🇯🇵 Foreigners bought almost 3,500 properties near sensitive sites in Japan in FY2024: Study

A total of 3,498 properties around critical security facilities and remote islands in Japan were purchased by foreign individuals or entities in fiscal 2024, with nearly half from China, a government study showed.

The purchases were made in the vicinity of 583 locations designated as “monitored areas” or “special monitored areas” under a law governing their use that took effect in 2022.

By country or region, China accounted for the most acquisitions at 1,674, followed by Taiwan at 414, South Korea at 378 and the United States at 211.

Separately, the government announced it will demand increased disclosure from April 2026 when corporations attempt to acquire forested lands or properties deemed of national security importance, such as requiring them to disclose the nationalities of company heads in registration forms.

#Japan

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🇨🇳 No ‘out-of-pocket expenses’ for childbirth in China from 2026

China will cover all out-of-pocket expenses related to childbirth in 2026, said the country’s national healthcare security administration, as the authorities try to incentivize more young ​couples to have children.

By 2026, China will aim to offer nationwide full reimbursement for all policy-covered medical expenses related to childbirth, including pre-natal check-ups, ​the ​administration said.

It would “improve the level of medical expense coverage for prenatal examinations, striving to achieve ‘no out-of-pocket expenses’ for childbirth”, it said in a report on Dec 13.

#China

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🇨🇳🇯🇵🇹🇼 China sanctions ex-Japan SDF chief Iwasaki who serves as Taiwan adviser

China said it has imposed sanctions on Shigeru Iwasaki, a former chief of the Joint Staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces who serves as a political consultant for Taiwan's Cabinet.

According to China's Foreign Ministry, the sanctions include denying Iwasaki a visa to enter China, Hong Kong and Macao, freezing his properties in mainland China and banning him from engaging in transactions and cooperation between mainland organizations and individuals.

In June, Iwasaki took part in a two-day tabletop war game in Taipei simulating a 2030 armed attack on Taiwan by mainland China, with retired military officers from Japan and the United States also joining.

#China #Japan #Taiwan

@asianomics

🇺🇸🇹🇼 US approves $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, largest ever

The United States on Wednesday approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever US weapons package for the island which is under increasing military pressure from China.

The Taiwan arms sale announcement is the second under US President Donald Trump's current administration, and comes as Beijing ramps up its military and diplomatic pressure against Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

The proposed arms sale covers eight items, including HIMARS rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius loitering munition drones and parts for other equipment, Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement.

Pushed by the United States, Taiwan has been working to transform its armed forces to be able to wage "asymmetric warfare", using mobile, smaller and often cheaper weapons which still pack a targeted punch, like drones.

#USA #Taiwan

@asianomics

🇨🇳🇹🇼 China's newest aircraft carrier sailed through Taiwan Strait, Taipei says

China's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Taiwan's defense ministry said, its first transit of the sensitive waterway since formally entering service last month.

The ministry showed a grainy, black-and-white picture of the carrier with no aircraft on its deck. It did not say where the picture was taken and offered no other details.

Speaking to lawmakers, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the ship was probably on its way to Shanghai's Changxing island, which is home to China's main naval shipbuilding yard, and that the ministry had not noticed it carrying out any military activities.

#China #Taiwan

@asianomics

🇰🇭🇹🇭🇲🇾 Cambodia, Thailand agree to attend ASEAN Foreign Ministers

Cambodia and Thailand have both agreed to attend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers special meeting on Dec 22 in Kuala Lumpur to kick-start talks to prevent further escalation along the disputed border, said Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The Prime Minister said the special ASEAN Foreign Ministers meeting was initially scheduled on Dec 16 but was later postponed, as his counterparts had expressed concerns that the meeting would have taken place too soon.

Anwar said the aim of the meeting is to convince Thailand and Cambodia to stop escalating tensions along the disputed borders.

#Cambodia #Thailand

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🇨🇳🇯🇵 Hotels and stores in Japan suffer amid cancellations by Chinese tourists

The Chinese government’s advisory against travelling to Japan has severely blunted the growth in Chinese visitors to the nation, hurting sales at Japanese department stores and causing a flood of cancellations at hotels in tourist areas.

Many tourism businesses are concerned that the situation could drag on as the Lunar New Year holiday in February approaches.

According to a survey of businesses across the nation from Dec 5 to 9, conducted by Teikoku Databank, 42.8% of respondents said the Chinese government’s advisory would have a “negative impact” on the Japanese economy.

This figure shot up to 53.8% among companies in the shipping and warehousing industry, which includes passenger transport businesses and travel businesses. The figure was noticeably higher in this industry compared to other sectors.

#China #Japan

@asianomics

🇯🇵 Japan should have nuclear weapons, official reportedly says

A senior government official who advises Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on security has expressed a personal opinion that Japan should have nuclear weapons, according to local media reports.

The official added that there was no discussion within the government on that possibility and acknowledged that it would be realistically difficult to achieve, the reports said.

The comments come at a sensitive time for Japan amid a tense security environment in East Asia. Tokyo and Beijing are currently locked in a simmering dispute over comments Takaichi made about Taiwan and the theoretical possibility of Japan aiding other countries in a contingency.

#Japan

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🇺🇸🇯🇵🇨🇳 US lawmakers rebuke China's "coercion" of Japan amid spat over Taiwan

A bipartisan group of US senators have submitted a resolution condemning China for its use of "economic, military and diplomatic coercion" against Japan over Taiwan.

The move came as China maintains its hard-line stance toward Japan in the wake of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks in parliament last month. She suggested an attack on Taiwan could constitute an existential threat to Japan and thus prompt its defense forces to engage along with its alliance partner, the United States, under its right to collective self-defense.

The resolution cited China's actions since Takaichi's Nov. 7 remarks, which were made in response to a hypothetical question from an opposition lawmaker about a Taiwan contingency.

Such actions included China urging its citizens not to travel to Japan and sending coast guard vessels to waters near the Tokyo-controlled, Beijing-claimed Senkaku Islands.

#USA #Japan #China

@asianomics

🇯🇵 Japan reaffirms no-nukes pledge after senior official suggests acquiring weapons

Japan reaffirmed its decades-old pledge never to possess nuclear weapons on Dec 19 after local media reported that a senior security official suggested the country should acquire them to deter potential aggressors.

At a regular press briefing in Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Japan’s nuclear policy had not changed, but declined to comment on the remarks or to say whether the person ‍would remain in government.

There is a growing political and public willingness in Japan to loosen its three non-nuclear principles ​not to possess, develop or allow nuclear weapons. This is driven in part by doubts over the reliability of US security guarantees under President Donald Trump and growing threats from nuclear-armed China, Russia and North Korea.

#Japan

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🇻🇳 Vietnam's top leadership talks heat up as Communist Party meets

Senior officials of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party began a two-day meeting that is set to select candidates for the country's leadership positions for the next five years.

The gathering precedes the five-yearly party congress, scheduled on January 19-25, which will formally nominate leaders and set key policy and economic targets for the remainder of the decade.

Party chief To Lam opened the meeting saying the plenum of the party's central committee is tasked with finalising the selection of state and party leaders, according to his speech published on the government portal.

Lam is seeking a second term as party chief, the country's most powerful job which he assumed in August last year after his predecessor Nguyen Phu Trong died.

#Vietnam

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🇰🇵🇯🇵 North Korea’s KCNA: Japan’s ambition for nuclear weapons should be curbed

North ‍Korea said Japan's ambition for possession of nuclear weapons should be "thoroughly curbed," state media ‍KCNA ​reported on Sunday.

Japan is showing the intention to possess nuclear weapons explicitly by saying it needs to review the three non-nuclear principles, KCNA said citing a ​commentary of ​North Korea's foreign-policy ‍official.

Japan began making such ⁠comments actively as soon as the United States approved a request from South Korea for building a nuclear submarine, ‌the media said.

#NorthKorea #Japan

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🇯🇵 Japan to support domestic AI development with 1 tril. yen funding

The Japanese government will provide roughly 1 trillion yen ($6.34 billion) in support over five years to help a planned new company develop home-grown artificial intelligence.

The company will be established by around 10 firms including SoftBank Group Corp., aiming to develop the country's largest base AI model through public-private cooperation.

Japan's move to develop its own AI comes as it hopes to compete with China and the United States, leading players in the field of this technology that can directly impact national security.

#Japan

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🇮🇩 Questions raised over Indonesia’s plan to send peacekeepers to Gaza after recent floods at home

Recent devastating floods in Indonesia have cast fresh doubts over Jakarta’s plan to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza, even as the Indonesian military starts preparing for the deployment.

Deploying thousands of soldiers abroad while the country is still reeling from a disaster that has killed over a thousand people would paint President Prabowo Subianto’s administration as out of touch, analysts say.

Connie Rahakundini Bakrie, a military analyst, said the planned deployment would be ill-timed now. The Indonesian military should not look overseas while facing urgent priorities at home, she said, where the recovery effort required after the recent major flash floods will take years to complete.

In late November, devastating flash floods and landslides struck three Indonesian provinces – Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra – after record rainfall sparked by Cyclone Senyar.

#Indonesia

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 China says US seizure of ships ‘serious violation’ of international law

In a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said: “The US’s arbitrary seizure of other countries' vessels is a serious violation of international law,” adding that China “opposes illegal unilateral sanctions…without authorization from the UN Security Council.”

This came after the US intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.

Venezuela has the right to develop relations with other countries, Lin Jian said at a news briefing, adding that China opposes all “unilateral and illegal” sanctions.

#China #USA

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🇨🇳🇯🇵🇹🇼 China protests Japanese official’s visit to Taiwan

China lodged a diplomatic complaint with Japan after a high-ranking official from Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) visited Taiwan.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te received LDP executive acting secretary general Koichi Hagiuda in Taipei, marking a rare high-level visit from Japan amid growing regional tensions.

Tokyo may respond diplomatically to China’s complaint, while further Taipei-Tokyo cooperation initiatives are likely to be explored, particularly in high-tech and strategic sectors.

#China #Japan #Taiwan

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🇨🇳🇺🇸 China likely loaded more than 100 ICBMs in silo fields, Pentagon report says

China is likely to have loaded more than 100 intercontinental ballistic missiles across its latest three silo fields and has no desire for arms control talks, according to a draft Pentagon report which highlighted Beijing's growing military ambitions.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said that he may be working on a plan to denuclearize with China and Russia. But the draft Pentagon report said Beijing did not appear to be interested.

"We continue to see no appetite from Beijing for pursuing such measures or more comprehensive arms control discussions," the report said.

In particular, the report said that China had likely put in more than 100 solid-fuelled DF-31 ICBMs in silo fields close to China's border with Mongolia - the latest in a series of silo sites. The Pentagon had previously reported the existence of the fields but not the number of missiles loaded.

#China #USA

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