Japan’s outgoing PM Shigeru Ishiba leaves Kantei following the Cabinet’s resignation en masse this morning. @japantimes.co.jp 石破前首相が退邸。

Japan is ramping up trade defense measures by initiating a record number of anti-dumping investigations this year, as it seeks to protect domestic industries from China’s overproduction and sweeping tariffs imposed by the United States. @japantimes.co.jp

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to leave office with a few economic achievements and some important business unfinished. My latest @japantimes.co.jp

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is set to leave office with a few economic achievements and some important business unfinished. My latest @japantimes.co.jp

Japan is ramping up trade defense measures by initiating a record number of anti-dumping investigations this year, as it seeks to protect domestic industries from China’s overproduction and sweeping tariffs imposed by the United States. @japantimes.co.jp

The “Takaichi trade” was back in full swing on Monday, as the Tokyo market cheered the election of fiscal and monetary dove Sanae Takaichi as the ruling party’s leader, with the Nikkei 225 index breaking the 48,000 level for the first time ever while the yen hitting 2-month low. @japantimes.co.jp

Anticipation is growing for a rate increase by the Bank of Japan in October as economic indicators pick up and consumer sentiment improves. @japantimes.co.jp

Aside from possible conspiracy against the United States (as U.S. President Donald Trump said), Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly had other important issue to discuss at Wednesday’s lavish military parade in Beijing.　@japantimes.co.jp

Japan is looking to raise the bar for business manager visas from October amid rising concerns of foreign nationals using it as an easy loophole to settle in the country. Here’s what’s changing and what you need to know:🧵 @japantimes.co.jp

Japan and the US reached a surprise trade deal after months of negotiations and some tense moments, with both sides claiming wins and Japanese markets cheering the news. The US is promoting it as the deal of the century. For Japan, it was a mission-accomplished moment. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan and the United States have reached a deal with the “reciprocal” tariff rate set at 15%, U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday. @japantimes.co.jp www.japantimes.co.jp/business/202...

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Komeito, were projected to lose their majority in the Upper House, media reports said Sunday, a defeat that could trigger Ishiba’s resignation or political deadlock in parliament. @japantimes.co.jp

In tomorrow's edition of The Japan Times Weekend: White-water thrills in Wakayama

My latest: With a July 9 deadline fast approaching, Washington is ramping up pressure on trading partners to strike quick deals, but Tokyo’s intentions remain hard to decipher. @japantimes.co.jp

A tariff deal negotiated between the United States and Vietnam has set a high bar for Japan, which has made no concrete progress over 11 weeks of intense trade talks with Washington and has earned itself the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump in the process. @japantimes.co.jp

Trump's contentious remarks about Japan signal that the U.S. is losing patience after months of unproductive talks, and is now trying to force Japan to make concessions to claim a win. Japan should keep dragging out the talks and avoid making major compromises, observers said. @japantimes.co.jp

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to raise reciprocal tariffs on Japan to the even higher rate of 35% — higher than what was initially set for China — as part of another attempt to force Japan’s concession after broadsiding the ally over the past two days. @japantimes.co.jp

Trump went on Fox News on Sunday and complained about the lack of U.S.-made cars in Japan. He followed that up on Monday by taking aim at rice. “Negotiations didn't collapse,” said Ryo Sahashi, a professor at the University of Tokyo. “But the incentives for Japan to compromise became very small.”

My latest @japantimes.co.jp: Nippon Steel's acquisition of United States Steel could be a model for a trade deal between Japan and the United States. A big, beautiful trade deal, one academic quips.

The suit has been rendered moot as a result of the successful purchase of the American steel-maker, Hashimoto said in reply to a question from The Japan Times after his meeting with trade minister Yoji Muto on Thursday evening. @japantimes.co.jp

Nippon Steel completed the purchase of U.S. Steel, bringing to a close an 18-month saga that involved 2 CFIUS reviews, an outright rejection by one president and contradictory statements from another, all in the context of the most consequential U.S. election in recent history and a global trade war

Trade negotiations between Japan and the United States are set to continue, as a meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump in Canada on Monday failed to yield an agreement on tariffs or a breakthrough of any kind. @japantimes.co.jp

The incredibly restrictive conditions, which are permanent, might have been accepted because they align with what the Japanese steelmaker was planning on doing all along; the conditions might not restrain the future parent at all. @japantimes.co.jp

Observers say that any initiatives will take years to materialize. Importantly, they note, an agreement on economic security does little to get Japan what it really wants, which is a full removal of the heavy duties imposed by Washington since March. @japantimes.co.jp

Both signs of progress and further uncertainty emerged in Japan’s tariff negotiations with the United States, as the pace of high-level talks increased and a court order put most of the U.S. levies on shaky ground. @japantimes.co.jp

China will soon resume the importation of seafood from Japan after the two countries reached an agreement that ends a ban related to the release of treated wastewater from the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean. @japantimes.co.jp

The new strategy will involve plans for the government to transition its internal communications from the current public-key cryptography to post-quantum cryptography, the latter of which provides better security against cyberattacks from quantum computers. @japantimes.co.jp

Ishiba described his 25-minute call with Trump as “a very meaningful conversation” in which further cooperation between the two countries across a wide range of fields was discussed. @japantimes.co.jp

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday morning in a call initiated by the president, offering hope of a breakthrough in tariff negotiations between Japan and the United States. @japantimes.co.jp

The top finance officials of Japan and the United States agreed again on Wednesday that markets should determine exchange rates and continued to make a point of not discussing a specific target for the yen-dollar rate. @japantimes.co.jp

While both Tokyo and Washington have repeatedly stated they will aim for an agreement “as soon as possible,” analysts wonder if the lack of progress isn't part of Japan's strategy. My latest for @japantimes.co.jp

Japan's national flag was flown at half-mast in front of the PM's Office and other govt buildings on Tuesday in mourning of Pope Francis, who is fondly remembered in the country for his historic 2019 visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki where he called on the world to abolish nuclear weapons.

Drama was high after Trump said in a social media post hours before the meeting that he would also be speaking with Akazawa. Tokyo scrambled following the surprise announcement, with the PM summoning senior officials to his residence until close to midnight to devise a strategy. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan's tariff czar Ryosei Akazawa flew to Washington on Wednesday morning, tasked with getting two sides friendly but far apart on trade issues at least somewhat closer. My preview on Akazawa's upcoming tariff talks with the Trump administration @japantimes.co.jp

My Sunday interview with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore @govwesmoore.bsky.social in Tokyo: the governor is keen on bringing high-speed maglev to the Baltimore-DC corridor, and says Maryland will provide consistency and stability for foreign investors amid the tariff fight. @japantimes.co.jp

In an astonishing turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday afternoon ordered a 90-day halt to fresh tariffs on dozens of countries — just 13 hours after they went into effect. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan, South Korea and China agreed on Sunday to continue trilateral economic and trade cooperation to address “emerging challenges,” a partnership that has become more crucial than ever as the U.S. trade war shatters the global order. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan is considering “all possible options” in response to newly announced U.S. tariffs on auto and auto part imports, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan has set a goal of more than tripling its domestic cybersecurity industry sales in the next decade, from the current ¥900 billion ($6 billion) to ¥3 trillion, according to the government’s first industrial strategy on cybersecurity released by METI today. @japantimes.co.jp

Naturalized Japanese citizens who are originally from Taiwan will be able to list Taiwan instead of China as their place of origin in their family register from May 26. The revision will also impact foreign spouses and foreign children adopted by Japanese nationals. @japantimes.co.jp

Tokyo has asked the U.S. government to exempt Japanese firms from U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly announced 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum, the government revealed on Wednesday. @japantimes.co.jp

with @jljzen.bsky.social: While PM Ishiba still faces challenges going forward, observers say his achievements in Washington will allow Japan to better weather any storms wrought by the second Trump White House, at least for the time being. @japantimes.co.jp

Fees for many required immigration procedures for foreign residents in Japan — such as changing or renewing residence status — will increase by as much as 50% starting April 1, with the ISA citing rising prices and personnel costs for the 1st price hikes for some of the procedures in over 4 decades.

A former member of the Hyogo Prefectural Assembly who took part in investigating Gov. Motohiko Saito’s workplace bullying allegations last year has died in an apparent suicide after facing online harassment — the 3rd reported death since the controversy unfolded in March. @japantimes.co.jp

My latest: Observers concur that additional tariffs could hurt Japan's export-reliant industries while shattering the global economy. Mitigating any damage will require a more nimble Japanese side to forge an even closer tie with Washington. @japantimes.co.jp

Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel filed two separate lawsuits against the U.S. government, Cleveland-Cliffs, Cliffs’ CEO Lourenco Goncalves and USW President David McCall, the two companies announced on Monday.

FM Takeshi Iwaya and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met for the first time in Beijing on Wednesday as the two Asian powerhouses try to mend ties ahead of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. @japantimes.co.jp

The number of reported crimes in Japan rose for the second year in a row in 2023, an annual government white paper revealed on Friday. Crime numbers in Japan had been steadily declining since 2003, continuing to hit postwar lows from 2015 to 2021, before bouncing back in 2022. @japantimes.co.jp

Japan announces new measure to tackle yami baito/shady part time jobs: Undercover investigators posing as applicants for yami baito (shady part-time jobs) to crack down on a surge in violent burglaries linked to such jobs. @francisbtang.bsky.social www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/12...

Japan has officially kicked off the administrative process of replacing the controversial Technical Intern Training Program for foreign nationals with a new system in 2027 that would improve working conditions, with plans to finalize operational guidelines by the end of next year. @japantimes.co.jp