Search

Former Japan PM Abe killed in shooting

KASHIHARA (Japan): Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe died in hospital on Friday, local media reported, hours after being shot at a political campaign event in an attack condemned as “absolutely unforgivable”. Citing a senior member of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party, national broadcaster NHK said “former prime minister Abe died at a hospital in Kashihara […]

Race for new Japan PM starts after shock resignation

TOKYO: The race to succeed Prime Minister Shinzo Abe kicked off informally on Saturday, with several contenders announcing their plans to stand, a day after Japan’s longest-serving leader announced his resignation. Abe said he was suffering a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, the condition that forced him to cut short his first term in office, but […]

Japan lifts coronavirus emergency but urges caution

TOKYO: Japan lifted a nationwide state of emergency over the coronavirus on Monday, gradually reopening the world’s third-largest economy as government officials warned caution was still necessary to prevent another wave. “We had very stringent criteria for lifting the state of emergency. We have judged that we have met this,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told […]

Japan declares nationwide state of emergency

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe has decided to expand the state of emergency over the coronavirus to nationwide in an effort to curb its further spread, Xinhua news agency cited public broadcaster NHK as saying Thursday. On April 7, Japan declared a state of emergency over the coronavirus crisis for seven of the nation’s […]

Japan to declare state of emergency

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to declare a state of emergency over the Covid-19 outbreak in Japan, due to the recent surging Covid-19 cases in Tokyo and other large cities, government sources said Monday. Pressure had been mounting on Abe to make the declaration amid a surge in Covid-19 cases recently, with […]

Japanese Prime Minister says Tokyo Olympics postponement possible

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told the Parliament on Monday that the Tokyo Olympic Games could be postponed because of the global spread of the coronavirus, reported Xinhua news agency. But he also pointed out that cancelling the Games is impossible, echoing the view of the IOC, which said in a statement on Sunday […]