Japan’s Mutual Defense Treaty with the U.S. requires the East Asian country to defend U.S. troops on its soil, but its postwar constitution limits its use of force overseas. In 2015, the government of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reinterpreted the constitution to open the door to “collective self-defense” to assist allied forces.

Takeuchi, originally from Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo, first visited China in 2010 to produce the three-part documentary A Journey to the Yangtze River for Japan's NHK. Fascinated by Chinese society, he has been living in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, since 2013.

Long-pacifist Japan has increased security ties with Washington as well as defense spending. The new leader is seen as a China hawk.

Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to pursue constructive and stable ties at a meeting on Friday that may ease fears she would adopt a more combative approach toward Beijing.

Japan's newly elected first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, appears to be a modern "Iron lady" in the mold of Margaret Thatcher with all the controversy that entails. However successful her tenure is, it is sure to reshape Japan's place in the world ...

Last week, President Donald Trump concluded a trip to East Asia, meeting with several allies, including new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The Trump administration... Read More

In the dark days of 1940, as Nazi Germany consolidated its grip on Europe, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered a stark warning to the American people. The nation, he said, could no longer pretend it was safe from the gathering storm. To keep war from spreading to American shores, the nation had to become the "great arsenal of democracy."