The Japan Times17h ago
The approval rate for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet increased 1.1 percentage points from the previous month to 61% in January, a poll has found. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/16/japan/politics/takaichi-cabinet-poll-january/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #surveys #cabinet #china #taiwan #chinajapanrelations
Takaichi Cabinet approval rises to 61%

The Cabinet has been able to maintain its public support rate at around 60% since it was launched in October last year.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times2d ago
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is going all in for a snap election expected to be held either Feb. 8 or 15 — a risky but possibly rewarding gamble for a Japanese leader who has been in office for only three months. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/14/japan/politics/takaichi-ldp-snap-election/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #sanaetakaichi #lowerhouse #diet #ldp #nipponishinnokai #chinajapanrelations #inflation #china #taiwan
Takaichi to roll the dice on risky, but potentially rewarding, snap election

Calling a snap election during the next session of parliament could prove to be a double-edged sword for the prime minister.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times2d ago
Tokyo has shown restraint amid Chinese pressure, but to reduce vulnerability to Beijing’s repeated economic coercion, Japan must continue diversifying supply chains and preparing alternatives to Chinese inputs. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/14/japan/japan-can-decoupling-from-china/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #chinajapanrelations #rareearths #supplychains #trade #taiwan #sanaetakaichi #xijinping #defense
Japan can keep calm and carry on decoupling from China

The goal isn’t to bring trade with Beijing down to zero — that’s impossible. It’s to dull Xi Jinping’s ability to weaponize it when he wants something.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times2d ago
Japanese companies are still evaluating the effects of China’s latest export controls, including on rare earths, with any impact unlikely to be apparent until February, according to a person familiar with the matter. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/14/companies/japan-companies-assess-china-rare-earth-curbs/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #rareearths #chinajapanrelations #china #trade
Japan companies assessing impact of China’s rare-earth curbs

Any impact is unlikely to be apparent until next month, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times3d ago
Japan has roughly 12 years to overhaul its postwar strategy, military posture and political mindset to preserve its autonomy and deter China as U.S. reliability fades and regional power balances shift. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/13/world/japan-cant-afford-strategic-confusion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #worldnews #usjapanrelations #chinajapanrelations #defense #china #sdf #xijinping #donaldtrump #sanaetakaichi
Japan can no longer afford strategic confusion

While Japan’s central challenge is often framed in terms of China’s rise, that is only part of the story.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times3d ago
Finance ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial nations agreed at a meeting in Washington on Monday to take measures quickly to enhance supply chains for rare earth minerals. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/13/economy/g7-rare-earth-supply-issue/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #economy #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #defense #rareearths #trade #g7 #scottbessent #washington
G7 finance ministers agree to address rare-earth supply issues quickly

The meeting came as China is tightening controls on rare earth exports to Japan and there are fears the impact of the Chinese measure may spread across the world.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times3d ago
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday is expected to reconfirm improving bilateral ties as Japan faces a diplomatic falling-out with another key neighbor, China. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/13/japan/politics/japan-south-korea-takaichi-lee-nara/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #politics #southkoreajapanrelations #southkorea #leejaemyung #sanaetakaichi #china #chinajapanrelations #indopacific #defense #taiwan #northkorea
Takaichi and South Korea’s Lee to take ties to ‘new heights’ amid Japan-China rift

The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on economic security and reached a deal on DNA testing for Korean wartime laborers who perished in Japan.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times4d ago
A Japanese mining ship has departed for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in rare earths on the seabed as part of Tokyo’s drive to curb its reliance on China for critical minerals as Beijing tightens supply. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/12/japan/japan-rare-earth-hunt/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #chinajapanrelations #rareearths #trade
Japan sets sail on rare earth hunt as China tightens supply

A mining ship has departed for a remote coral atoll to probe mud rich in critical minerals — 6 kilometers deep on the seabed.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times4d ago
The U.S. will host a gathering of Group of Seven ministers to discuss rare earths this week as Japan steps up efforts to reach out to its G7 peers and others amid concerns over new export restrictions China has imposed. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/12/japan/g7-japan-rare-earths/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #china #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #defense #rareearths #trade #g7
U.S. to host meeting on rare earths as China-Japan tensions simmer

Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama has said she would meet with counterparts from other industrialized democracies to discuss the rare earths during a trip to the U.S.

The Japan Times
The Japan Times5d ago
China cutting off rare-earth exports to Japan over the Taiwan issue will have a limited impact because Japan and other countries have diversified supplies and taken steps to weaken Beijing’s long-term leverage. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2026/01/11/japan/china-rare-earths-japan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #commentary #japan #chins #chinajapanrelations #sanaetakaichi #taiwan #defense #rareearths #trade
China is overplaying its rare-earth hand in Japan

While China produces about 80% of the world’s neodymium magnets, Japan on its own manufactures about half of the remainder.

The Japan Times