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☆ IAEA should play constructive role to monitor Fukushima water discharge, says China
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/5]Paul McGinnity, research scientist of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) observes a fishing boat unloading the catch of the day for a morning auction at Hisanohama Port Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023 in Iwaki, northeastern Japan. Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Oct 19 (Reuters) - China believes the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should play a constructive role and shoulder responsibility to monitor Japan's water discharge from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday. Mao Ning, ministry spokesperson, made the remarks when asked why China is participating in an IAEA-led survey in Japan analysing fish landed in Fukushima prefecture following the discahrge. Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Paul McGinnity, Eugene Hoshiko, Mao Ning, Muralikumar Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, Hisanohama, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, IAEA, Beijing, Thomson Locations: Iwaki, Japan, Rights BEIJING, China, Fukushima prefecture

☆ Scientists test Fukushima fish after nuclear plant water release
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsIWAKI, Japan, Oct 19 (Reuters) - A team of international scientists collected fish samples from a port town near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant on Thursday, seeking to assess the impact of the plant's recent release of treated radioactive water into the sea. Scientists from China, South Korea and Canada observed the collection of fish samples delivered fresh off the boat at Hisanohama port, about 50 kilometres south of the plant which was destroyed in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The samples will be sent to laboratories in each country for independent testing, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. Before being released, the water is filtered to remove isotopes, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is hard to separate, plant operator Tepco says. Reporting by Reuters staff; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Eugene Hoshiko, Paul McGinnity, John Geddie, Bernadette Baum Organizations: International Atomic Energy Agency, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, IAEA, Tepco, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hisanohama Port, Iwaki, Japan, Rights IWAKI, Japan's, China, South Korea, Canada

TOKYO (AP) — Japan criticized Russia's announcement that it's joining China in banning the imports of Japanese seafood in response to the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant. China immediately banned all imports of Japanese seafood the day the release began in August, badly hurting Japanese seafood producers and exporters. The Japanese Foreign Ministry said its senior officials notified the Russian Embassy in Tokyo that Japan has been providing transparent and scientific explanations about safety of the treated water release from the Fukushima plant and Japanese seafood. “Japan continues to seek actions based on science.”The plant’s first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. During that release, TEPCO said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks.

Persons: —, ”, “ Organizations: TOKYO, Japanese Foreign Ministry, Russian Embassy, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: — Japan, China, Russia, South Korea, Russian, Tokyo, Japan, “ Japan, Canada

A pipe for transporting carbon dioxide to removal equipment is shown at the Tomakomai carbon, capture and storage (CCS) test site in Tomakomai, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan March 22, 2018. Japan aims to cut total carbon emissions by 46% by 2030 from 2013 levels, and has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2050. In Japan, those difficulties are made worse by the already-strained state of the national power system due to the sharp drop in nuclear power generation since the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Over the longer term, Japan is also targeting increases in wind power generation, especially from offshore sites. Electric vehicle sales are accelerating in Japan, but remain a tiny proportion of Japan's total car fleetHowever, EVs represented just 3% of total car sales last year, and account for less than 1% of Japan's total car stock.

Persons: Aaron Sheldrick, EVs, Gavin Maguire, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Energy Institute, Japan, International Energy Agency, IEA, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Tomakomai, Hokkaido prefecture, Japan, LITTLETON , Colorado, India, China, United States, Europe

☆ Strained France-Germany ties slow EU decision making
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Michel Rose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

From joint defence programmes to nuclear energy or relations with China, Paris and Berlin are at odds over a growing number of issues. In an August speech Macron made his frustration public, calling Germany's position on nuclear energy "a historic mistake". Germany decided to phase out nuclear energy after Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011, closing its last reactors in April. It is unclear if France and Germany can hash out a deal in Hamburg ahead of a crucial EU energy meeting on Oct. 17, but analysts are doubtful. Although the concept was criticised for having failed with Russia, German officials believe trade ties with a country like China could prevent conflict.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Sarah Meyssonnier, Macron, Detlef Seif, Marc, Antoine Eyl, Wolfgang Munchau, hasn't, Wandel, Handel, Noah Barkin, Sarah Marsh, Kate Abnett, Michel Rose, Rachel Armstrong, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: Weimar, REUTERS, German Christian Democratic Union, BASF, Reuters, EDF, Franco, GMF, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Hamburg, Berlin, China, German, Germany, Ukraine, Europe, EU, Franco, Italian, Russia, Brussels, Beijing

☆ Tepco starts releasing second batch of treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] An aerial view shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, Japan August 24, 2023, in this photo taken by Kyodo. Kyodo/via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsTOKYO, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Tokyo Electric Power Company (9501.T) (Tepco) started releasing more treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday morning, continuing a move that has caused tensions between China and Japan. Junichi Matsumoto, who is overseeing the water release at Tepco, said on Wednesday during a news conference that Tepco had received more than 6,000 calls from abroad between August 24-27. Japan started the water discharge in August in a key step towards decommissioning the Fukushima plant, which suffered meltdowns after being hit by a tsunami in 2011 in the world's worst nuclear plant disaster since Chernobyl 25 years earlier. Japan says the water is treated to remove most radioactive elements except tritium, a hydrogen isotope that must be diluted because it is difficult to filter.

Persons: Junichi Matsumoto, Matsumoto, Sakura Murakami, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Kyodo, Rights, Tokyo Electric Power Company, United Nations, Tepco, Japan, Thomson Locations: Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, Japan, China

☆ What Macron means when he says he wants to 'take back control' of French power prices
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

PARIS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said last week his government would "take back control" of electricity prices by the end of the year, without spelling out what steps he would take. "There is a point that is key for our competitiveness, and we will announce it in October, and that is to take back control of electricity prices," Macron said. "We'll be able to announce in October electricity prices that are in line with our competitiveness," he said, adding this would apply to households and businesses. However, French officials say Germany is undermining a traditional French strength due to fears cheap nuclear electricity could provide French businesses with a competitive advantage over German companies. Under the current system, called marginal pricing, European electricity prices are linked to the most expensive power producing asset.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Macron, We'll, Bruno Le Maire, Michel Rose, Elizabeth Pineau, Benjamin Mallet, Leigh Thomas, Forrest Crellin, Kate Abnett, Julia Payne, Mark Potter Organizations: Union, EDF, EU, European Commission, French Finance, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Paris, France, Brussels, Germany, Russia, Europe, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain

TOKYO (AP) — Japan's wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said it began releasing a second batch of treated radioactive wastewater into the sea on Thursday after the first round of discharges ended smoothly. The plant's first wastewater release began Aug. 24 and ended Sept. 11. During that release, TEPCO said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks. In the second discharge, TEPCO plans to release another 7,800 tons of treated water into the Pacific Ocean over 17 days. About 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater is stored in about 1,000 tanks at the plant.

Persons: — Japan's, Ichiro Miyashita Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, TEPCO, Agriculture, International Atomic Energy Agency Locations: South Korea, China, Fukushima, Malaysia

☆ North Korea Slams UN Nuclear Agency as US Mouthpiece
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Hyonhee ShinSEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday denounced the U.N. atomic watchdog for joining a U.S.-led pressure campaign and "cooking up" a resolution over its nuclear programmes, calling the agency a "paid trumpeter" for Washington. An unnamed spokesman of Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry released a statement criticising a resolution adopted on Friday at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference that calls for the North to curb its nuclear programmes. The spokesman described the resolution as a "result of conspiracy" by the United States and its allies, saying North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state has already become "irreversible." Grossi warned last year that the reclusive country could resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. The IAEA has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009 and then restarted nuclear testing.

Persons: Shin, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Hyonhee Shin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Monday, Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, DPRK, Democratic People's Locations: Shin SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Washington, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang

☆ North Korea slams UN nuclear agency as US mouthpiece
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreSEOUL, Oct 2 (Reuters) - North Korea on Monday denounced the U.N. atomic watchdog for joining a U.S.-led pressure campaign and "cooking up" a resolution over its nuclear programmes, calling the agency a "paid trumpeter" for Washington. An unnamed spokesman of Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry released a statement criticising a resolution adopted on Friday at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference that calls for the North to curb its nuclear programmes. The spokesman described the resolution as a "result of conspiracy" by the United States and its allies, saying North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state has already become "irreversible." Grossi warned last year that the reclusive country could resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017. The IAEA has had no access to North Korea since Pyongyang expelled its inspectors in 2009 and then restarted nuclear testing.

Persons: Tae Sung, Kim Hong, Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Hyonhee Shin, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: REUTERS, Monday, Pyongyang's Ministry of Nuclear Power Industry, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, DPRK, Democratic People's, Thomson Locations: Gijungdong, Paju, South Korea, SEOUL, North Korea, U.S, Washington, United States, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, DPRK, Pyongyang

☆ South Korea opposition leader avoids jail after court rejects warrant
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally PHOTO:while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. The Seoul Central District Court ruled against prosecutors who sought Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung's arrest, saying there were insufficient grounds to support their argument that he may try to destroy evidence. Lee welcomed the decision and thanked the court as he walked out of a holding centre soon after the ruling, which came well after midnight. Lee had narrowly lost to conservative Yoon, a career prosecutor, in the presidential election last year. Some members of Lee's party joined the conservative ruling party in voting last week to lift Lee's immunity from arrest as a member of parliament, drawing criticism within the party.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Lee, Han Dong, hoon, Yoon Suk, Yoon, Hyunsu Yim, hyang Choi, Jack Kim, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Seoul Central, Court, Democratic Party, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Japan, North Korea, Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam

☆ Russia mulls joining China in banning Japanese seafood imports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japan started releasing the water from the plant into the ocean last month, drawing strong criticism from China. Russia is one of the biggest marine product suppliers to China and is seeking to increase its market share. "Taking into account the possible risks of radiation contamination of products, Rosselkhoznadzor is considering the possibility of joining with Chinese restrictions on supplies of fish products from Japan," Rosselkhoznadzor said in a statement. So far this year, Russia has imported 118 tonnes of Japanese seafood, the regulator said. Japan will scrutinise Tuesday's announcement by Russia, the top Japanese government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said on Wednesday.

Persons: Kim Kyung, Rosselkhoznadzor, Hirokazu Matsuno, Matsuno, Alexander Marrow, Olga Popova, Katya Golubkova, Bernadette Baum, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Food, REUTERS, China, Japan, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Japan's Ministry, Environment, Thomson Locations: Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Russia, Moscow, Russian, China, South Korea, Tokyo

☆ South Korea opposition leader ends 24-day hunger strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 23 (Reuters) - South Korea's opposition leader ended a 24-day hunger strike on Saturday, a party spokesperson said, two days after parliament voted to let prosecutors serve an arrest warrant against him for alleged bribery. Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, will maintain a schedule including court attendance while hospitalised for the time being, the spokesman told reporters. Lee, who lost South Korea's presidential election to conservative Yoon Suk Yeol last year, has denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations "fiction" and a "political conspiracy". South Korea is to hold parliamentary elections in April.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Lee, . Lee, Yoon Suk Yeol, Joyce Lee, William Mallard Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party of Korea, Prosecutors, South, Police, Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam, ., Lee's

HANGZHOU, China, Sept 23 (Reuters) - China's eastern city of Hangzhou stepped up security ahead of the Asian Games opening ceremony later on Saturday as organisers hope to get the sporting extravaganza off to a smooth start with President Xi Jinping among the dignitaries set to attend. Roads in a sizeable 'traffic control area' around the city's Olympic stadium were blocked off, at least one metro station was shut, and other Games centres were closed off ahead of an opening ceremony organisers say will be "mesmerizing". Some of those making the trek out towards the stadium were left frustrated by the size of the sealed off area. Organisers hope a high-tech opening ceremony on Saturday will help drum up excitement for the Games. Dozens of smiling volunteers greeted arriving journalists in Hangzhou this week, with some expressing relief that the event was finally getting started.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Li Jian, Xiaolan, @Future, Xi, Beijing's, Bashar al, Assad, Anurag Thakur, Martin Quin Pollard, Ian Ransom, Xihao Jiang, Peter Rutherford Organizations: Games, Thomson Locations: HANGZHOU, China, Hangzhou, Asia, Syria, India, Tokyo

☆ Analysis: South Korea's Yoon rails against domestic critics as ‘communists’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

[1/2] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol attends the ASEAN-South Korea Summit at the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 6, 2023. In South Korea, the label of communist carries higher stakes than in many Western democracies with the ongoing threat from ostensibly communist North Korea and Cold War-era laws that effectively ban activities deemed related to communism. “There is a legitimacy problem for Yoon in the sense that the gap between popular opinion in South Korea and what is being pursued internationally is increasing," Gray said. In a speech earlier this month, Yoon said South Korea's freedom is "under constant threat" from "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces" who are critical of South Korea's deepening ties with the U.S. and Japan. "The president keeps emphasizing the threat from communist forces which don't exist," a spokesperson for the Democratic Party said at a briefing last week.

Persons: Yoon Suk, yeol, Tatan, Yoon's, Yoon, Kevin Gray, Gray, Andrew Yeo, Yeo, Benjamin Engel, Engel, Rhee Jong, " Rhee, Rhee, Hyunsu Yim, Josh Smith, Lincoln Organizations: South, ASEAN, South Korea Summit, Association of, Southeast Asian Nations, Rights, U.S, University of Sussex, Liberation, Democratic Party, Gallup, Brookings Institution, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, National Security, Seoul National University, Thomson Locations: South Korean, Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ Analysis-South Korea's Yoon Rails Against Domestic Critics as ‘Communists’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

"He has decided to take an approach not of trying to convince people but to label the opposition as being somehow an anti-state, communist totalitarian force." In a speech earlier this month, Yoon said South Korea's freedom is "under constant threat" from "communist totalitarian and anti-state forces" who are critical of South Korea's deepening ties with the U.S. and Japan. "The president keeps emphasizing the threat from communist forces which don't exist," a spokesperson for the Democratic Party said at a briefing last week. The presidential office declined to comment on Yoon's description of critics of his policies as "communists". Given his low approval ratings, analysts say labelling his opponents as communists may still be useful for Yoon to hold onto his party's conservative base.

Persons: Hyunsu Yim, Yoon Suk, Yoon's, Yoon, Kevin Gray, Gray, Andrew Yeo, Yeo, Benjamin Engel, Engel, Rhee Jong, " Rhee, Rhee, Lincoln Organizations: U.S, University of Sussex, Liberation, Democratic Party, Gallup, Brookings Institution, Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, National Security, Seoul National University Locations: Hyunsu Yim SEOUL, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Tokyo, Seoul

☆ South Korea lawmakers vote to pave way for opposition leader's arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Hyunsu Yim | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. The vote means Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung will face court to contest his arrest over the charges. Members of parliament have immunity against arrest when the assembly is in session unless its members vote to rescind it with a simple majority. Lee's Democratic Party holds 167 seats in the 297-member parliament. President Yoon is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Han, Han Duck, Yoon Suk Yeol, Democratic Party's Lee, Lee, Yoon, Hyunsu Yim, Jason Neely Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Democratic Party, Democratic, United Nations General Assembly, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, SEOUL, North Korea, Gyeonggi Province, Seongnam, New York, Korea's

☆ China urges deeper trade ties with Russia despite Western rebuke
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a presentation of a Haval F7 SUV produced at the Haval car plant located in Russian Tula region, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, June 5, 2019. It insists the ties do not flout international norms, and China has the prerogative to collaborate with whichever country it chooses. The Russian Far East bordering China as well as North Korea has gained new strategic significance as a zone of cross-border trade and commerce. Chinese state media also says there is a growing "necessity" for China and Russia to step up their grain trading amid continued tight global supplies. The construction of a grain corridor linking Russia to Heilongjiang, China's northeastern bread basket, will help bolster China's food security.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Maxim Shipenkov, Wang Yi, Vladimir Putin's, Wang Wentao, Tongjiang, Ryan Woo, Alex Richardson, Timothy Gardner, Michael Perry Organizations: Kremlin, Reuters, Rights, West, Commerce, Chemical Co, Yuan Industrial, Thomson Locations: Russian Tula, Moscow, Russia, Rights BEIJING, China, Ukraine, Russian, Beijing, China's, North Korea, United, Yuan, Nizhneleninskoye, Europe, Japan, Heilongjiang

He also warned that escalating fighting is increasing the danger of a nuclear accident at Europe’s largest nuclear plant in Ukraine. Grossi said he is seeking to re-establish a dialogue with North Korea, which expelled U.N. nuclear weapons inspectors in 2009. Stop it!”Iran has denied impeding the work of IAEA inspectors though it has also been years since its experts have been able to examine surveillance footage. So he has been urging the Ukrainians and Russians not to attack any nuclear plant. There are also some Russian experts and IAEA inspectors who from time to time have acted as “a buffer” and defused some tense situations, Grossi said.

Persons: Rafael Grossi, Grossi, Ebrahim Raisi, ” “, “, ”, hasn’t, ” Grossi, Wang Yi, Wang, Said, “ I'm, Edith M, Lederer Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, General Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency, Associated Press, Fukushima, IAEA, Foreign Locations: Ukraine, North Korea, China, Beijing, IRAN, Iran, Tehran, Vienna, United States, Ukraine's, Ukrainian, Russian, Pyongyang, “, Korea, South Korea, Fukushima, New York

☆ S. Korea opposition leader hospitalised after hunger strike, prosecutors seek arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lee Jae-myung, leader of South Korea's Democratic Party, speaks at campaign rally while campaigning for the presidential election in Seoul, South Korea March 8, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Sept 18 (Reuters) - South Korea's main opposition leader was hospitalised on Monday, days into a hunger strike in protest against government policies, while prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him over corruption allegations. Hours after Lee was transferred to a hospital, prosecutors said they had requested an arrest warrant for him as part of an investigation into a development project and bribery allegations. Prosecutors also accused Lee of bribery in connection with a company suspected of $8 million in illegal money transfers to North Korea. Parliament rejected their previous request for an arrest warrant in February.

Persons: Lee Jae, myung, Kim Hong, Kim Gi, Lee, Prosecutors, Yoon Suk, 1,327.4000, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: South Korea's Democratic Party, REUTERS, Rights, Democratic Party of Korea, National Assembly, Power Party, Seongnam Development Corporation, Thomson Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Rights SEOUL, Seongnam, North Korea

☆ S. Korea Opposition Leader Hospitalised After Hunger Strike, Prosecutors Seek Arrest
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Soo-hyang ChoiSEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's main opposition leader was hospitalised on Monday, days into a hunger strike in protest against government policies, while prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for him over corruption allegations. Hours after Lee was transferred to a hospital, prosecutors said they had requested an arrest warrant for him as part of an investigation into a development project and bribery allegations. Prosecutors also accused Lee of bribery in connection with a company suspected of $8 million in illegal money transfers to North Korea. A Seoul court needs the 300-member parliament, where the Democrats hold a majority, to waive Lee's immunity from arrest to review the prosecution's request. Parliament rejected their previous request for an arrest warrant in February.

Persons: hyang Choi SEOUL, Lee Jae, myung, Kim Gi, Lee, Prosecutors, Yoon Suk, 1,327.4000, Soo, hyang Choi, Hyonhee Shin, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Democratic Party of Korea, National Assembly, Power Party, Seongnam Development Corporation Locations: Seoul, Seongnam, North Korea

☆ 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

The Fukushima Daiichi plant began discharging the treated and diluted wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on Aug. 24. During the 17-day first release, the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said it discharged 7,800 tons of treated water from 10 tanks. About 1.34 million tons of radioactive wastewater is stored in about 1,000 tanks at the plant. The radioactive wastewater has accumulated since three of the plant's reactors were damaged by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. TEPCO plans to release 31,200 tons of treated water through March 2024, and officials say the pace will pick up later.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Teruaki Kobashi Organizations: TOKYO, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, TEPCO, International Atomic Energy Agency, Japan, Korea Institute of Nuclear, IAEA, South Korean Locations: Fukushima, China, South Korea, Japan

☆ Japan PM says he plans cabinet reshuffle, 'drastic' economic measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-10 | by ( Kiyoshi Takenaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference, on the second day of the G20 summit, in New Delhi, India, September 10, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis Acquire Licensing RightsSept 10 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said he plans to reshuffle his cabinet as early as Wednesday, and will compile a package of "drastic" economic measures soon after to boost the country's fragile recovery. "On economic measures, I want them to protect the people's lives from price hikes and to reinforce the trend of wage increases and investment expansion. Kishida said last month that he planned to compile a package of economic measures in September. I feel now that such understanding has spread further," Kishida told the press conference.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Anushree, Kishida, Kiyoshi Takenaka, Hugh Lawson, Kim Coghill Organizations: REUTERS, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, Ukraine, Russia, Indonesia, Japan, China

☆ Japan PM Kishida spoke about Fukushima water release with G20 leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-09 | by ( Katya Golubkova | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment event on the day of the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, September 9, 2023. Japan started releasing treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean last month, and faced harsh criticism from China which immediately banned all seafood imports from Japan. Japan says the water release is safe, noting that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also concluded that the impact it would have on people and the environment was "negligible." "Prime Minister Kishida explained that the data monitored since last month's (water) discharge has been made public in a prompt and highly transparent manner. The Fukushima water release was among topics at Kishida's meetings with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G20 summit, Japan foreign ministry said in separate statements.

Persons: Fumio Kishida, Evelyn Hockstein, Kishida, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman, Hikariko Ono, Ono, Li Qiang, Tayyip Erdogan, Mark Rutte, Anthony Albanese, Narendra Modi, Katya Golubkova, Chizu Organizations: Global Infrastructure, REUTERS, International Atomic Energy Agency, British, World Trade Organization, IAEA, Dutch, Australian, Indian, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, DELHI, Japan, China, Saudi, Indonesia

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