On September 7, the Chinese fishing trawler Minjinyu 5179 refused an order by Japan’s coast guard to leave disputed waters near the Senkaku Islands, which are known in China as Diaoyu. The vessel then rammed two patrol boats, escalating a decades-long territorial feud.

The party has right-wing social views: it calls the second world war the “Greater East Asian War”, adopting the nomenclature of the wartime regime, and has submitted a bill to criminalise desecration of Japan’s flag (an idea also favoured by Takaichi Sanae,

Residents have been warned about possible avalanches in the northern parts of Japan following two weeks of snowfall

As of Wednesday, 15 prefectures have been affected, with snow reaching up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) in worst-hit areas. The unusually heavy snowfall is largely due to a cold air mass from the Arctic that has lingered over the Japanese archipelago.

U.S. President Donald Trump gave his "total endorsement" of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of a snap election in her country on Sunday and announced plans to meet with her at the White House on March 19.

Snowfall in parts of Japan has also left about 200 people injured. One city recorded 72 inches of snow, the highest in almost 40 years.

Japan braces for more heavy snow over the weekend as Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reports at least 45 deaths and over 500 snow-related injuries since January 20.