Trump seeks Japan, South Korea, Australia leaders meeting at NATO summit

U.S. President Donald Trump might demand more defense spending from Japan and South Korea during a meeting alongside the NATO summit in the Netherlands. © AP
TAKASHI TSUJI
BRUSSELS -- U.S. President Donald Trump wants to hold a meeting with leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand during the NATO summit set for Tuesday and Wednesday in the Netherlands, sources related to the military alliance revealed to Nikkei.
The meeting, provisionally to be held in the Hague, would include Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, new South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

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Kyodo News

39 minutes ago

• Kyodo News

Kyodo News Digest: June 23, 2025

KYODO NEWS - 14 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- LDP wins record-low seats in Tokyo assembly race, in blow to PM TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party suffered a record-low result in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election, seen as a prelude to July's House of Councillors race, further straining his minority government in national politics. Tomin First no Kai, a regional party established by Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, won 32 seats, the most in the 127-member metropolitan assembly, indicating the popularity of her public welfare and child-rearing policies. One affiliated independent is included in the figure. ---------- Japan vigilant amid Iran conflict, mum on support for U.S. attacks TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that Japan is monitoring with "grave concern" the developments in the Middle East after the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities, though he refrained from expressing immediate support for the military action taken by its closest ally. Speaking to reporters, Ishiba underscored the importance of de-escalating the situation while stressing that Iran's nuclear development must be "blocked." ---------- U.S. defense chief says strikes on Iran were not about regime change WASHINGTON - The U.S. military's strikes on Iran's key nuclear sites were not aimed at regime change and targeted neither its troops nor civilians, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday. Speaking of Saturday's attacks against Iran, Hegseth touted U.S. President Donald Trump's "bold and visionary leadership, and his commitment to peace through strength," asserting that the United States has shown the world that its "deterrence is back." ---------- FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election TOKYO - A sharp warning from voters for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's party in Sunday's Tokyo assembly election has signaled that his tenure could be at risk, with his ruling bloc in danger of losing its majority in the upcoming national vote. The House of Councillors election, expected to take place on July 20, is shaping up as a de facto referendum on Ishiba's leadership, as the ruling coalition led by his Liberal Democratic Party has already become a minority in the House of Representatives. ---------- Most Japanese worried about Mideast war's impact on daily lives: poll TOKYO - Most people in Japan are worried about how the outbreak of war in the Middle East could impact their daily lives, given the country's heavy dependence on the region for oil, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday. In the nationwide telephone poll, a total of 83.7 percent of respondents said they have concerns about the repercussions of the escalating Israel-Iran war. ---------- Chinese ships spotted near Senkakus for record 216th straight day NAHA, Japan - Chinese coast guard ships were spotted near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea for the 216th consecutive day, the Japan Coast Guard said Sunday, marking the longest streak since Japan placed the islets under state control in 2012. The uninhabited islets, which China claims and calls Diaoyu, have remained a source of friction between the Asian neighbors. ---------- 2 Japanese men among 14 prisoners released by Belarus MOSCOW - Two Japanese nationals have been released from detention in Belarus and are in good health, a Japanese government source said Sunday. Belarusian state-run media reported Saturday that President Aleksandr Lukashenko decided to pardon 14 people, including two Japanese citizens, at the request of U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. ---------- Mt. Shinmoe in southwestern Japan erupts, alert level maintained FUKUOKA - Mt. Shinmoe on the southwestern Japanese island of Kyushu erupted Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The 1,421-meter volcano straddling Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures erupted around 4:37 p.m. and spewed smoke as high as 500 meters, the agency said. Video: Promotion party for sumo grand champion Hoshoryu

The Mainichi

an hour ago

• The Mainichi

US boosts emergency Mideast evacuations and travel warnings after Trump orders strikes in Iran

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The State Department has doubled the number of emergency evacuation flights it is providing for American citizens wishing to leave Israel, ordered the departure of nonessential staff from the U.S. Embassy in Lebanon and is stepping up travel warnings around the Middle East because of concerns Iran will retaliate against U.S. interests in the region for the weekend strikes on its nuclear facilities. In an alert sent to all Americans worldwide and posted to its website on Sunday, the State Department warned all U.S. citizens abroad to exercise caution. "The conflict between Israel and Iran has resulted in disruptions to travel and periodic closure of airspace across the Middle East," it said. "There is the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens worldwide to exercise increased caution." In a notice, also issued on Sunday, the department said it had ordered nonessential personnel and the families of staff at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon "due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in the region." The notice made no mention of any potential evacuation flights or other assistance for private Americans wanting to leave Lebanon but said those who want to should try to use existing commercial services to depart. At the same time, the department issued warnings to U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia and Turkey to take extra security precautions given the uncertainty. "Given reports of regional hostilities, the U.S. Mission to Saudi Arabia has advised its personnel to exercise increased caution and limit non-essential travel to any military installations in the region," the department said in its notice for Saudi Arabia. In Turkey, the department said U.S. personnel "have been cautioned to maintain a low profile and instructed to avoid personal travel to the U.S. Consulate Adana consular district," which includes the NATO airbase at Incirlik. "Negative sentiment toward U.S. foreign policy may prompt actions against U.S. or Western interests in Turkey," the statement said. Late Saturday, the department said it was stepping up evacuation flights for American citizens from Israel to Europe and continuing to draw down its staff at diplomatic missions in Iraq. But even before the U.S. airstrikes on Iran were made public by President Donald Trump on Saturday evening in Washington, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem had announced the start of evacuation flights for private Americans from Israel. Sixty-seven American citizens left Israel on two government flights bound for Athens, Greece, on Saturday and four more evacuation flights to Athens had been planned for Sunday, according to an internal State Department document seen by The Associated Press. However, due to the closure of Israeli airspace after the U.S. airstrikes on Iran three of those four flights were canceled, according to an update from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. The embassy is planning to reschedule the canceled flights to Athens on Monday when it expects as many as six evacuation flights to the Greek capital, along with a chartered flight to Rome and another flight to Cyprus, according to the update. In addition to the flights that have already left, a cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 American citizens, including several hundred Jewish youngsters who had been visiting Israel on an organized tour, arrived in Cyprus, according to the document. It also said the evacuation of non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil is continuing. Those staffers had been ordered to leave even before Israel began its military operation in Iran more than a week ago. "As part of our ongoing effort to streamline operations, additional personnel departed Iraq on June 21 and 22," the department said. "These departures represent a continuation of the process started on June 12." As of Saturday, more than 7,900 Americans had asked for assistance in leaving Israel and more than 1,000 had sought help in leaving Iran, where the U.S. has no diplomatic presence, the document said. There are roughly 700,000 Americans, many of them dual U.S.-Israeli citizens, in Israel and many thousands of Americans, most of them dual U.S.-Iranian citizens, in Iran. It was not clear how many Americans had successfully made it out of Iran through overland routes, although the document said more than 200 had entered neighboring Azerbaijan as of Saturday since the conflict began. After the U.S. strikes in Iran, security officers at all U.S. embassies and consulates have been instructed to conduct reviews of their post's security posture and report back to the State Department by late Sunday.

Japan Times

an hour ago

• Japan Times

World awaits Iranian response after U.S. hits nuclear sites

The world braced on Sunday for Iran's response after the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Iran vowed to defend itself a day after the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs onto the mountain above Iran's Fordo nuclear site while American leaders urged Tehran to stand down and pockets of anti-war protesters emerged in U.S. cities. In a post to the Truth Social platform on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump addressed the issue of regime change in Iran. "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!" he wrote. Iran and Israel continued to trade volleys of missile attacks. An Israeli military spokesperson said Israeli fighter jets had struck military targets in western Iran. Earlier, Iran fired missiles that wounded scores of people and flattened buildings in Tel Aviv. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security warned of a "heightened threat environment" in America, citing the possibility of cyber attacks or targeted violence. Law enforcement in major U.S. cities stepped up patrols and deployed additional resources to religious, cultural and diplomatic sites. An organization that monitors flight safety risks warned that the U.S. strikes could lead to threats against American operators in the region and some flights were canceled on Sunday and Monday. Tehran has so far not followed through on its threats of retaliation against the United States — either by targeting U.S. bases or trying to choke off global oil supplies — but that may not hold. Speaking in Istanbul, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said his country would consider all possible responses. There would be no return to diplomacy until it had retaliated, he said. "The U.S. showed they have no respect for international law. They only understand the language of threat and force," he said. Trump, in a televised address, called the strikes "a spectacular military success" and boasted that Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated." But his own officials gave more nuanced assessments. With the exception of satellite photographs appearing to show craters on the mountain above Iran's subterranean plant at Fordo, there has been no public accounting of the damage. The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said no increases in off-site radiation levels had been reported after the U.S. strikes. Rafael Grossi, the agency's director general, told CNN that it was not yet possible to assess the damage done underground. A senior Iranian source said that most of the highly enriched uranium at Fordo had been moved elsewhere before the attack. People attend a protest following U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear sites, in Tehran on Sunday, | Arash Khamooshi / The New York Times Trump, who veered between offering to end the war with diplomacy or to join it before ultimately moving ahead with the biggest foreign policy gamble of his career, called on Iran to forgo any retaliation. He said the government "must now make peace" or "future attacks would be far greater and a lot easier." U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Washington was not at war with Iran but with its nuclear program, adding this had been pushed back by a very long time due to the U.S. intervention. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a quarter of global oil shipments pass through the narrow waters that Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates. Iran's Press TV said closing the strait would require approval from the Supreme National Security Council, a body led by an appointee of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Attempting to choke off Gulf oil by closing the strait could send global oil prices skyrocketing, derail the world economy and invite conflict with the U.S. Navy's massive Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf and tasked with keeping the strait open. Oil is likely to rise by $3-5 per barrel when trading resumes on Sunday evening after the U.S. attacked Iran at the weekend, market analysts said, with gains expected to accelerate only if Iran retaliates hard and causes a major oil supply disruption. Security experts have long warned a weakened Iran could also find other unconventional ways to strike back, such as bombings or cyberattacks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS's "Face the Nation" that there were no other planned military operations against Iran "unless they mess around." The U.N. Security Council met on Sunday to discuss the U.S. strikes as Russia, China and Pakistan proposed the 15-member body adopt a resolution calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the Middle East. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council the U.S. bombings in Iran marked a perilous turn in the region and urged a halt to fighting and return to negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. Israeli officials, who began the hostilities with a surprise attack on Iran on June 13, have increasingly spoken of their ambition to topple the hard-line Shi'ite Muslim clerical establishment that has ruled Iran since 1979. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters that Israel was very close to meeting its goals of removing the threats of ballistic missiles and the nuclear program in Iran. U.S. officials, many of whom witnessed Republican President George W. Bush's popularity collapse following his disastrous intervention in Iraq in 2003, have stressed that they were not working to overthrow Iran's government. "This mission was not and has not been about regime change," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon, calling the mission "a precision operation" targeting Iran's nuclear program. Anti-war activists organized demonstrations on Sunday in New York, Washington and other U.S. cities, with signs carrying messages such as "hands off Iran." Meanwhile, some Iranians described their fear at the prospect of an enlarged conflict involving the U.S. "Our future is dark. We have nowhere to go — it's like living in a horror movie," Bita, 36, a teacher from the central city of Kashan, said before the phone line was cut. Much of Tehran, a capital city of 10 million people, has emptied out, with residents fleeing to the countryside to escape Israeli bombardment. Iranian authorities say more than 400 people have been killed since Israel's attacks began, mostly civilians. Israel's bombardment has scythed through much of Iran's military leadership with strikes targeted at bases and residential buildings where senior figures slept. Iran has been launching missiles back at Israel, killing at least 24 people over the past nine days. Air raid sirens sounded across most of Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people to safe rooms. In Tel Aviv, Aviad Chernovsky, 40, emerged from a bomb shelter to find his house had been destroyed in a direct hit. "It's not easy to live now in Israel (right now), but we are very strong. We know that we will win,' he said.