China may be a step closer to reopening its doors to Japanese seafood imports after Beijing signalled it was keen to strengthen trade in food and agricultural products. Meeting his Japanese counterpart Taku Eto in Beijing on Friday,

The trip gave the impression that Japan’s relations with China were on the mend. Iwaya indicated that Japan would be open to hosting a Japan-China-South Korea Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in early 2025,

China said on Thursday it would apply provisional duties on imports of industrial plastics from the United States, European Union, Japan and Taiwan after a months-long anti-dumping investigation.

Japan and China have agreed to keep communicating over early lifting of China's import ban on Japanese beef. The ban has continued for more than 20 years.

Taiwan’s companies invested a record amount of money in the US and Japan last year while the figure for China stagnated — highlighting supply-chain shifts resulting from worsening cross-strait ties.

Japanese chip gear makers trimmed their revenue forecast for fiscal 2025, citing fears of a slowdown in spending in China as well as by makers of automotive and power chips.

China said Friday that its population fell for the third straight year in 2024, falling by almost 1.4 million to 1.408 billion. Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s population has been falling for 15 years , while South Korea’s growth turned negative in 2021. In Italy, the number of births has fallen below 400,000 for the first time since the 19th century.

Japan on Thursday formally inaugurated an independent mission to the NATO military alliance as Tokyo and NATO seek to bolster cooperation amid escalating tension from Russia, China and North Korea.

Japan, the Philippines and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia's waters, the three countries said following a call among their leaders.

Japan and the Philippines plan to convey to President-elect Donald Trump the urgent need for the U.S. to remain committed to upholding the rule of law in an Asian region where China's actions are caus

The figures follow trends worldwide, but especially in East Asia, where Japan, South Korea and other nations have seen their birth rates plummet.

In several sectors, China is a key supplier, and such actions could lead to increased production costs. This may also result in a rise in inflation in the domestic market.