April 5, Wednesday, 2023

1. Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa says his country wants to secure its cooperation with NATO to strengthen international order based on the rule of law. Hayashi said the international community stands at a historical turning point, and that he wants to highlight the importance of Japan-NATO cooperation to uphold and strengthen a free and open international order and the rule of law. 2. Finland has officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This makes the Nordic nation the 31st member of the world’s largest military alliance. The event marks the end of decades of military non-alignment for Finland. The country has a border with Russia that runs about 1,300 kilometers. Helsinki changed its policy in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 3. The operator of a sushi restaurant chain in Japan is set to offer its used cooking oil for the production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF. Food & Life Companies, the parent firm of sushi chain Sushiro, is teaming up with 3 businesses including engineering firm JGC Holdings for the project.