Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's prime minister is a heavy metal music fan. She loves motorcycles and playing the drums, including with visiting dignitaries. She thrilled a nation that often fetishizes company loyalty by declaring that her secret for success as leader would be " work, work, work, work, work. " This charismatic combination, along with an image that is both tough and playful, has made Sanae Takaichi very popular, something exceedingly unusual for recent prime ministers in Japan, where her political party, which has led Japan for most of the last seven decades, has struggled mightily. In stark contrast to the long line of often elderly men who've run Japan over the decades, Takaichi's popularity is rooted in her support by younger people.

BANGKOK (AP) - Thailand's political parties geared up Friday for their last campaign rallies before voters head to the polls on Sunday for a general election being held against a backdrop of chronically slow economic growth and heightened nationalist sentiment. There also have been accusations of shady financial influence linked to cybercrime and rampant corruption among officials ahead of the election that is likely to be a tight race among three major parties with no outright winner expected. Here is what to know. The snap vote was triggered in December by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who dissolved parliament to preempt a potential no-confidence motion over an issue of constitutional change.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Pakistani security forces raided multiple locations and arrested four suspects, including the alleged mastermind, behind a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of the capital that killed 31 people, the interior minister said Saturday. The announcement by Mohsin Naqvi came a day after a regional affiliate of the Islamic State group, identifying itself as Islamic State in Pakistan, claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its Amaq News Agency. The statement said the attacker on Friday opened fire on security guards who tried to stop him at the main gate before detonating his explosive vest after reaching the mosque's inner gate.

ISLAMABAD (AP) - Mourners gathered Saturday under tight security at a Shiite mosque where a deadly suicide bombing occurred on Friday on the outskirts of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. An affiliate of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility overnight for the attack. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is leveraging her popularity to help her party win Sunday's snap election as she pushes her right-wing agenda to boost her country's economy and military capabilities in the face of growing tensions with China and an unpredictable Washington. The ultraconservative Takaichi, who took office as Japan's first female leader in October, has since enjoyed high ratings and support as her style and "work, work, work" mantra resonates with younger fans. Latest polls indicate a landslide win in the lower house for Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party. The opposition, despite the formation of a new centrist alliance and the rising far-right, remains too splintered to be a real challenger.

NEW DELHI (AP) - India and the United States released a framework for an interim trade agreement to lower tariffs on Indian goods, which Indian opposition accused of favoring Washington. The joint statement, released Friday, came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced his plan last week to reduce import tariffs on the South Asian country, six months after imposing steep taxes to press New Delhi to cut its reliance on cheap Russian crude. Under the deal, tariffs on goods from India would be lowered to 18%, from 25%, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to stop buying Russian oil, Trump had said.

HONG KONG (AP) - Hong Kong's pro-democracy former media tycoon Jimmy Lai will be sentenced Monday following his conviction in December under a Beijing-imposed national security law. Lai, the 78-year-old founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper, could face up to life in prison in the case that has stirred criticism from some foreign governments. The judiciary said Friday on its website that it's calling for the sentencing session at 10 a.m. Monday. Lai was an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party and was arrested in 2020 under the national security law that Beijing deemed necessary for the city's stability following anti-government protests the previous year.

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's top automaker Toyota reported a 43% drop in quarterly profit Friday and announced that its chief financial officer, Kenta Kon, will become its new chief executive and president. Kon, a Toyota veteran, will replace Koji Sato in both roles in April. Approval by shareholders is expected in June. "This expresses our determination to move toward change with all our might," Sato told reporters, calling the latest personnel changes part of a "gear shift." Sato remains vice chairman at Toyota Motor Corp. Kon, who has hands-on experience in various fields including automated driving, was tapped as an expert on ways to improve company earnings, according to Toyota.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Indonesian and Australian leaders signed a bilateral security treaty Friday that both governments say will deepen ties between the often-testy neighbors. The treaty was signed in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, three months after Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced in Sydney that negotiations on the pact had been substantively concluded, highlighting their ambition to better utilize their countries' past security agreements inked in 1995 and 2006. Albanese hailed the signing as a significant extension of existing security and defense cooperation. The text of the treaty has not been released. "It demonstrates the strength of our partnership and the depth of our trust," Albanese said at a news conference with Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) - The Basant kite-flying festival in Lahore, Pakistan is back after a ban 20 years ago, with new safety regulations in place to avoid accidents involving the kite strings. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.