May 2, Thursday, 2024

1. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has stressed the importance of maintaining a free and fair rules-based economic order amid a diversifying international community. Kishida delivered a speech on Thursday at a meeting in Paris of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
2. Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko has visited three African nations to promote economic cooperation and to confirm the importance of building an international order based on the rule of law. Kamikawa visited Madagascar, Cote d’lvoire, and Nigeria on a five-day tour of emerging economies in Africa, which ended on Wednesday. 3. Fujiko Hemming, a classical pianist who released her best-selling debut album in her late 60s, has died at the age of 92. She won many fans with her struggle to overcome adversity and performances that reflected her warm personality. The Fujiko Hemming Foundation announced on Thursday that she died on April 21 after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March.