Japan’s trade and justice ministers have resigned after accusations that they misused campaign funds in the biggest setback so far for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative administration.

Japanese officials yesterday condemned the heckling of a woman member of Tokyo’s city assembly, during a debate on support for working mothers, by male members who ridiculed her and called on her to get married.

Russia's Vladimir Zhirinovsky insists Conchita Wurst's Eurovision Song Contest win symbolises the "end of Europe".

‘Abenomics’, a mix of fiscal and monetary expansion together with structural reforms, is helping to revive Japan’s stagnant economy and, while some question its sustainability, at least it has helped lift morale, says Kyran Fitzgerald

The Japanese Cabinet has approved a fresh stimulus spending of more than 20 trillion yen (€169bn), rushing to fulfil campaign pledges to break the world’s third-biggest economy out of its deflationary slump.

Old-guard veteran Shinzo Abe was voted back into office as prime minister of Japan today and immediately named a new cabinet, ending three years of liberal administrations and restoring power to his conservative, pro-big-business party that has run the country for most of the post-Second World War era.

Stocks rose on Wall Street as investors were encouraged by signs of progress in budget talks in Washington.

Continuing talks over the US budget deficit sapped appetite for risk today as the FTSE 100 Index started the week on the back foot.

After leading his conservative party to a landslide victory, Shinzo Abe stressed today that the road ahead will not be easy as he tries to revive Japan’s sputtering economy and bolster its national security.

The Liberal Democratic Party’s victory in Japan’s parliamentary election yesterday ensures Shinzo Abe, who resigned as prime minister for health reasons in 2007 after a year in office, will get a second chance to try to lead Japan out of its economic slump.

Even before Japanese voters returned Shinzo Abe’s party to power, he had already won over financial markets with an economic revival plan as seductively simple as economists say it is risky: print money and spend it.

Japanese public broadcaster NHK is projecting that the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party has won a clear majority in parliamentary elections.

Candidates are making final impassioned appeals to voters the day before Japanese parliamentary elections that are likely to hand power back to a conservative party that ruled the country for most of the post-war era.

Prime minister Yoshihiko Noda has dissolved the lower house of Japan’s parliament, paving the way for a general election likely to end his Democratic Party of Japan’s three-year hold on power.

Asian stock markets mostly struggled to advance today after data showed Europe slipped back into recession and several big US retailers disappointed investors with weak forecasts.

Protests against Japan for its control of disputed islands spread across more than a dozen cities in China and turned violent at times today, with protesters hurling rocks at the Japanese Embassy and clashing with Chinese paramilitary police before order was restored.

Whether they have a strong political pedigree or none, women are climbing to the top of Asian politics, writes Vishakha Desai

Japan’s ruling party has elected Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda as its new chief, meaning he will almost certainly become the next prime minister and inherit the challenge of rebuilding from the country’s disasters.

Japan’s unpopular Prime Minister Naoto Kan refused to resign today as opposition politicians criticising his disaster management prepared to file a no-confidence motion in parliament.

A PAIR of thin robots on treads sent to explore buildings inside Japan’s crippled nuclear reactor came back with disheartening news: radiation levels are far too high for repair crews to go inside.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are hoping to marry in April.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has survived a challenge to his leadership after being re-elected as president of the ruling Democratic Party.

Japan’s new liberal prime minister shunned a visit to a shrine which has outraged Asian neighbours for honouring war criminals, breaking from past governments’ tradition and instead apologising today for the suffering World War II caused.

Japan’s lower house elected Naoto Kan as the new prime minister today, handing the outspoken, grass-roots populist the task of quickly reclaiming public support lost by his predecessor ahead of July elections.

Long-time opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama took office as prime minister today, naming a new Cabinet and vowing to rebuild the economy and refocus Japan’s place on the world stage with his largely untested party.

Long-time opposition leader Yukio Hatoyama was elected prime minister of Japan today, promising to reinvigorate the world’s second-largest economy and shake up government with his left-of-centre party.

JAPAN’S next prime minister began forming a government yesterday, as investors worried the untested Democratic Party would overspend in a bid to revive the economy or would ruffle ties with Tokyo’s closest ally, Washington.

Japan’s newly empowered leader Yukio Hatoyama rushed today to select Cabinet ministers after his party trounced the ruling conservatives in elections, ejecting them from power for only the second time in 54 years.

Japan’s voters today went to the polls in hotly contested parliamentary elections in which the ruling conservative party, battered by a struggling economy and voter desire for change after more than half a century of virtual one-party rule, was expected to suffer an overwhelming defeat.

Japan’s top political leaders made their final appeals to voters today before crucial parliamentary elections that could bring a sweeping victory for the opposition and break the ruling party’s decades-long grip on power.

A newspaper poll projected that Japan’s main opposition party will secure a landslide victory against Prime Minister Taro Aso’s incumbent party in Sunday’s elections.

Moldova’s pro-Western parties said they’ll forge an alliance after winning a narrow lead in parliamentary elections – a stinging setback to Europe’s last communist-run government.

Japan’s prime minister Taro Aso dissolved the powerful lower house of parliament today, setting the stage for an election next month that could transform the country’s political power structure.

Japan’s embattled prime minister is to dissolve parliament and call a general election after his ruling party was badly beaten by the opposition in a crucial municipal vote seen as a bellwether for a coming national poll.

A Japanese general who was fired as head of the air force for suggesting Japan deserves credit, not blame, for its Second World War actions stood by his claim today.

Elderly Japanese have been accused of being a drain on the state by the country’s prime minister.

A bogus bond dealer used a fortune stolen from a hapless investor to donate a record £2.4m (€2.9m) to the English Liberal Democratic party, a court heard today.

FLAMBOYANT conservative Taro Aso took charge as Japan’s new prime minister yesterday, pledging to work for a “cheerful” nation by reviving an economy in the doldrums.

Outspoken conservative Taro Aso took power as Japan's prime minister today after he overcame opposition forces in the split parliament, tasked with rejuvenating the ailing ruling party ahead of elections.

Brash, right-leaning former foreign minister Taro Aso announced today that he will run for ruling party president in a move that would put him on track to take over as Japan’s next prime minister.

Japan’s upper house of parliament approved an unprecedented no-confidence motion against embattled prime minister Yasuo Fukuda today.

Britain’s ambassador to Russia said today that the Government will continue to press for the extradition of the main suspect in the killing of Alexander Litvinenko despite his probable membership in Russia’s new parliament, Russian news agencies reported.

The former KGB officer suspected of involvement in the death of Kremlin critic Alexander Litvinenko in London last year dismissed concerns today that his recent election to Russia’s parliament was a spit in the face of the West.

Vladimir Putin’s party won a crushing victory in Russia’s parliamentary elections, paving the way for the leader to remain in control even after he steps down as president.