May 23, Tuesday, 2023

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he does not plan to introduce new tax increases to fund government measures aimed at reversing the country’s declining birthrate. The government held a panel meeting on Monday to discuss its plan to strengthen childcare measures over the next three years. On the agenda was how to finance the package.
2. A team of South Korean experts is at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to assess the safety of Japan’s plan to release treated and diluted water into the ocean. The delegation of about 30 members includes senior officials of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission, as well as marine environment specialists.
3. The government of the western Russian region bordering Ukraine says members of a Ukrainian sabotage group had entered the Russian territory. Belgorod region governor Vyacheslav Vyacheslav Gladkov on Monday said counter-terrorism measures were taken to drive them away.