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US-Japan relations

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US-Japan relations
Breaking news and analysis on US-Japan relations, including trade, defence and diplomacy.
US and Japanese troops take part in a military drill in Okinawa in 2023. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Pentagon may stop expanding American forces in Japan to save US$1 billion

The move could undermine the process to upgrade the role of Japan-based US forces amid China and North Korea threats.

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Japan

Opinion | The strategic implications of Trump 2.0 for Japan

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Japan

As US pressures Japan to pay more for defence, will Trump’s demands ‘never end’?

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Japan

Japan, US to mark 80th anniversary of Iwo Jima battle amid trade tensions

Tokyo hopes joint memorial will underline commitment to security alliance, but Hegseth expected to ask Japan to do more to defend itself, analysts say.

Iwo Jima, with Mount Suribachi in the foreground, is seen from a Japanese Air Self Defence Force C-1 transport plane. Iwo Jima was the site of a fierce battle between Japanese and US forces for control of airfields on the island during World War II. Photo: Reuters
Japan

‘Real reasons to be worried’: are US tariffs finally coming for Japan?

Japan’s attempts to seek a tariff reprieve do not seem to have moved Trump’s administration, analysts note.

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Japan

Japan’s controversial award to US firebombing general sparks outrage 80 years on

Gushiken Takamatsu said Curtis LeMay, who orchestrated the firebombing, should never have been given the honour.

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Japan

Trump’s warning shot to Japan casts doubt on US defence guarantees in Asia

The US president’s recent remarks reveal that Washington ‘is no longer committed to defending Japan, South Korea or Taiwan’, an analyst says.

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US President Donald Trump with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House last month. Photo: Sopa Images via Zuma Press Wire/dpa
Diplomacy

Opinion | Why US allies in Europe and Asia are ‘de-risking’ from Trump

Collective bargaining may be the only defence against his flirtation with rival superpowers, protectionist policies and transactionalist diplomacy.

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Japan

Japan’s conservatives have change of heart about ‘disastrous’ Trump

Conservative politicians and others in Japan are concerned about the US president’s erratic policies, particularly on trade and security.

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Japan

Did Ishiba cosy up to Trump or was he an effective negotiator at the summit?

While some critics said Ishiba’s praise of Trump was excessive, others declared the Washington summit between the two leaders “a success”.

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Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba holds a book presented by US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday. Photo: AP
China trade

Trump has fired his first tariff salvo at China. Are Japan and South Korea next?

The two Asian countries’ sizeable trade surpluses may make them targets for the US president’s next round of import duties.

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Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has already met with US President Donald Trump, potentially in advance of US import duties being levied on Japanese goods. Photo: DPA
Japan

‘Normal’ first summit between Japan’s Ishiba and Trump deemed a success

With Donald Trump targeting a trimming of the US’ deficit in its trade with Japan, tariffs against Tokyo cannot be discounted, analysts say.

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Japan

‘Trump likes winners’: Japan’s ‘weak’ PM meets America’s strongman

Armed with promises to buy US weapons and energy, Shigeru Ishiba hopes to stave off tariffs – but Trump is expected to push for more.

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Japan

Japan weighs trust in Trump as US says defence of Diaoyu Islands rock solid

Washington has confirmed its security treaty with Japan covers the disputed islets, but concerns remain about Trump’s commitment to the deal.

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The Diaoyu Islands, which Japan administers and calls the Senkakus, are seen in the East China Sea. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Japan

Hegseth, Nakatani discuss US-Japan defence alliance in first phone call

The two defence chiefs expressed their ‘firm intent’ to ‘reinforce the alliance’, Japan says.

Japanese soldiers in a marine landing drill in 2023. File photo: Reuters
Japan

Japanese mum hopes Trump will get Kim to release her daughter after 48 years

The family of Megumi Yokota, who was 13 when she was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977, met the US president previously in Tokyo.

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Japan

In Trump 2.0, Japan faces a familiar uncertainty

Beneath the polite diplomacy lies a current of apprehension about what Donald Trump’s return means for Japan’s place in an upended world.

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Japan

Japan’s PM hopes for ‘enduring’ US ties as Trump returns to power

Shigeru Ishiba says he’s eager to hold his first in-person summit with Trump soon to set a baseline for the bilateral relationship.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo on January 13. Photo: Kyodo
Japan

How Japan ensures China doesn’t ‘steal the limelight’ at Trump’s inauguration

By dispatching its foreign minister to the event, Tokyo seems intent on asserting its influence – and avoiding being upstaged by Beijing.

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Japan

Grounded ambitions: why Japan’s F-35B jets are running late

The stealth fighters, designed to operate from aircraft carriers, are central to Japan’s broader strategy of bolstering defence capabilities.

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United States

Biden admin delays order blocking Nippon Steel, US Steel deal

The delay could potentially give the two companies time to argue their case in court and salvage the deal.

Nippon and US Steel say the Biden Administration has decided to delay its order blocking the sale of US Steel to its Japanese counterpart. File photo: AFP
War and conflict

Opinion | Why the US will not allow a nuclear-armed South Korea

While Seoul’s own nuclear defence would lessen the US security burden, it would also undermine American interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

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(From left) Incoming commander General Xavier Brunson, outgoing commander General Paul LaCamera, US Navy admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, and South Korea’s acting defence minister Kim Seon-ho inspect troops during a change-of-command ceremony for the United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and United States Forces Korea at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on December 20. Photo: EPA-EFE
Japan

Envoy says sloppy American defence firms pose ‘bigger risk’ for US than China

US envoy to Japan Rahm Emanuel said contractors prioritising stock buy-backs over timely arms deliveries could harm national security.

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Japan

Japan’s investments in US set to go on despite Nippon Steel’s takeover setback

The assessment by analysts comes after US President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel Corp’s US$14.9 billion bid for US Steel Corp.

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Japan

Nippon to file lawsuit over Biden’s decision to block US Steel sale

Japan’s industry minister Yoji Muto described Biden’s move to scuttle the deal as ‘incomprehensible’.

A Nippon Steel plant in Kashima, Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture. Photo: AFP
United States

Biden rejects Japanese deal to acquire US Steel

US president’s decision to block Nippon Steel could potentially damage relations between the US and Japan, America’s biggest ally in Asia.

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US President Joe Biden’s decision to block the purchase of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel comes after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States failed to reach consensus on the deal’s national security risks. Photo: AFP
US-China relations

China warns ‘dangerous’ US actions are raising risk of space arms race

Defence ministry in Beijing issues warning after the US Space Force extended its operations to Japan for the first time this month.

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Japan

Will a firm US stance on Diaoyu Islands be too ‘provocative’ for Japan?

US analyst urges Trump to resume military exercises on disputed islands to send message of deterrence to China, reinforce sovereignty stance.

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