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Leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Japan issued a joint statement on Thursday strongly condemning Iran’s actions in the Gulf, warning that attacks on commercial shipping and energy infrastructure, along with the “ de facto closure ” of the Strait of Hormuz, pose a direct threat to global energy security and international stability. Representational Image: Six Pockets on X In the statement, the leaders said they “condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” while expressing “deep concern about the escalating conflict.” Calling for immediate de-escalation, the group urged Tehran to “cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drone and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping,” and to comply with United Nations Security C...

China on Monday launched a sharp diplomatic broadside against Japan, accusing Tokyo of dangerous military harassment and political manipulation following an airspace incident involving fighter jets over disputed waters. At the same time, Beijing adopted a markedly measured tone on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to India. The comments showed China’s complex efforts to manage rising strategic frictions with Tokyo while avoiding open divergence with Moscow and New Delhi. Image Source: Lin Jian on X The escalating airspace tension stems from Japan’s accusation that Chinese naval fighter jets had “intermittently illuminated” Japanese Self-Defense Force aircraft with targeting radar during exercises over the East China Sea on December 6.  The Japan Defense Ministry claimed its aircraft did not obstruct China’s flight paths and denied any provocation. China, in contrast, described Japan’s account as a deliberate distortion, asserting that the Japanese aircraft had intrude...

A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck off the coast of Japan's Aomori Prefecture late Monday night, triggering immediate tsunami warnings and prompting emergency protocols in the region. Image Source: Unseen Japan Site According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake occurred at 11:15 p.m. local time on December 8, 2025. The epicenter was located at latitude 41.0° North and longitude 142.3° East, at a depth of approximately 50 kilometers beneath the seabed. Japanese television is warning people in northern Japan that there is a very serious risk of a 3-meter tsunami hitting the coast very soon. People living on the coast are being warned to evacuate their houses immediately and head to somewhere safe. pic.twitter.com/1gKfoFjOvM https://t.co/1oK1F1ug6x — Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) December 8, 2025 The tremor registered an upper 6 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, which goes up to a maximum of 7. This level indicates extreme...

India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday described the India-Japan partnership as a “strategic and stabilising force” in the Indo-Pacific. He warned that the region faces an increasingly complex challenge in maintaining openness and order. File Photo: EAM Jaishankar Speaking at the 8th India-Japan Indo-Pacific Forum, Jaishankar used blunt language to outline the stakes: the geopolitical churn, technological disruption, and weaponised interdependence shaping new alignments.  Against this backdrop, he said, the India-Japan compact has gained “greater value than ever before” -- both in anchoring regional security and driving global economic resilience. The forum, jointly hosted by the Delhi Policy Group and the Japan Institute of International Affairs, comes months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s August visit to Tokyo, where both sides unveiled a ten-year roadmap with eight priority pillars and a targeted Japanese investment of 10 trillion yen.  Jaishank...

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation on Sunday evening, bowing to mounting internal pressure within his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) after successive electoral defeats and growing calls for new leadership. Image Source: Cillian The 68-year-old leader’s decision to step down came just one day before LDP lawmakers were expected to vote on whether to bring forward a party leadership contest originally scheduled for 2027.  Speaking briefly to the media, Ishiba said he was taking responsibility for the party’s poor electoral performance and stepping aside to preserve party unity.  “I have decided to step aside and make way for the next generation,” Ishiba said. “Now that negotiations on US tariff measures have reached a conclusion, I believe this is the appropriate moment to resign.” Defeat at the Polls, Pressure from Within Ishiba, who took office in October 2024 after finally securing the LDP presidency on his fifth attempt, has presided ove...

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi concludes a high-impact diplomatic visit to Japan and prepares to travel to Tianjin for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, India’s regional balancing act has come sharply into focus. Amid strained ties with the United States over energy trade and tariffs, New Delhi is signalling a renewed intent to stabilise ties with Beijing--even as it accelerates strategic convergence with Tokyo. Image Source: PM NaMo India’s outreach to Japan is not new. The bilateral relationship has seen consistent growth over the last decade, with Japan emerging as one of India’s most significant investors in infrastructure, green energy, and high-technology sectors.  However, this year’s summit--held in Tokyo on August 29--carried added diplomatic weight. The leaders of India and Japan unveiled a 10-year strategic roadmap, signed key agreements in energy, innovation, and defence cooperation, and set an ambitious ¥10 trillion ($67 billion) investment target fo...

Amid escalating global trade tensions and shifting geopolitical alignments, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Tokyo for the 15th Annual India–Japan Summit has resulted in a broad strategic realignment with Japan, positioning the bilateral relationship as a cornerstone of India’s evolving regional strategy.  Image Source: PM NaMo A series of high-level engagements, policy announcements, and joint declarations have laid out an ambitious framework for a decade-long cooperation plan across economic, technological, environmental, and security domains. The visit, which precedes Modi’s arrival in China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, has drawn international attention, not only for its deliverables but also for its broader geopolitical implications.  Coming against the backdrop of rising friction between New Delhi and Washington over energy policy and tariffs, India’s focus on East Asian partnerships has intensified. Japan, long considere...

India's Ministry of External Affairs held a special press briefing in Tokyo on August 29 to outline the outcomes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Japan for the 15th Annual Summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.  Image Source: PM NaMo Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, joined by Ambassador Sibi George and Joint Secretary (East Asia) Gourangalal Das, described the visit as “a reaffirmation of ambition and clarity” in India–Japan relations and marked by broad-based agreements aimed at shaping the next decade of bilateral engagement. Following Prime Minister Modi’s arrival in Tokyo and participation in the India–Japan Economic Forum earlier in the day, he held a series of high-level meetings, including delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Ishiba and bilateral interactions with former Prime Ministers Yoshihide Suga and Fumio Kishida.  The leaders witnessed the exchange of multiple agreements and jointly addressed the press, with Prime Minister Ishiba host...

In a joint press statement delivered in Tokyo on August 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Fumio Ishiba of Japan revealed a wide-ranging strategic roadmap for the next decade of bilateral engagement, and set in motion a new phase in the Special Strategic and Global Partnership between the two countries.  Image Source: PM NaMo Prime Minister Modi expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome received from the Japanese government, describing the talks as “productive and purposeful,” and reaffirmed that the partnership between India and Japan is not only vital for their respective nations but also holds broader relevance for global peace and stability. The two leaders agreed that strong and vibrant democracies are natural partners in shaping a better world.  During the statement, Prime Minister Modi announced a joint vision focused on key areas such as investment, innovation, economic security, technology, environment, mobility, health, people-to-people ties, and...

Speaking at the India–Japan Economic Forum in Tokyo on August 29, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged deeper bilateral engagement across manufacturing, innovation, green energy, infrastructure, and human capital, underlining Japan’s longstanding contribution to India’s economic growth. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first engagement after arriving in Tokyo, addressed top business leaders from both nations alongside Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Ishiba.  Image Source: PM NaMo He began by thanking Prime Minister Ishiba for joining the event and praised the long-standing partnership between India and Japan, calling it a pillar of mutual trust and strategic logic.  He noted that Japanese firms have invested over $40 billion in India, with $13 billion of that arriving in just the past two years.  Citing data from JBIC and JETRO, he said 80 percent of Japanese companies in India are looking to expand, and 75 percent are already profitable. “In India, capital does n...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Tokyo on August 29 at the invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba for the 15th Annual India–Japan Summit.  The visit shows the growing strategic depth between the two Indo-Pacific democracies, as both nations aim to expand economic cooperation, enhance regional security frameworks, and advance shared technological goals. Representational Image Source: MEA/FM Diplomatic ties between India and Japan date back to the 1952 peace treaty signed outside the San Francisco framework, but civilizational links stretch back centuries.  These include ancient Buddhist connections and Japan’s continued respect for Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal, who delivered the lone dissenting judgment at the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal.  The bilateral relationship, once described as understated, has undergone a major transformation over the past two decades, evolving from a “Global Partnership” in 2000 to a “Special Strategic and Global Partner...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for a high-stakes two-nation tour, beginning with the 15th Annual India–Japan Summit in Tokyo, followed by the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, China.  The visit comes at a time of increasing global instability and rising bilateral tensions between India and the United States over trade and energy policy. File Photo Source: PM NaMo In a departure statement , PM Modi noted that the Tokyo summit with Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba would "shape the next phase" of the Special Strategic and Global Partnership with Japan.  Talks will cover critical areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, trade, and sustainability, while also advancing a $550 billion investment package aimed at reducing tariffs and expanding Indo–Japanese industrial collaboration. The Japan–India relationship has deepened over the past decade, with Japan investing heavily in infrastructure, manufacturing, and clean energy in ...

Japan’s Defense Ministry on Friday demanded that China immediately cease what it described as “dangerously close” fighter jet maneuvers near its reconnaissance aircraft over the East China Sea, warning that such actions risk triggering a mid-air collision. According to Tokyo, Chinese JH-7 fighter-bombers recently flew within 30 meters of a Japan Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB electronic-intelligence aircraft.  Image Source: USAAmbJapan on X Though the incidents occurred in international airspace, Japan characterized the encounters as abnormal and unacceptable. The ministry confirmed no damage to its aircraft but called the maneuvers “repeated and hazardous.” Japan’s Vice Foreign Minister Takehiro Funakoshi lodged a formal protest with China’s Ambassador Wu Jianghao, calling for an immediate halt to such provocative activity. Beijing has not responded officially to the latest incident. In prior exchanges, Chinese authorities have accused Japan of conducting close-range surveillan...

Wrapping up its diplomatic mission in Japan, the Indian all-party parliamentary delegation led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha paid solemn tributes at Tama Cemetery in Tokyo to freedom fighter Rash Behari Bose on the eve of his birth anniversary. Image Source: MEA/FM on X The tribute marked the final stop of the delegation’s Tokyo itinerary, which began with a visit to the statue of Mahatma Gandhi and concluded with a floral homage to one of India’s most prominent figures in the overseas independence movement.  The moment underscored a broader message of unity, and moral clarity in India’s current global posture against terrorism. Drawing from the legacy of India's freedom fighters, members of the delegation reiterated that the same spirit of defiance and sacrifice guides India’s stand today. The messaging echoes India’s repeated calls for international consensus, as seen during recent diplomatic visits to Germany , Russia , and the UAE . The delegation’s presence in Tokyo is pa...

India’s campaign to internationalize its stance against cross-border terrorism took a significant leap forward in Tokyo, where a cross-party parliamentary delegation met members of the Indian diaspora as part of an extensive diplomatic mission across global capitals. Image Source: AB on X The visit to Japan, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Jha and joined by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, marks one of 33 diplomatic stops aimed at exposing Pakistan’s role in orchestrating terror activities and mobilizing international support for India’s zero-tolerance policy. The engagement in Tokyo focused heavily on energizing the Indian community to become active participants in spreading India’s message. Speaking at the event hosted by the Indian Embassy, Banerjee drew a stark analogy: “If terrorism is a rabid dog, Pakistan is its wild handler.” His remarks emphasized the urgency of collective global action, echoing India's recent diplomatic dialogues in the UAE , Moscow , and Berlin . The ...