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☆ Japan discusses security in first foreign minister visit to Solomon Islands
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, March 19 (Reuters) - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi discussed global security and China's presence in the Pacific with the leader of the Solomon Islands on Sunday, in what was the first visit by a Japanese foreign minister to the island state. Hayashi said Japan was "watching the developments" of a security pact the Solomon Islands signed with China last year, and discussed the current global security environment with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, according to a statement by Japan's foreign ministry. The visit took place a year after the security pact between China and the Solomon Islands prompted concern from the United States and Australia as China seeks to extend its influence in the region. Japan said it was ready to provide assistance in maritime security, as it seeks partnerships in Pacific Island countries in promoting regional peace and stability through its Free and Open Indo-Pacific strategy, according to Japan's foreign ministry. Sogavare said he hoped Japan will ensure the safety of the release and be open about the process, according to the statement.

☆ Factbox: What's on the table for the Kishida-Yoon summit?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks at an interview with Reuters in Seoul, South Korea, November 28, 2022. Kishida is considering visiting South Korea as early as this summer, Kyodo has reported. G7 INVITATIONKishida may extend an invitation to Yoon to attend the G7 summit set to take place in Hiroshima in May, several media reported. EXPORT CURBSThe two leaders could confirm their countries' intention to resolve Japan's high-tech material export curbs against South Korea. Japan tightened restrictions on the export of high-tech semiconductor materials to South Korea in 2019 as a row over how to compensate wartime labourers flared.

☆ South Korea's Yoon arrives in Tokyo hours after North's missile launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/6] South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee arrive at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda Airport) in Tokyo, Japan March 16, 2023. Before Yoon's flight, North Korea fired a long-range ballistic missile, which landed in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan, emphasising both the urgency of regional security and the threat posed by North Korea. "There is an increasing need for (South) Korea and Japan to cooperate in this time," Yoon said in a written interview with international media on Wednesday, calling both North Korea's nuclear and missile threats and supply chain disruptions a "polycrisis". South Korea and Japan at the time agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. Tokyo worries that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack self-ruled Taiwan.

The summit is the same week as major South Korea-U.S. military drills that routinely anger Pyongyang, and North Korea has already staged multiple missile launches - a backdrop for the message that Japan, South Korea and the United States need to close ranks. In November South Korea and Japan agreed to exchange real-time intelligence on North Korea's missile launches, which experts say will help both countries better track potential threats. "South Korea is already taking a side and entering the Cold War," said Kim Joon-hyung, a former chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy. Yoon said high-tech cooperation on supply chains between Japan and South Korea would contribute significantly to economic security. 'SHARED INTERESTS'Washington had pressed for reconciliation, but a State Department spokesperson said the recent arrangements were the result of bilateral discussions between Japan and South Korea.

Under the plan, South Korea would compensate former forced labourers through an existing public foundation funded by private-sector companies, South Korea's Foreign Minister Park Jin told a briefing. SOUTH KOREAN FUNDSRelations plunged to their lowest point in decades after South Korea's Supreme Court in 2018 ordered Japanese firms to pay reparations to former forced labourers. Overall there are fewer than 1,300 living victims of forced labour in South Korea, according to media estimates. The South Korean companies include KT&G (033780.KS), Korea Electric Power Corp (KEPCO) (015760.KS) and other companies that benefited from a 1965 treaty between South Korea and Japan. Asked whether Japanese companies would pitch in to compensate, Park said both Japanese and South Korean businesses were considering a plan to contribute.

☆ G7 says it is taking action against countries supporting 'Russia's war'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 24 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven nations (G7) is taking actions against third-country actors "materially supporting Russia's war in Ukraine," the bloc said on Friday as it reaffirmed "its unwavering support for Ukraine for as long as it takes." "We call on third-countries or other international actors who seek to evade or undermine our measures to cease providing material support to Russia’s war, or face severe costs," the G7 said in a statement. "To deter this activity around the world, we are taking actions against third-country actors materially supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine." G7 said it was taking additional measures relating to Russia’s financial sector to "further undermine Russia’s capacity to wage its illegal aggression," adding it would target additional Russian financial institutions. Reporting by Sakura Murakami in Tokyo and Sachin Ravikumar and Muvija M in London; editing by William SchombergOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China tells Japan it is troubled by Tokyo's military build up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Japanese Senior Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Shigeo Yamada, second from right, speaks to Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, second left, during the Japan-China security dialogue at the foreign ministry Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Tokyo. Shuji Kajiyama/Pool via REUTERSTOKYO, Feb 22 (Reuters) - A senior Chinese diplomat told his Japanese counterpart that Beijing was very troubled by Tokyo's military build up and criticised it for adopting a "Cold War mentality" in their first formal security talks in four years. The security talks aimed at easing tensions between the East Asian neighbours come as Tokyo worries, in the wake of Russia's attack on Ukraine, that Beijing will resort to military action to take control of Taiwan, and in doing so embroil Japan. Japan hosts the biggest overseas concentration of American forces outside the United States. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Writing by Tim Kelly; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ China, Japan square off at first security talks in four years
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Japan in December said it would double defence spending over the next five years to 2% of gross domestic product - a total of $320 billion - to deter China from resorting to military action. Beijing, which increased defence spending by 7.1% last year, spends more than four times as much as Japan on its forces. China is Japan's largest trading partner, accounting for around a fifth of its exports and almost a quarter of its imports. “While relations between Japan and China have a lot of possibilities, we are also facing many issues and concerns," Yamada told Sun. He pointed to their territorial dispute over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, Beijing's recent joint military drills with Moscow and the suspected Chinese surveillance balloons spotted over Japan at least three times since 2019.

☆ Multiple F1 teams contact Honda for 2026 partnership
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Alan Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Feb 20 (Reuters) - Several teams have approached Honda about a partnership when Formula One's new engine era starts in 2026 but no decision has been taken about future involvement, the Japanese manufacturer said on Monday. Honda have an agreement to build engines in Japan for world champions Red Bull and sister team AlphaTauri but that will end in 2025. "That is why we have decided to register as manufacturer of a power unit," he explained. "Last year I believe all the power unit manufacturers prioritised performance in their development, and so did we," said Kakuda. He said Honda had further optimised control and energy management and worked with suppliers to improve the precision of parts and power unit assembly.

☆ Japan, South Korea foreign ministers meet on sidelines of Munich Security Conference
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Japan's foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi met his South Korean counterpart Park Jin on Saturday and reiterated the need for continued communications between the two countries to return to a "healthy relationship". Meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the two foreign ministers agreed to "close communications between the two countries on each diplomatic level to resolve issues of concern", a statement released by the Japanese foreign ministry said. They also had a "frank" discussion about wartime labour issues, an issue that worsened relations after a South Korean court ordered the seizure of assets of Japanese companies accused of not compensating some of their colonial-era labourers, the ministry said. Tokyo says the issue of compensation was settled under a 1965 treaty normalizing diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance, and has warned of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The remains of as many as 10,000 Koreans who died in forced labour, digging mines or building dams, are still in Japan, according to South Korean government estimates. Japan says it has identified 2,799 remains of Korean wartime labourers. Japan's foreign ministry said it had been in communication with South Korea about wartime labour issues but could not disclose details. "There's momentum now, and the Japanese and Korean governments are trying to reconcile their differences." Reporting by Sakura Murakami in Ube, Japan and Ju-min Park in Daegu, South Korea; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan, Philippines pledge closer security ties amid China tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/6] Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (3-L) and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (2-R) talk at prime minister?s official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 09 February 2023. KIMIMASA MAYAMA/Pool via REUTERSTOKYO, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Japan said it was looking to strengthen joint military exercises with the Philippines as the two U.S. allies on Thursday pledged to forge closer security ties at a time of heightened tensions with China. Japan held joint military exercises with the United States and the Philippines as recently as October. The disaster relief deal with Tokyo is seen as a possible precursor to establishing a visiting forces agreement that would allow Japanese forces to deploy to the Philippines more easily. A Japanese military presence in the Philippines could help Manila counter Chinese influence in the South China Sea, much of which Beijing claims, including the territory that Manila considers its own.

"As the United States deepens its relationship with the Philippines, it's important for regional security that Japan join in," a Japanese defence ministry source with knowledge of internal discussions on national security told Reuters. At a press briefing last week, Neil Imperial, the Philippines Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs, said Marcos wanted to "facilitate closer defence, security, political, economic and people-to-people ties" while in Japan. That sentiment is shared in Tokyo, which has been deepening security ties with nations that view China with concern. Those deals provide a framework for how Marcos and Kishida could also forge deeper military ties to counter their common adversary, say experts. "The Philippines is a critical security partner for Japan," said Narushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo.

☆ NATO chief stresses importance of Indo-Pacific partners amid security tensions
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Feb 1 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday stressed the importance of NATO's working closely with partners in the Indo-Pacific, saying Europe could not ignore what happens in East Asia because the global security is interconnected. "The war in Ukraine demonstrates how security is interconnected. It demonstrates that what happens in Europe has a consequence for East Asia, and what happens in East Asia matters to Europe," he said, adding that "the idea China doesn't matter for NATO doesn't work." Before his stop in Japan, Stoltenberg visited South Korea and urged Seoul to increase military support to Ukraine, giving similar warnings about rising tensions with China. Russia, which calls its invasion of Ukraine a "special operation", has repeatedly cast NATO's expansion as a threat to its security.

☆ NATO to strengthen partnership with Japan, says Secretary-General Stoltenberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Jan 31 (Reuters) - NATO will continue to strengthen its partnership with Japan amid the ongoing Ukraine war, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday during a visit to Japan, where he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. His trip, which included a stop in South Korea, is aimed at bolstering ties with Western allies in Asia in the face of the war in Ukraine and rising competition with China. Speaking in Seoul on Monday, Stoltenberg urged South Korea to increase its military support to Ukraine, citing other countries that have changed their policy of not providing weapons to countries in conflict following Russia's invasion. Russia calls the invasion, launched on Feb. 24, a "special operation" to ward off threats to its own security. Reporting by Sakura Murakami and John Geddie; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan Inc strives to lure skilled workers as inflation, labour crunch bite
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Tetsushi Kajimoto | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] A worker assembles an air drill at the factory of manufacturer Katsui Kogyo in Higashiosaka, Japan June 23, 2022. About a quarter of Japanese firms have offered inflation allowances or plan to do so, said corporate credit research firm Teikoku Databank. read moreThe private sector expects the drive to help boost productivity, meshing with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's "new capitalism" initiative on wealth distribution that put a top priority on wage hikes. "Bonuses or inflation allowances would have only a limited impact on easing the pain of cost-push inflation, as consumers tend to save one-off payouts rather than spend," added Kiuchi, now an executive economist at the Nomura Research Institute. Workers have high expectations from this year's labour talks, which they hope will counter cost-push inflation while tackling the tight labour market to help boost the economy.

☆ Nissan and Hitachi look to charge elevators with EV batteries
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] 2023 Nissan Pathfinder is unveiled at the 2022 New York International Auto Show, in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. In what appears to be an early attempt in earthquake-prone Japan to make wider use of EV batteries, Nissan and Hitachi Building Systems Co Ltd are focused on keeping elevators running when the power supply is disrupted. The V2X system uses the CHAdeMO charging standard supported by Nissan, an Hitachi Building Systems executive said. That allows it to also draw power from larger Nissan EVs, such as the Ariya and Leaf models. Tatsunori Takahashi, a director in the domestic business management division of Hitachi Building Systems, said he hopes the firm will start providing the system to apartment buildings from the financial year starting in April.

☆ Koji Sato, incoming Toyota CEO, must navigate shift to clean energy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Currently the CEO of Toyota's luxury brand Lexus, Sato will succeed Akio Toyoda as the CEO of Toyota on April 1. Under Toyoda, the automaker has followed a go-slow approach to electric vehicles, arguing that the hybrid technology it pioneered with the Prius will remain important along with investments in hydrogen. Sato started his career at Toyota in 1992, before rising through the ranks to become chief engineer of Lexus International in 2016, according to his profile on the Toyota website. That passion was obvious in a brief video clip released in 2021, where Sato sits next to Toyoda as they test-drive a Toyota Lexus. As Toyoda accelerates and whoops excitedly, Sato can be seen with a wide grin and occasionally laughing, unable to contain his delight.

☆ It's 'now or never' to stop Japan's shrinking population, PM says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Sakura Murakami | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

That most likely precipitated a further population decline in a country where the median age is 49, the highest in the world behind only the tiny city-state of Monaco. Japan is the third-most-expensive country globally to raise a child, according to YuWa Population Research, behind only China and South Korea, countries also seeing shrinking populations in worrying signs for the global economy. Other countries are also coming to grips with ageing and shrinking populations. Last week, China reported that its population dropped in 2022 for the first time in 60 years. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by John Geddie and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan PM Kishida: it's 'now or never' to stop shrinking population
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 23 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime minister Fumio Kishida pledged on Monday to take urgent steps to tackle the country's declining birth rate, saying it was "now or never" for the world's oldest society. "It is now or never when it comes to policies regarding births and child-rearing - it is an issue that simply cannot wait any longer," he added. Kishida said he would submit plans to double the budget on child-related policies by June, and that a new government agency to tackle the issue would be set up in April. Japan saw a record low number of births in 2021, the latest data available, prompting the biggest-ever natural decline in the population. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by John Geddie and Gerry DoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Yet the small companies that provide most of Japan's jobs generally can't increase pay, business owners, economists and officials say. Battered by the pandemic, small firms now struggle to pass on higher costs out of fear of losing customers. They feel they have no choice but to put up with impossible demands from big companies." The trend is most apparent in industries with many small suppliers. The fair trade watchdog last month named 13 big companies it said refused to accept higher prices from suppliers.

☆ Tokyo court upholds not guilty verdict for ex-Tepco execs over Fukushima disaster
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Wrongful judgment" after the The Tokyo High Court upheld a not guilty verdict for former Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster, in front of the court in Tokyo, Japan, January 18, 2023. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The Tokyo High Court on Wednesday upheld a not guilty criminal verdict by a lower court that cleared former Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) (9501.T) executives of negligence over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power station disaster. The ruling on Wednesday to uphold the not guilty verdict sits at odds with a separate civil case brought to the Tokyo court by Tepco shareholders, which found four former executives responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster. Judges ordered the former executives to pay 13 trillion yen ($99.14 billion) in damages in the civil lawsuit. The court judged that the executives could have prevented the disaster if they had exercised due care.

☆ Japan estimates Fukushima water release to start in 'spring or summer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

In April 2021, the government approved the release of more than 1 million tonnes of irradiated water from the site after treatment into the ocean. It said the release would happen "in about two years" at the time. read moreJapan's foreign ministry said in July that regulators deemed it safe to release the water, which would be filtered to remove most isotopes but would still contain traces of tritium, an isotope of hydrogen hard to separate from water. The plan has met stiff resistance from local fishing unions over the impact the water release may have on their livelihoods. Reporting by Sakura Murakami; Editing by Jacqueline WongOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan PM floats possibility of snap election before defence budget tax hike
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TOKYO, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday floated the possibility of calling a snap election before a tax increase aimed at funding the country's defence budget comes into place "sometime after 2024". The government is set to implement tax increases to cover a shortfall of 1 trillion yen in the defence budget, despite stiff opposition from within the ruling coalition amid Kishida's sagging popularity. "We will be asking the general public to take on the (tax) burden for an appropriate period of time, starting from sometime after 2024 up to 2027. The next national election is due by 2025, unless Kishida calls for a snap election. Kishida revealed a new national security plan in mid-December and has pledged to double defence outlay to 2% of Japan's GDP by 2027.

☆ Kabosu: 'Doge' meme shiba inu is seriously ill with leukemia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Tara Mulholland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Hong Kong CNN —Kabosu, the internet-famous dog who inspired the “doge” meme and influenced digital culture for a decade, is seriously ill with leukemia and liver disease. While Sato said Kabosu’s appetite had returned, she had previously blogged that the dog was moving around less, and more slowly. It reached a peak value of more than $400 in 2014, and is considered the first “meme coin” or satire of cryptocurrency. After it raised funds for the Ukrainian military, the country’s Ministry of Defense tweeted its thanks with a photoshopped image of a shiba inu in fatigues. In Sato’s most recent posts about Kabosu, she said the dog was “in a very dangerous condition” and appeared to be jaundiced, but was also taking antibiotics.

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