Shingo Ito

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko are to embark on a tour of Southeast Asia in their latest mission to better ties with neighbours.

Japan's defeat became decisive after an American B-29 dropped the world's first atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and three days later on Nagasaki, killing some 210,000 people.

The EU pushed Burma for the immediate release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other detainees in the 25-nation bloc's first ministerial talks with the Rangoon junta.

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says the US-led global anti-terror campaign targets Muslims and warns such action would only breed more violence. Speaking in Tokyo, he also calls on Japan to play a role in bridging the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi fires a new shot in the lonely anti-globalisation battle long waged by his boss, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He marks his debut at the APEC forum in Mexico by aiming a salvo at International Monetary Fund.