YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday proposed an economic zone connecting the Indian Ocean to Africa as the country seeks to play a greater role in the African continent while America’s presence there decreases and China’s influence rapidly grows.

The fall was sharper than the 2.1% contraction expected by economists polled by Reuters and compared to the 0.5% drop seen in June.

In Japan and South Korea there is deepening concern over the reliability of long-time American security guarantees – whether the U.S. will come to their aid in the event of a war. This has been turbo-charged by Donald Trump’s tough treatment of traditional U.

As the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II nears, Chinese parade soldiers are being put through their paces training intensely for a parade to mark the occasion.

European leaders have accelerated negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine in recent weeks, responding to President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for binding assurances that Russia will not attack again if a ceasefire is reached.

Japan's tourism boom continued in July, with record arrivals for the month despite a steep drop in visitors from Hong Kong due to typhoon-related flight disruption and jitters about possible earthquakes,

Japan’s auction of 20-year government bonds on Tuesday will be closely watched as the risk of a government spending surge weighs on investor appetite for super-long debt.

A torn, bloodied shirt was found, local news media said, quoting police. A wallet, hat and watch were also located.

A Japanese convenience store chain has suspended the sale of rice balls, or onigiri, and other deli items at 1,600 stores after it found that staff had faked their expiry dates.

High temperatures across much of Japan are set to last for another month, according to the national weather forecaster, with the persistent heat potentially keeping power demand elevated.

Kenya's economic growth this year is expected to exceed official forecasts despite higher U.S. tariffs and other challenges, President William Ruto said at a conference on Wednesday, where Kenya and Japan also signed a yen-denominated loan deal.