Chronologies
Japan - China
Chronology from Jan 2020 to May 2020
: Yomiuri editorial expresses concern that the PRC is exploiting the pandemic to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.
: Yomiuri editorial expresses concern that the PRC is exploiting the pandemic to escalate tensions in the South China Sea.
: Asahi criticizes the Ground Self-Defense Force’s highly-touted preparations for defending remote islands from Chinese encroachment, noting that the camp on Miyakojima still has no missiles or ammunition depots.
: South Korea and China agree to start some business travel under a “fast-track” immigration arrangement.
: Asahi criticizes the Ground Self-Defense Force’s highly-touted preparations for defending remote islands from Chinese encroachment, noting that the camp on Miyakojima still has no missiles or ammunition depots.
: US Department of Commerce announces new rules to tighten exports of certain sensitive technologies to China.
: US Department of Defense authorizes release of three videos of unidentified aerial phenomena to “clear up any misconceptions,” about videos already circulating.
: Australian government launches coronavirus tracing app, using Bluetooth to log when people are close to each other, enabling health officials to trace people potentially exposed to the illness.
: G20 health ministers online meeting; draft statement “scuppered” by US over positive references to WHO.
: China’s space agency names its first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1, which is expected to be launched this year.
: Virtual US-ASEAN ministerial meeting is conducted, but the joint statement is reportedly delayed by disagreement over reference to China’s handling of the pandemic.
: Trump announces 60-day suspension of immigration into the US, to ensure US workers are first to get jobs.
: Australian frigate HMAS Parramatta joins three US warships in the South China Sea near an area Chinese vessels are suspected of exploring for oil.
: Daily NK, a Seoul-based online journal run by activists and defectors with sources inside North Korea, alleges that Kim Jong Un is recovering from a medical procedure, setting off international speculation about the North Korean leader’s well-being.
: Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne calls for independent inquiry into the coronavirus outbreak and how it developed and spread.
: UN report finds that North Korea evaded international sanction and has raised millions of dollars through hacking and smuggling.
: USAF ends 16-year Continuous Bomber Presence on Guam.
: G7 leaders call for a review and reform of the World Health Organization.
: North Korean defector Thae Yong-ho, running with the conservative opposition party, wins a South Korean National Assembly seat despite a ruling party landslide.
: Nikkei cites Chinese economic sources expressing concerns about the Japanese government’s subsidies for relocating supply chains outside China, and worrying that other foreign companies may be incentivized to do the same.
: Nikkei cites Chinese economic sources expressing concerns about the Japanese government’s subsidies for relocating supply chains outside China, and worrying that other foreign companies may be incentivized to do the same.
: US State Department report speculates that China secretly set off low-level underground nuclear test explosions.
: North Korea celebrates the Day of the Sun, national founder Kim Il Sung’s birth anniversary. Kim Jong Un does not attend.
: North Korea test-fires short-range cruise missiles.
: ASEAN and ASEAN Plus Three Summit on the COVID-19 coronavirus are conducted via video conference.
: Trump announces the US will halt funding to the WHO while investigating its mismanagement of the coronavirus response.
: Chinese automakers ramp up production in Myanmar in a challenge to dominant entrenched Japanese rivals in the fast-growing market there.
: A Global Times editorial accuses Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun of bias against China after its Beijing bureau chief wrote that the PRC should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
: Chinese automakers ramp up production in Myanmar in a challenge to dominant entrenched Japanese rivals in the fast-growing market there.
: A Global Times editorial accuses Japan’s Yomiuri Shimbun of bias against China after its Beijing bureau chief wrote that the PRC should be held responsible for the coronavirus outbreak.
: Chinese government lodges a protest against an exchange of tweets between Abe and Tsai Ing-wen in which they pledged to join hands to overcome the coronavirus threat.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reveals that a five-ship Chinese carrier defense force transited the Miyako Strait toward the Philippine Sea.
: Chinese government lodges a protest against an exchange of tweets between Abe and Tsai Ing-wen in which they pledged to join hands to overcome the coronavirus threat.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense reveals that a five-ship Chinese carrier defense force transited the Miyako Strait toward the Philippine Sea.
: Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs expresses solidarity with Vietnam after protests over the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat by China in the disputed South China Sea.
: Abe approves an economic stimulus package worth about $1 trillion and plans direct payments to households and businesses in coronavirus emergency.
: China is appointed to a panel on the UN Human Rights Council, serving as representative of Asia-Pacific states.
: Vietnam protests China’s of sinking a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.
: Nikkei editorializes that countries should be wary of the CCP’s strategic penetration of the leadership of international organizations.
: Nikkei editorializes that countries should be wary of the CCP’s strategic penetration of the leadership of international organizations.
: Taiwanese app that tracks inventories of face masks praise in the Japanese media, suggesting that Japan should learn from Taiwan’s use of technology for crisis management.
: Taiwanese app that tracks inventories of face masks praise in the Japanese media, suggesting that Japan should learn from Taiwan’s use of technology for crisis management.
: Japanese destroyer Shimakaze and a Chinese fishing boat collide in the East China Sea about 400 miles west of Yakushima, with one fisherman reportedly injured.
: Japanese destroyer Shimakaze and a Chinese fishing boat collide in the East China Sea about 400 miles west of Yakushima, with one fisherman reportedly injured.
: Nikkei reports that China is aggressively courting Japanese companies to gain access to their Internet of Things knowledge in manufacturing.
: Nikkei reports that China is aggressively courting Japanese companies to gain access to their Internet of Things knowledge in manufacturing.
: North Korea launches two short-range ballistic missiles.
: Japanese government will provide an estimated ¥ 200 billion in subsidies for companies that move their production bases from the PRC to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
: Japanese government will provide an estimated ¥ 200 billion in subsidies for companies that move their production bases from the PRC to Japan and Southeast Asian countries.
: Trump signs the TAIPEI (Taiwan Allies International Protection and Enhancement Initiative) Act into law.
: Kyodo reports that Yuan Keqing, a prominent Chinese scholar at Hokkaido University who disappeared while visiting his mother’s funeral in China in mid-June, has been charged with espionage.
: Kyodo reports that Yuan Keqing, a prominent Chinese scholar at Hokkaido University who disappeared while visiting his mother’s funeral in China in mid-June, has been charged with espionage.
: G7 virtual ministerial meeting fails to issue a joint communique, reportedly over Pompeo’s insistence on including reference to the “Wuhan virus.”
: Secretary of Defense Mark Esper signs order freezing the movement of US military personnel for 60 days over concerns from the coronavirus pandemic.
: G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is held via video conference call, attended by the US, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
: Chinese website China Military Online opines that Japan’s motive in selling the J/FPS-3 air defense radar to the Philippines is to fill the void created by the US military’s withdrawal from Asia and to expand its international diplomatic presence.
: A Shenyang congee restaurant that hung a large banner over its door “welcoming” the coronavirus to the US and hoping it will remain in Japan for a long time is sharply criticized on Japanese social media. The restaurant later apologizes and takes down the banner. Global Times reports that the owner of the chain has fired the local manager.
: A Shenyang congee restaurant that hung a large banner over its door “welcoming” the coronavirus to the US and hoping it will remain in Japan for a long time is sharply criticized on Japanese social media. The restaurant later apologizes and takes down the banner. Global Times reports that the owner of the chain has fired the local manager.
: Chinese website China Military Online opines that Japan’s motive in selling the J/FPS-3 air defense radar to the Philippines is to fill the void created by the US military’s withdrawal from Asia and to expand its international diplomatic presence.
: Abe and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach agree to reschedule the Olympics for the summer of 2021 at the latest.
: Modi orders nationwide lockdown in India, including a shutdown of all nonessential government offices and private businesses, and for all Indians to remain at home.
: South Korea’s armed forces track two North Korean short-range ballistic missiles launched into the Sea of Japan.
: Japan attempts to persuade more Asian states to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership since COVID-19 exposed the risks of supply chains that are overly dependent on China.
: Japan attempts to persuade more Asian states to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership since COVID-19 exposed the risks of supply chains that are overly dependent on China.
: Indonesian and Malaysian foreign ministers discuss virtual cooperation and collaboration amid COVID-19 pandemic.
: North Korea test-fires two short-range ballistic missiles.
: In a further move toward cooperation with the US military against China, the MSDF commissions the Maya, its first ship equipped with the Cooperative Engagement Capability, allowing allies to instantly share the location of enemy missiles and aircraft.
: In a further move toward cooperation with the US military against China, the MSDF commissions the Maya, its first ship equipped with the Cooperative Engagement Capability, allowing allies to instantly share the location of enemy missiles and aircraft.
: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announces that it will revoke press credentials of Americans working for The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post.
: China reports zero new local infections of COVID-19.
: After clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen, China approves Fujifilm Holdings’ Avigan (Favipiravir) for treatment of COVID-19 even as doubts remain in Japan about its effectiveness.
: After clinical trials in Wuhan and Shenzhen, China approves Fujifilm Holdings’ Avigan (Favipiravir) for treatment of COVID-19 even as doubts remain in Japan about its effectiveness.
: China and Cambodia participate in third annual Golden Dragon exercise in Cambodia’s Kampot province, focusing on counter-terrorism and humanitarianism.
: Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Lijian Zhao implies on Twitter that US military brought coronavirus to Wuhan.
: WHO officially labels COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.
: Trump announces measures to tackle COVID-19, including by suspending most travel from Europe.
: Editor of conservative Japanese monthly Seiron advocates creation of a suprapartisan advisory body modeled on the United States Economic and Security Review Commission.
: Editor of conservative Japanese monthly Seiron advocates creation of a suprapartisan advisory body modeled on the United States Economic and Security Review Commission.
: North Korea launches three short-range projectiles.
: US defense contractor Lockheed Martin temporarily suspends production of fifth-generation Lightning II F-35Astealth fighter aircraft at a facility in Nagoya over coronavirus concerns.
: Yomiuri, stating that the decision to postpone Xi’s visit was partly due to domestic opposition, urges China to take steps to improve Japanese sentiment toward China in order to ensure the success of a visit.
: Yomiuri, stating that the decision to postpone Xi’s visit was partly due to domestic opposition, urges China to take steps to improve Japanese sentiment toward China in order to ensure the success of a visit.
: Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan is postponed, presumably until fall, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide explaining that “it is necessary to make thorough preparations for [Xi’s] state visit in order to achieve sufficient results.”
: Xi Jinping’s visit to Japan is postponed, presumably until fall, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide explaining that “it is necessary to make thorough preparations for [Xi’s] state visit in order to achieve sufficient results.”
: Chinese research scientists allege that their research shows the new coronavirus evolved into two strains.
: US imposes restrictions on the number of Chinese state-owned media employees allowed to work in the US.
: North Korea fires what appears to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea. China’s foreign ministry calls for dialogue.
: US Department of Justice announces charges against two Chinese nationals for money laundering conspiracy and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. The defendants, Tian Yinyin and Li Jiadong, allegedly laundering “more than $100 million in cryptocurrency that had been stolen by ‘North Korean actors.’”
: South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reports that North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan.
: Toyota announces it will build a new $1.22 billion electric vehicle plant in Tianjin with local partner FAW as well as expand its EV manufacturing in Guangzhou with another partner, the GAC Group.
: Toyota announces it will build a new $1.22 billion electric vehicle plant in Tianjin with local partner FAW as well as expand its EV manufacturing in Guangzhou with another partner, the GAC Group.
: Malaysia names Muhyiddin Yassin prime minister.
: US elevates warnings against travel to regions in Italy and South Korea.
: US and South Korea decide to postpone joint military exercises over coronavirus concerns.
: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden meets Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Sydney, where she criticizes Australia’s policy of forcible deportations of New Zealand citizens.
: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern meets Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama in Suva, Fiji.
: Indonesian House of Representative commission on defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs approves previous defense arrangements between Indonesia and the United States, including “a plan for the navy to receive up to 14 ScanEagleunmanned aerial vehicles and upgrades for three Bell 412 helicopters from the U.S. government.”
: Plans to deduct 5,000 yen ($45) from the salary of each LDP Diet member for coronavirus relief in China are modified into voluntary contributions after complaints from conservatives.
: Plans to deduct 5,000 yen ($45) from the salary of each LDP Diet member for coronavirus relief in China are modified into voluntary contributions after complaints from conservatives.
: US Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that South Korea should contribute more financially to its own defense.
: Thailand, the US, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and South Korea participate in Exercise Cobra Gold 2020. Cobra Gold focuses on “humanitarian civic action, a cyber exercise, an amphibious assault exercise, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, culminating in the combined arms live fire exercise.”
: Malaysia’s king installs Mahathir Mohamad as interim prime minister following his shock resignation.
: President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meet in Ahmedabad, India.
: Center-right Sankei Shimbun editorializes against Chinese provocations against the Senkakus and Taiwan, terming them particularly insensitive at a time when the PRC should be cooperating with the international community to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
: Center-right Sankei Shimbun editorializes against Chinese provocations against the Senkakus and Taiwan, terming them particularly insensitive at a time when the PRC should be cooperating with the international community to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
: A Japanese government source opines that China’s relatively favorable statements about Japan are motivated by an effort to ease its international isolation, but that Beijing has not compromised on security issues.
: A Japanese government source opines that China’s relatively favorable statements about Japan are motivated by an effort to ease its international isolation, but that Beijing has not compromised on security issues.
: Researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanic Garden, led by Dr. Yu Webin publish research suggesting that the coronavirus was introduced from outside the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, but then spread rapidly within it.
: Malaysia declares that it will choose a 5G partner based on the country’s own security standards amid strong pushes from the US to exclude Huawei.
: A Nikkei columnist terms the rupture between the CCP and the Japan Communist Party the JCP’s “long goodbye.”
: A Nikkei columnist terms the rupture between the CCP and the Japan Communist Party the JCP’s “long goodbye.”
: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha meets with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to discuss cooperative measures to combat COVID-19, as well as the potential delay of Xi’s planned Seoul.
: UN experts accuse North Korea of increasing imports and exports of banned and restricted good such as coal and petroleum products despite explicit sanctions.
: US and Europe reach a general agreement on confronting China.
: South Korean and Canadian Foreign Ministers agree on efforts to expand bilateral economic cooperation and bolster exchanges of high-level officials at Munich Security Conference.
: Japan reports its first death related to coronavirus.
: China Daily declares that the fight against the spread of the coronavirus has brought China and Japan closer together.
: China Daily declares that the fight against the spread of the coronavirus has brought China and Japan closer together.
: Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office Zhang Xiaoming is replaced by Xia Baolong, chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
: Reversing its Jan. 20 statement that no defense-related data had been affected by last year’s cyberattacks, Mitsubishi Electric states that some sensitive information may have been compromised.
: A former head of Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies credits Abe’s China policy with hedging the risk of China’s unilateral attempt to change the regional order while engaging the PRC in multilateral norm- and rule-building, as well as promoting cooperation in beneficial projects.
: Reversing its Jan. 20 statement that no defense-related data had been affected by last year’s cyberattacks, Mitsubishi Electric states that some sensitive information may have been compromised.
: A former head of Japan’s National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies credits Abe’s China policy with hedging the risk of China’s unilateral attempt to change the regional order while engaging the PRC in multilateral norm- and rule-building, as well as promoting cooperation in beneficial projects.
: Philippines declares intent to terminate major security pact that has allowed US forces to train in the country.
: WHO proposes “COVID-19” as official name for the illness caused by the new coronavirus.
: Chinese PLA Air Force flies into Bashi Channel during exercise, prompting a Taiwanese response.
: South Korea and the US hold working group meeting in Seoul spotlighting issues of policy coordination on inter-Korean exchanges between North and South Korea.
: Thailand bars passengers from Holand America’s MS Westerdam cruise ship from disembarking, amid fears of the coronavirus.
: Global Times, while thanking the Japanese government and civilians for aid in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, states that despite better government-to-government relations, “we cannot be overly optimistic about the prospect of bilateral relations.”
: Global Times, while thanking the Japanese government and civilians for aid in dealing with the coronavirus epidemic, states that despite better government-to-government relations, “we cannot be overly optimistic about the prospect of bilateral relations.”
: US State Department official involved in nuclear talks with North Korea arrives in South Korea for a meeting of a bilateral policy coordination working group on the regime.
: South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul reaffirms the need for inter-Korean cooperation in railways, roads, and tourism, as South Korea seeks to expand cross-border exchanges as part of efforts to continue its engagement with North Korea.
: The coronavirus death toll in China climbs above 1,000.
: Bank of Japan appoints its top China expert to head the BOJ’s international department, a post previously dominated by officials with experience in Western financial centers.
: Bank of Japan appoints its top China expert to head the BOJ’s international department, a post previously dominated by officials with experience in Western financial centers.
: Hong Kong imposes a mandatory two-week quarantine on all arrivals from mainland China, including daily phone calls and spot checks.
: UN Security Council panel approves sanctions exemptions to three aid agencies allowing humanitarian assistance to North Korea.
: Coronavirus allegedly kills Li Wenliang, who had been reproached by Wuhan police for “spreading rumors” about the coronavirus.
: Philippine foreign secretary warns that abrogating the Visiting Forces Agreement with the US would threaten crucial security, trade, and economic interests.
: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen visits Beijing, making a public vote of confidence in China’s ability to control the coronavirus epidemic.
: A Chinese field hospital, built in under two weeks, opens to coronavirus patients in Wuhan.
: Japan’s Ministry of Defense confirms plans to procure new standoff missiles.
: Investigators from the International Criminal Court begin collecting evidence involving alleged crimes against humanity by Myanmar against Rohingya Muslims.
: Brunei carries out military exercise in a rare display of how the state thinks about and acts with respect to its own defense.
: US and Japan conclude 2020 Iteration of Exercise Forest Light Western Army.
: Commissioning of three vessels marks quick completion and operationalization of the program for Singapore’s Navy.
: Japan quarantines Yokohama-bound cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, after a man who sailed on it tested positive for coronavirus.
: Japanese government sources announce that expanding support for the domestic drone industry, and that in the fiscal year beginning April 1, the coast guard will replace its Chinese drones with versions produced domestically or outside China.
: Japanese government sources announce that expanding support for the domestic drone industry, and that in the fiscal year beginning April 1, the coast guard will replace its Chinese drones with versions produced domestically or outside China.
: China reports a total of 11,821 cases (cases reported includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Taipei) and 259 deaths. Worldwide, 132 cases of coronavirus were reported outside China in 23 other countries.
: Hong Kong government announces that a passenger on the Diamond Princess who disembarked on January 25 has tested positive for COVID-19.
: NEC reports that it had come under major cyberattacks over several years, including unauthorized access to files related to its business with the Defense Ministry, but that no damage had resulted.
: NEC reports that it had come under major cyberattacks over several years, including unauthorized access to files related to its business with the Defense Ministry, but that no damage had resulted.
: Trump administration announces travel restrictions, barring entry by foreign nationals who recently visited China.
: Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan makes a working visit to Malaysia, meeting with a variety of ministers on bilateral issues.
: China’s new ambassador pledges efforts for “great” development of South Korea-China ties.
: North Korea and South Korea close Joint Liaison Office in Kaesong over concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.
: WHO declares the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency and a significant threat beyond China.
: US State Department issues advisory to Americans to not travel to China because of the public health threat posed by coronavirus.
: The headline of a front-page article in Yomiuri describes Taiwan as a “nation of immigrants” and “model for democracy in Asia.”
: The headline of a front-page article in Yomiuri describes Taiwan as a “nation of immigrants” and “model for democracy in Asia.”
: US military begins issuing furlough warnings to almost 9,000 civilian South Korean employees as cost-sharing negotiations remain at an impasse.
: Democratic US senators urge administration officials to reconsider demands in defense talks with South Korea, highlighting the risks of failing to reach an agreement.
: South Korea sends $1 million in aid and a government delegation to help Australia recover from bushfires.
: USS Montgomery conducts first 2020 FONOP in South China Sea.
: WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meets Xi Jinping to share latest information on the novel coronavirus outbreak.
: US Department of State confirms efforts to extricate diplomats from virus-hit city of Wuhan.
: Malaysian watchdog files a lawsuit against Singapore home minister after it is accused of violating Singapore’s fake news law.
: US confirms second case of coronavirus involving a Chicago women returning from Wuhan.
: Yomiuri reports that conservative Diet members applauded each mention of Taiwan, and that there was considerable opposition to a state visit by Xi Jinping without improvement on such issues as the intrusions of Chinese ships into Japan’s territorial waters and human rights.
: Yomiuri reports that conservative Diet members applauded each mention of Taiwan, and that there was considerable opposition to a state visit by Xi Jinping without improvement on such issues as the intrusions of Chinese ships into Japan’s territorial waters and human rights.
: UN’s International Court of Justice orders Myanmar to prevent Rohingya Genocide.
: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte renews threat to terminate accord that allows US forces to train in country unless Washington restores the visa of a political ally linked to human rights violations.
: Wuhan officials announce a complete travel ban on residents, suspending urban buses, subways, ferries, and long-distance passenger transport in the city.
: ASEAN Secretariat invites India to attend a February 2020 RCEP meeting in Bali.
: WHO issues a statement suggesting human-to-human transmission of 2019-nCoV is taking place in Wuhan.
: Foreign tour agencies report that North Korea has closed its borders with China.
: Concerned about Chinese entities purchasing land near security-related facilities including military bases and nuclear plants, the Japanese government considers a screening process for such sales.
: Speaking in his capacity as prime minister in a Diet meeting, Abe references Taiwan three times, the first time in 14 years that a sitting prime minister has mentioned the country’s name in the Diet.
: Global Times op-ed criticizes newly announced plans for Indonesian-Japanese coast guard cooperation and President Joko Widodo’s plan to invite Japan to invest more in the Natunas.
: Concerned about Chinese entities purchasing land near security-related facilities including military bases and nuclear plants, the Japanese government considers a screening process for such sales.
: Global Times op-ed criticizes newly announced plans for Indonesian-Japanese coast guard cooperation and President Joko Widodo’s plan to invite Japan to invest more in the Natunas.
: Speaking in his capacity as prime minister in a Diet meeting, Abe references Taiwan three times, the first time in 14 years that a sitting prime minister has mentioned the country’s name in the Diet.
: United States confirms its first case of COVID-19.
: China’s new envoy to ASEAN arrives in Jakarta as tensions rise over Chinese conduct in South China Sea.
: ASEAN foreign ministers agree to hold summit with Trump.
: Vietnam chairs ASEAN-IPR meeting in Jakarta.
: US confirms the first patient diagnosed with the new coronavirus in Washington state.
: Mitsubishi Electric, a major supplier to the Japanese defense and SCADA sectors, reveals that its internal computer networks were hit by a cyberattack, believed to be by a Chinese-affiliated hacker group.
: Mitsubishi Electric, a major supplier to the Japanese defense and SCADA sectors, reveals that its internal computer networks were hit by a cyberattack, believed to be by a Chinese-affiliated hacker group.
: Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy begins a two-day introductory visit to Singapore to meet the Singaporean Minister for Defense.
: First case of the “Wuhan coronavirus” is reported in the US. A traveler from China in Seattle is identified as the first case in the US. South Korea also reports its first case.
: WHO issues its first situation report on the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). As of Jan. 20, there were 282 confirmed cases from four countries including China, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.
: Singapore Ministry of Health announces that temperature screenings at Changi Airport will be extended to all travelers arriving from China.
: Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo pledges to bolster Japan’s role under its security pact with the U.S. in “outer space and cyber space.”
: Japanese Communist Party (JCP)’s first platform revision since 2004 describes Beijing’s quest for great-power chauvinism and hegemonism “problematic,” with JCP head Shii Kazuo adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not deserve the name “communist party.”
: Japanese Communist Party (JCP)’s first platform revision since 2004 describes Beijing’s quest for great-power chauvinism and hegemonism “problematic,” with JCP head Shii Kazuo adding that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) does not deserve the name “communist party.”
: Abe, in his capacity as Liberal Democratic Party chair, congratulates Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Tsai notes Japan’s participation, with the US, in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework as an example of deepening bilateral relations.
: Abe, in his capacity as Liberal Democratic Party chair, congratulates Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on her re-election. Tsai notes Japan’s participation, with the US, in the Global Cooperation and Training Framework as an example of deepening bilateral relations.
: Xi Jinping visits Myanmar for his first overseas visit of 2020. Xi and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi sign 33 agreements related to infrastructure development, trade, manufacturing, and special economic zones.
: Vietnam’s largest telecommunications company, Viettel, announces it would move forward with development of domestic 5G technology.
: Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng meets Vietnamese Minister of Public Security To Lam, and signs a cooperation plan for 2020.
: The US begins additional screening procedures for passengers from Wuhan at three airports- San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
: Xinhua reports that the University of Tokyo fired a faculty member and owner of an artificial intelligence company after he said the company would not hire a Chinese and, separately, that the university favored those with leftwing political views.
: Xinhua reports that the University of Tokyo fired a faculty member and owner of an artificial intelligence company after he said the company would not hire a Chinese and, separately, that the university favored those with leftwing political views.
: “Phase 1” United States-China trade deal is officially signed in a White House ceremony featuring President Trump and Vice Premier Liu He.
: Japan confirms its first case of the new coronavirus.
: Thailand Army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong visits Indonesia Army chief Gen. Andika Perkasa in Aech, Indonesia. They extend their security cooperation and sign an intelligence pact.
: The United States and Japan conduct a one-day naval exercise in the East China Sea.
: Japan’s Defense Minister Kono Taro visits the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
: WHO works with officials in Thailand and China following reports of a confirmed novel coronavirus case outside of China, in Thailand.
: China shares the genetic sequence of the novel coronavirus with the WHO.
: A 61-year-old man dies from pneumonia in Wuhan and is cited as “the first victim of the outbreak that began in December.”
: US Department of State approves the possible sale of 12 F-35Bs to Singapore. The sale is subject to congressional approval.
: Hong Kong requests that China provide genetic information on the “mystery virus” behind the Wuhan outbreak, after Chinese authorities identified the disease to be of a new coronavirus strain.
: Aiming to counter China’s rapidly increasing presence, Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Industry formulates an overseas expansion action plan covering areas such as the export of telecommunications infrastructure that includes specific policy to support submarine cables.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that Chinese government vessels sailed just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands and in the East China Sea on 282 days in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 2008. 126 ships entered the territorial waters around the Senkakus, 56 more than in 2018.
: Aiming to counter China’s rapidly increasing presence, Japan’s Internal Affairs and Communications Industry formulates an overseas expansion action plan covering areas such as the export of telecommunications infrastructure that includes specific policy to support submarine cables.
: Japanese Coast Guard announces that Chinese government vessels sailed just outside Japan’s territorial waters near the disputed Senkaku Islands and in the East China Sea on 282 days in 2019, the highest since record-keeping began in 2008. 126 ships entered the territorial waters around the Senkakus, 56 more than in 2018.
: Chinese researchers identify a new virus as the pathogen behind the outbreak of a pneumonia-like illness in Wuhan as a new coronavirus.
: US Embassy in China warns Americans in China to avoid animals and contact with sick people.
: Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh meet in Hanoi. Motegi and Minh discuss the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation and the rule of law in the South China Sea, and agree to coordinate Japan’s push for a free and open Indo-Pacific with ASEAN’s efforts to promote stable growth.
: Chinese health authorities report 59 cases of an unknown viral pneumonia that is not SARS, MERS, or bird flu.
: WHO publishes its first Disease Outbreak News on the new unknown virus in Wuhan.
: Myanmar and Bangladesh hold a senior-level border conference, putting the spotlight on efforts to manage strained security ties.
: Japanese press agency Jiji, noting that the removal of an import ban has often been used as a political goal, expresses hope that the ban China has imposed on products from Tokyo and other prefectures will be lifted prior to Xi Jinping’s visit in the spring.
: Japanese press agency Jiji, noting that the removal of an import ban has often been used as a political goal, expresses hope that the ban China has imposed on products from Tokyo and other prefectures will be lifted prior to Xi Jinping’s visit in the spring.
: Malaysia officially confirms that it will reopen its embassy in North Korea.
: Wuhan police bureau issues letter to Dr. Li Wenliang to stop illegal behavior, alleging he spread “illegal and false” information and “severely disrupted social order,” by telling a group of doctors on the messaging platform WeChat that seven cases of SARS had been confirmed linked to a seafood market in Wuhan.
: Chinese health authorities report that they are trying to identify what is causing an outbreak in Wuhan, as the number of cases rose to 44 and rumors on social media suggested the outbreak could be linked to SARS.
: Singapore’s Ministry of Health takes precautionary measures, warning medical practitioners to look out for suspected cases of pneumonia related to travel from Wuhan. Temperature screenings are implemented at Changi Airport for all travelers arriving from Wuhan.
: Helicopter crash in Yilan, Taiwan kills Taiwanese Gen. Shen Yi-ming.