joe Biden and other world leaders for a summit in his country’s capital.

North Korea has fired dozens of missiles in recent weeks, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation alerts in Japan.

The leaders of South Korea and Japan have agreed to keep up efforts to resolve their historical disputes as they’re pushing to bolster security cooperation with the United States to better deal with North Korean nuclear threats.

President Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea are vowing a unified and coordinated response to North Korea's threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea are vowing a unified and coordinated response to North Korea's threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to delay his departure Friday to Southeast Asia to attend three upcoming summits, apparently to sack his justice minister over a remark he made about capital punishment that was criticized as inappropriate. Justice Minister Yasuhiro Hanashi was reportedly to submit his resignation Friday to Kishida, two days after he made a comment at a party meeting that his low-profile job makes lunchtime news only when he uses his “hanko” stamp to approve executions in the morning. The remark quickly sparked criticisms from the opposition and even within Kishida’s governing party and could further shake his government, which is already mired in a controversy over its decades-long ties with the Unification Church, a South Korea-based religious sect accused in Japan of problematic recruitment and brainwashing adherents into making huge donations.

A custom wristwatch from Cambodian leader Hun Sen at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, a foot-long dagger at the G-20 meetings in Bali, and cricket ice cream and Thai noodles with worm sauce at the APEC talks in Bangkok.

The weak yen makes the wages of Japan’s long-suffering workers seem absurdly low.

World leaders have expressed sadness and condolences after at least 151 people were killed in a crowd surge Saturday night in Seoul, South Korea.

Shares are mostly lower in Asia after a mixed session on Wall Street, where tech sector losses offset gains in other parts of the market.

Wall Street closed sharply higher, capping another strong week with gains led by Apple and other companies that made even bigger profits during the summer than expected.

Japan’s Cabinet has approved a hefty economic package including 29 trillion yen ($200 billion) in government spending to counter the blow from inflation, signaling that the greater concern of its policymakers is that the economy will stall, not overheat.

Japan’s economy minister resigned over his ties to the Unification Church in a widening controversy involving dozens of governing party lawmakers.

Japan and Australia have signed a new bilateral security agreement to reflect the deteriorating security outlook for their region driven by China’s increasing assertiveness.

South Korean officials confirmed that North Korea tested two short range missiles shortly after military drills between South Korea and the US wrapped up.

The launch came just two days after North Korea fired an intermediate-range missile over Japan for the first time in five years.

U.S. officials are touting bioethanol in Japan, which trails other nations on using the green fuel made from corn and other crops.

President Joe Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to discuss their next steps after North Korea conducted its longest ever test launch by firing nuclear-capable ballistic missile over Japan.

Shares of South Korean and Japanese defense firms rose sharply in Asia's session after the North launched a ballistic missile that flew over Japanese territory.

This is the first time that a North Korea missile has flown over Japan since 2017.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned Russia's annexation of parts of Ukraine while on a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Vice President Kamala Harris has said her trip to Asia is intended to shore up American alliances with Japan and South Korea.

The funeral for Japan's longest-serving modern political leader has deeply split public opinion.

For all the heated arguments ahead of the controversial state funeral of assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe — both for and against — it was the images of Tuesday's ceremony that most clearly tell the story of a deeply divided nation still struggling to process the legacy of perhaps the most polarizing leader in its modern history.

Japan's former leader Shinzo Abe was honored at a rare and divisive state funeral Tuesday that deeply split public opinion and that drew angry protests.

Tuesday marks the final day of referendums staged by Kremlin-aligned officials in Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas.

In meeting after meeting in Tokyo, Vice President Kamala Harris has emphasized the U.S. commitment to regional security.

Japan’s assassinated hawkish former leader, Shinzo Abe, has been honored by a rare and divisive state funeral that was full of militaristic pomp and surrounded by throngs of mourners as well as by widespread protests.

Vice President Kamala Harris's tour of Asia began with a visit to Japan to discuss Taiwan's security issues against China with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris has arrived in Tokyo to lead a U.S. delegation to the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in July.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has held a series of meetings with foreign dignitaries in what he has called “funeral diplomacy” on the day before he hosts a controversial state-sponsored funeral for former leader Shinzo Abe.

A rare state funeral for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister who was assassinated in July, has split Japan.

The commemoration of Shinzo Abe has put a spotlight on the scandal ensnaring the ruling party over its links with the Unification Church.

The Japanese leader who normalized relations with China 50 years ago feared for his life when he flew to Beijing for the high-stakes negotiations at the peak of the Cold War.

Vice President Harris, who is scheduled to spend three nights in Tokyo, is visiting at a politically fraught moment.

Attending funerals on behalf of the United States is normally a straightforward assignment for a vice president.

World Bank President David Malpass says he won’t resign after coming under criticism for his remarks earlier this week regarding climate change.

Japan’s prime minister has announced that his nation's strict border restrictions will be loosened next month.

The governments of South Korea and Japan say their leaders have agreed to accelerate efforts to mend ties frayed over Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

The man sustained burns on large parts of his body but was conscious after he set himself on fire in apparent protest of the former leader's funeral.

Tokyo police refused to comment, including on a report that a police officer was caught in the fire.

Britain’s government says it will cap wholesale energy bills for businesses this winter to ensure companies don’t go bust amid soaring energy prices.

A man has set himself on fire near the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo in an apparent protest of the planned state funeral for former leader Shinzo Abe.

Nanmadol is one of the worst typhoons to strike Japan, with flooding and landslides expected.

With the yen near the cheapest level in decades, Japan is set to reopen its borders — but it should think about what type of tourist nation it wants to be.

Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela offered condolences to the United Kingdom on Friday following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning British monarch.

Japan’s governing party says nearly half of its national lawmakers had ties to the Unification Church, in a widening controversy that emerged after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Traders ignored verbal warnings from two of Japan’s most senior officials, and for good reason. What else can Tokyo do?

Fumio Kishida’s approval ratings are tanking. The prime minister must be more proactive to ensure his political longevity.

The head of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency says advanced nuclear technology will be “critical” for both the United States and Japan as they step up cooperation to meet decarbonization goals

The head of the U.S. Environment Protection Agency says advanced nuclear technology will be “critical” for both the United States and Japan as they step up cooperation to meet decarbonization goals.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says his ruling party will cut ties with the Unification Church following a widening scandal triggered by former leader Shinzo Abe’s assassination last month.

African heads of state, representatives of international organizations and private business leaders are in Tunisia for the eighth iteration of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

The alleged assassin of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was born into an affluent but troubled family.

The government is backing the construction of new reactors for the first time since Fukushima. It will have to convince a skeptical public first.

Japan is targeting carbon neutrality by the year 2050.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has instructed his government to consider developing safer, smaller nuclear reactors, signaling a renewed emphasis on nuclear energy years after many of the country’s plants were shut down.

Japan currently requires negative PCR test results within 72 hours of departure for all entrants.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has announced plans to ease border controls by eliminating requirements for pre-departure COVID-19 tests for travelers who have received at least three vaccine doses from early September, and he will also consider increasing daily entry caps as soon as next month

But tourists are still not allowed in to the country unless they are a part of an authorized tour group, their every move watched by a licensed guide.

The BOJ pledged not just to hit 2% inflation, but to stay above it, way back in 2016. Now, prices are rising faster than the target and Kuroda’s decisions are getting tougher.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been diagnosed with the coronavirus and has canceled his planned travels while he isolates and recuperates.

Thousands of Unification Church followers have rallied in South Korea protesting negative Japanese media coverage after the suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe blamed the church for his family’s troubles.

It's the first time since the disaster that public support for a nuclear restart is over 60%, said Nobuo Tanaka, citing a possible energy crunch as a reason.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has renewed Japan’s no-war pledge at a somber ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the country’s World War II defeat, but he did not mention Japanese wartime aggression

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has renewed Japan’s no-war pledge at a somber ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the country's World War II defeat, but he did not mention Japanese wartime aggression.

Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida renewed Japan's no-war pledge at a somber ceremony Monday as his country marked the 77th anniversary of its World War II defeat, but he did not mention Japanese wartime aggression. In his first address as prime minister since taking office in October, Kishida said Japan will “stick to our resolve to never repeat the tragedy of the war." Kishida did not mention Japanese aggression across Asia in the first half of the 20th century or the victims in the region.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has reshuffled his Cabinet in a bid to distance his administration from the conservative Unification Church over its ties to the assassinated leader Shinzo Abe and senior ruling party members.

China says it is cutting off dialogue with the U.S. on a range of vital issues from climate change to military relations and anti-narcotics efforts in retaliation for a visit this week to Taiwan by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says China will not be able to isolate Taiwan by preventing U.S. officials from traveling there.

The U.S. ambassador in Tokyo says his government is working with Japan and other likeminded countries to counter Chinese attempts to use its economic might to force political change around the world.

A Russian official twice repeated President Vladimir Putin’s new message that “a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”.

The United Nations chief is warning that “humanity is just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.”.

A major U.N. meeting on the landmark Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty is about to begin after a long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Japan has executed a man who killed seven people in a vehicle crash and stabbing rampage in a Tokyo shopping district in 2008.

Japan warned of escalating national security threats stemming from Russia’s war on Ukraine and China’s tensions with Taiwan in an annual defense paper issued Friday, as Japan tries to bolster its military capability and spending. The annual defense white paper, approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet on Friday, highlights the need for Japan’s military buildup to address security concerns and seeks to gain public support for a stronger military and increased budget, which Kishida’s governing party aims to double in coming years.

Japan’s Cabinet has formally decided to hold a state funeral for assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September.

Current leader says he's urged police "to carry out a thorough inspection and fix what needs to be fixed" after brazen murder of former premiere at campaign event.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has blamed inadequate police protection for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe, who was shot while giving an outdoor campaign speech.

Japanese have bid their final goodbye to assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as his funeral was held at a temple.

Tokyo residents lined up to pay respects and leave flowers at the Liberal Democratic Party's office and at the Zojo-ji Temple.

Abe, the longest-serving political leader in Japan's history, was fatally shot while delivering a campaign speech on Friday.

Reba McEntire reveals to USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa that she's touring arenas this fall. McEntire also looks ahead to her role on ABC's "Big Sky."

Leading a wounded nation, the prime minister needs to flesh out his own vision for security and economic policy.

An upper house election victory may bolster the premier’s ability to make hard calls. He should start with Japan’s military.

The victory is possibly propelled by what is seen as a wave of sympathy votes in a country still reeling from the shock of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's assassination.

Police are still investigating the gunman who killed Shinzo Abe. The assassination shocked Japan, which will hold a major election on Sunday.

Under the "Abenomics" policy, the former prime minister introduced stimulus measures and major reforms.

Shinzo Abe, an arch-conservative and a highly divisive figure, was pronounced dead after he was airlifted to a hospital.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an arch-conservative and one of his nation's most divisive figures, was shot and critically wounded during a campaign speech Friday in western Japan. Police arrested the suspected gunman at the scene of an attack that shocked many in Japan, which is one of the world’s safest nations and has some of the strictest gun control laws anywhere. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe was in “grave condition” and he hoped Abe would survive.

The world’s biggest pension fund might invest in the next unicorns and decacorns. That’s a good beginning — but the country’s fledgling scene needs more.

Japan’s stake in a big Russian energy project known as Sakhalin-2 is in limbo after President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to transfer the rights to a new Russian company. Resource-poor Japan depends on Russia for its natural gas needs, which is why Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been reluctant to make a complete break with Moscow. While Japan is working frantically to secure alternative supplies, a global energy crunch means that it will be challenging for the island nation to quit Russian

The annual event is taking place in Germany

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has hemmed and hawed about a capital gains levy as a way to boost income. He ought to follow his South Korean counterpart and just get on with it.

Okinawa marked the 77th anniversary Thursday of the end of one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, with the governor calling for a further reduction of the U.S. military presence there as local fears grow that the southern Japanese islands will become embroiled in regional military tension. The Battle of Okinawa killed about 200,000 people, nearly half of them Okinawan residents. Japan's wartime military, in an attempt to delay a U.S. landing on the main islands, essentially sacrificed the local population.