Japan | Pakistan

Japan’s former prime minister Tomiichi Murayama, best known for making a statement apologising over World War II, died Friday aged 101, officials said. Murayama issued the 1995 proclamation on the 50th anniversary of Japan’s surrender, expressing “deep remorse” over the country’s atrocities in Asia. The statement became a benchmark for Tokyo’s subsequent apologies over World War II. “Tomiichi Murayama, the father of Japanese politics, passed away today at 11:28am at a hospital in Oita City at the age of 101,” Mizuho Fukushima, head of the Social Democratic Party, seen as the successor to Murayama’s now-defunct Socialist Party, said on X. Hiroyuki Takano, the secretary general of the Social Democratic Party in Oita, Murayama’s hometown, told AFP he had been informed that the former premier died of old age. In the landmark statement in August 1995, Murayama said that “Japan … through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those o...

Human remains found in Japan have been identified as those of a six-year-old girl missing since the massive earthquake and tsunami of 2011, police said on Friday. The disaster killed 15,900 people, with 2,520 people still listed as missing as of the end of February, according to the National Police Agency. Teeth and fragments of jaw were discovered in February 2023 in the northern region of Miyagi, a spokesman for the local police told AFP. “After dental and DNA identification analyses, it was confirmed the remains belong to Natsuse Yamane, female, who was six years old at the time,” he said. The girl had been at her home in Yamada, a town around 100 kilometres away in Iwate Prefecture, when the tsunami swept her away, the spokesman added. She had been listed as missing ever since. The remains were found by construction workers sifting through material amassed in a clean-up of coastal areas, the Asahi Shimbun daily reported. The child’s family issued a statement of thanks. “We are very happy to have been cont...

Japan’s ruling party picked hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister in a move set to jolt investors and neighbours. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of the postwar era, elected Takaichi, 64, to regain trust from a public angered by rising prices and drawn to opposition groups promising stimulus and clampdowns on migrants. A vote in parliament to choose a replacement for outgoing Shigeru Ishiba is expected on October 15. Takaichi is favoured as the ruling coalition has the largest number of seats. Inherits party in crisis Takaichi, the only woman among the five LDP candidates, beat a challenge from the more moderate Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, who was bidding to become the youngest modern leader. A former economic security and internal affairs minister with an expansionary fiscal agenda for the world’s fourth-largest economy, Takaichi takes over a party in crisis. Various other part...

Pensioner Shizue Kato didn’t fancy the new “Demon Slayer” anime blockbuster and instead watched “Kokuho”, a rare live-action cinema hit in Japan, where animation rules. “Many of our friends already watched the film, and they were amazed we hadn’t yet,” Kato told AFP as she emerged from a Tokyo cinema on a recent weekday. “I read the original novel,” her husband Kuni said. Lasting almost three hours, “Kokuho” is about two “onnagata”, male players of female roles in kabuki, a rarefied form of classical Japanese theatre. Lee Sang-il’s film, shot by Tunisian cinematographer Sofian El Fan, follows the friendship and rivalry of the son of a slain yakuza gangster and a boy born into a kabuki family. The plot is gripping but markedly more sedate than this summer’s other hit, the second movie from the “Demon Slayer” anime and manga mega-franchise. That dark fantasy, the first of a trilogy, is about sword-swishing Tanjiro Kamado’s final showdown to slay demons and make his sister human again in a kaleidoscopic castle. ...

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba resigned on Sunday, ushering in a potentially lengthy period of policy uncertainty at a shaky moment for the world’s fourth-largest economy. Having just ironed out final details of a trade deal with the United States to lower President Donald Trump’s punishing tariffs, Ishiba, 68, told a press conference he must take responsibility for a series of bruising election losses. Since coming to power less than a year ago, the unlikely premier has overseen his ruling coalition lose its majorities in elections for both houses of parliament amid voter anger over rising living costs. He instructed his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) — which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war period — to hold an emergency leadership race, adding he would continue his duties until his successor was elected. “With Japan having signed the trade agreement and the president having signed the executive order, we have passed a key hurdle,” Ishiba said, his voice seeming to catch with emotion. “...

With Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announcing his resignation, attention turns to who will next steer the world’s fourth-largest economy. The process to pick Japan’s next leader is more complicated than before, as Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war period, and its junior coalition partner lost their majorities in both houses of parliament during his tenure. Party leadership race First, the LDP must pick a new president to replace Ishiba. The date has not been set yet. In the last party leadership race in September 2024, candidates needed to secure 20 nominations from the party’s lawmakers to be eligible to run. Candidates will embark on a period of debates and campaigns across Japan, culminating in a vote by lawmakers and rank-and-file party members. In the last race, there were nine contenders, and Ishiba won in a run-off. LDP vote Based on the last leadership race, each lawmaker has a vote with an equal number distributed among the rank-and-file ...

LAHORE: The Punjab government and opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) have been wrangling over “exorbitant spendings, chartered jet and private persons in the delegation” of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s Japan’s five-day tour. Ms Nawaz concluded her Japan visit on Monday and reached Thailand. Questions are also being raised on social media regarding CM Maryam’s ‘official visit’ to Japan, in which ‘private individuals’, including her family members, as also a part. It is being argued that even if such participants claim to bear their own expenses, the practice undermines the sanctity of official delegations and blurs the line between state affairs and personal interests. Questions are also being raised on social media platforms over the inclusion of private persons as part of her visit, causing a huge sum of money to the exchequer. Entourage comes under scrutiny; PTI’s Waqas claims bank borrowing spent on excursion; Azma says PTI will consume in its own frustration Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhar...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has strongly condemned a social media campaign targeting Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s official visit to Japan, terming it an attack on Pakistan-Japan diplomatic relations.

A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties. The limit — which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City — will not be binding and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance. The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems”, mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday. The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00pm. The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic. “I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X. “In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another. Others said smartphone use should be a d...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met Seishiro Eto, Chairman of the Japan-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship League, during her official visit to Japan and discussed ways to expand cooperation between Punjab and Japan.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Punjab will benefit from Japan’s expertise in curbing environmental pollution, improving waste management and developing modern cities on advanced lines, according to a handout issued by the Information Department here on Monday.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif arrived in Japan on an official visit after concluding her trip to Thailand.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday embarked on a five-day official visit to Japan aimed at enhancing economic cooperation and attracting foreign investment to the province.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will visit Japan in the first week of October on the special invitation of the Japanese government, marking the first trip by a Pakistani premier to Japan in two decades.

TOKYO: The Japan Digital Nomad Visa, introduced in 2024, enables remote workers to live and work in Japan for up to six months. To qualify, applicants must be from specific countries, hold a valid passport, earn a minimum of 10 million yen annually (around $62,166 USD), and have private health insurance. This visa suits freelancers, […]

A magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck off Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula on Wednesday, the strongest in the region since 1952, damaging buildings and generating a tsunami of up to 4 metres that prompted warnings and evacuations in Hawaii, Japan and across the Pacific Ocean. Several people were injured in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan’s eastern seaboard — devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011 — was ordered to evacuate as Tsunami waves hit the Pacific coast of the country. Meanwhile, Hawaii recorded tsunami waves measuring up to 5ft, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre. However, no waves of consequence have hit Hawaii yet. What we know so far: 8.8-magnitude quake hit Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula at 8:24am local time (4am PKT) Several people injured, no casualties reported Tsunami warnings issued in Japan, Mexico, Hawaii, Ecuador, China, Chile, Costa Rica Tsunami waves up to 1.7m hit Japan, Hawaii, California; 3-4m recorded in parts of Kamchatka Russian mayor ...

US President Donald Trump has announced a “massive” trade deal with Japan, as China said it will send its vice premier to US trade talks next week to secure its own agreement ahead of a looming deadline. In an attempt to slash his country’s colossal trade deficit, the US president has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive “reciprocal” tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1. The Japan agreement, along with another pact with the Philippines also announced on Tuesday, means Trump has now secured five agreements since his administration promised in April “90 deals in 90 days”. The others are with Britain, Vietnam and Indonesia, which the White House said Tuesday would ease critical mineral export restrictions. Negotiations are still ongoing with much larger US trading partners China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union. Representatives from China and the United States will meet next week in the Swedish capital Stockholm to try and hammer out a deal before an August 12 dead...

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Japan on Tuesday signed a ¥379 million grant agreement in Islamabad to fund higher educa­tion for young civil officers under the 2025 Human Resource Development Scholarship Programme.

Pakistan’s Men’s Hockey U-18 Asia Cup dream came to an end as Japan won the final 3-0 on Sunday in Dazhou, China. The final score of the match was 3-0, with Japan’s Yuma Fujiwara scoring goals in the 22nd and 38th minutes of the game and Tatsuaki Yasui converting a penalty corner to score in the 49th minute. Pakistan had secured their place in the finals of the U-18 Asia Cup with a penalty shootout victory over Malaysia, maintaining an unbeaten streak in the tournament till the final. View this post on Instagram Both teams drew 3-3 in regular time, forcing the game to a penalty shootout, which Pakistan clinched 4-3. Before beating Malaysia, Pakistan had beaten hosts China 2-1 to qualify for the semi-final. They also defeated Bangladesh (6-3), Sri Lanka (9-0) and Hong Kong (8-0) during their campaign. Last month, New Zealand beat Pakistan 6-2 in the final of the FIH Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, retaining their title. Pakistan is also reviewing the security situation in India before taking a call on s...

Police in Japan’s Shiga prefecture have arrested an Indian man for allegedly raping a teenage girl last month, local news outlet Kyoto Shimbun reported. Shiga’s Otsu police arrested the man, identified as a 24-year-old temporary worker, on Thursday on suspicion of assaulting and raping a teenage high school girl. The man allegedly assaulted the “girl living in the prefecture, including by choking her, and then having sexual intercourse with her at a hotel in Otsu city”. The incident took place in the early hours of June 21, according to the report, which was also carried by Tokyo Reporter. It quoted the Otsu police as saying that the suspect and the girl did not know each other. The man had gone with her to the front of a hotel under the pretence of asking for directions, then forced her into a room, the police said. The suspect denied the charges and was quoted as saying, “I did not force her.” In May, Japanese police said they arrested a former taxi driver on suspicion of drugging and raping a female passen...