🇯🇵🇺🇸 US and Japan are holding talks at the White House

The meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has started. Biden welcomed Japanese leader at the White House today, January 13th, and told him that the United States strongly supports the defense of Japan.

In their Oval Office meeting, Biden also thanked Kishida for strong leadership in working closely on technology and economic issues.

#Japan #USA

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🇺🇸🇯🇵 US eyes setting up space force unit in Japan

The US Space Force is considering setting up a unit in Japan, its top officer said, underscoring the importance of bilateral collaboration in the space domain.

The move comes as the US Space Force, created in December 2019, is expanding its presence in the Asian region. In November, it established a unit within the US Indo-Pacific Command based in Hawaii, followed by the creation of a subordinate unit in South Korea in December.

Gen. Chance Saltzman, the US Space Force's chief of space operations, was not specific about the location of the component that could be integrated into the US military forces in Japan. However, he mentioned possible candidates could include the Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo.

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🇵🇭🇬🇧🇨🇦🇯🇵🇺🇸 Philippines, allies kick off naval drills amid Asia-Pacific tension

Forces from Manila, Britain, Canada, Japan and the United States kicked off two weeks of joint naval exercises in Philippine waters as a "show of force", amid flaring regional tension.

This year's "Sama Sama" drills are being held in the southern part of the island of Luzon, featuring naval exercises in areas such as anti-submarine warfare, air defense and search and rescue, the Philippine navy said.

Five vessels, two from the United States, and one each from Britain, Canada and Japan, joined the Philippine-hosted drills that will run until October 13.

#ThePhilippines #UK #Canada #Japan #USA

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🇺🇸🇵🇭🇯🇵 About US military exercises with partner countries in the Pacific zone

Two weeks after the incident in the South China Sea, which prompted the Philippine government to distance itself from the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative, and with Joe Biden issuing a military threat to China, two large-scale exercises have commenced in the region.

🔻Yesterday, the Kamandag-7 exercise began on several Philippine islands and in the South China Sea, with the participation of American Marines, as well as military personnel from the Philippines, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. The primary objective is to test the joint combat capabilities of the navy and marines in the event of a regional escalation. Approximately 2,000 individuals and around 70 units of various equipment will take part in this event.

🔻Today, the Annualex-2023 exercise started off the east coast of Japan and will continue until November 20. It involves up to 6,000 people, 32 ships, and 35 aircraft from the US, Japanese, Australian, Canadian, and Philippine navies. This exercise is more comprehensive in terms of strength, with the involvement of an aircraft carrier strike group led by the Carl Vinson and the possibility of a flight of B-52H strategic bombers from Andersen Air Base on Guam.

🔻It is interesting to note that these simultaneous exercises near the border with China began immediately after the Chinese aircraft carrier group, led by the flagship Shandong, concluded its training in the Philippine Sea and sailed back to China through the Taiwan Strait with 16 warships. However, the US Armed Forces exercises are conducted annually, and there is no indication of any significant escalation. Nevertheless, the White House supports the narrative of the "Chinese threat," justifying the substantial costs of maintaining forces in the region while simultaneously demonstrating support for its allies.

You can find a high-resolution map and an English version here. #China #USA #Philippines #Japan @rybar

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🇯🇵 Japan PM Kishida set to resign as ruling party faction leader

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has decided to step down as chief of his faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party amid a political funds scandal, according to Kyodo sources.

The LDP has recently faced criticism amid allegations that five factions, including Kishida's, underreported their revenue from political fundraising parties, from which the extra income may have been returned to some lawmakers as kickbacks.

In the wake of the political funds scandal, Kishida instructed LDP executives on Wednesday to refrain from hosting fundraising parties, but there have been increasing calls for him to leave his faction to regain public trust for the ruling party.

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🇯🇵🇺🇸🇨🇳🇰🇵 Election shock in key US ally Japan could embolden China, other rivals

A shock election result in Japan and the United States' potentially destabilizing presidential election next week could provide an opportunity for China and other rivals to test Western resolve in East Asia.

Analysts say China could increase intrusions into Japanese territory as well as step up pressure on Taiwan, while North Korea, which has been deepening its security cooperation with Russia, could intensify ballistic missile testing.

"From Beijing's viewpoint, this (election result) signals an ideal scenario: a politically immobilized Japan," said Tomohiko Taniguchi, a former adviser to late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

"Any indication that Japan's defense policy initiatives could slow down or become less ambitious would encourage China and North Korea to claim that Japan is weak and belittle Washington’s efforts to bolster the U.S.-Japan alliance," said Nicholas Szechenyi, a U.S.-Japan relations expert

#Japan #USA #China #NorthKorea

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🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan vows to build strong ties with US gov't under next president

Japan aims to build a strong relationship of trust and cooperation with the US government led by the next president to further boost their bilateral security alliance, Japan's top government spokesman said.

The alliance is "the linchpin of Japan's foreign and security policies," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a news conference.

"We will closely communicate with the next US administration to further beef up the alliance's deterrence and response capabilities," Hayashi said, adding the government is monitoring the election's developments including its impact "with high interest."

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🇯🇵📉 BOTH NIKKEI 225 INDEX AND TOPIX INDEX FUTURES WERE HALTED AFTER TOUCHING THE LIMIT-DOWN. #JAPAN ...

🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japanese carmakers post firm US sales growth on rush of buying

Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and two other Japanese carmakers sold a combined 464,372 vehicles in the US market in April, up 11.8% from a year earlier, helped by buying before prices rise due to an additional tariff on imported cars.

Customers expecting vehicle prices to rise to reflect the higher tariff rushed to buy the automakers' hybrid and sport-utility vehicles in particular, the companies said. The auto market outlook remains grim as the last-minute buying will likely eat into future demand.

Toyota's sales in the world's second-largest auto market rose 10.0% to 233,045 vehicles, led by solid demand for the Camry hybrid model.

#Japan #USA

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🇯🇵🇺🇸 Japan plans US$6.9 billion shipyard push

Japan is drawing up plans to build and upgrade shipyards that could support the repair of US Navy vessels, in a strategic move seen as both an economic security measure and a bargaining chip in fraught trade and defense burden-sharing talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration.

The proposal, expected to be finalized in the autumn, includes a government-backed “national dockyard” initiative under which Tokyo would finance the restoration or construction of facilities before handing them over to the private sector to operate.

Once a world leader in shipbuilding, Japan has in recent years produced far fewer vessels than China and South Korea, raising fears about security in an island nation that relies heavily on imports by sea.

#Japan #USA

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🇺🇦🇯🇵 Ukraine Seeks Japanese Interceptors

Ukrainian Prime Minister Sergii Koretskyi said in Kyiv he hopes Japan will provide air defense systems, including interceptor missiles, as Russian ballistic missile attacks intensify. In an interview with Kyodo News, Koretskyi said anti-ballistic missiles are Ukraine’s top requirement to protect civilians and infrastructure through the winter heating season.

The request comes as Ukraine’s interceptor stockpiles continue to fall and U.S.-brokered peace talks remain stalled. Japan revised its defense export rules in April, but transfers of lethal weapons still require classified-information agreements and are in principle barred to countries currently at war; any provision of interceptor missiles would also need approval from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Japan manufactures Patriot surface-to-air missile interceptors under U.S. license, while Ukraine says its Patriot interceptor inventory is projected to decline again in 2026. Koretskyi also called for broader Japanese support for Ukraine’s reconstruction and postwar development.

#Ukraine #Japan

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🇯🇵 Japan bond yield hits 3%

Japan’s benchmark 10-year government bond yield briefly reached 3% on Tuesday in Tokyo, its highest level in 30 years, as a global sovereign debt selloff intensified. Nikkei Asia reported that inflation concerns, higher oil prices and mounting fiscal pressures drove yields higher.

The move reflects broader stress across global bond markets as investors reprice inflation and government borrowing risks. For Japan, rising yields carry added weight because of the country’s large public debt stock and the central role of Japanese government bonds in domestic financial conditions.

Higher benchmark yields can raise funding costs for the state and ripple through wider asset markets. The jump also adds pressure as debt selloffs spread across Asia.

#Japan

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