House Republicans Delay Vote on Iran War Powers Resolution Amid Growing Congressional Debate 
U.S. Sanctions Tanzanian Police Official Over Human Rights Violations 
Sheinbaum Warns Morena Officials to Resign Over Corruption Allegations Amid U.S. Pressure 
US Approves $108 Million Hawk Missile System Support Package for Ukraine 
Chicago U.S. Attorney Drops Charges Against Broadview Protest Defendants 
Trump-Lai Call Remains Uncertain as U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan Intensify 
Mexico-EU Free Trade Deal Signals Strategic Shift Away From U.S. Dependence 
Trump to Swear In Kevin Warsh as New Federal Reserve Chair Amid Inflation Concerns 
Gaza Ceasefire Failure Risks Permanent Division, U.N. Warns 
Pentagon Expands AI Model Testing as It Seeks Alternatives to Anthropic’s Claude 
Xi Jinping Orders Full Rescue After Shanxi Coal Mine Gas Explosion Kills Eight 
Wang Yi to Lead UN Security Council Meeting and Visit Canada Amid Improving China-Canada Relations 
Rubio Says NATO Must Benefit All Members Ahead of Sweden Meeting 
Trump Sends 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Ahead of NATO Talks on Iran War 
NIH Infectious Disease Leadership Shake-Up Raises Concerns Amid Ebola, Hantavirus Outbreaks 
Marco Rubio Visits India to Rebuild U.S.-India Ties Amid Trade and Geopolitical Tensions 
Trump-China Summit Yields Limited Progress on Trade and Tech Cooperation 
The lower house of parliament in Japan has passed the record budget for the government for the coming fiscal year. The new budget would include record defense spending in the face of threats coming from North Korea and China.
On Tuesday, Japan’s lower house of parliament passed the record budget of ￥114.4 trillion for the next fiscal year, which starts in April. The budget for the coming fiscal year includes record military spending to tackle the threats coming from China and North Korea. The budget also includes record welfare spending for the country’s aging population.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration has also hinted at another plan to increase childcare funding in the hope of arresting the dropping birth rate. As the budget is passed by the lower house, the upper house of parliament is highly likely going to approve the proposal.
Japan is already currently dealing with 263 percent more debt as the country increases spending packages and the increased welfare costs. This is double the ratio of the United States and the highest among the world’s biggest economies.
The controversial plan by Kishida to increase the country’s defense spending to two percent of its GDP by 2027 has contributed to a record ￥6.8 trillion increase in spending. Japan must also tackle the rising interest rates that, while still below the rates in the US and Europe, are testing the country’s central bank’s ability to keep borrowing costs low.
On Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol stressed the importance of trilateral cooperation with Japan and the US to tackle increased threats from North Korea and its nuclear program. Yoon’s remarks were part of his speech commemorating the anniversary of South Korea’s March First independence movement against Japan’s occupation of Korea from 1910 to 1945.
“Japan has transformed from a militaristic aggressor of the past into a partner that shares the same universal values as us,” said Yoon in his remarks. “Today Korea and Japan cooperate on issues of security and economy. We also work together to cope with global challenges…We must stand in solidarity with countries that share universal values.”
