Japan’s Takaichi strengthens US ties, sidesteps pressure in Trump talks: Analysts
CNA
The meeting appeared carefully choreographed to avoid open disagreements – apart from a brief awkward moment when Trump made a joke about Pearl Harbor.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi struck a careful balance in her White House meeting with United States President Donald Trump on Thursday (Mar 19), sidestepping public pressure over military support in the Middle East while reinforcing the US-Japan alliance, said observers.
Days after urging allies, including Japan, to help secure the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, Trump spoke positively about Tokyo's efforts related to the Middle East conflict in vague terms.
He gave little indication of what Japan might contribute to securing the vital waterway, but adopted a more cordial tone with Takaichi than in recent remarks criticising allies for holding back.
“Overall, I think that the meeting went as well as could be expected from the Japanese side,” said Glen S Fukushima, a visiting fellow at Stanford University.
The rapid expansion of nickel refineries in Indonesia has transformed some rural areas into major production hubs. CNA travelled to Weda Bay in North Maluku — the world's largest nickel production hub, to find out more about the environmental impact of this development.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last provided an update in March 2024 and victims' relatives remain in the dark about what caused the plane to nosedive from cruising altitude rather than land in Guangzhou as planned.
The rapid expansion of nickel refineries in Indonesia has transformed some rural areas into major production hubs. CNA travelled to Weda Bay in North Maluku — the world's largest nickel production hub, to find out more about the environmental impact of this development.
TEHRAN: Iran threatened on Sunday (Mar 22) to attack key infrastructure across the Middle East if US President Donald Trump follows through on his vow to "obliterate" the Islamic republic's power plants
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) last provided an update in March 2024 and victims' relatives remain in the dark about what caused the plane to nosedive from cruising altitude rather than land in Guangzhou as planned.
The United States in 2019 approved an $8 billion sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan but the project has been hit by issues including software problems.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for the war launched by the US and Israel.
As cities with high EV adoption cut emissions, the villages supplying the batteries bear the burden of environmental damage. CNA travels to Indonesia’s North Maluku province to find out more in this latest part of a series on EVs in Asia.
In March 2026 alone, the police arrested eight Malaysians for similar cases.
Videos and photos from the scene showed thick gray smoke billowing from the complex and some workers jumping from a building.
“You know you don't do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side,” says US President Donald Trump.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said that Kyiv wanted money and technology in return for its help in the Middle East, although this still had to be agreed.
The meeting appeared carefully choreographed to avoid open disagreements – apart from a brief awkward moment when Trump made a joke about Pearl Harbor.