May 25, Thursday, 2023

1. Newly released minutes of the last US Federal Reserve policy meeting show officials were divided over whether to halt rate increases in June. The minutes say several participants noted that further rate hikes may not be necessary if the economy evolves as they expect. But others said some additional policy tightening would likely be warranted at future meetings because they were concerned that inflation would take too long to slow down to their target of 2 percent. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　2. A senior South Korean official says Seoul will decide its stance on Japan’s plan to release treated and diluted water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea after the International Atomic Energy Agency issues its assessment. Japan plans to release the treated water after diluting it to reduce tritium levels to one-seventh of the World Health Organization’s safety standards for drinking water.　
3. Japan’s junior coalition partner Komeito has decided not to cooperate in Tokyo with the main ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the next Lower House election. The two ruling parties have been at odds over whether to file their own candidate in Tokyo’s 28th electoral district.