Showing 1 - 10 of 53
Japan PM Takaichi basks in election triumph
AFP, Published on 09/02/2026
» TOKYO - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was savouring an election triumph on Monday, with her ruling coalition projected to have won a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house.
Takaichi tipped for big win as Japan votes
AFP, Published on 08/02/2026
» TOKYO - Japan votes in snap elections Sunday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hoping to turn a honeymoon start into a resounding ballot box victory that could rile China and rattle financial markets.
Sumo diplomacy: Japan's heavyweight 'soft power' ambassadors
AFP, Published on 30/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two giants stare each other down before colliding with a dull thud. After years on the sidelines, sumo is back centrestage as part of Japan's soft power arsenal overseas.
Japan's beloved last pandas leave for China as ties fray
AFP, Published on 27/01/2026
» TOKYO — Two popular pandas are set to leave Tokyo for China Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in 50 years as ties between the Asian neighbours fray.
Tokyo pandas head for China, leaving Japan bereft of beloved bears
AFP, Published on 27/01/2026
» TOKYO - Two hugely popular pandas are set to depart from a Tokyo zoo for China on Tuesday, leaving Japan without any of the beloved bears for the first time in more than 50 years.
Japan to go panda-less as Ueno zoo pair set for China return in January
Kyodo News, Published on 16/12/2025
» Popular twin pandas at a Japanese zoo will be returned to China in late January, a move that will leave Japan without any pandas for the first time in around half a century and disappoint much of the public, the Tokyo metropolitan government said on Monday.
Macron seeks Xi’s support on Ukraine, calls for China investment
Bloomberg News, Published on 04/12/2025
» BEIJING — French President Emmanuel Macron sought Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s help in ending the war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to boost investment in France, as both sides look to rebalance their economic ties.
Trump order targets 'improper ideology' at famed US museums
AFP, Published on 28/03/2025
» WASHINGTON — United States President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday to remove "improper ideology" from the famed Smithsonian Museums -- and the National Zoo -- expanding his conservative clampdown on cultural institutions.
Nepal community efforts revive red panda population
AFP, Published on 14/03/2025
» TāPLEJUNG — Nepali police officer Jiwan Subba still feels pangs of regret decades after he bludgeoned a strange creature he found wandering in his barn, not realising it was an endangered red panda.
Pandas, like Trump, are back in Washington
AFP, Published on 25/01/2025
» WASHINGTON - Move over President Trump -- the newest stars in Washington are two giant pandas who made their public debut on Friday in front of hundreds of adoring fans.