Japan, China seek broader bilateral talks to improve public sentiment Around 100 Japanese and Chinese pundits gathered in Tokyo on Thursday, calling on their governments to expand dialogue and promote people-to-people exchanges to improve public sentiment amid fragile bilateral relations. At a forum on Sino-Japanese ties, scholars, alongside prominent political and business leaders from both countries, urged the establishment of a "framework of confidence-building" to prevent emergencies, including regular talks between their defense authorities. "The mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests, agreed upon by the two governments, will be realized through understanding and trust between their nationals," a statement issued after the conclusion of the two-day discussions said. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan gov't mulls raising tax-free income threshold from January 2026 The government and the ruling parties are considering applying a higher income tax exemption threshold from January 2026, in a move to incentivize part-timers to work longer hours amid Japan's labor shortage, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. The schedule is expected if the government decides on raising the threshold for imposing income tax, currently set at a minimum annual income of 1.03 million, in its tax reform plan for the next fiscal year starting April. Related bills will be subsequently deliberated in the Diet for likely enactment around the spring. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner the Komeito party, which lost their majority in the powerful House of Representatives in October's general election, have agreed to accept a request from a minor opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, to increase the nontaxable income threshold. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan, Ukraine sign security info-sharing pact Japan and Ukraine on Saturday signed an accord to facilitate the exchange of classified security information in the latest bid to ramp up cooperation amid Russia's prolonged war against Ukraine, which now involves North Korean troops. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who made an unannounced visit to Kyiv earlier in the day, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attended a ceremony to conclude the pact. Iwaya told reporters that the bilateral agreement on information security will be "a basis" for intelligence sharing between the two governments. In September, then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two countries had reached an agreement, "in principle," on the information security pact when they met in New York. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan births fall under 330,000 in Jan-June, down 6.3% from 2023 The number of births in Japan in 2024 is likely to fall under 700,000 for the first time after government data showed Tuesday that the figure in the first half fell 6.3 percent from a year earlier to 329,998. The figure for the first six months of this year, which does not include foreigners, reflects the birth rate remaining at record lows in the past years, as more people choose not to marry or delay marriage and having children until later in life. The number of deaths in the first half increased 1.8 percent from the same period last year to 800,274, and the natural decrease, subtracted from the number of births, stood at 470,276, according to the data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan, China seek broader bilateral talks to improve public sentiment Around 100 Japanese and Chinese pundits gathered in Tokyo on Thursday, calling on their governments to expand dialogue and promote people-to-people exchanges to improve public sentiment amid fragile bilateral relations. At a forum on Sino-Japanese ties, scholars, alongside prominent political and business leaders from both countries, urged the establishment of a "framework of confidence-building" to prevent emergencies, including regular talks between their defense authorities. "The mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests, agreed upon by the two governments, will be realized through understanding and trust between their nationals," a statement issued after the conclusion of the two-day discussions said. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan gov't mulls raising tax-free income threshold from January 2026 The government and the ruling parties are considering applying a higher income tax exemption threshold from January 2026, in a move to incentivize part-timers to work longer hours amid Japan's labor shortage, a source close to the matter said Tuesday. The schedule is expected if the government decides on raising the threshold for imposing income tax, currently set at a minimum annual income of 1.03 million, in its tax reform plan for the next fiscal year starting April. Related bills will be subsequently deliberated in the Diet for likely enactment around the spring. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner the Komeito party, which lost their majority in the powerful House of Representatives in October's general election, have agreed to accept a request from a minor opposition party, the Democratic Party for the People, to increase the nontaxable income threshold. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan, Ukraine sign security info-sharing pact Japan and Ukraine on Saturday signed an accord to facilitate the exchange of classified security information in the latest bid to ramp up cooperation amid Russia's prolonged war against Ukraine, which now involves North Korean troops. Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who made an unannounced visit to Kyiv earlier in the day, and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal attended a ceremony to conclude the pact. Iwaya told reporters that the bilateral agreement on information security will be "a basis" for intelligence sharing between the two governments. In September, then Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the two countries had reached an agreement, "in principle," on the information security pact when they met in New York. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

Japan births fall under 330,000 in Jan-June, down 6.3% from 2023 The number of births in Japan in 2024 is likely to fall under 700,000 for the first time after government data showed Tuesday that the figure in the first half fell 6.3 percent from a year earlier to 329,998. The figure for the first six months of this year, which does not include foreigners, reflects the birth rate remaining at record lows in the past years, as more people choose not to marry or delay marriage and having children until later in life. The number of deaths in the first half increased 1.8 percent from the same period last year to 800,274, and the natural decrease, subtracted from the number of births, stood at 470,276, according to the data from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. ©SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR

SHIRSENDU KARMAKAR