Politics
Japan and 5 Western nations demand Russia return two regions it took from neighboring Georgia 15 years ago
Six Western nations marked the 15th anniversary of Russia’s takeover of 20% of Georgia’s territory by demanding on Thursday that Moscow return the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions. A joint statement by the six members of the U.N. Security Council — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Albania, Japan and… Read
Aso's 'fight for Taiwan' remark in line with official view, lawmaker says
Former Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso's remark on Tuesday that his country must show "the resolve to fight" to defend Taiwan from attack was in line with Tokyo's official stance, a lawmaker close to Aso told a TV show late on Wednesday. Aso, vice president of the ruling Liberal Democratic… Read
Kishida likely to reshuffle cabinet between Sept 11-13
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is likely to reshuffle his cabinet between Sept. 11 to 13, the Yomiuri Shimbun daily reported on Thursday. The reshuffle, which will likely be timed to fall between a tight schedule of diplomatic events, has been widely expected as Kishida seeks to bolster sagging support… Read
U.S. says 3-way summit with Japan, S Korea to be 'historic'
The United States expects that a trilateral summit with Japan and South Korea to be hosted by President Joe Biden later this month at his Camp David retreat will be "historic," a White House official said Wednesday. Biden is "very much looking forward to hosting" the summit on Aug. 18,… Read
Japan lodges protest with Russia over suspension of tax treaties
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday that Japan has lodged a protest with Russia over Moscow's suspension of tax treaties. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree suspending Russia's double-taxation agreements with what it calls "unfriendly countries" - those that have imposed sanctions - state news… Read
Komeito chief asks Kishida to write letter to China's Xi
The leader of Japan's ruling junior coalition partner said Wednesday that he has asked Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to write a personal letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, as he is slated to visit the neighboring country later this month. After their talks at the prime minister's office, Komeito chief… Read
Tokyo's Shibuya deputy mayor resigns for calling assemblywoman 'pig'
The deputy mayor of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward resigned on Tuesday after facing criticism for mocking a female local assembly member as "pig" in an online workplace chat. Shin Sawada, 63, issued a statement apologizing to Yukiko Kuwazuru, a 35-year-old rookie ward assembly member, for his "inappropriate" posts that "severely damaged"… Read
Japan names Okano as Foreign Ministry top bureaucrat, succeeding Mori
The Japanese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday named Masataka Okano, a deputy head of the National Security Secretariat, as its new top bureaucrat. The appointment of Okano, 59, as vice foreign minister was among a set of key personnel changes at the ministry endorsed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Cabinet the… Read
Pentagon confident on sharing intelligence with Japan despite China hacking report
The Pentagon said on Tuesday it was confident about sharing intelligence with Japan, despite a U.S. news report saying Chinese military hackers gained access to Japan's most sensitive defense networks. On Monday, the Washington Post cited unnamed current and former U.S. and Japanese officials as saying that Chinese military hackers… Read
Tritium at 13 China monitoring points above Fukushima water level
The amount of radioactive tritium in wastewater from Chinese nuclear plants, recorded at 13 of the nation's monitoring points in 2021, surpassed the maximum allowable annual amount of the material contained in treated water set to be released from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, according to public data. Beijing has been… Read
