HIROSHIMA – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday agreed to closely cooperate to address Beijing’s assertive behavior and step up bilateral cooperation on semiconductors and artificial intelligence amid increasing U.S.-China technology competition.

HIROSHIMA – The symbolism will be palpable when leaders of the world’s rich democracies sit down in Hiroshima, a city whose name evokes the tragedy of war, to tackle a host of challenges including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions in Asia.

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden is curtailing his upcoming trip to the Indo-Pacific, scrapping what was to be a historic stop in Papua New Guinea as well as a visit to Australia for a gathering with fellow leaders of the so-called Quad partnership so he can focus on debt limit talks in Washington, according to three people familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden will hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday in Hiroshima ahead of the Group of Seven summit, the White House said Monday, ending speculation that he may miss attending the meeting in person due to a looming government default at home.

NAGASAKI – Health ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies on Sunday laid flowers before the Peace Statue in Nagasaki to offer prayers for victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bomb, ahead of the summit beginning next week in Hiroshima.

TOKYO – The Japan Tourism Agency and the Japan Association of Travel Agents on Wednesday urged people to take trips abroad in a bid to boost the airline and tourism industry, as demand for international travel struggles to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

TOKYO – The Japanese government hopes to pitch the safety of a planned release of treated radioactive water into the sea from the disaster-hit Fukushima nuclear complex when South Korean experts visit the site later this month, the industry minister said Tuesday.

he reaffirmation of Manila’s ties with Washington during President Marcos’ visit to the United States last week sends a “stronger message” to China that the Philippines has “powerful friends” it could count on, a maritime law expert said at a government briefing on Monday.

SEOUL/TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told South Koreans on Sunday his “heart hurts” when he thinks of suffering and pain during Japanese colonial rule, in a nod to historical disputes that have soured relations between the two U.S. allies.

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday he hoped to see closer ties between Japan and Africa as he seeks to win over the “Global South” ahead of a Group of Seven (G7) summit he will host later this month.