The fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan's upper house election, gaining support with warnings of a "silent invasion" of immigrants.

A fringe far-right populist party in Japan was one of the biggest winners in the weekend’s upper house election

The Sanseito party tapped into discontent over issues galvanizing voters worldwide: inflation, immigration and a political class dismissed as out of touch.

Japan has worked hard to attract foreigners to boost its sluggish economy but now the perception there are too many has prompted the creation of a new task force, as competition for votes heats up ahead of Sunday’s national election.

Russia operations and North Korean threats pose the greatest challenge to global order since World War II, in its annual assessment.

Japan said on Monday its Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has cancelled plans to attend this week's NATO summit, joining other Indo-Pacific countries in saying that their leaders will not attend and raising questions about future regional cooperation.

The National Ballet of Japan is in the UK this week at the Royal Opera House in London, the first time in over 15 years that a major Asian dance company has appeared on the venue’s main stage.