Overview
- Newly released U.K. government documents show Junichiro Koizumi urged Kim Jong-il to pursue non‑nuclear cooperation, citing Japan’s defeat in a reckless war against the U.S. and U.K. as a warning that Pyongyang could not prevail.
- The records and subsequent reporting indicate Koizumi aimed to channel the nuclear issue into multilateral forums so Japan would not be sidelined.
- China’s Eastern Theater Command announced its large‑scale exercises around Taiwan concluded at 7 p.m. Japan time on December 31.
- The Japan Meteorological Agency reported a magnitude 5.6 quake off Amami Oshima on December 30, producing Shindo 4 shaking on Tokunoshima with no tsunami risk.
- Following a Supreme Court–led review of record retention, the Nagoya High Court and six regional family courts designated at least 50 serious juvenile case files for special preservation by November 2025.