japan

Trump-Japan Trade Deal Marks New Chapter In Us-Japan Ties

Trump-Japan Trade Deal Marks New Chapter In Us-Japan Ties

October 28, 2025 1:02 am

In Tokyo on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan’s newly appointed first female prime minister Sanae Takaichi formalised a sweeping agreement on critical minerals and rare earths while discussing trade, defence and investment. 

The “trump japan critical minerals deal” signals a firm pivot by both nations to secure supply chains for materials vital to everything from smartphones to fighter jets, and to bolster bilateral ties amid growing regional tensions. This step is layered atop broader moves involving trade and military coordination.

Read Also: Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

Takaichi pledged to accelerate Japan’s defence spending to …

Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

Sanae Takaichi Becomes Japan’s First Female Prime Minister

October 21, 2025 6:12 am

Sanae Takaichi has made history as Japan’s first female prime minister, taking office on Tuesday after a tense parliamentary vote that also marks a clear return to conservative politics. Her rise, backed by the Liberal Democratic Party and its new right-wing allies, signals the start of a government eager to revive Abe-era policies on defence and the economy.

The hardline conservative, known for her admiration of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, secured 237 votes in parliament’s 465-seat lower house before winning a similar vote in the upper house. Her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) clinched power after …

Sanae Takaichi Set To Become Japan’s First Female PM

October 20, 2025 1:34 pm

Japan is set to appoint its first female prime minister, with conservative leader Sanae Takaichi expected to secure parliament’s vote on Tuesday following a coalition agreement with the Japan Innovation Party (Ishin).

The alliance gives Takaichi’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Ishin a combined 231 seats in Japan’s lower house—just two short of a simple majority but enough to ensure victory in the prime ministerial ballot. “I look forward to working together to strengthen Japan’s economy and transform the country,” Takaichi said during the coalition signing ceremony with Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Ishin’s parliamentary head Fumitake Fujita.

Under …

Japan Poised For First Female Leader Amid Party Strife

Japan Poised For First Female Leader Amid Party Strife

October 4, 2025 6:20 am

Sanae Takaichi has been elected leader of Japan’s ruling conservative party, placing the 64-year-old on track to become the nation’s first female prime minister. Known for her strong right-wing views, Takaichi is a former government minister, TV host, and heavy metal drummer—a mix that has made her one of Japan’s most recognizable and polarizing political figures.

She now faces the dual challenge of reviving a struggling economy and addressing the pressures of households grappling with inflation and stagnant wages, while navigating complex international relationships, including pending trade arrangements with the United States.

Takaichi inherits a party fractured by scandal and …

Japan PM Ishiba Resigns Following Election Setbacks

Japan PM Ishiba Resigns Following Election Setbacks

September 7, 2025 10:30 am

Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishib announced his resignation on Sunday, less than a year after taking office, following two bruising election defeats that cost his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) its long-held dominance.

The decision comes a day before the LDP was due to meet to consider a leadership vote that could have forced him out. Instead, Ishiba pre-empted the challenge by stepping aside, saying the timing was right after securing a trade deal with Washington.

“Now that a conclusion has been reached in the negotiations concerning the US tariff measures, I believe this is precisely the appropriate time,” the 68-year-old …

North Korea's Nuclear Program What Is Kim Up To

North Korea’s Nuclear Program: What Is Kim Up To?

November 7, 2022 2:04 am

Over the years, moments of tension with North Korea have always come and gone, but a cursory look at the situation right now on the Korean peninsula would show that the situation is the most volatile it has ever been in the past decade, with signs that things could deteriorate even further. The question that has been on everyone’s lips is, ‘what is Kim Jong-un up to?’ The answer to this question isn’t as farfetched as you might imagine. In fact, it is relatively straightforward.

Anytime North Korea appears to go on a missile test, the rest of the world …

Fresh Worry As North Korea Fires Suspected Rocket Launchers

North Korea Shoots Ballistic Missiles Over Japan

October 4, 2022 11:40 am

North Korea in another controversial move has reportedly fired a ballistic missile over Japan for the first time in about five years which has also prompting Tokyo to activate its missile alert system and issue a rare warning for residents to take shelter.

The latest launch which the United States has branded as “reckless and dangerous” — comes in a record year of sanctions-busting weapons tests by North Korea, which had recently revised its laws to declare itself an “irreversible” nuclear power.

Read Also: North Korea Fires Warning As US, South Korea Commence Drills

The last time that the  Pyongyang …

Japan Demands Africa's Seat On The UN Security Council

Japan Demands Africa’s Seat On The UN Security Council

August 29, 2022 4:04 am

Japan has pledged to employ its position on the Security Council of the international organisation to advocate for an African seat at the UN—saying that the African country has been mistreated even up till now.

‘Japan reiterates its determination to redress the historical injustice against Africa of not being represented through a permanent membership on the Security Council,’ Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told the Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Tunis, Tunisia on Sunday.’

‘In order for the UN to work effectively for peace and stability, there is an urgent need to strengthen the UN as a whole …

US House Speaker Pelosi Arrives Japan Following Taiwan Trip

US House Speaker Pelosi Arrives Japan Following Taiwan Trip

August 5, 2022 2:49 am

The Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi on Thursday, arrived in Japan for the final stop on her Asian tour, following a visit to Taiwan that has infuriated China.

In footage obtained by Africa Daily News, New York the politician was seen disembarking from her plane at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo, before greeting the US ambassador and other officials with hugs and handshakes.

In an apparent reaction, Beijing had on Wednesday launched large-scale military drills in the waters around Taiwan after Pelosi this week became the highest-profile elected US official to set foot on the self-ruled …

Virus Blow For Japan's Sumo As Wrestler Tests Positive

Virus Blow For Japan’s Sumo As Wrestler Tests Positive

April 10, 2020 8:03 am
Japan’s sumo association on Friday confirmed its first coronavirus case, in a new blow for the ancient sport, which has already been forced to move one tournament behind closed doors and postpone others.One low-ranking wrestler who had a fever last week has tested positive for the virus, the association said, declining to name the man or give details of his stable.

The association said no other wrestlers or officials had symptoms and those who belong to the infected wrestler’s stable will stay home or at the stable and follow advice from health officials.

The outbreak in Japan has been …

Coronavirus Doctor's Note- Can You Catch Coronavirus Twice

Doctor’s Note: Can You Catch Coronavirus Twice?

April 4, 2020 2:08 pm
There are fears that it may be possible to catch the coronavirus more than once, after a woman in her 40s in Osaka, Japan, tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time at the end of February. Studies and research are still going on to determine if this may be the case. So far, we do not have a definitive conclusion.

Before understanding whether or not the coronavirus can be caught twice, it is worth knowing how we build immunity to a virus in the first place.

When a pathogen (a foreign infection such as a virus or bacteria) enters

…
IOC Set For Crisis Talks As Fears Grow For Tokyo Olympics

IOC Set For Crisis Talks As Fears Grow For Tokyo Olympics

March 16, 2020 4:47 pm

The International Olympic Committee will hold high-level talks on Tuesday, as doubts grow over the Tokyo Games and with some in Japan urging officials not to risk lives by pressing ahead during the coronavirus emergency.

While countries across Europe have gone into full lockdown after the continent was declared the new epicentre of the deadly virus by the World Health Organization, no decision is expected yet on a possible postponement, or indeed cancellation, of this summer’s Olympics.

The IOC’s executive board will meet via conference call to prepare an “information exchange” ahead of a series of talks with athletes’ representatives, …

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𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤, is a nonpartisan online news portal founded on the truth to provide you with weekly, insightful articles written with precision and current updates on current events from Africa in particular and the rest of the world in general. All of our reports undergo extensive fact-checking to ensure their veracity, and we adhere strictly to the facts, no matter whose ox is gored.

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