Kishida

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is traveling to Australia for talks with his counterpart Anthony Albanese, said Friday he wants to bolster military and energy cooperation between the two countries amid their shared concerns about China.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was on Friday confirmed dead after he was shot at during a campaign speech in Nara City, western Japan, local media reported citing officials.

Fumio Kishida was elected Japan's prime minister in a parliamentary vote on Oct. 4 and will be tasked with quickly tackling the pandemic and other domestic and global challenges and leading a national election within weeks.

The European Union's top trade official said on July 1 that a Japan-EU free trade deal was "almost there," as the two sides look to ink an agreement seen as a push back against rising protectionism.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom was in Tokyo with agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan for two days of talks with Japanese officials.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on June 21 described Japan as Turkey's chief economic partner in the Asia-Pacific area.     

His remarks came after meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Tokyo to discuss bilateral relations, and regional and global issues as part of a two-day official visit.       

South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement on Dec. 28 on the thorny issue of wartime sex slaves that has long soured relations, with Tokyo offering survivors a one-billion yen payment.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on March 10 urged Japan to resolve issues surrounding Tokyo's system of wartime sex slavery, her second foray into the delicate issue of East Asia's history.
      

Japan on Feb. 17 announced $15.5 million to fight "terrorism" in the Middle East and Africa, as Tokyo tries to demonstrate its resolve despite the murder of two citizens by Islamist extremists.
      
The amount doubles the $7.5 million in assistance that Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida pledged during a visit to Brussels in January.
      

Japan joins EU and U.S. in sancions against Russia

TOKYO -- Japan has introduced visa restrictions for 23 Russian citizens, a day after the United States and the European Union introduced new sanctions against Russia.

Japan imposed on Tuesday a set of sanctions against Russia after Moscow recognized Crimea as a sovereign state.