Top Asia Pacific Breaking News: Morning Edition

TOKYO (AP) - The governing party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a more than two-thirds majority in a key parliamentary election on Sunday, Japanese media reported, citing preliminary results. Takaichi, in a televised interview with public television network NHK, said that after the sweeping victory she is now ready to pursue her policies. NHK, citing results of vote counts, said Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party, or LDP, alone secured 316 seats by early Monday, comfortably surpassing a 261-seat absolute majority in the 465-member lower house, the more powerful of Japan's two-chamber parliament. That marks a record since the party's foundation in 1955 and surpasses the previous record of 300 seats won in 1986 by late Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone.

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) - The Bhumjaithai party of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul took a commanding lead in Thailand's general election Sunday, with about 90% of the voting reported, according to unofficial results from the state Election Commission. The commission's running count, shown on its website, indicated that the conservative Bhumjaithai party had just before midnight attained 195 seats in the 500-member House of Representatives. A simple majority of 251 seats is needed for the body to elect a prime minister to form a new government. It was not clear if that was still within Bhumjaithai's reach, or whether it would have to seek partners in a coalition government.

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.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea will convene a major political conference later this month, the country's state media said Sunday, where leader Kim Jong Un is expected to outline his domestic and foreign policies for the next five years. The ruling Workers' Party congress, which Kim previously held in 2016 and 2021, comes after years of accelerated nuclear and missile development and deepening ties with Moscow over the war in Ukraine that have increased his standoffs with the United States and South Korea. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said the party's political bureau met under Kim's supervision and decided the congress would be held in late February.

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.

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.