The country with the developed world’s biggest income gender gap now has its first female president, but Park Geun-hye already has South Koreans wondering whether she will improve the status of women in a society still dominated by men.

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.

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 Yukio Hatoyama has delighted environmental activists but worried business leaders by vowing to slash greenhouse gas emissions by 25% from 1990 levels by 2020.

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 ruling partyconceded a crushing defeat after 54 years of nearly unbroken rule as voters were poised to hand the opposition a landslide victory in nationwide elections, driven by economic anxiety and a powerful desire for change.

Japan’s ruling conservative party suffered a crushing defeat in elections Sunday as voters overwhelmingly cast their ballots in favour of a left-of-centre opposition camp that has promised to rebuild the economy and breathe new life into the country after 54 years of virtual one-party rule, media projections said.

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.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso expressed deep regret over the suffering the country had inflicted on Asia during World War II in a solemn ceremony that marked the 64th anniversary of Tokyo’s surrender in the war.

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.

North Korea claimed it carried out a provocative underground nuclear test today in the escalating international stand-off over its rogue nuclear and missile programmes.

The European Union and Japan condemned North Korea’s nuclear test today as a violation of UN sanctions.

Japan's economy has contracted at the fastest pace since 1955 as exports plunged, companies slashed production and families spent less, it was announced today.

North Korea fired a rocket over Japan on today, defying Washington, Tokyo and others who suspect the launch was cover for a test of its long-range missile technology.

Diplomats engaged in a flurry of behind-the-scenes efforts to persuade North Korea to cancel a rocket launch as the isolated regime pressed ahead with final preparations for a lift-off as early as tomorrow.

North Korea’s military threatened immediate retaliation today if “even the slightest effort” was made to intercept a rocket it plans to launch in the next few days.

North Korea today accused the United States of spying on the site of an impending rocket launch and threatened to shoot down any US planes that encroach into its airspace.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown will hold talks in Downing Street today with US president Barack Obama on the eve of the crunch G20 summit to rescue the world economy.

Japan’s finance minister insisted today that he had overdosed on cold medicine and was not drunk at a press conference over the weekend.

Global leaders had a simple message for the world today: Keep trading.

Global leaders had a simple message for the world today: Keep trading.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen today travels to a major world economic summit in Switzerland – as Irish job losses reached 5,000 for January.

The global financial chaos cast its shadow over a gloomy opening of the World Economic Forum today.

Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso is promising to create 1.6 million jobs over the next three years to help pull Japan out of its economic crisis.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will join dozens of world leaders at the World Economic Forum summit in Switzerland on Thursday.

The Taoiseach is due to hold talks with the Japanese Prime Minister today as part of his ongoing trade mission in the country.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen will today try to secure investment from top Japanese business executives as he continues a 70-firm trade mission to the country.

TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is leading the biggest Irish trade mission to Japan this week.

Japan unveiled a budget proposal today which, if approved, would push spending to record levels as the government scrambles to battle an ever-deepening recession.

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

Japan fell into a recession in the third quarter for the first time since 2001 as the impact of the global slowdown took its toll on the world’s second largest economy, the government said today.

US President-elect Barack Obama spoke with seven world leaders by phone yesterday, as he continues to prepare for taking office January 20.

NORTH Korea released photographs of leader Kim Jong Il yesterday amid intense speculation over the health of the communist country’s absolute ruler.

South Korean intelligence indicates that ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il suffered a serious setback and has been taken to hospital, it was reported today.

Stock markets slumped today after more grim economic news from the US stoked fears that the world’s largest economy is plunging into a deep and protracted recession.

European stock markets dropped today after Japan’s Nikkei tumbled more than 11% overnight amid mounting anxiety that the world economy is plunging into a deep and protracted recession.

European stock markets dropped today after Japan’s Nikkei tumbled more than 11% overnight amid mounting anxiety that the world economy is plunging into a deep and protracted recession

Japan’s prime minister says the US bank bailout is “insufficient” and contributing to a renewed plunge in global stock markets.

The carnage on Wall Street reverberated across Europe today after US politicians rejected a $700bn (€487bn) bank rescue plan.

The carnage on Wall Street spread to Asia today, with stocks plunging after US politicians rejected a €487bn bank rescue plan aimed at stabilising the nation’s financial system.