月: 2023年5月

1. Japan and China began operating a defense hotline between the two nations on Tuesday. The hotline is designed to prevent accidental clashes between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the Chinese military. The hotline was launched on March 31. It is part of a broader communications mechanism between Tokyo and Beijing that was introduced earlier to prevent accidental clashes at sea or in the air.　 2. The head of the artificial intelligence startup behind Chat GPT* is stressing the need for legislation to ensure the safe use of AI. Samuel Altman testified before US Congress on Tuesday. Altman was asked about how AI technology should be regulated as it rapidly expands across the globe. He is calling for the formation of a universal body to license the most powerful AI systems to guarantee compliance with safety standards. *GPT = Generative Pre-trained Transformation 3. The latest GDP figures for Japan show consumers spending again after a further easing of COVID regulations. The Cabinet Office says the economy grew by an annualized 1.6 percent in real terms in the January to March period. That is the first time in three quarters it has been in positive territory.

1. China’s latest key statistics indicate a mild economic rebound from last year’s COVID slump. The National Bureau of Statistics says industrial output rose 5.6 percent in Aril from the same month in 2022. The pace falls short of market expectations of around 10 percent. Strict coronavirus lockdowns were in place in Shanghai and elsewhere in the country a year earlier, crimping supply chains.　　　　　　 2. The procession of the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto’s three traditional festivals, is being held for the first time in four years on Tuesday. Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko, who are now visiting Japan’s ancient capital, are among the grand procession’s many spectators. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　3. A saber presented by Britain’s Queen Victoria to a Japanese official, who saved the life of a British consul in Japan in the late days of the feudal era, has been discovered in Tokyo. In 1868, shortly after the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the launch of the Meiji government, British Consul Harry Parkes was heading to the Kyoto Imperial Palace for an audience with the Emperor. On the way, he was attacked by traditionalists who wanted to expel foreigners.　Goto Shojiro and other samurai were escorting the consul.　　They disarmed the assailants.　　Parkes was not hurt in the attack. Queen Victoria later sent Goto a saber to show Britain’s appreciation.

1. The White House says President Joe Biden will meet Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Thursday ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Biden is currently holding discussions with Congressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, on raising the US government’s debt ceiling to avoid a default. 2. Thailand’s two major opposition parties are expected to win a combined majority in the lower house of parliament general election. The focus of the election was whether the military-backed government would be able to hold onto power after taking control in coup nine years ago. 3. The Turkish presidential election appears headed for a runoff, with both incumbent Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, so far unable to secure the majority needed to win. Sunday’s election was effectively a two-man race between Erdogan and Kilicdaroglu, who is the joint candidate of six opposition parties.

1. A Japanese expert says strong earthquakes and tsunami could strike the Noto Peninsula on the Sea of Japan coast due to migration of fluids trapped underground. As of 4 p.m. on Friday, swarm quakes registering one or higher on the Japanese scale had hit the region 95 times since about a week ago. 2. Research by a brokerage firm indicates that many of Japan’s listed companies enjoyed robust financial results during the last fiscal year. Fifty-seven percent of the firms saw an increase in net profit for the fiscal year that ended in March.
3. A meeting scheduled for Friday between US President Joe Biden and congressional leaders over the federal government’s debt ceiling has been postponed to next week.

1. Beijing is looking to deepen ties with Paris amid growing pressure from the West. China’s foreign minister met his French counterpart on Wednesday. He stressed the need to build a more resilient Sino-French supply chain. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his French counterpart Catherine Colonna discussed a number of issues. They said the two sides should work together to address global challenges, including the war in Ukraine.
2.Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says Japan, as this year’s Group of Seven chair, must take a leadership role in setting global rules for generative artificial intelligence. Kishida on Thursday attended the first meeting of a new government council on AI strategy. It is tasked with discussing the country’s policies on generative AI from the standpoint of promoting its effective use and addressing concerns. 3. US President Joe Biden has hinted that he may virtually attend next week’s Group of Seven Summit in Hiroshima. This comes as Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, remain divided on whether to raise the federal government’s debt limit to avoid the risk of a default.

1. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has marked his first year in office and pledged efforts to create a country that can contribute to global peace and stability. Yoon visited the National Cemetery in Seoul on Wednesday and wrote in a guest book that he will work together with the people to create a country that embraces freedom and innovation and contributes to global peace and stability in a responsible manner. 2. Major Japanese trading houses have posted record net profits for the fiscal year that ended March 31. Mitsubishi Corporation on Tuesday reported a 1.18 trillion-yen profit, or about 8.7 billion dollars, up 25.9 percent from the previous fiscal year. Mitsui & Co. reported 1.13 trillion yen, or about 8.3 billion dollars. Other companies also posted record-high profits thanks to higher resource and energy prices and the weak yen.
3. The leaders of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, have gathered in Indonesia for a summit to discuss maters including how to deal with the security crisis in Myanmar. Indonesian President Joko Widodo, the chair of ASEAN this year, said the bloc can become the driver of peace or growth only if there is unity.

1. Russia’s president marked a key wartime anniversary by claiming his country is under attack again. Vladimir Putin spoke Tuesday at an event recognizing the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany during World War II. “Civilization is at a turning point. Real war is being waged against our motherland,” Putin said. Tensions are rising as Ukraine is poised to launch an attack with military support from Europe and the United States.
2. Tokyo police have arrested four teenagers, including a high-school student, in connection with a robbery at a luxury watch store in Ginza on Monday evening. Several masked assailants stormed the store. They threatened to kill the sales clerks with a knife, smashed a showcase and got away with merchandize.
3. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has stressed that his latest summit with the Japanese prime minister was fruitful, and expressed his intention to work further to improve bilateral ties.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he wants to further strengthen ties with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and open a new era together. Kishida spoke to reporters in Seoul on Monday morning after wrapping up his official schedule in South Korea. This is his first visit to the country as prime minister.
2. Japan’s industry ministry is encouraging domestic firms to actively seek foreign investments by showcasing successful example that led to corporate growth. Ministry officials have collated 20 cases involving firms both large and small, including startups. They all posted growth as a result of being acquired by a foreign company or through capital tie-ups. 3. Japan has officially downgraded COVID-19 to a low-level infectious disease, ranking it alongside the seasonal flu. The change means the government can no longer legally restrict public movement. The operators of the Lawson, Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart chains say they’re giving individual outlets the freedom to set their own policies on masks, hand sanitizers and partitions.

1. More details are coming in about an earthquake that struck Ishikawa Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast. Authorities say that so far there have been no reports of damage from tsunami. The quake struck around 2:42 p.m. on Friday, local time. It registered an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7 in the city of Suzu. Long tremors that could rock high-rise buildings have been recorded in Ishikawa.
2. On a national holiday dedicated to children, the latest data shows Japan’s child population has dropped for the 42nd straight year. The internal affairs ministry estimates that the number of children aged 14 or younger was 14.35 million as of April 1, down 300,000 from the previous year. 3. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Mozambican President Filipe Nyushi have agreed to support the early resumption of natural gas development in the East African country. Kishida met with Myusi in the capital Maputo for about ninety minutes on Thursday. The prime minister was on the final leg of his tour of four African nations.

1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of shelling multiple locations in the southern region of Kherson, leaving at least 21 civilians dead and 48 others injured. Zelenskyy said in a social media post that a railway station, a house and a supermarket came under attack among other locations.
2. The United States says it will send a type of air-launched rocket for the first time to Ukraine. The shipments of Hydra-70s are part of additional security assistance valued at up to 300 million dollars. The US Department of Defense announced on Wednesday that the package will also include more ammunition for US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and additional howitzers. 3. Japan and France have agreed to step up cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, including the development of next-generation advanced reactors. Japan’s industry minister Nishimura Yasutoshi and French energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher affirmed that the two countries will work for the maximum use of nuclear energy to ensure a stable energy supply and achieve carbon neutrality.