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☆ Japan makes record defence spending request amid tension with China
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The plan, announced last year, seeks to double defence spending to 2% of gross domestic product by 2027 as it faces an increasingly assertive China and an unpredictable North Korea. The defence ministry plans to set aside more than 900 billion yen for ammunition and weapons, including new ship-based air-defence missiles, according to the budget request. Some 600 billion yen will be used to strengthen logistics capabilities to deploy weapons and resources to southwest island chains during an emergency. Japan will also put 75 billion yen towards jointly developing interceptor missiles with the United States to counter hypersonic warheads, and 64 billion yen for building next-generation fighter jets with Britain and Italy. The record defence spending by the staunch U.S. ally comes after decades of pacifist policies.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Joe Biden, Yoon Suk, Camp David, Evelyn Hockstein, Fumio, Sakura Murakami, Robert Birsel, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, South, REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Finance, Thomson Locations: Camp, Thurmont , Maryland, U.S, China, North Korea, Japan, United States, Britain, Italy, Taiwan, Ukraine, Asia

☆ Fukushima: Japan PM pledges to help fishing industry after China seafood ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Fish and shrimp are seen at a seafood market in Shanghai, China August 25, 2023. REUTERS/Aly Song Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday he would compile measures to help the fishing industry hit by China's ban on Japanese seafood, after visiting Tokyo's biggest fish market. "I will put together measures given the variety of opinions I heard from the fishing industry today," Kishida said to reporters following a visit to Toyosu fish market on Thursday, adding that requests included support to help fishing companies develop new sales avenues and holding discussions with China. Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last Thursday, prompting China, Japan's biggest trade partner, to impose a blanket ban on Japanese aquatic products. Fisheries Minister Tetsuro Nomura said last Friday the government would take steps to diversify Japan's fish exports for China-dependent products such as scallops.

Persons: Aly, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Tetsuro Nomura, Sakura Murakami, Kantaro, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Japan's, Nikkei, Fisheries, Trade Organization, Thomson Locations: Shanghai, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Lincoln

☆ Japan says may take China to WTO over Fukushima-driven seafood import ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that Japan would take "necessary action (on China's aquatic product ban) under various routes including the WTO framework". Filing a WTO complaint might become an option if protesting to China through diplomatic routes is ineffective, Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi said separately. Japan's National Police Agency has received 225 reports of harassment calls to date, Jiji News reported, and the government said it was seeking help from telecommunications companies to block the calls. NTT and other phone companies including KDDI (9433.T) and SoftBank Corp (9434.T) are discussing measures following the government's request. "It is extremely regrettable and concerning about the large number of harassment calls that have likely come from China," Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said during a news conference.

Persons: Tom Bateman, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Sanae Takaichi, Yasutoshi Nishimura, Nishimura, Kantaro Komiya, Mariko Katsumura, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Simon Cameron, Moore, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, World Trade Organization, Economic, Japan's National Police Agency, Jiji News, NTT Communications, Nippon Telegraph, Telephone, NTT, SoftBank Corp, Thomson Locations: Fukushima, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, China, WTO

☆ Fukushima wastewater released into the ocean, China bans all Japanese seafood
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Sales to China and Hong Kong accounted for 42% of all Japanese aquatic exports in 2022, according to government data. Separately from China, Hong Kong and Macau have announced their own ban starting Thursday, which covers Japanese seafood imports from 10 regions. Japan will conduct monitoring around the water release area and publish results weekly starting on Sunday, Japan's environment minister said. PROTESTSIn Hong Kong, Jacay Shum, a 73-year-old activist, held up a picture portraying IAEA head Rafael Grossi as the devil. "The Fukushima nuclear disaster is not over.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Geraldine Thomas, Han Duck, Jacay Shum, Rafael Grossi, Shum, Iizuka, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Kantaro Komiya, Irene Wang, Bernard Orr, Farah Master, Joyce Zhou, Hongji Kim, Soo, hyang Choi, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: IAEA, Tokyo Electric Power, International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan, Hong, REUTERS, Minwoo, World Health Organization, London's Imperial, Japan Fisheries Co, Korean, Reuters, Thomson Locations: China, Japan, TOKYO, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Fukushima, Busan, South Korea, China , Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul, South, Beijing, Lincoln

☆ Japan set to release Fukushima water amid criticism, seafood import bans
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] An aerial view shows the storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 22, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Japan has maintained that the water release is safe. "Being told something is scientifically safe and feeling reassured are two different things... Proof that the water release is scientifically safe may not remove reputational damage," he said. The water will initially be released in smaller portions and with extra checks, with the first discharge totalling 7,800 cubic metres over about 17 days, Fukushima power plant operator Tepco (9501.T) said on Tuesday.

Persons: Wang Wenbin, Japan's, Yoon Suk, John Lee, Masanobu Sakamoto, Sakura Murakami, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Hong, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative, World Health, Tepco, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Tokyo, Fukushima

☆ Japan to release Fukushima water into ocean starting Aug 24
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-22 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

An aerial view shows the storage tanks for treated water at the tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 22, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Japan has said that the water release is safe. Foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in July that Japan had shown selfishness and arrogance, and had not fully consulted the international community about the water release. China bans seafood imports from 10 prefectures in Japan, including Fukushima and the capital, Tokyo. Japan says the water will be filtered to remove most radioactive elements except for tritium, an isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Kishida, Wang Wenbin, Sitiveni Rabuka, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, Kirsty Needham, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kyodo, REUTERS Acquire, Rights Companies Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Tokyo Electric Power Company, Nuclear, Authority, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Seafood, Pacific, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China, Beijing, Fukushima, Tokyo, South, Seoul, United States, France, Pacific, Sydney

U.S. President Joe Biden hopes to cement those ties with a summit at Camp David, the storied presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains, this Friday. To be sure, previous efforts to build closer ties between South Korea and Japan have stumbled. China blasted the move, seizing on a chance to embarrass Tokyo ahead of the Camp David summit. No specific action by the trio in Camp David is expected to sharply escalate rhetoric with Beijing. Just last month, Kim hosted Russia's defense minister and a Chinese Communist Party Politburo member in Pyongyang for an event celebrating the end of the 1950-1953 war between North and South Korea.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Yoon Suk, didn't, Yoon, Biden, Camp David, Dennis Wilder, George W, Bush, Kishida, Kim Tae, hyo, David, Donald Trump, Kurt Campbell, East Asia Mira Rapp, Hooper, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Kim, Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, Hyonhee Shin, Josh Smith, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Don Durfee, Alistair Bell Organizations: White, REUTERS, South, Camp, Georgetown University, Republican, East Asia, NATO, Chinese Communist Party Politburo, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, WASHINGTON, SEOUL, TOKYO, Japan, South Korean, North Korea, Seoul, Tokyo, East Asia, Taiwan, U.S, Camp, Maryland's Catoctin, South Korea, Korean, China, Korea, Washington, Pacific, Beijing, Russia, Pyongyang, North

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

Japan's Former Prime Minister and current Vice-President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Taro Aso, speaks during the Ketagalan Forum in Taipei, Taiwan August 8, 2023. "I believe that now is the time for Japan, Taiwan, the United States and other like-minded countries to be prepared to put into action very strong deterrence," he said in remarks streamed online. He added that clearly showing the will to defend Taiwan was a form of deterrence. Aso is the most senior Japanese political official to visit Taiwan since 1972. In 2021, Aso, then deputy prime minister, called any invasion of Taiwan by China a "threat to Japan's survival" and said Japan and the U.S. would defend Taiwan together should such an incident happen.

Persons: Taro Aso, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Aso, Japan's, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Sakura Murakami, Satoshi Sugiyama, Kantaro, Ben Blanchard, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Liberal Democratic Party, REUTERS, Japanese, Thomson Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Japan, United States, Taiwan Strait, China, U.S, TOKYO

☆ Japanese vice minister quits as PM Kishida's ratings slide
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Tokyo prosecutors raided the office of ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Masatoshi Akimoto on suspicion that he took bribes amounting to tens of millions of yen, according to public broadcaster NHK. The foreign ministry later announced that Akimoto had stepped down from his post as a vice minister. The resignation comes after Kishida's approval rating slid to its lowest since he took office in 2021. Errors that have recently come to light with the card have included health insurance information linked to the wrong social security account and welfare payments made to the wrong person. State broadcaster NHK and other media have reported that Tokyo prosecutors suspect Japan Wind Development Co paid bribes to Akimoto.

Persons: Masatoshi Akimoto, Amit Dave, Fumio Kishida, Akimoto, Hirokazu Matsuno, Sakura Murakami, Robert Birsel Organizations: Land, Transport, Speed, Kalupur, REUTERS, Liberal Democratic Party, NHK, Yomiuri, State, Development, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Infrastructure, Tourism, Ahmedabad, Mumbai Ahmedabad, India, TOKYO, Tokyo, The Tokyo

☆ US seeks soldier's return as trilateral talks over North Korea start
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 20 (Reuters) - The United States is actively engaged in ensuring the return of an American soldier who had crossed into North Korea, a U.S. official said on Thursday, ahead of a trilateral meeting with Japan and South Korea on countering North Korean threats. The U.S. is working hard to ascertain information on Private Travis King's wellbeing and engaged in "ensuring his safety and return," U.S. Special Envoy for North Korea Sung Kim said at the opening of the meeting. On Tuesday, King made an unauthorised crossing into North Korea, the same day a U.S. nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine visited South Korea for the first time since the 1980s. [1/3]U.S. Army soldier Travis King appears in this unknown location, undated photo obtained by REUTERS/File PhotoNorth Korea test launched two ballistic missiles into the sea early on Wednesday. South Korean government representative Kim Gunn condemned the missile launches and spoke of the strengthening of ties between the three countries.

Persons: Travis, North Korea Sung Kim, King, Travis King, Kim Gunn, Sakura Murakami, Tom Hogue Organizations: U.S, U.S . Army, REUTERS, . South, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, American, North Korea, Japan, South Korea, U.S, Korea

☆ Japan and UAE agree innovation, climate change cooperation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Rachna Uppal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

State news agency WAM also said the two leaders discussed a comprehensive strategic partnership between the UAE and Japan. Japan is actively developing greener and renewable energy technologies and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. Kishida will also try to promote Japanese know-how as energy-producing countries have pledged to achieve a net zero transition, especially ahead of the COP28 climate summit to be held in Dubai in November. The GCC is a six-nation regional union that comprises Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. "The secure energy supply from the UAE has supported Japan's economic growth for many years," Kishida wrote in a piece published by UAE state news agency WAM on Sunday.

Persons: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Kishida, Ryan Carter, Fumio Kishida's, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, WAM, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Hikariko Ono, Rachna Uppal, Sakura Murakami, Andrew Mills, Aziz El Yaakoubi, Conor Humphries, David Evans, Alex Richardson, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: United Arab Emirates, United, UAE, United Arab, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Crown, Cooperation Council, GCC, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Thomson Locations: Japan, Qasr Al Watan, Abu Dhabi, United Arab, ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, UAE, State, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Tokyo, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain

☆ Japan calls on China to approach Fukushima water release in 'scientific manner'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - Japan called on China to approach the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in a scientific manner at a meeting held between Japan Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi on Friday. China has criticised Japan's plan to release over one million tonnes of water from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant starting this summer. Hayashi said that Japan was ready to communicate with China about the water discharge from a scientific perspective, according to the statement. The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific. Hayashi also defended the plan at an ASEAN meeting on Thursday and claimed China was making "claims not rooted in scientific evidence", according to Japan's foreign ministry.

Persons: Yoshimasa Hayashi, Wang Yi, Hayashi, Wang, Sakura Murakami, Himani Sarkar, Michael Perry Organizations: Japan Foreign, ichi, Plant, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Indonesia, Russia

[1/3] Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg meet during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Yves HermanTOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Wednesday he welcomed that Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had agreed on a new partnership programme, ahead of his attendance at the NATO Vilnius summit. At a joint announcement with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, Kishida said he looked forward to furthering cooperation in new areas including cyber-security, and hoped to deepen cooperation with NATO as it increases its engagement with the Indo-Pacific. The new partnership programme comes as NATO explores a deeper engagement with Asia while China increases its military presence. China has lashed out at a communique issued by NATO during its two-day summit in Lithuania's capital Vilnius claiming that China challenged the military alliance's interests, security, and values.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Jens Stoltenberg, Yves Herman TOKYO, Kishida, Stoltenberg, Sakura Murakami, Kentaro Sugiyama, Michael Perry Organizations: NATO, REUTERS, Japan's, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Thomson Locations: Vilnius, Lithuania, Japan, NATO Vilnius, Asia, China, North Korea, Europe, Lithuania's

'NOT ENDORSEMENT'International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi speaks at an interview with Reuters in Tokyo, Japan, July 7, 2023. Grossi said the IAEA's report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that Tokyo must take the final decision to release the water due to start later this summer. We say this plan is consistent with the standards," Grossi said. Grossi said he understood the concerns because "nothing identical" to this release had happened before. Reporting by Sakura Murakami and John Geddie in Tokyo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Japan's, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Liu Senlin, Liu, Kim Kyung, Hoon, I'm, Sakura Murakami, John Geddie, Jacqueline Wong, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Global Times, IAEA, Atomic Energy Agency, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, China's, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, U.S, Vietnam, Tokyo, Japan, Hoon Beijing, Korea

Grossi said the IAEA's report did not amount to an endorsement of the plan and that Tokyo must take the final decision to release the water due to start later this summer. I'm not on the side of Japan or on the side of China or on the side of Korea. South Korea, which has previously expressed concerns about the release, said on Friday it respected the IAEA's review. Grossi said he understood the concerns because "nothing identical" to this release had happened before. Reporting by Sakura Murakami and John Geddie in Tokyo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Michael PerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Japan's, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Liu Senlin, Liu, I'm, Sakura Murakami, John Geddie, Jacqueline Wong, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Global Times, IAEA, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, China, China's, Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Marshall Islands, South Korea, Russia, Britain, U.S, Vietnam, Beijing, Japan, Tokyo, Korea

That initiative follows a visit to Japan by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in January when he said the lessons China was learning from Ukraine could influence its decisions. NATO documents have begun to reflect concern about China, East Asia and the Indo-Pacific, but Japan needs to deepen its awareness of those issues, a Japanese official involved in discussions about NATO ties said. Diplomats from two European NATO countries who spoke to Reuters said unease in the alliance about a Tokyo office went beyond France. Another Japanese official involved in preparations for Kishida's NATO visit said the idea of a NATO office in Japan had nothing to do with China, but that is how it became framed, and each NATO country has its own relations with China. Under Yoon, South Korea has set up a liaison office with NATO in Brussels and has embraced a call for unity among like-minded countries.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, ”, Michito Tsuruoka, Kishida, Jens Stoltenberg, Emmanuel Macron's, Yoon Suk Yeol, Yoon, Anthony Albanese, We’ll, Albanese, Sakura Murakami, Tim Kelly, John Irish, Josh Smith, Praveen Menon Organizations: NATO, Atlantic Treaty Organization, Keio University, NATO's, Diplomats, Reuters, Japanese, SYDNEY South, Australian, Asia Pacific, Ukraine, Sky News, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Lithuania, Ukraine, Asia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, U.S, Europe, Russia, NATO, East Asia, China, Taiwan, North Korea, Lithuania's, Vilnius, Tokyo, France, Brussels, Danish, SEOUL, Poland, Paris, Seoul, Sydney

☆ Japan to get crucial U.N. verdict for Fukushima water release
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japan has not specified a date for the water release, pending the IAEA's final review and official approval from the national nuclear regulatory body for Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) (9501.T). Through its embassy in Japan, Beijing on Tuesday repeated the protest, saying the IAEA's report cannot be a "pass" for the water release and calling for the plan's suspension. Japan plans to release 1.3 million tonnes of water used to cool the fuel rods of the Fukushima plant damaged by a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific Ocean. Nuclear power plants around the world regularly release waste water containing tritium above the concentration of TEPCO's treated water.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Fumio Kishida, Sakura Murakami, Martin Pollard, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Tokyo Electric Power, Local, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, China, Beijing, South, Tokyo

☆ IAEA head Grossi meets with local residents ahead of visit to wrecked Fukushima plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, July 5 (Reuters) - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi met residents on Wednesday to assuage concerns over the safety of Japan's plan to release treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. The reality of people, the economy, and social perceptions may be different from the science, he said, acknowledging the fears surrounding the water release. Grossi will visit the wrecked plant on Wednesday, where he will inaugurate an IAEA office on site that will monitor the release of the water, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years. Some neighbouring countries have also raised concerns over the threat to the environment, with Beijing emerging as the biggest critic. The treated water will be diluted to well below internationally approved levels of tritium before being released into the Pacific.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Nozaki, Grossi, Yoshimasa Hayashi, Fumio Kishida, Sakura Murakami, Chang, Ran Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Nikkei, Korean, Yomiuri, Pacific, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Beijing, East Asia

To help address that, Tokyo in April said it would offer like-minded countries military aid, including radars, that the officials said would help the Philippines plug defensive gaps. One, however, said the aid effort was a Japanese initiative and not anything the United States had pressed for. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said it was not immediately able to comment on security aid from Japan or hosting Japanese troops. LOOSENING THE RULESThe scope of Japanese military aid is limited by a self-imposed ban on lethal equipment exports. But he said Japan and the United States are treading carefully in trilateral talks with the Philippines.

Persons: Read, Fumio, Katsutoshi Kawano, Joe Biden's, Jake Sullivan, Takeo Akiba, Eduardo Ano, Fumio Kishida, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Kishida, Kawano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Yusuke Ishihara, Tim Kelly, Sakura Murakami, Yukiko Toyoda, Neil Jerome Morales, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S, Marines, Warriors, Philippine Marine Corps, Japanese, Reuters, Washington, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, Ukraine, Group, Seven, Self - Defence Forces, Staff, Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies, Thomson Locations: Philippine, Japan, South Korea, ”, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines, TOKYO, Indonesia, Taiwan, Ukraine, East Asia, Tokyo, Pacific, China, Japanese, United States, Kyiv, Manila, Yonaguni, Britain, Australia

TOKYO, June 15 (Reuters) - The Pacific island nation of Palau has asked the United States to step up patrols of its waters after several recent incursions by Chinese vessels into its exclusive economic zone, President Surangel Whipps Jr. told Reuters in an interview. Palau identified Chinese vessels in its waters as recently as last month, when a ship appeared to be surveying an area near fibre optic cables vital to the country's communications, Whipps Jr. said. He said he would raise the issue of the incursions at the regional Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in November. The plan has been criticised by some local fishermen and neighbouring countries, including South Korea, China, and some Pacific island nations. But Whipps Jr. said he was not opposed to the plan and that he sensed regional resistance was also waning.

Persons: Surangel Whipps Jr, Whipps Jr, Whipps, Lloyd Austin, We've, Sakura Murakami, John Geddie, Michael Perry Organizations: Reuters, Pentagon, Pacific Islands Forum, U.S . Defense, U.S, ichi, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, Palau, United States, Washington, Beijing, Tokyo, Micronesia, Marshall, China, Solomon, U.S, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Japan, South Korea

The G7, the European Union and Australia agreed to impose a $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian seaborne crude oil and also set an upper price limit for Russian oil products to deprive Moscow of revenues for its invasion of Ukraine. The IEA, which provides analysis and input to the G7 on energy, does not see the enhanced enforcement of the price caps affecting the global oil and fuel supply, Birol told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the summit. According to Birol, the price cap reached two main objectives: it did not trigger tightness in the markets as Russian oil continued to flow but at the same time Moscow's revenues were reduced. But there are some loopholes, some challenges for the better functioning of the oil price cap," Birol said. "There is no determination of any time frame there, but I think the main issue is because of the reliance of especially European countries on Russian gas almost for decades.

☆ UN chief says it's time to reform Security Council and Bretton Woods
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 21 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that it was time to reform both the Security Council and Bretton Woods to align with the "realities of today's world". Speaking at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, where the Group of Seven summit meeting had been held, Guterres said both institutions reflected the power relations of 1945 and needed to be updated. "The global financial architecture is outdated, dysfunctional and unfair," he said. "In the face of the economic shocks from the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion ofUkraine, it has failed to fulfil its core function as a global safety net." Reporting by Sakura Murakami Editing by Chang-Ran KimOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Its oil deals with Russia are seen as undermining Western sanctions by allowing Russia to continue benefiting from energy revenues. A French presidential source told reporters that Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would also meet Zelenskiy while in Hiroshima. [1/9] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at Hiroshima airport for attending the G7 leaders' summit in Mihara, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan May 20, 2023., in this photo released by Kyodo. A Chinese foreign ministry statement accused the G7 of attacking China and interfering in its internal affairs, including Taiwan. Reporting by Reuters G7 team in Hiroshima; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 20 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy brought his call for support against Russia's invasion to a Group of Seven (G7) summit on Saturday to Japan, where leaders agreed to tighten sanctions against Moscow and pare back exposure to China. 'MEETINGS WITH FRIENDS'[1/7] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrives at Hiroshima airport for attending the G7 leaders' summit in Mihara, Hiroshima prefecture, western Japan May 20, 2023., in this photo released by Kyodo. As well as bilateral meetings with G7 leaders, Zelenskiy will also meet the leaders of India and Brazil, two countries that have not distanced themselves from Moscow. Zelenskiy is due to hold a session on Sunday with the G7 before a broader session with the Global South attendees. Reporting by Reuters G7 team in Hiroshima; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Nick MacfieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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