- Aug 24
France and Saudi Arabia agree on €6 billion theme park project near Paris
France and Saudi Arabia have agreed to build a 6 billion euro amusement park complex near Cergy-Pontoise featuring a Dragon Ball Z park and 22,000 projected jobs.
- Aug 23
Magnitude 5.9 earthquake strikes eastern Japan, injuring 37 across Tokyo region
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck southern Ibaraki Prefecture early Sunday, shaking Tokyo and surrounding prefectures, injuring at least 37 people and delaying regional rail services.
- Aug 21
Japan executes pachinko arsonist Sunao Takami in first hanging under Sanae Takaichi
Japan executed 58-year-old Sunao Takami on Friday morning for a 2009 Osaka pachinko parlour arson attack that killed five people, marking the country's first hanging under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
- Aug 18
US imposes sanctions on ICC leadership as President Tomoko Akane warns of threat to global legal order
Washington placed asset freezes and travel bans on ICC President Tomoko Akane and Deputy Prosecutor Abdoulaye Seye, drawing criticism from the UN, EU, Japan, and Senegal.
- Aug 15
Japan ministers visit Yasukuni Shrine on war anniversary, China lodges formal protest
Four Japanese cabinet ministers visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on the 81st anniversary of Japan's WWII surrender, prompting China to lodge a formal protest as Prime Minister Takaichi sent a cash offering instead of visiting.
- Aug 14
Putin makes first presidential visit to disputed Kuril Islands, triggering diplomatic protests from Japan and US backing
Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first presidential visit to the disputed Kuril Islands on August 13, drawing strong protests from Tokyo and a US endorsement of Japan's sovereignty claim over the archipelago.
- Aug 13
Putin visits disputed Kuril island of Iturup, triggering diplomatic crisis with Japan
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed island of Iturup in the southern Kuriles on August 13, drawing fierce protests from Tokyo and a US rebuke in the first such visit since 2010.
- Aug 11
Australian PM Albanese rejects apology demand over melon joke about Japan's Takaichi
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is refusing to apologise for comments about a gift of Japanese crown melons from PM Sanae Takaichi, after former ambassador Shingo Yamagami called the remarks a sexist joke that damaged bilateral ties.
- Aug 7
Hiroshima marks 81st anniversary as survivors protest Japan's military buildup under PM Takaichi
About 50,000 people gathered at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park on August 6 as Japan marked 81 years since the atomic bombing, with Mayor Kazumi Matsui urging nuclear abolition and survivors protesting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's military expansion policies.
- Jul 31
US payrolls unexpectedly fall 23,000 in July, stocks rise as rate-hike odds recede
The US economy lost 23,000 nonfarm jobs in July, far missing economist forecasts of 80,000 new hires, as June's figure was revised down to 20,000, sending stocks higher and Treasury yields lower before the bond rally faded.
- Jul 29
13 dead, dozens injured as magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits Japan's Kumamoto
Rescue workers search for survivors after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday, collapsing buildings, derailing a freight train, and leaving at least 48,000 without power.
- Jul 28
Magnitude 7.1 quake rocks Japan's Kumamoto; mall explosion traps dozens, one dead, over 90 injured
A powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday afternoon, collapsing part of a shopping centre and triggering a gas explosion that trapped 20–30 workers. A factory chimney also fell, burying 11, while one person was killed by a collapsing house.
- Jul 28
Typhoon Dolphin floods eastern China after landfall in Zhejiang, over one million evacuated
Typhoon Dolphin, the strongest storm to hit China this year, made landfall in Zhejiang province with winds exceeding 150 km/h, flooding Shanghai streets and forcing over one million people from their homes across eastern China.
- Jul 21
Japan protests China's first live-fire drill in its EEZ as Russian frigate looks on
A Chinese destroyer conducted a machine gun test 180 km southwest of Okinotori island early Sunday, with a Russian frigate nearby. Tokyo filed a diplomatic protest, calling the drill a danger to navigation.
- Jul 1
Mercosur kicks off free trade talks with Japan as EU deal quarrels dominate Asunción summit
South America’s Mercosur bloc formally launched negotiations with Japan for an economic partnership deal, while longstanding internal friction over EU trade quotas overshadowed the leaders’ gathering in Paraguay.
- Jun 29
China adds 20 Japanese defence-linked entities to export blacklist, citing remilitarisation push
Beijing on Monday expanded its export controls on dual-use items to Japan, blacklisting 20 additional companies and research bodies, drawing a sharp protest from Tokyo.
- Jun 29
Japan targets over 1% real growth in draft blueprint, doubling current pace and urging BOJ coordination
A draft long-term economic blueprint from Japan's government sets a goal of more than 1% real growth, more than double the recent average, alongside a push for 370 trillion yen in combined investment and closer Bank of Japan coordination.
- Jun 26
BOJ hawk calls for rate hikes every few months as Tokyo inflation picks up; government unveils $2.3 trillion investment plan
Bank of Japan board member Naoki Tamura said the central bank should raise rates once every few months toward 2%, while Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's government outlined a 370 trillion yen investment plan and a shift away from large supplementary budgets.
- Jun 16
Bank of Japan lifts key rate to 1%, highest since 1995, as oil shock from Iran war drives inflation
The Bank of Japan raised its short-term policy rate by a quarter point to 1% on Tuesday, the highest level since 1995, as rising oil costs from the Iran conflict fuel price pressures.
- Jun 1
Japan's defence chief rejects China's 'new militarism' label, warns of Beijing's opaque military buildup at Singapore summit
Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi dismissed Beijing's accusations of 'new militarism' as hypocritical during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, while criticising China's rapid and opaque military expansion.
