月: 2024年11月

1. Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip continued on Thursday as a ceasefire took effect in Lebanon between Israel and the Shia Muslim group Hezbollah. The Israeli military said on Thursday it continued ground operations in northern Gaza.
2. The upper house of Australia’s parliament has passed legislation that bans the use of social media by children under the age of 16. The government says the measure is necessary to protect their mental health and wellbeing. 3. A fire at a Tokyo condominium unit occupied by Inoguchi Kuniko, a Japanese lawmaker has killed two people. The victims are believed to be family members of the politician. The lawmaker and the younger daughter were not at home at the time of the fire. Her husband, Inoguchi Takashi, professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and the older daughter remain unaccounted for.

1. Japan’s Diet convened for an extraordinary session on Thursday. Key issues for debate are political funds reform and a draft supplementary budget for a new economic stimulus package. The session will be the first full-fledged debate since the governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito lost their majority in last month’s Lower House election. Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru told reporters that taking into account the Lower House election results, he will manage Diet proceedings by listening more carefully than before to the opinions of other parties.
2. US President-elect Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have both stressed on social media that they had a positive conversation on pending issues, including immigration. 3. European leaders have announced their plans to ramp up support for Ukraine ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump taking power in Washington. The two-day Nordic-Baltic Summit began in Sweden on Wednesday. Heads of government from countries that border Russia, including Finland, Latvia and Estonia, are taking part. They said in a joint statement that their “transatlantic bond is indispensable” and that they will supply more ammunition for Ukraine.

1. US President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for “border czar” in the coming administration has visited the southern border with Mexico and vowed to carry out a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants. Tom Homan will be responsible for securing the national borders under Trump, who puts border security among his top priorities. 2. A ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants has taken effect. The deal arranged between the governments of Israel and Lebanon comes after more than a year of clashes. But it is unclear the agreement will be respected. US President Joe Biden announced it on Tuesday, hailing the efforts of Israel and Lebanon, and saying the United States and France will work with them to make sure it is enforced.
3. A strong earthquake hit Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan, at around 10:47 p.m. on Tuesday. The quake registered an intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese seismic scale of 0 to 7. No tsunami was observed. There are no reports of damage caused by the earthquake.

1. A funeral and entombment ceremony, called Renso-no-gi, for late Princess Mikasa began at a burial ground in Tokyo on Tuesday morning. The Princess passed away due to old age at a Tokyo hospital on November 15. She was 101 years old. A vehicle carrying the Princess’ coffin left her residence at the Akasaka Estate in central Tokyo at around 9 a.m. with her employees and servants looking on.
2. US President-elect Donald Trump says he will impose a 25 percent tariff on all products from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10 percent tariff on goods from China. Trump said on social media on Monday that “thousands of people are pouring through Mexico and Canada, bringing crime and drugs at levels never seen before. He added that the tariff will remain in effect until crime and drugs from the two countries stop coming into the US.
3. An explosion and fire have halted a combustion test of Japan’s new Epsilon S solid-fuel rocket at the Tanegashima Space Center in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, which conducted the test, said a combustion abnormality occurred at around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, 49 seconds after testing of the second stage of the rocket began. Epsilon S is one of Japan’s mainstay rockets being developed by JAXA and others.

1. A candidate supported by the Conservative Party of Japan, Hirosawa Ichiro, won the mayoral election in the city of Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, on Sunday. The city’s former deputy mayor was also supported by a regional party, GenzeiNippon. The 60-year-old ran in Sunday’s election as Kawamura Takashi’s successor. 2. A memorial ceremony has been held to honor all those who worked at Japanese gold mines on Niigata Prefecture’s Sado Island. The Sato Island Gold Mines gained UNESCO World Heritage status in July. 3. In the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament, Ozeki Kotozakura has won his first top-division title. On the final day of the 15th-day tourney on Sunday, Kotozakura beat Ozeki Hoshoryu to clinch the championship with 14 wins and one loss.

1. Justices on the International Criminal Court in The Hague have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense chief and the military head of Hamas. 2. Japanese baseball superstar Ohtani Shohei has received his third MVP award in Major League Baseball and his first in the National League.
3. An international team led by a Japanese researcher says it has developed a new type of plastic that is durable but breaks down in seawater. It says the new plastic is recyclable and will help reduce environmental pollution and the accumulation of microplastics in the oceans.

1. When Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party and partner Komeito lost their combined majority in the Lower House of the Diet in October’s general election, it pushed them into cooperating with the opposition. The ruling coalition and the Democratic Party for the People have agreed on a draft revision of a new economic stimulus package that includes the DPEP’s ideas to raise individuals’ minimum annual income that is subject to taxation—the typical worker’s tax-free allowance. However, skeptics say the reforms could end up costing central and local governments tax revenues of more than 7 trillion yen every year.
2. The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in an attack on eastern Ukraine on Thursday. Reuters news agency reports this is the first time Russia has used an ICBM against Ukraine since the invasion began in 2022.
3. Japanese semiconductor maker Kioxia Holdings is expected to be listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange next month after years of postponement.

1. Chinese President Xi Jinping has held summits separately with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron. The meetings apparently reflect Xi’s aim to strengthen economic ties with major EU members at a time when potential trade frictions are looming between China and the United States. 2. Japan’s Foreign Ministry says China has blamed an intrusion by one of its military planes into Japanese airspace in August on “force majeure”—or unanticipated circumstances beyond the control of the crew. The Japanese government lodged a strong protest after the Chinese military intelligence-gathering aircraft flew over waters off Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan. It has repeatedly demanded a swift and sufficient explanation.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has expressed his eagerness to build a cooperative relationship with US President-elect Donald Trump by analyzing what the incoming administration’s policies will likely be. The prime minister said it is not confrontation but mutual cooperation between Japan and the United States that benefits both countries as well as contributes to the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

1. Japan and Britain have agreed to launch an economic version of the so-called “two-plus-two” talks, involving their foreign, economy and trade ministers. The agreement came in a meeting held between Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and his British counterpart Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
2. The chair of the Group of 20 summit, Brazil, has released the G20 leaders’ declaration that calls for eradicating various forms of global inequalities. The leaders were due to adopt a declaration on Tuesday to close the summit. In reaffirming the role of the G20, the declaration said that G20 leaders remain committed to support developing countries in responding to global crises and challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
3. China’s state-run media say multiple people have been injured after being struck by a car outside a primary school in the inland province of Hunan. Xinhua News Agency and others say the incident took place in the city of Changde on Tuesday around 8 a.m. Details remain unclear, but the injured are believed to include children.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru is in Brazil to attend a summit of the Group of G20 major economies. During the G20 summit, the prime minister plans to stress Tokyo’s commitment to tackling international challenges, including poverty and climate change, in cooperation with developing nations. Ishiba is also expected to discuss Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the escalating tensions in the Middle East.
2. Leaders of the Group of 20 major economies are set to begin discussions on global issues, such as poverty and climate change. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, US President Joe Biden and Chines President Xi Jinping are among the attendees. The leaders are expected to discuss how to proceed with measures to address hunger and poverty. They will also exchange views on sustainable development, including measures against climate change. 3. Leading American media outlets report that President Joe Biden has authorized the Ukrainian military to use US-supplied long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia. The New York times quotes US officials as saying the authorization “came in response to Russia’s surprise decisions to bring North Korean troops into the fight.”