Japan has secured the release of a national detained in Iran since June 2025, but NHK journalist Shinnosuke Kawashima remains imprisoned in Evin Prison following his arrest by the IRGC in January 2026.
Donald Trump compared US strikes on Iran to Pearl Harbour during a meeting with Japan's Prime Minister, raising questions about allied trust and unilateral military decision-making.
Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi visited the White House to reaffirm the US-Japan alliance, but faced pressure from President Trump to take a larger role in securing the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions with Iran.
Japan has officially approved the world's first commercial medical treatments using reprogrammed iPS cells, marking a revolutionary shift in regenerative medicine.