月: 2024年4月

1. Official campaigning for three Lower House by-elections on April 28 began in Japan on Tuesday. In the No.1 district of Shimane Prefecture, the by-election is being held following the death of former Lower House speaker Hosoda Hiroyuki in November.
2. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has expressed his intention to promote dialogue with the opposition camp following his party’s crushing defeat in a parliamentary election held last Wednesday. The ruling People Power Party suffered a major blow when the opposition parties retained their majority.
3. Japan’s annual diplomatic calls for the promotion of strategic and mutually beneficial ties with China for the first time in five years. The report says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the worsening situation in the Middle East have complicated the structure of global divisions.

1. Media reports say Israel is considering a counterstrike against Iran, which carried out a massive drone and missile attack on Israel. Tension over the Gaza Strip is also growing as Israel may reportedly go ahead with a ground offensive in the southern city of Rafah. 2. Russian forces are spreading surface land mines by the thousands in Ukraine’s east. The plastic weapon’s petal shape allows them to be scattered from the air quickly across wide areas. Ukraine’s military is stepping up vigilance against the palm-sized mines. The use of petal mines is worsening tension ahead of Russia’s May 9 World War II Victory Day celebrations. Russian President Vladimir Putin is known to consider the holiday important for military planning.
3. Tokyo investigative sources say a man suspected of stealing an expensive gold tea bowl has admitted taking it because the display case was not locked. Horie Masaru was arrested for allegedly stealing the bowl worth about 10 million yen, or about 65,000 dollars, from the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi district last Thursday.

1. The 2025 World Exposition in Osaka City, western Japan, is scheduled to open one year from Saturday. Construction of the Grand Room, also known as the Ring, is underway. More than 50 of the participating countries are considering building their own pavilions, but over ten of them have still not found contractors.
2. Japanese clothing giant Fast Retailing reported record sales and profit for the six months through February, mainly thanks to brisk sales overseas. The operator of Uniqlo outlets on Thursday said its consolidated revenue for the period rose 9 percent from a year earlier to 1.59 trillion yen. That’s more than 10 billion dollars. Net profit rose 27.7 percent to 195,9 billion yen, or nearly 1.3 billion dollars.
3.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio joined US President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for their first-ever trilateral summit on Thursday. Biden welcomed his counterparts to the White House and said he wants to take their Indo-Pacific strategy to “new heights.” They covered everything from energy security to infrastructure projects and maritime security.

1. Japan‘s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has vowed to expand ties with the United States in a speech at a dinner after his summit with US President Joe Biden.
2. A senior US government official says the top leaders of Japan, the United States and the Philippines are expected to confirm their unity in dealing with China’s aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
3. A new Japanese talent agency that has succeeded the business of the disgraced Johnny & Associates has begun full operations with a concert featuring its performers.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his wife, Yuko, now visiting the United States, have attended an informal dinner hosted by US President Joe Biden and US First Lady Jill Biden. Kishida gave Biden gifts that include a pair of coffee cups and ballpoint pens, which are traditional Wajima lacquerware from Ishikawa Prefecture. The area was hit by a deadly earthquake on January 1.
2. A long-established tea firm in Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, is offering a metaverse service that enables people to attend Japanese tea ceremonies virtually. Fukujuen, which is headquartered in Kyoto’s Kizugawa City, has launched “metaCHA-Japanese Tea Experience.” 3. Producer prices in Japan rose slightly for the fifth straight month in March. A major factor was that the impact of government energy subsidies had run its course. The Bank of Japan says the preliminary Producer Price Index for the month was up 0.8 percent from last year.

1. A senior Japanese national security adviser has emphasized that an “epic change” is underway in the country’s security strategy.　The Secretary General of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, Akiba Takeo, submitted an article to the Washington Post to coincide with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s visit to Washington this week.　It says: “Japan has refrained from promoting arms exports, regardless of the destination, since the 1970s. However, this policy has proved increasingly unsuitable as security challenges have intensified. Japan has opened a way to enable the transfer of a wider variety of defense equipment, including fighter jets co-developed with other countries.”　
2. US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will visit Japan and South Korea next week. She will first visit South Korea and then Japan. In Tokyo, Thomas-Greenfield will meet with the government’s senior officials and is expected to confirm strengthening collaboration between the three countries which are currently members of the UN Security Council. Issues to be discussed will include North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.　 3. Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako will visit communities on Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Peninsula that were hit hard by the New Year’s Day earthquake later this week. The Imperial Household Agency said the couple will travel by plane from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to Noto Airport on Friday morning. They will then board a Japan Self-Defense Forces helicopter in the afternoon and travel to Anamizu Town.

1. The real wages of private-sector workers in Japan fell for the 23rd month in a row in February, as inflation continued to outpace wage hikes. A monthly survey by the labor ministry found that inflation-adjusted pay dropped by 1.3 percent from a year earlier.
2. Japan launched its first ride-hailing services on Monday amid a growing taxi shortage, with Tokyo taking the lead. An industry group says the drivers are in their 20s to 50s, including self-employed people and a homemaker. All are driving their own cars. Customers use a smartphone app to book their journeys.
3. Large crowds have enjoyed watching giant decorated floats parading along a street adorned with cherry blossoms in full bloom in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. The Inuyama Festival took place in the city of Inuyama over the weekend. Its main attraction is 13 magnificent floats with mechanized puppet dolls that entertain spectators.

1. US President Joe Biden has warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that US policy with respect to Gaza will depend on the swift implementation of new steps to protect civilians and aid workers. In a phone call with Netanyahu on Thursday, Biden made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of concrete steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering and the safety of aid workers.
2. The US government has welcomed Israel’s decision to allow more deliveries of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip, including the opening of the Erez crossing.
3. One of Japan’s celebrated traditional gardens in Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture, is now open for free for cherry blossom viewing. The garden, Kenroku-en, is designated by the government as a scenic beauty that requires protection. It opens for free in the cherry blossoming season every year. A powerful earthquake that hit the prefecture on January 1 also caused damage to the garden. Most of stone lanterns that fell have been repaired, but stone walls that partially collapsed have yet to be restored and remain off-limits.

1. Search and rescue efforts continue in Taiwan following Wednesday’s deadly earthquake. On Thursday morning, people waited at a station in a village in the north of Hualien County, close to the epicenter. Many tried to catch the first train after being stranded. 2. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa says the Japanese government is ready to provide necessary assistance to quake-hit Taiwan, but there has been no request at this point, which suggests the Taiwanese side is focused on respons3e measures for now. 3. Retail giant Aeon has recalled about 860,000 bottles of mineral water in Japan after some customers reported a foul smell coming from the products. The 2-liter bottles of water were sold under the company’s Topvalu brand. Aeon stopped selling them on Monday.

1. Taiwanese authorities say seven people have died and 736 have been injured in a strong earthquake that occurred off the eastern coast of Taiwan at around 7:58 a.m. local time on Wednesday. They added that 77 people are trapped inside collapsed buildings.
2. US President Joe Biden has sharply criticized Israel over the deaths of several members of an international non-profit organization. He said it has not done enough to protect aid workers and civilians in the Gaza Strip. The World Central Kitchen said on Tuesday that seven of its members were killed in an Israeli airstrike.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Indonesia’s president-elect Prabowo Subianto have agreed to increase cooperation on a wide range of issues, including national security. Prabowo, who is currently defense minister, is visiting Japan for the first time since he won Indonesia’s presidential election in February.