Fumio Kishida

U.S. President Joe Biden made "ironclad" defense pledges to Japan and the Philippines on Thursday as he hosted his counterparts amid growing tensions with Beijing, whose actions the three leaders described as "dangerous and aggressive."

Microsoft has announced a $2.9 billion investment over the next two years in Japan to bolster the country's push into artificial intelligence.

The announcement coincides with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's visit to Washington, underscoring Tokyo's commitment to becoming a major AI power.

Japan is expected to discuss cooperating on technology with the AUKUS defense grouping at a summit in Washington next month, according to comments from a high-ranking U.S. diplomat published in Japanese media on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that the United States stands by its "ironclad" commitments to defend longtime ally the Philippines against armed attack in the South China Sea.

Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg met Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a visit to Japan, discussing the risks of generative AI, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

Zuckerberg is on a mini-tour of Asia that includes stops in Japan, India and South Korea, where he travelled on Tuesday night.

Ukraine's Prime Minister urged Japan's government and private sector yesterday to step up support for the country's reconstruction, promising an "economic miracle" once the almost two-year-old war with Russia ends.

Japanese authorities sharply revised downwards on Tuesday the number of people unaccounted for following a major Jan. 1 quake, while announcing a new death toll of 180.

The 7.5-magnitude quake flattened buildings, caused fires and knocked out infrastructure on the Noto Peninsula on Japan's main island Honshu just as families were celebrating New Year's Day.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa visited Ukraine on Sunday to meet with her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to show Tokyo's continued support, a ministry official said.

The unannounced visit was a change to her original two-week tour plan of visiting Poland, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Germany and Türkiye from Friday.

A powerful earthquake, measuring 7.5 magnitude, struck central Japan's Noto Peninsula, claiming the lives of at least 64 individuals. The aftermath has left the regions in disarray, with collapsed structures, damaged roads, and obstructed search efforts hindering rescue operations.

Japanese rescuers scrambled to search for survivors Wednesday as authorities warned of landslides and heavy rain after a powerful earthquake that killed at least 62 people.

The 7.5-magnitude quake on January 1 that rattled Ishikawa prefecture on the main island of Honshu triggered tsunami waves more than a metre high, sparked a major fire and tore apart roads.