The Japan Times - Politics

Featured

Asian markets stutter as traders weigh China-US trade flare-up

Asian markets stumbled Wednesday and gold hit a new record as investors kept tabs on China and the United States after they exchanged tariffs, sparking fears of another debilitating trade war between the economic superpowers.

Trump says US will take over Gaza, create 'Riviera of the Middle East'

President Donald Trump revealed an extraordinary plan Tuesday for the United States to take over the Gaza Strip, resettle Palestinians in other countries -- seemingly whether they wanted to leave or not -- and turn the territory into "the Riviera of the Middle East."

Last news

Beijing slams US over potential Chinese drone ban

China said on Friday it would take "all necessary measures" in response to the United States announcing it was considering restrictions on commercial Chinese drones for national security reasons.

Blinken to visit South Korea with eye on political crisis

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit South Korea for talks next week, Seoul's foreign ministry said Friday, with the country mired in political turmoil as its impeached president resists arrest.

Top European diplomats in Syria for talks with leader Sharaa

Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is due to meet the French and German foreign ministers on Friday, in the highest-level visit by major Western powers under the new authorities in Damascus.

Kim Jong Un's sister seen with children in state media images

South Korea's spy agency said Friday it was analysing rare state media footage showing the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un with two children -- saying they could be hers.

Top US Republican fights for future in cliffhanger vote

US Republican leader Mike Johnson was set to face down critics Friday in a vote in Congress that could see him returned as one of the country's top statesmen -- or jettisoned to the back benches and political obscurity.

Spain's Canary Islands received record 46,843 migrants in 2024: ministry

A record 46,843 migrants reached Spain's Canary Islands illegally in 2024 via the increasingly deadly Atlantic route, the second consecutive year of unprecedented arrival numbers, official data showed on Thursday.

Panama says migrant jungle crossings fell 41% in 2024

The number of US-bound migrants passing through the Darien jungle fell by 41 percent in 2024, with around 302,000 attempting the dangerous journey from Colombia, Panama's president said Thursday.

27 sub-Saharan African migrants die off Tunisia in shipwrecks

Twenty-seven migrants, including women and children, died after two boats capsized off central Tunisia, with 83 people rescued, a civil defence official told AFP on Thursday.

Rival South Korea camps face off as president holds out

Rival camps of South Korean protesters faced off in chaotic scenes outside the presidential compound Thursday, some trying to protect the impeached president inside from arrest, as others called for his immediate detention.

South Korea's impeached president resists arrest over martial law bid

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remained defiantly inside his residence resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.

South Korea's Yoon resists arrest over martial law bid

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid.

Syria FM hopes first foreign visit to Saudi opens 'new, bright page'

Syria's top diplomat said he hoped to open a "new, bright page" with Saudi Arabia upon arriving in the kingdom Wednesday, the first foreign visit for Syria's new rulers, who seized power last month.

Witnesses describe 'war zone' left in wake of New Orleans attack

Witnesses described terrifying scenes of "insanity" that they likened to being in a "war zone" after Wednesday's early morning vehicle-ramming attack in the US city of New Orleans that killed at least 10 people.

Migrants crossing Channel to UK in 2024 soar by 25 percent

36RU3N2

Israel threatens to step up Gaza strikes

Israel warned Wednesday that it will intensify its strikes in Gaza if Hamas keeps up its rocket fire, as Palestinian rescuers reported dozens of deaths from Israeli strikes on the first day of the New Year.

Gaza rescuers say 15 killed in Israeli New Year strike

Gaza's civil defence agency said Wednesday that an Israeli air strike in the territory's north killed at least 15 people, marking what the rescuers called the New Year's first deadly attack.

Moscow, Kyiv end Russian gas transit to Europe via Ukraine

Russia's gas transit to Europe via Ukraine stopped on Wednesday, Moscow and Kyiv said, ending a decades-long arrangement and marking the latest casualty of the war between the neighbours.

Carter's Middle East peace legacy survives, but mostly in name

US president Jimmy Carter, who died on Monday, left an enduring legacy when he brokered historic peace between Egypt and Israel -- tepid and shaky, but unbroken even by the nearly 15-month long Gaza war.

South Korea investigators vow to execute Yoon arrest warrant

South Korean investigators said Wednesday they would execute an arrest warrant for Yoon Suk Yeol over his declaration of martial law by the deadline of January 6, as the impeached leader's supporters rallied outside his residence.

New year hope and joy reign in a Damascus freed from Assad

Umayyad Square in Damascus hummed to the throngs of people brandishing "revolution" flags as Syria saw in the new year with hope following 13 years of civil war.

Zelensky vows Ukraine will do everything in 2025 to stop Russia

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday vowed that his country would use 2025 to fight for an end to Russia's nearly three-year-long invasion by any means necessary.

Serbia enters New Year with student protests over train station tragedy

Thousands of students marched in Belgrade and two other Serbian cities during a New Year's Eve protest that went into Wednesday, demanding accountability over the fatal collapse of a train station roof in November.

Romania, Bulgaria join borderless Schengen zone

Romania and Bulgaria became full members of the Schengen zone on Wednesday, expanding the borderless area to 29 members and ending a 13-year wait for the two eastern European countries.

Venezuela opposition urges protests against Maduro's inauguration

Venezuelan opposition leaders called on their supporters Tuesday to prepare for mass protests against the start of President Nicolas Maduro's third term in office on January 10.

Suriname ex-dictator Bouterse to be cremated on Saturday

The remains of Suriname's former dictator Desi Bouterse, who led two coups and became a fugitive from justice for the killing of political opponents, will be cremated on Saturday, his party announced.

Gaza hospital chief held by Israel becomes face of crumbling healthcare

Israel's raid on a major Gaza hospital and the arrest of its director over alleged links to Hamas have drawn global attention to the war-ravaged territory's crumbling healthcare system.

Russian advances in Ukraine grew seven-fold in 2024, data shows

Russia advanced by almost 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 miles) in Ukraine in 2024, seven times more than in 2023, an AFP analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War showed Tuesday.

Ocalan: PKK chief held in solitary on Turkish prison island

Abdullah Ocalan, the jailed founder of Kurdish militant group the PKK is hailed by many Kurds as an icon, but within wider Turkish society many see him as a terrorist who deserves to die.

Yemen's Huthis a 'menace' for Israel despite weakened Iran: analysts

Israel's devastating campaigns against Iran's regional allies have severely weakened its arch-enemy's ability to project its power, but Yemen's Tehran-backed Huthi rebels remain a stubborn thorn in its side, analysts say.

In Carter's hometown hamlet, a long anticipated goodbye begins

In Jimmy Carter's tiny hometown of Plains, Georgia on Monday, the former US president's death was only beginning to sink in, even if friends and neighbors have been bracing for it since he went into hospice care nearly two years ago.

US Treasury says was targeted by China state-sponsored cyberattack

The US Treasury Department said Monday that a China state-sponsored actor was behind a cyber breach resulting in access to some of its workstations, according to a letter to Congress seen by AFP.

Israel must face consequences over Gaza campaign: UN experts

United Nations rights experts on Monday said Israel must face the consequences of "inflicting maximum suffering" on Palestinian civilians in Gaza, alleging Israel was defying international law and being sheltered by its allies.

The Japan Times - Politics (English)