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☆ Japan's Message for Donald Trump: Don't Cut a Deal With China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

Trump, who reached a trade agreement with Beijing in 2019 that later expired, has not mentioned any potential deal with China during his campaign for the 2024 nomination. Two Japanese foreign ministry officials said they fear that Trump may be prepared to weaken U.S. support for nearby Taiwan in pursuit of a deal with China. A Trump aide told Reuters that no recent meetings have taken place between Trump and Japanese officials. "If he is going to cut a deal with China, Japan needs to try and get ahead of the curve and understand its potential role to support its interests in both the U.S. and in China," said Machida. Robert O'Brien, Trump's former national security adviser, also has connections with Japanese officials, two of the sources said.

Persons: John Geddie, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, America's, Donald Trump, Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden's, Trump, Xi, Kim Jong Un, they're, Ado Machida, Machida, Shinzo Abe, Aso, Japan's, Shigeo Yamada, Mike Pence, Jim Mattis, Mike Pompeo, Michael Green, Bill Hagerty, Yamada, Hagerty, Robert O'Brien, Trump's, O'Brien, Shigeru Kitamura, Biden, Tsuneo Watanabe, John Bolton, Watanabe, Yukiko Toyoda, Kaori Kaneko, Sakura Murakami, David Brunnstrom, Tim Reid, Ben Blanchard, Laurie Chen, Liz Lee, David Crawshaw Organizations: Trump, Republican, Group, North, Reuters, Fox News, U.S, Steel, Japan's Nippon Steel, U.S ., Liberal Democratic Party, . Studies, University of Sydney, Japan's U.S, Taiwan, Peace Foundation Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Asia, China, Beijing, Tokyo, Iowa, New Hampshire, U.S, Taiwan, Washington, Trump, Taipei

☆ Nvidia CEO says he will try to prioritise Japan for AI processors
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japan is rushing to rebuild its once world-leading semiconductor infrastructure and catch up on the development of AI technology. The graphics processing units (GPUs) made by U.S.-based Nvidia dominate the market for AI. "Demand is very high, but I promised the prime minister we will do our very, very best to prioritise Japan's requirements for GPUs," Huang told reporters at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official residence in Tokyo. "The semiconductor industry that Japan is now starting to grow and foster will be able to produce GPUs," Huang said. "Countries like Japan are realising that you need to own your own data, build your own AI factories and produce your own AI intelligence," he added.

Persons: Ann Wang, Jensen Huang, Huang, Fumio, Huang's, TSMC, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Rocky Swift, Chang, Ran Kim, Jamie Freed Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Nvidia, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Japan, U.S, Tokyo, Hokkaido

The central bank could revise up its price forecasts again in January, which would allow policymakers to justify pulling short-term interest rates out of negative territory, he said. "There's a chance the BOJ could end negative rates as early as January next year, if it judges that inflationary pressure is heightening," Maeda told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. It also applies a charge to a pool of excess reserves to guide short-term rates at -0.1% under its negative-rate policy. Before adopting negative rates and YCC in 2016, the BOJ was pushing down long-term rates solely with a huge asset-buying programme called "quantitative and qualitative easing" (QQE). "After ending negative rates, the BOJ's policy would look quite similar to when it just had QQE," Maeda said.

Persons: Issei Kato, Eiji Maeda, Maeda, There's, BOJ, Leika Kihara, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, Rights, Bank of, Reuters, Chibagin Research, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, Bank of Japan

[1/2] FILE PHOTO: People hold a rally to protest against Israel's attack on Gaza near the Israeli embassy in Tokyo, Japan October 16, 2023. From the beginning of the conflict, Japan has sought a "balanced" response, in part due to its diverse diplomatic interests in the region and its dependency on the Middle East for oil. A spokesperson for Japan's foreign ministry said it was expected that countries have different positions, but denied that G7 members were struggling to find common ground. A statement issued by G7 trade ministers from a meeting in Osaka late last month did not mention the war. Other group members have issued joint statements.

Persons: Issei Kato, Thomas Gomart, Koichiro Tanaka, Hideaki Shinoda, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, It's, Kunihiko Miyake, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, John Irish, Andrew Gray, Andreas Rinke, David Brunstromm, Steve Scherer, Miral Organizations: REUTERS, Japan, European Union, French Institute of International Relations, Israel, Health, Hamas, Tokyo's Keio University, United Nations, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Canon Institute for Global Studies, Washington D.C, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Tokyo, Japan, TOKYO, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, United, Israel, United States, Osaka, Russia, Ukraine, China, Iran, Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Washington, Ottawa

Details of how Japan is paring back military procurement due to currency fluctuations have not been previously reported. China, which has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its control, has expressed concern about Japan's military spending plans, accusing it of displaying a "Cold War mentality." In December, defence ministry officials discussed an order for 34 twin-rotor Chinook transport helicopters at roughly 15 billion yen per aircraft, two of the sources said. She declined to comment on whether the defence ministry had dropped an order for the seaplane. A ministry spokesperson confirmed the companies delivered a letter on Oct 25 to Defence Minister Minoru Kihara urging the government to proceed with the defence procurement as planned.

Persons: Tomohiro, Fumio Kishida, Christopher Johnstone, Johnstone, Biden, Kishida, outlays, spender, Nancy Pelosi's, Yoji Koda, Lockheed Martin, Minoru Kihara, Kevin Maher, Nobuhiro Kubo, Takaya Yamaguchi, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Katerina Ang Organizations: Defense Force, East Fuji Maneuver, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Bank of Japan, Center for Strategic, International Studies, National Security, East, Japan's Ministry of Defence, Embassy, Pentagon, Russian, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Boeing Co, Kawasaki, Industries, Maritime Self Defense Force, Raytheon, Lockheed, Japan Business Federation, NMV Consulting, U.S . State Department's Office, Japan Affairs, Thomson Locations: Japan, Gotemba, Shizuoka, Taiwan, Tokyo, Washington, Beijing, East Asia, U.S, East China, Ukraine, China, U.S .

☆ Japan's Kishida announces $113-bln package to combat inflation pain
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Yoshifumi Takemoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida poses during a photo session with his new cabinet members at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, September 13, 2023. To fund part of the spending, the government will compile a supplementary budget for the current fiscal year of 13.1 trillion yen, Kishida told reporters. Reuters reported on Wednesday the government is considering spending over 17 trillion yen for the package, which will include temporary cuts to income and residential taxes as well as subsidies to curb gasoline and utility bills. The rising cost of living is partly blamed for pushing down Kishida's approval ratings, piling pressure on the prime minister to take steps to ease the pain on households. ($1 = 150.5100 yen)Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto, writing by Leika Kihara; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Zhang Xiaoyu, Kishida, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Leika Kihara, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, COVID

A woman looks at items at a shop in Tokyo, Japan, March 24, 2023. The spending plan, to be formally decided by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's cabinet on Nov. 2, also features payouts to low-income households, the officials said, confirming a report by the Nikkei newspaper. Tax revenue has grown this year, and Murai said the prime minister wanted to find a way to return some of that to the public to support households. "The prime minister will give formal and specific instruction at a meeting tomorrow between officials of the government and the ruling bloc, which will shape up through the ruling party's tax panel debate," Murai said. Kishida is due to discuss wage hikes, among other issues, with auto industry officials when he visits the Japan Mobility Show on Thursday, Murai said.

Persons: Androniki, Fumio Kishida's, Hideki Murai, Murai, Kishida, Takaya Yamaguchi, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Leika Kihara, Shri Navaratnam, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Nikkei, Japan, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, COVID

From this viewpoint, Japan is closely watching the situation with serious concern," she added when asked about Japan's oil dependence on the Middle East, which supplies more than 90% of its needs. G7 finance ministers, who were meeting in Morocco as events escalated, issued a brief statement on the attacks on Oct. 12. Japan was "standing one step behind the United States and some European countries", added Isamu Nakashima, associate research fellow at the Middle East Institute of Japan. "The through line of Japan's Middle East policy has been maintaining the flow of energy imports from the region," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. While the United States is Japan's closest ally, when it comes to the Middle East, Tokyo will be very wary of being seen as its proxy, said Shuji Hosaka, board member of the Institute of Energy Economics Japan.

Persons: Yoko Kamikawa, Fumio Kishida, Isamu Nakashima, David Boling, Shuji Hosaka, John Geddie, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Tim Kelly, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Ekaterina Golubkova, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Kentaro Sugiyama, Alex Richardson Organizations: Petroleum, Kyodo, Tokyo, Reuters, Middle East Institute of Japan, Middle, Energy, Eurasia Group, U.S, Institute of Energy Economics Japan, Thomson Locations: Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, Israel, Tokyo, Gaza, Iran, Hezbollah, Syria, Morocco, United States, U.S, Saudi Arabia, East

The data comes hours before the Bank of Japan (BOJ) concludes its two-day policy meeting that began on Thursday. While government subsidies pushed down utility bills, prices rose for a range of food and daily necessities in a sign that steady inflation was taking hold in the world's third-largest economy. "The persistent stickiness of inflation means the BOJ will need to revise up their inflation forecasts at its October meeting," said Gabriel Ng, an economist at Capital Economics. After hitting a peak of 4.2% in January, core inflation continued to slow as the effects of last year's sharp rises in fuel and raw material prices dissipate. But some analysts say the slowdown has not been as large as expected due to steady rises in food prices, and could keep inflation above the BOJ's target longer than initially thought.

Persons: Kazuo Ueda, Gabriel Ng, Ueda, Leika Kihara, Shri Navaratnam, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Capital Economics, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

REUTERS/Toru Hanai Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Japan's Mitsui (8031.T) said on Saturday it is committed to complying with restrictions in the wake of fresh U.S. sanctions related to Russia's Arctic LNG 2 liquefied natural gas project in which it holds a stake. However, a Japan government source said they could complicate how Mitsui and another Japanese shareholder JOGMEC provide support for the project and could also delay production from Arctic LNG 2. The Arctic LNG 2 project in Russia's Arctic is operated by Russian company Novatek (NVTK.MM) while Mitsui and fellow Japanese firm JOGMEC hold a combined 10% stake. Novatek plans to launch first production train at the Arctic LNG 2 project towards the end of the year. The Arctic LNG 2 project is designed to run three production lines with an annual production capacity of 19.8 million tons.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Mitsui, JOGMEC, Novatek, Katya Golubkova, Jason Neely Organizations: Mitsui & Co, REUTERS, Rights, Japan's Mitsui, Reuters, Mitsui, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan, UAE, Russian, Yamal, Ukraine, Moscow, Russia

☆ Japan's new cabinet reflects PM's focus on gender, defence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the leaders talk of the ASEAN-Indo Pacific Forum (AIPF) in Jakarta, Indonesia September 6, 2023. Top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said the role of defence minister went to Minoru Kihara, a pro-Taiwan politician who has visited the island in the past and belongs to a Japan-Taiwan interparliamentary group. Kihara will also oversee the bolstering of Japan's military as part of a plan to double defence spending over five years by 2027. China claims Taiwan as its own territory and will be sensitive to any shift in Japan's stance on the democratically governed island. "Even if the foreign and defence minister posts change, there won't be any change or impact on Japan's diplomatic policy."

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Adek Berry, Yoko Kamikawa, Hirokazu Matsuno, Minoru Kihara, Kihara, Takashi Kawakami, Shigenobu Tamura, Tim Kelly, Yoshifumi, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro, Clarence Fernandez, Stephen Coates Organizations: ASEAN, Pacific, Rights, Liberal Democratic Party, Takushoku University, LDP, NHK, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Tokyo, China, East Asia, United States

Real wages adjusted for inflation fell in July for a 16th straight month in a sign households continued to feel the pinch from rising prices, separate data showed, boding ill for consumption. Exports remained solid in April-June with net external demand contributing 1.8% points to GDP growth, unchanged from the preliminary reading. But shipments to China slumped 13.4% in July to mark the 8th straight month of falls. Japan's economy has seen a delayed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic this year, as rising living costs faltering global demand cloud the outlook. Given such uncertainties, Bank of Japan policymakers have stressed their resolve to keep monetary policy ultra-loose until the recent cost-driven inflation turns into price rises driven by domestic demand and higher wage growth.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Takeshi Minami, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Food, REUTERS, Norinchukin Research, Private, Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, TOKYO, China, Norinchukin

Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded an annualised 4.8% in April-June, against a preliminary estimate of 6.0% growth. The revised reading compared with a median market forecast for a 0.7% decline. Private consumption, which makes up more than half of the economy, fell 0.6% quarter-on-quarter in the April-June period, compared with a preliminary 0.5% decline. Exports remained solid for now with net external demand contributing 1.8% points to GDP growth, unchanged from the preliminary reading. Japan's economy has seen a delayed recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic's scars this year, as rising living costs faltering global demand cloud the outlook.

Persons: Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, Thomson Locations: TOKYO

☆ Japan considering extending gasoline subsidies to year-end - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Gasoline fuel guns are pictured in front of fuel boards at a gasoline station in Tokyo, Japan September 20, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Japan's government is considering extending until year-end fuel subsidies to keep gasoline prices below 180 yen a litre, while working on a supplementary budget to finance broader measures, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. Earlier, the sources had said the fuel subsidies would be funded by the supplementary budget. Last week, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida instructed ruling party officials to consider steps to extend the fuel subsidies which were introduced in January 2022 to help ease cost of living pressures. Gasoline prices have been rising steadily in Japan due to the weaker yen and higher global prices.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Komeito, Toshimitsu Motegi, Shunichi Suzuki, Fumio Kishida, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Tetsushi Kajimoto, Katya Golubkova, Muralikumar Anantharaman Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Liberal Democratic Party, Finance, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

By accepting an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report last month that greenlit Japan's Fukushima water release, Yoon could encourage fresh dissent that China will try to amplify, analysts say. On Monday, Park Gu-yeon, vice minister of government policy coordination at the prime minister's office, said both sides have made "substantial progress" on the water release issue. A senior South Korean official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivity, said the government did not see it as a source of friction. "China absolutely will try to exploit Fukushima to drive a wedge between South Korea and Japan," said David Boling, a director at consulting firm Eurasia Group. In July, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, and had not fully consulted the international community about the water release.

Persons: Rafael Mariano Grossi, Kobayakawa, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk Yeol, Fumio Kishida, Biden, David, Yoon, Japan Rahm Emanuel, Moon Jae, Christopher Johnstone, Antony Blinken, they've, David Boling, Joshua Kurlantzick, Wang Wenbin, Hirokazu Matsuno, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt, Ekaterina Golubkova, Lun Tian, Yoshifumi, Gerry Doyle Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, Tokyo Electric Power Co, Japanese, Reuters, U.S, IAEA, Biden's National Security Council, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Japan, South Korean, South, Gallup, Eurasia Group, Council, Foreign Relations, Global Times, Thomson Locations: Futaba, Japan, TOKYO, SEOUL, South Korea, Tokyo, China, Washington, East Asia, Taiwan, Beijing, Russia, North Korea, United States, Australia, Britain, Seoul, Seoul . U.S, Fukushima, Korean

☆ Insight: BOJ makes bold shift as yen risks grow too big to ignore
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +9 min

The BOJ's decision shook markets on Friday and contrasted sharply with Ueda's more cautious comments in recent months about the dangers of retreating too quickly from accommodative Kuroda-era policies. "There's also a small but probable risk of inflation overshooting in Japan, which gave the BOJ reason to act." NEW PRIORITIESThe BOJ's policy decision last week signalled to investors that it would now allow the 10-year government bond yield to move closer to 1% before it intervenes. 'BIT BY BIT'The shift in thinking gained momentum at the BOJ's June policy meeting, but not enough to turn the tide. It was a test case, or a preliminary exercise, toward future policy normalisation," said former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi.

Persons: Issei Kato, Kazuo Ueda, Haruhiko Kuroda, Fumio, accommodative Kuroda, Ueda, YCC, There's, Hirokazu Matsuno, Seiji Adachi, Asahi Noguchi, Ryozo Himino, Shinichi Uchida, Uchida, Masato Kanda, Kanda, Takahide, Leika Kihara, Takaya Yamaguchi, Takahiko Wada, Kentaro Sugiyama, Yoshifumi, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan, REUTERS, TOKYO, Bank, Ueda, Reuters, BIT, Asahi, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Japan

☆ BOJ to keep ultra-low rates, may debate fine-tuning yield cap
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

At the two-day meeting ending on Friday, the BOJ is expected to maintain its yield curve control (YCC) targets at -0.1% for short-term interest rates and 0% for the 10-year bond yield. With the BOJ set to keep short-term rates negative, a tweak to the yield cap or allowance band is unlikely to trigger a spike in borrowing costs that would severely hurt the economy. There is no consensus within the board on how soon the BOJ should dial back stimulus. Former BOJ board member Takahide Kiuchi expects the central bank to eventually modify YCC, but stand pat on Friday. "I don't think the BOJ sees an imminent need to act, as markets aren't attacking its yield cap this time."

Persons: Ueda, Kazuo Ueda, Takahide Kiuchi, Leika Kihara, Takahiko Wada, Tetsushi, Takaya Yamaguchi, Yoshifumi, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sam Holmes Organizations: Bank of Japan's, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, YCC

Summary Tokyo July core CPI rises 3.0% yr/yr vs f'cast +2.9%Tokyo core inflation stays above BOJ's 2% targetInflation excluding energy accelerates in JulyData comes ahead of closely watched BOJ meeting outcomeTOKYO, July 28 (Reuters) - Core inflation in Japan's capital slowed in July but remained well above the central bank's 2% target, data showed on Friday, keeping pressure on policymakers to dial back ultra-loose monetary policy. The data for Tokyo, which is seen as a leading indicator of nationwide trends, comes ahead of the Bank of Japan's closely watched policy decision due later in the day. While the gain was slower than a 3.2% rise in June, Tokyo core inflation stayed above the central bank's 2% target for the 14th straight month. The dollar dipped slightly to around 139.03 yen after the release of the Tokyo inflation data. Reporting by Yoshifumi Takemoto and Leika Kihara; Editing by Sam HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yoshifumi Takemoto, Sam Holmes Organizations: TOKYO, Bank of, Nikkei, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Bank of Japan's

There's no need to identify the country, all you need to do is control the item," a Japanese industry ministry official told Reuters. Two of them, deposition machinery maker Kokusai Electric and Japan's leading chip tool maker Tokyo Electron (8035.T), said they expect Japan's controls to have a limited business impact. COORDINATIONDovetailing Japan's controls with those of the U.S. and the Netherlands will require close coordination. He has met with Japanese trade officials and believes Tokyo is committed to curbing certain exports. Tokyo remains worried that targeting China will provoke damaging retaliation, such as a ban on Japanese electric cars, a third Japanese industry official said.

Persons: Emily Benson, Kevin Wolf, Jim Lewis, Lewis, Joe Biden's administrationis, Tim Kelly Karen Freifeld, Kentaro Sugiyama, Toby Sterling, Yoshifumi, Lincoln Organizations: TOKYO, Reuters, Center, Strategic, International Studies, Tokyo, Advantest Corp, Nikon Corp, Canon Inc, Screen Holdings, U.S . State Department and Commerce Department, Center for Strategic, U.S, U.S . Commerce Department, Thomson Locations: Tokyo, Beijing, Japan, U.S, China, backdown, Washington, Netherlands, Amsterdam

Kishida has vowed to double childcare spending over the next three years in a bid to help reverse the country's dwindling birth rate. The government had previously estimated that it needed to secure around 3 trillion yen per year to cover the expansion of childcare allowances and other related benefits. Kishida unveiled the increased size of spending at a meeting of ministers, including Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Goto said. The economy minister also attended the meeting. "Prime Minister Kishida told us to consider expanding childcare measures by around 3.5 trillion yen in the process of compiling the annual budget," Goto told reporters.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Shigeyuki Goto, Kishida, Shunichi Suzuki, Goto, Kyodo newsagency, Yoshifumi Takemoto, Himani Sarkar Organizations: Finance, Kyodo, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan

TOKYO, May 22 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is increasingly certain to call a snap election, perhaps within weeks, as domestic support surges after a G7 summit that drew a surprise visit by Ukraine's president. Although Kishida said on Sunday he was not thinking of dissolving parliament now, experts feel he may not be able to resist as favourable conditions stack up. "For Kishida, Zelenskiy's visit has a unique significance that will help boost his support rating," said Shigenobu Tamura, a political analyst and former LDP staffer. On Friday, it powered to its highest since 1990. read moreCalling an early election could mean less time for the opposition to prepare. An early election might come too soon to guarantee Kishida the LDP presidency even if the party does well, as a threat looms from rising prices, said analyst Atsuo Ito.

TOKYO, May 17 (Reuters) - Rich nations should boost financial and technical support to poorer countries to help them tackle climate change and achieve similar decarbonisation goals, a senior Japanese environment ministry official said ahead of a G7 summit in Hiroshima. Developed countries promised in 2009 to transfer $100 billion annually between 2020 and 2025 to vulnerable states hit by increasingly severe climate-linked impacts and disasters - but that target was never met. G7 energy and climate ministers discussed how to meet that goal when they met in the Japanese city of Sapporo last month. "All countries should follow the good example of Japan so that we could achieve the $100 billion goal," he said, adding that he hoped that the level would be achieved as soon as possible and maintained through 2025. Developing countries say they need far more support than that from the rich nations, who are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions, otherwise they cannot afford to cut CO2 emissions.

The G7 countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Italy -- are all closely tied economically to China, the world's second-largest economy and a key global manufacturing base and market. "Everything is part of the great power competition that is taking place between the United States and Russia, and the United States and China." A woman walks past a “G7 Hiroshima” flower installation near the Peace Memorial Museum, ahead of the G7 summit, in Hiroshima, Japan, May 17, 2023. The G7 is looking to draw closer to members of the "Global South" to counter China's role on the global stage. The United States is at the forefront in pushing for stronger investment controls, yet Germany is more cautious, given its heavy reliance on trade with Beijing.

WASHINGTON/PARIS, May 17 (Reuters) - The longest shadows at the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit this week will be cast by two countries that weren't even invited to the Hiroshima gathering: China and Russia. The G7 countries -- the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Italy -- are all closely tied economically to China, the world's second-largest economy and a key global manufacturing base and market. "Everything is part of the great power competition that is taking place between the United States and Russia, and the United States and China." A woman walks past a “G7 Hiroshima” flower installation near the Peace Memorial Museum, ahead of the G7 summit, in Hiroshima, Japan, May 17, 2023. The United States is at the forefront in pushing for stronger investment controls, yet Germany is more cautious, given its heavy reliance on trade with Beijing.

☆ Japan, South Korea to link radar systems to track N.Korea missiles -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, May 9 (Reuters) - Japanese and South Korean defence authorities are set to agree early next month to link their radars via a U.S. system to share real-time information on North Korea's ballistic missiles, a person with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday. With North Korea launching ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace in the past year, the three countries in November agreed to speed up information-sharing. Japan and South Korea are independently linked to the United States' radar systems but not to each others'. Ties between the United States' Asian allies have warmed in recent months in the face of the North Korean threat. Resuming their "shuttle diplomacy", Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul on Sunday, where they confirmed progress in defence cooperation.

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