BEIJING, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Eighty years after the opening of the Tokyo Trials, the publication of a complete Chinese translation of the transcripts of the proceedings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) spotlights innumerable war crimes of Japanese militarists, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said here on Friday.
These transcripts are the core archives of the Tokyo Trials. They documented the tribunal's entire proceedings that lasted for more than two years. The handwritten diaries by U.S. lawyer David Nelson Sutton who served as an assistant prosecutor at the Tokyo Trials were recently uncovered and made public for the first time.
Following Japan's defeat and occupation by the Allies, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, United States General Douglas MacArthur, issued a special proclamation establishing the IMTFE.
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Criticism
Charges of victors' justice
The United States had provided the funds and staff necessary for running the Tribunal and also held the function of Chief Prosecutor. The argument was made that it was difficult, if not impossible, to uphold the requirement of impartiality with which such an organ should be invested. This apparent conflict gave the impression that the tribunal was no more than a means for the dispensation of victors' justice.
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Justice Radhabinod Pal argued that the exclusion of Western colonialism and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the list of crimes and the lack of judges from the vanquished nations on the bench signified the "failure of the Tribunal to provide anything other than the opportunity for the victors to retaliate".[32] In this he was not alone among Indian jurists, with one prominent [Kolkata] barrister writing that the Tribunal was little more than "a sword in a [judge's] wig."
Justice Röling stated, "of course, in Japan we were all aware of the bombings and the burnings of Tokyo and Yokohama and other big cities. It was horrible that we went there for the purpose of vindicating the laws of war, and yet saw every day how the Allies had violated them dreadfully."[33]
Taiwan's relationship with Japan is what could have been China's relationship with Japan by now if not for Xi
The best way to undermine the Trump-Putin plan would be for China to become the strongest public voice supporting a nuclear-armed Japan (including offering whatever practical assistance might be needed towards this end), which would reassure Japan that China has no intention of nuking itself, which would reciprocally also enable China to feel safer knowing that Japan now has no way to credibly accuse China of hostility towards itself. This is folkism.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s party has won a landslide in Japan’s general election, securing a supermajority in the country’s lower house of parliament.
Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 316 of the 465 seats in the powerful lower house in Sunday’s election, well above the 233 needed for a majority
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“Essentially, she can push through any legislation she wants, whether it’s the record budget that was recently approved or defence spending,” Mark told Al Jazeera from the capital Tokyo.
support dropping in 2022 after the assassination of Shinzo Abe over connections between various party members and the Unification Church
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From 18 to 19 January 2024, following a scandal involving failure to report and misuse of ¥600 million in campaign funds by members of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan's conservative Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai and Shisuikai factions in violation of Japanese campaign finance and election law, three factions (Seiwa Seisaku Kenkyūkai, Shisuikai, in addition to PM Kishida's Kōchikai) all announced their intention to dissolve entirely in hopes of restoring public trust.[43][44] Several LDP lawmakers were indicted, including incumbent lawmakers Yasutada Ōno and Yaichi Tanigawa, who both resigned from the party following their indictments.[45]
In the 2024 Japanese general election, the governing LDP and its coalition partner Komeito lost their parliamentary majority in the lower house for the first time since 2009, with the LDP suffering its second-worst result in its history, securing only 191 seats. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), the main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, achieved its best result in its history, increasing its seat count from 96 to 148. This was the first general election in Japan since the 1955 election wherein no party secured at least 200 seats. The election outcome is largely attributed to a major slush fund scandal that emerged in November. Millions of yen raised at LDP faction events were illegally funneled into secret accounts, violating political financing laws. This scandal implicated 82 lawmakers from both parliamentary houses, including factions associated with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The scandal, combined with low approval ratings and economic stagnation, led to Kishida's resignation in August. His successor, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, called for a snap election in September to bolster support. However, the LDP's attempts to distance itself from the scandal backfired when reports surfaced that the party continued to provide funds to chapters headed by implicated members. In response to the election results, the prime minister has committed to implementing fundamental reforms regarding money in politics. The LDP's coalition partner, Komeito, also performed poorly, with its leader Keiichi Ishii losing his seat and subsequently announcing his resignation. This electoral setback is particularly significant for the LDP, which has held power almost continuously since 1955, highlighting the impact of the corruption scandal on public trust in the party.[46] The coalition also lost its majority in the upper house in 2025. This marked the first time in the LDP's history that it did not control either house in the National Diet.
After Ishiba announced his resignation, Sanae Takaichi was elected to succeed him. She is the first woman to hold the role of party president. In October 2025, Komeito chief representative Tetsuo Saito announced that it would leave the ruling coalition, over disagreements with Takaichi's leadership.[47]
LDP Centrist Reform
Seat change Increase 125 Decrease 123
The party supports the phasing out of nuclear energy in Japan,[59] and government investment in renewable energy.[60]
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In 2019, the party pledged to support LGBT rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage in Japan,[65] and in March 2023, promoted a parliamentary bill for Japan to legally recognise such couplings.[66]
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The CDP's 2024 platform supported raising the minimum wage, the abolition of tuition fees, free school meals, gender equality legislation and reform of laws regulating use of surnames following marriage in Japan.[71][72]
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The CDP released a statement on its official website in August 2025 in which it was stated that there was a need to recognize Palestine as an independent country.[74]
Renhō Saitō (斉藤 蓮舫, Saitō Renhō; née Hsieh (謝), formerly Murata (村田); born 28 November 1967), known mononymously as Renhō, is a Japanese politician and former journalist who has served as a member of the House of Councillors from 2004 to 2024, and again since 2025. She was the leader of the now-defunct major opposition party, the Democratic Party from 2016 to 2017.
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Renhō was born Hsieh Lien-fang (traditional Chinese: 謝蓮舫; ; pinyin: Xiè Liánfǎng; Japanese pronunciation: Sha Renhō) in Tokyo to a Japanese mother Keiko Saitō (斉藤圭子 Saitō Keiko) and Han Taiwanese father Hsieh Ge-hsin (謝哲信 Xiè Zhéxìn).
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After her debut as a Clarion Girl in 1988, Renhō appeared on several television and radio programs as a commentator. In 1993, she became a newscaster on TBS and TV Asahi, covering several historical events including the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995, sometimes alongside Sanae Takaichi.[8]
She was married in 1993. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and had also studied it at Peking University in Beijing, China, from 1995 to 1997.
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In September 2016, she was elected as the leader of Japan's Democratic Party, making her the first woman elected as their leader, and the first person with mixed ethnic heritage and born with foreign citizenship to head a major political party in Japan.[16][17]
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She applied to join the CDP on 26 December 2017, citing the DP's lack of policy directions and the CDP's conversely clear policy directions.[22][23] The CDP admitted her into the party on 28 December 2017.[24][25]
Reiwa Shinsengumi (れいわ新選組) is a progressive[8][9] and left-wing populist[10][11] political party in Japan founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto in April 2019.
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The party's top policy priorities include reducing or abolishing the consumption tax, strengthening progressive corporate taxation, raising the government-subsidized minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, forgiving student loan repayments, and expanding social welfare in general.[39] The party has made the Green New Deal its policy platform and believes a big government role is needed to solve problems.[40]
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The party has defended Palestine and taken part in protests against Israel.[5]
The party is variously described as being anti-austerity, anti-establishment,[11][43][44] and anti-nuclear power[45] as well as supporting animal welfare,[45] minority rights,[45][46] and economic interventionism,[47] and the main supporters of this party are also left-liberals.[48][49]
According to their "Emergency Policies" document, the party supports reducing carbon emissions as fast as possible, reducing emissions by 70% by 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, eradicating tuition fees and university debt, and providing free childcare, school lunches, afterschool activities, and medical expenses for children under 18.[50]
The party has announced that it would reverse/abolish many of the laws that were revised or passed by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe if elected, including the pre-emptive anti-terrorism law such as martial law State Secrecy Law and the Legislation for Peace and Security.[citation needed]
The party is also notable for its activism outside of the Diet, including in street protests. Lawmakers such as Akiko Oishi and Mari Kushibuchi have been active in pro-Palestine street demonstrations.[51]
Sohei Kamiya, founder and secretary general of Sanseitō, said that Sanseitō has a high affinity with the conservative faction of the U.S. Republican Party, the far-right German party Alternative for Germany (AfD), the far-right French party National Rally (RN), and the right-wing populist party Reform UK.[28] Kamiya has said that he learned many of his "emotional button-pushing themes and norm-breaking language" from U.S. President Donald Trump and stated that he was Japan's equivalent of Trump.
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In July 2025, the party was accused of having ties with Russia after an upper house election candidate named Saya appeared in a Sputnik News interview,[31] and for making payments to an advertising firm Vostok Joint Company.[32]
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Sanseitō's relation with Russia has been questioned before as Kamiya said "Moscow should not be held entirely responsible for the war in Ukraine."[34][35]
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Party members and supporters have made claims such as "Chinese people are buying up land and water resources on a large scale", as well as hostile remarks against Chinese students.[50][51]
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Sanseitō dismisses the need to cut greenhouse gas emission, claiming that global warming is up to further scientific discussion.[59] The party proposes reducing renewable energy usage and advocate withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.[60]
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The party is against same-sex marriage, opposed the LGBT Understanding Promotion Act, and has called for the act to be repealed.[61][62][63] It opposes LGBT rights.[64]
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The party supports giving authority to the Agency for Cultural Affairs to restrict the content of manga, anime, and video games
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In the 2022 Japanese House of Councillors election the party proposed the "liberalisation of mask wearing" as their policy on coronavirus.[71]
In 2022, Toshiaki Yoshino, then party co-chair, claimed that wheat "did not exist before the war" and "was brought to Japan by GHQ (General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers) after the war to promote bread consumption, and is harmful to Japanese people, which is why there is an increase in cancer cases."[57][58] Co-chair Kamiya agreed, saying, "Let's stop eating wheat,"
Noodles are a staple of Japanese cuisine.
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Noodles were first introduced into Japan around 800 A.D. during the Heian period (794–1185).[2]
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Soba is a noodle made from buckwheat and wheat flour.
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Sōmen noodles are a very thin, white, wheat-based noodle.
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Hiyamugi are wheat flour noodles similar to sōmen and udon noodles and somewhere in between the two in size.
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Udon are the thickest of the noodles served in Japanese cuisine. Udon are white, wheat-based noodles, that are 4-6mm in width.
On 20th July, Japan’s far-right party, Sanseito, rode a “Japanese First” message to a surprising overperformance in the Upper House election, leaping from 1 to 14 seats. Since then, there have been numerous signs of a rightward lean in Japan. As anti-immigration protests occur across the country, even Elon Musk jumped into the fray, voicing support for one such demonstration in September.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aynp7cpRlqg
The rise of the Japanese far-right, with its nativist and nationalist ideologies, mirrors similar movements elsewhere. The ripple effects of Japan’s move rightward are already reshaping national politics. In a bid to win back conversative voters, the ruling LDP selected hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as party leader and prime minister. What is behind the rise of the Japanese right? And at a time when Japan is pushing for immigration to ameliorate its declining population, what impact will this have on the country?
00:00 Introduction
02:12 Sanseito: Japan’s new right-wing party
8:26 Anti-foreigner sentiment
10:12 Why the ruling LDP is losing support
13:24 Why youths are attracted to right-wing ideology
14:47 How rising costs fuel political discontent
18:17 Japan right wing's social media advantage
21:23 Growing anti-foreigner sentiment in Japan
28:37 Nationalism in Japan
32:15 Pushback against far-right ideology
35:11 Sanseito’s connection to global right-wing movements
38:19 How the far-right is shaping Japanese politics
It accepts less than 1% of asylum-seekers, but is ramping up deportations
ELIZABETH obueza’s life has been in limbo since 1991, when she fled Nigeria, in fear of genital mutilation and persecution as a political activist. She came to Japan, one of the few countries willing to issue her a short-term tourist visa. Her refugee application was rejected, but, by reapplying, she managed to stay. Lacking permission to work, she relies on food handouts. In 2011 and 2016, the authorities abruptly caught and detained her for nearly two years in total, including seven months of solitary confinement.
Ms Obueza’s plight is all too common. Less than 1% of applicants are granted asylum—last year just 202 people, a miserable figure but still the highest to date. (In 2021 Germany accepted 39,000 refugees, the highest in the G7, followed by Canada with 34,000.) Applicants wait for years (on average four, sometimes ten) while their applications are reviewed, with few rights and at constant risk of detention. At the end of 2021, 13,000 foreigners in Japan were applying for refugee status. Things are about to get even grimmer for them. The Japanese parliament this month passed a bill changing the law so that asylum-seekers who have already applied three times in vain can be deported.
Japan’s Defence Ministry has announced that it has signed four contracts to develop anti-ship and hypersonic missile. Contracts worth $2.3 billion have been signed with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI). Tokyo is striving to acquire counterstrike capabilities amid heightened tensions with China, Russia and North Korea. Watch the video to know more about the contracts for Japan's 'Tomahawk', hypersonic weapons.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGQkRnRXkUQ
#japan #japanesedefence #china #russia #northkorea
00:00 - INTRODUCTION
00:51 - CONTRACTS FOR JAPAN’S ‘TOMAHAWK’, HYPERSONIC WEAPONS
03:35 - WHY IS JAPAN STRENGTHENING ITS MILITARY ARSENAL?
At the White House, President Biden welcomed the prime minister of Japan as he ended a tour of top industrial and military allies. Japan, like many nations in Asia and beyond, is wary of a rising China. The two leaders pledged to work closely together on military matters, which includes the remaking of a fabled American military branch in the Pacific.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSAW49Kqsm0
Japan has unveiled plans for its biggest military build-up since World War Two. The government says it will double defense spending, bringing it up to the NATO standard of two percent of GDP. Japan's move away from a 'self-defense only' stance comes as it seeks to counter regional threats. It plans to acquire long-range missiles capable of striking China. Beijing said the plans undermine bilateral relations.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9NPZGtvMH4
Japan has approved a new defence policy. It plans to increase its defence budget to 2% of its GDP by 2027. This is to counter the threat posed by China.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B5f-jjABrs
#Japan #military #WION
Britain and Japan are currently penning a new military pact to secure greater control in the indo-pacific, and grapple power back from China. This is one of many anti-China pacts floating around at the moment so we'll unpack it and explain what it means.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdFo9vdOU4
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