Princess Aiko, on an official visit to Laos, paid a courtesy call on Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith at the presidential office in Vientiane on Tuesday.

Both countries have summoned each other’s ambassadors after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo.

Beijing is flexing its military and economic might to show its displeasure with the Japanese leader’s comments about defending Taiwan. But its aggressive approach risks backfiring.

Following Japan Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's comments on Taiwan, stocks related to retail and travel nosedived on Monday.

While Taiwan ministers visit other parts of the world that have no formal ties to Chinese-claimed Taipei, it is rare for an official as senior as the vice president to do so.

Thanks for joining us for the Bloomberg Global Credit Forum Tokyo, where senior Japanese government officials and top names in finance and credit discussed opportunities and pitfalls following the end of an era of cheap money. Here are the highlights of the discussion:

Vice Adm. Patrick J. Hannifin took over for Vice Adm. Fred W. Kacher as commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, which covers the Navy’s largest operations area.