Paul Watson, a 74-year-old anti-whaling activist, has been released from prison in Greenland after Danish officials rejected calls by Japan for him to be extradited over allegations of interfering with a whaling ship.

Watson, who is Canadian American, was detained in the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland in July based on an international arrest warrant. He spent five months in prison.

Watson received support during his detention from a wide range of people, the foundation said, including conservationist Jane Goodall, rock band Pearl Jam, actors Martin Sheen and Pierce Brosnan, and President Emmanuel Macron of France. Watson was living in France before his arrest.

“More and more Chinese and Hong Kong people in Japan are minimizing their participation in public events, especially those related to sensitive issues, because they are concerned about facing retaliation from the Chinese government,” said Tomoko Ako, a China studies professor at the University of Tokyo.

The passage is a significant move by Japan, which is thought to have avoided sailing its ships through the strait in order not to upset China, which claims self-governed Taiwan and the strait.

Japanese chip companies are tapping billions of dollars and collaborating with foreign firms as part of new government policies that look outward.

Now, after a period of stagnation that Japan’s economy ministry refers to as “the lost three decades,” Tokyo is engaged in a multibillion-dollar industrial policy to jump-start the lackluster economy and recapture its position as a tech innovator.

Biden administration looks to strengthen deterrence against China with a new joint operational command in Japan.

To align with Japan’s new command, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday is expected to announce an upgrade of the current U.S. Forces Japan headquarters, which is largely an administrative office, to an all-service or “Joint Force” headquarters led by a three-star commander.

The upgrading of U.S. Forces Japan, based at Yokota Air Force Base outside Tokyo, is aimed at giving it powers similar to Japan’s new joint operational command. Unlike U.S. Forces Korea, where a four-star U.S. commander oversees both South Korean and American troops, the U.S. Joint Force headquarters in Japan will remain in charge of only U.S. forces, though the goal is for “our two militaries to operate together seamlessly,” the defense official said.

Marriage is on the decline in Japan as the country’s birth rate fell to an all-time low, according to health ministry data Wednesday. Last year there were 474,717 marriages, down from 504,930 in 2022, while births totaled 727,277, down from 770,759.

On the national level, the government has been trying to solve a serious labor shortage by promising cash payments for families with children and supporting child-care facilities. It has also relaxed immigration policy over the years to encourage an influx of foreign workers.

After August 6, 1945, the US attempted and failed in imposing the English language in Japan. The Japanese language remained a symbol of pride and identity.

The Chinese mainland is also a major production base for Japanese firms. If the US and Europe decide to put protectionist barriers in the way of electric vehicles made in China, that would hit Japan’s Nissan, as well as Chinese champions such as BYD.

There are clearly opportunities for Japan in the American-promoted idea of “friendshoring” production among like-minded democracies. But the Japanese also know that the Americans can be capricious — particularly when an election looms. Nippon Steel’s effort to take over US Steel is currently being blocked by the Biden administration.

Tokyo’s response has been to increase its defence spending and to draw closer to the US. But among national security specialists, there is a sense of a gathering threat. One official argues that Japan faces a more dangerous environment than any other G7 nation — because it has China, Russia and North Korea as close neighbours.

"You believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity," he said. "The world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. And yet, as we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be."

"China's current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan, but to the peace and stability of the international community at large ..." Kishida said.

He added: "Russia's unprovoked, unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has entered its third year. As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow."

On the spaceship called 'Freedom and Democracy,' Japan is proud to be your shipmate,' Kishida told Congress, with a rather fanciful metaphor. 'We are on deck, we are on task. And we are ready to do what is necessary.'

Kishida, a Hiroshima native who has spoken forcefully about the need for nuclear disarmament, is not a hotheaded militarist. But, as he told Congress, he views China's 'current external stance and military actions' as 'the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.' And he has worked to boost Japan's capacity to react to this perceived challenge.

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida addresses U.S. 'self-doubt' about world role in remarks to Congress

"You believed that freedom is the oxygen of humanity," he said. "The world needs the United States to continue playing this pivotal role in the affairs of nations. And yet, as we meet here today, I detect an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about what your role in the world should be."

"China's current external stance and military actions present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan, but to the peace and stability of the international community at large ..." Kishida said.

He added: "Russia's unprovoked, unjust and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine has entered its third year. As I often say, Ukraine of today may be East Asia of tomorrow."

Japan may be the U.S.’s most important ally - > thanks to China

On the spaceship called 'Freedom and Democracy,' Japan is proud to be your shipmate,' Kishida told Congress, with a rather fanciful metaphor. 'We are on deck, we are on task. And we are ready to do what is necessary.'

Kishida, a Hiroshima native who has spoken forcefully about the need for nuclear disarmament, is not a hotheaded militarist. But, as he told Congress, he views China's 'current external stance and military actions' as 'the greatest strategic challenge, not only to the peace and security of Japan but to the peace and stability of the international community at large.' And he has worked to boost Japan's capacity to react to this perceived challenge.

When President Biden meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. at the White House Wednesday, these leaders will present this new trilateral alliance as focused on common interests and principles such as freedom of navigation and rule of law, rather than as directed at any one country. But the subtext is clear: as China's appetite for power and territory grows, Indo-Pacific allies are teaming up and asking for U.S. help.

China's state media calls these moves provocative and destabilizing. Marcos's break with China has also earned him the ire of domestic critics - including his own sister. But he says his country can only stand up to Beijing with the help of allies such as the United States and Japan, and that the best way to convince Xi to curb his aggression is by showing strength. He is right on both counts.

'The deterrence game is escalating in the South China Sea, with the Philippines on the front lines,' Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, told me. 'And all of this has huge implications for a Taiwan scenario.'

In my conversations with officials from both countries, their first question is always: What will Donald Trump do if he gets reelected? Nobody really knows, but based on Trump's actions during his last term, Asian allies have reason for concern. Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. He threatened to withdraw U.S. troops from Japan and South Korea if they didn't pay more to host them. He 'fell in love' with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Washington has a tendency to focus on the urgent over the important. But with China's power growing, the United States must demonstrate that despite two ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza and domestic political dysfunction, America can still play the geopolitical long game in Asia. Hopefully, this week's trilateral summit will mark the beginning, not the end, of that effort.

In December 2023, Japan eased the rules further to allow the sale of lethal weapons it makes under foreign licenses to be exported to the country where the licenser is based.

This paved the way for Tokyo to send Patriot air defence missiles to the US. Patriot missiles are among the most advanced weapons supplied by the US to Ukraine.

To this day, the Japanese language is ruling the hearts and minds of the Japanese people. They may learn the English language to interact with the rest of the world but their own language defines their core identity and pride.

The Japanese overcome the disaster they faced and set a shining example of success for the rest of the world. The success of the Japanese language in taking forward the cause of Japan from the ruins of the atomic disaster teaches the whole world to safeguard our cultural liberty in a diverse world. This remains at the heart of Japan's rise and should be remembered foremost on the occasion of the anniversary of the day the atomic bomb fell.

The irony is that this change isn’t so much a case of government policy dictating romanization, but of common practice bending government policy to comply with what many people have already been doing.

Japan's exports surged a stronger than expected nearly 12% in January, helped by robust demand for vehicles, auto parts and machinery.

That helped the nation's trade deficit shrink to 1.76 trillion yen ($12 billion), or about half of what it was a year earlier.

“Whether Japan has now entered a recession is debatable, though,” Marcel Thieliant, Capital Economics’ head of Asia-Pacific, wrote in a client note.

First, national security: In a relatively short period of time, Japan has redefined how it thinks about deterrence and stepped from a nation limited in its exercise and definition of self-defense into the role of regional security partner. Driven by a belligerent China, a bellicose Russia and the threat of ballistic missiles from North Korea, Japan has updated three national security documents that were long thought to be untouchable - and then committed to doubling its defense budget to 2 percent of gross domestic product by 2027, giving it the 3rd-largest defense budget worldwide.

Japan planning maritime security support for Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

What changed? Japan realized that its future is indivisible from what happens in the region and around the world. It decided to play a larger role to project the alliance and serve as a counterweight to Chinese regional aggression.

Ukraine is another example. Japan marshaled the support of allies as Group of Seven chair and secured votes from eight out of 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations members to join the March 2022 U.N. resolution against Russia's illegal invasion. Japan was also the first nation to commit reserves of liquefied natural gas for European partners' energy security in the early days of Russian economic coercion.

Finally, but vitally, few expected decades of Japanese economic stagnation to end. But ended they have.

Japan is growing because its capital inflows are growing; China is suffering from capital outflow. Japanese stocks are at record highs; Chinese stocks shedded $7 trillion of value in just the past few months. Japan is seeing a property boom; China is suffering from a property bust. Japanese workers are enjoying wage gains not seen in 30 years; China struggles with ever-rising youth unemployment and deflation.

In the coming years, Japan's success in civilian space exploration and renewable energy development, including investments in hydrogen energy and solid-state battery storage, will position it to lead the next wave of technological innovation. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's state visit in April will underscore what Japan has achieved in the past two years - and the growing role it will play as our strategic partner in the next 20 years.

The future was here

The outside factor

The old are still in power Yes, I worry about the future. And Japan's future will have lessons for the rest of us. In the age of artificial intelligence, fewer workers could drive innovation; Japan's aged farmers may be replaced by intelligent robots. Large parts of the country could return to the wild.

Will Japan gradually fade into irrelevance, or re-invent itself? My head tells me that to prosper anew Japan must embrace change. But my heart aches at the thought of it losing the things that make it so special.

This year was set to be a tumultuous one for global markets, with unpredictable swings as economic fortunes diverge and voters in more than 50 countries go to the polls. But there's one unforeseen reversal already underway: a change in perception among investors about China and Japan.

Seizing on this shift, Japan's prime minister, Fumio Kishida, addressed more than 3,000 global financiers gathered in Hong Kong this week for a conference sponsored by Goldman Sachs. It was the first time a Japanese prime minister had given a keynote address at the event.

Destinations all over the world are welcoming the burgeoning work-from-anywhere community by launching digital nomad visas. And some places are already set in stone as go-tos for those able to work abroad, with Portugal this year named the very best country for digital nomads.

So, where is the fastest-growing destination for digital nomads? It’s Tokyo! In third place it’s Seoul, the capital of South Korea, another incredibly exciting city brimming with cultural and artistic heritage. Asia dominates the list, with nine of the 10 entries being located somewhere in the continent.

For generations of Japanese people, climate has been more than simply weather; it represents a culture, even a sort of identity. Climate change is beginning to throw these cherished traditions into disarray. Many seasonal kigo, those building blocks of haiku, are losing their meaning as the climate continues to shift. Take koharubiyori, a kigo used to describe what was once a rare summery day in the midst of autumn. “Nowadays, more days are warm at that time of year,” the poet Etsuya Hirose told Nikkei. “So you can’t really empathize with that kigo, that season and emotion.”

As the surveys and protests in Tokyo show, many Japanese people seem to feel that the time has come for a new story, in which leaders address climate change with open eyes.

I've also encountered a few overt instances of racism. There's something called a "gaijin seat" - the foreigner seat - on the train, where nobody sits next to you. One time, I sat down next to a lady who got up and said, "You should die," before leaving the train.

That said, the racism I've felt here is more undercover. That's a problem in itself, but I'm glad I don't have to see it. In America, you're going to feel it. It is very much in your face.

The focus on growth was important when Japan was developing. But now that the country is wealthy, Mr. Saito said, the insistence on an endlessly expanding economy, described in terms of gross domestic product, or G.D.P., has produced obviously wasteful spending as the government has urged people to consume more. Mr. Saito is not clear exactly what shape a world under degrowth communism would take, but he insists that it would be democratic and focused on expanding communal resources, reducing the wealth gap and removing incentives for excess consumption.

"I'm not saying let's go back to the Edo period," he said, referring to the feudal era when the country was largely closed to the rest of the world.

After Mr. Saito spent a few hours driving bamboo stakes into a field with a heavy wooden mallet, Ms. Nakano asked him if he felt energized by his experience wielding a symbol of the proletariat.

Mr. Saito laughed. "I'm definitely bourgeois," he said.

According to an alarming new poll, only 55 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 in Britain say they ever want to start a family.

"The atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the end because we started a war," says Mr Mimaki as he gazes at the cenotaph. "Hiroshima was burned, Nagasaki was burned, and it was the Imperial Japanese Army that made those mistakes."

"We mustn't wage war again."

Geography puts Japan on the front line: its westernmost island sits 111km from Taiwan. Conflict is probably less likely if China believes Japan would join the fray. If war does break out, keeping Taiwan from falling may hinge on Japanese support and firepower. 'Japan is the linchpin,' concluded a recent war game by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a think-tank in Washington. At a minimum, America would need to use its bases in Japan. And if Japan’s forces engaged in combat, success would be far more likely.

Japan, even uniquely as a nation, seems to be holding off on going EV. How come? Is it ICE Auto Addiction Syndrome? Toyota has even been caught resisting carbon neutralism in order to reduce global warming.

Factor 1-4: Economy tied to automotive, plus ICE auto addiction syndrome.

Factor 5: IoT. Given the rapid move to IoT (Internet of Things) cars are becoming computers on wheels. EVs are ideal platforms to do IoT compared with the irregularities of ICE vehicles. Given the above, Japan is at risk of missing this transition. Then what?

Factor 6: Japan’s population has been shrinking and aging since 2010, when the population peaked at 128.5 million.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, people all over the world have become accustomed to wearing masks. But in Japan, a custom of mask-wearing dates back hundreds of years.

As the pandemic grinds on, the Japanese government has turned to even larger amounts of stimulus, showering consumers with cash handouts and companies with zero-interest loans. But inflation has barely budged, even as pandemic-induced shortages and supply-chain snarls have caused it to jump elsewhere.

The reaction to the wage proposal is an inauspicious sign for Mr. Kishida, who took office two months ago promising to reverse the economic damage of the past two years and put Japan’s economy back on track through a new capitalism.

Haiku