U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is planning to meet with Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Sunday over a private dinner at his resort in Florida, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Big Scoop! After months of Japan's government staying quiet, new PM Shigeru Ishiba has urged President Biden in a Nov 20 letter to approve Nippon Steel's controversial $15 bln takeover of U.S. Steel.

RT @Reuters: Grappling with a rice shortage after extreme weather ravaged last year's crop, Japan is hoping new heat-resistant varieties of….

Nearly 50 beachgoers have been attacked by dolphins in Japan over the past three years. Some marine experts suspect it may be the work of a single “lonely” dolphin.

RT @KantaroKomiya: Taiwanese rocket startup may be early test of Japan's space hub plans - with ⁦@geddiejdk⁩ ⁦@mger….

Exclusive: US-Japan Patriot missile production plan hits Boeing component roadblock via ⁦@kellyJapan⁩

RT @G_Slattery: On the campaign trail, Ukraine was often Haley’s no. 1 issue. In her RNC speech, she didn’t even mention it. So far, Kyiv i….

While western firms continue to largely shun sanction-hit Myanmar, Japanese companies - from autos to startups - are eyeing new business opportunities. Via Nikkei Asia

After a spate of bear attacks, a remote Japanese region put up awareness posters to warn people of the dangers. But the posters were criticized for depicting the bears as "too cute". The Governor has promised new, scarier "devil" bear posters.

Debate over whether NATO will open a liaison office in Tokyo, its first in Asia, resurfaces. Plan was previously blocked by France and criticized by China.

Unable to get married legally in Japan, LGBTQ couples are increasingly celebrating their special bond in elaborate “photo weddings”. Reuters spent 8 months documenting these shoots, which some couples keep secret even from their families. Via @KimKYUNGHOON4 @SatoshiJournal.

As the United States faces security threats across the globe, its close ally Japan has committed to stepping up as a trusted defence partner - but Tokyo's cyber and information security vulnerabilities remain a concern, officials and experts say.

RT @mrjeffu: The sakura are now blooming in Tokyo: TV channels aired live footage of Japan Meteorological Agency experts walking around Yas….

Fumio Kishida on Thursday became the first sitting Japanese prime minister to appear before a parliamentary ethics committee, as he sought to draw a line under a funding scandal that has hurt his popularity and may delay next year's budget. Via @sakmurak

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told parliament last week he wants to hold a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and is personally overseeing high-level discussions with Pyongyang. U.S. says it supports those efforts.

The U.S. became the largest destination for Japanese exports last year for the first time in four years, overtaking China.

RT @BBCSteveR: Interesting to hear @TuckerCarlson claim that “no western journalist has bothered to interview” Putin since the invasion of….

Our analysis on the Nippon-U.S. Steel -> For Japan, the biggest foreign investor in the U.S., a collapse of the deal could give companies pause about acquisitions in other strategic sectors and force them to be more risk averse when sizing up deals

Japan, America's closest ally in Asia, has been trying to send a message to Donald Trump: don't try to strike any deal with China that could upend years of collective efforts to rein in Beijing and risk the region's fragile peace. w/ @kellyJapan

North Korea is stepping up confrontation with the United States and its allies, but officials in Washington and Seoul say they have spotted no signs Pyongyang intends to take imminent military action. via @joshjonsmith