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Strong quake jolts southwestern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on July 28, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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Strong quake jolts southwestern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on July 28, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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Strong quake jolts southwestern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on July 28, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

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Japan top spokesman Kihara

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 21, 2026.

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Japan top spokesman Kihara

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 21, 2026.

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Japan top spokesman Kihara

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 21, 2026.

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Japan revises Imperial House Law

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (front, L) bows after the House of Councillors passed a bill to revise the Imperial House Law during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 17, 2026. The amendment to the 1947 law permits the imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older who are descended from emperors through the male line in 11 former branch families and also allows female members to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners.

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Japan revises Imperial House Law

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stands up after the House of Councillors passed a bill to revise the Imperial House Law during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 17, 2026. The amendment to the 1947 law permits the imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older who are descended from emperors through the male line in 11 former branch families and also allows female members to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners.

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Japan revises Imperial House Law

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stands up after the House of Councillors passed a bill to revise the Imperial House Law during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 17, 2026. The amendment to the 1947 law permits the imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older who are descended from emperors through the male line in 11 former branch families and also allows female members to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners.

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Japan revises Imperial House Law

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stands up after the House of Councillors passed a bill to revise the Imperial House Law during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 17, 2026. The amendment to the 1947 law permits the imperial family to adopt males aged 15 or older who are descended from emperors through the male line in 11 former branch families and also allows female members to retain their imperial status even after marrying commoners.

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Vietnamese deputy prime minister in Tokyo

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (R) and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense Phan Van Giang shake hands at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on July 13, 2026.

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Lower house passes bill for imperial law revision

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara bows after the House of Representatives passed a bill for a law revision to address the dwindling number of imperial family members during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 10, 2026.

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Lower house passes bill for imperial law revision

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara bows after the House of Representatives passed a bill for a law revision to address the dwindling number of imperial family members during a plenary session in Tokyo on July 10, 2026.

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Powerful earthquake hits northeastern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on June 25, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck northeastern Japan earlier in the day.

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Powerful earthquake hits northeastern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on June 25, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck northeastern Japan earlier in the day.

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Powerful earthquake hits northeastern Japan

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on June 25, 2026, after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2 struck northeastern Japan earlier in the day.

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U.N. symposium on N. Korea's abductions of Japanese

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara makes a keynote speech remotely from Tokyo on June 24, 2026, at a U.N. symposium on North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

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Japanese lawmakers studying UFO cases

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (far L) meets in Tokyo on May 28, 2026, with members of a parliamentarians' group created to study reported cases of unidentified flying objects.

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Law to establish National Intelligence council enacted

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara bows after the House of Councillors approved a bill to establish a new National Intelligence Council during a plenary session in Tokyo on May 27, 2026, marking enactment of the law to create an entity to centralize information gathering in response to overseas threats.

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Lao foreign minister in Tokyo

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (R) shakes hands with Lao Foreign Minister Thongsavan Phomvihane at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 22, 2026.

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Abductee's mother meets with top gov't spokesman

Sakie Yokota (C), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press after holding a meeting with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 8, 2026. Standing beside Yokota is Satomi Mori, who heads a group to support her.

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Abductee's mother meets with top gov't spokesman

Sakie Yokota (C), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets the press after holding a meeting with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 8, 2026. Standing beside Yokota is Satomi Mori, who heads a group to support her.

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Abductee's mother meets with top gov't spokesman

Sakie Yokota (L), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, poses with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (R) at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 8, 2026. Standing beside Yokota is Satomi Mori, who heads a group to support her.

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Abductee's mother meets with top gov't spokesman

Sakie Yokota (C), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (R) at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 8, 2026. Sitting beside Yokota is Satomi Mori, who heads a group to support her.

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Abductee's mother meets with top gov't spokesman

Sakie Yokota (C), whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, meets with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (R) at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on May 8, 2026. Sitting beside Yokota is Satomi Mori, who heads a group to support her.

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Bill to create new Japan intelligence committee passes lower house

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara bows after the House of Representatives passed a bill to establish a national intelligence committee during a plenary session in Tokyo on April 23, 2026.

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Japan eases arms export rules to enable weapons sales

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on April 21, 2026, following a Cabinet decision to revise limits on Japan's defense equipment exports to enable the sale of weapons overseas.

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Japan eases arms export rules to enable weapons sales

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on April 21, 2026, following a Cabinet decision to revise limits on Japan's defense equipment exports to enable the sale of weapons overseas.

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Japan eases arms export rules to enable weapons sales

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara holds a press conference at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on April 21, 2026, following a Cabinet decision to revise limits on Japan's defense equipment exports to enable the sale of weapons overseas.

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Japan top spokesman Kihara meets GCC diplomats

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (C) poses with diplomats from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on March 12, 2026. They expressed solidarity amid escalating Middle East tensions during their meeting.

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PM Takaichi's meeting with TSMC CEO

(From L) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara pose for a photo at the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Feb. 5, 2026.

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Japan top spokesman Kihara

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks at a press conference in Tokyo on Jan. 15, 2026.

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U.S. ambassador meets Japan's top spokesman

U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass meets the press at the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2025, after holding talks with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara.

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U.S. ambassador meets Japan's top spokesman

U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass meets the press at the Japanese prime minister's office in Tokyo on Nov. 21, 2025, after holding talks with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara.

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48th anniv. of Megumi Yokota's abduction

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (C) meets the press during a visit to the site in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, where Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, together with her younger twin brothers Tetsuya (L) and Takuya on Nov. 15, 2025, the 48th anniversary of her abduction.

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48th anniv. of Megumi Yokota's abduction

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (C) meets the press during a visit to the site in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, where Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, together with her younger twin brothers Tetsuya (L) and Takuya on Nov. 15, 2025, the 48th anniversary of her abduction.

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48th anniv. of Megumi Yokota's abduction

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (far R) visits the site in Niigata, northwest of Tokyo, where Megumi Yokota was abducted by North Korea in 1977 at age 13, together with her younger twin brothers Tetsuya (2nd from R) and Takuya (2nd from L) on Nov. 15, 2025, the 48th anniversary of her abduction.

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Trump in Japan

U.S. President Donald Trump is greeted by Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara (L) upon arrival at Tokyo's Haneda airport on Oct. 27, 2025, as the president visits Japan on the second leg of his nearly weeklong, three-nation trip to Asia, which began in Malaysia. (Pool photo)

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Lineup of Japan PM Takaichi's Cabinet

Newly appointed Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara arrives at the premier's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21, 2025, before an attestation ceremony for the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Imperial Palace.

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Lineup of Japan PM Takaichi's Cabinet

Newly appointed Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara arrives at the premier's office in Tokyo on Oct. 21, 2025, before an attestation ceremony for the Cabinet of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the Imperial Palace.

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Lineup of Japan PM Takaichi's Cabinet

Newly appointed Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara announces the lineup of new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Cabinet on Oct. 21, 2025, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo.

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Russian military plane violates Japan's airspace

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 24, 2024, after a Russian military aircraft violated Japan's airspace three times the previous day, prompting an Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet to fire a signal flare for the first time ever.

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Russian military plane violates Japan's airspace

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara holds a press conference in Tokyo on Sept. 24, 2024, after a Russian military aircraft violated Japan's airspace three times the previous day, prompting an Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet to fire a signal flare for the first time ever.

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Russian military plane violates Japan's airspace

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (back, R) meets the press in Tokyo on Sept. 23, 2024, after a Russian military aircraft violated Japan's airspace three times earlier in the day, prompting an Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet to fire a signal flare for the first time ever.

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Russian military plane violates Japan's airspace

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara meets the press in Tokyo on Sept. 23, 2024, after a Russian military aircraft violated Japan's airspace three times earlier in the day, prompting an Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet to fire a signal flare for the first time ever.

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Russian military plane violates Japan's airspace

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara meets the press in Tokyo on Sept. 23, 2024, after a Russian military aircraft violated Japan's airspace three times earlier in the day, prompting an Air Self-Defense Force fighter jet to fire a signal flare for the first time ever.

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Japan-Canada defense talks

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (R) and his Canadian counterpart, Bill Blaire, shake hands ahead of their talks in Tokyo on Sept. 13, 2024.

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Japan-Finland defense talks

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara (R) and his Finish counterpart, Antti Hakkanen, shake hands ahead of their talks in Tokyo on Sept. 12, 2024.

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N. Korea fires ballistic missiles

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara meets the press in Tokyo on Sept. 12, 2024, after North Korea launched ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan earlier in the day.

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Japan-Australia foreign and defense ministers' meeting

(From L) Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong hold a joint press conference following their meeting in Queenscliff, in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, on Sept. 5, 2024.