月: 2025年5月

1. President Donald Trump has reacted to the US Court of International Trade’s decision to block some of his tariffs. The court ruled on Wednesday that the US president had exceeded his authority by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the levies. 2. Japan’s Foreign Ministry says it has confirmed that the US Embassy in Japan has suspended new interview appointments for student visa applicants. The move came after an order issued earlier this month by the administration of US President Donald Trump. 3. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Shirakawa-go in central Japan has held a rice-planting festival against the backdrop of traditional houses with steep thatched roofs.

1. A US federal court on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs. The court ordered an injunction on tariffs that were based on the International Emergency Powers Act, or IEEPA. It said that the levies exceed any authority granted by the law to the president. The court order covers what Trump calls “reciprocal tariffs” on countries and regions that have large trade surpluses with the US. It also applies to a 10 percent universal levy. The White House says it has notified the court of its intention to appeal the ruling. 2. Billionaire Elon Musk has announced that he is leaving his government role. He noted that his time as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, is coming to an end. In a post on the social media platform X on Wednesday, Musk said that his “scheduled time as a Special Government Employee” is ending. He also thanked President Donald Trump for giving him the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending. 3. The University of Osaka in western Japan has announced that it will accept up to about 100 US-based researchers, regardless of nationality. The move comes in response to restrictive academic policies under President Donald Trump’s administration. 　　

1. Britain’s King Charles has opened Canada’s new session of parliament as the country’s head of state, saying the government will protect Canadians and their sovereign rights “from wherever challenges may come at home or abroad.” His speech follows repeated claims from US President Donald Trump that Canada should become the 51st US state. 2. American students at Harvard University have held a rally in support of their classmates, protesting the US administration’s move to prevent international students from enrolling. The government under President Donald Trump has revoked Harvard’s right to enroll foreign students, accusing its administrators of fostering violence and antisemitism. International students already enrolled have been told to transfer to a different university or lose their legal status in the United States.
3. The US state of Hawaii has decided to raise the tax on hotel and other accommodation stays to fund climate change measures. Starting in January next year, the state’s Transient Accommodation Tax will be raised from the current 10.25 percent to 11 percent. 　　

1. The Bank of Japan chief has suggested again that the bank will cautiously weigh a further rate hike amid extremely high uncertainty. BOJ Governor Ueda Kazuo said inflation in Japan has picked up again, driven primarily by higher prices of food, most notably rice. He said the bank will “adjust the degree of monetary easing” if incoming data provide a reason for greater confidence that economic activity and prices are improving. 2. Japan is trying to arrange another round of high-level negotiations with the US on Friday to seek a review of tariffs rolled out by President Donald Trump. If realized, it would be the second week in a row that Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei sits down for talks in Washington as Japan’s chief negotiator.
3. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has slammed Israel’s recent actions in Gaza. The military operations have been causing increasing numbers of civilian casualties. Merz said in a TV interview on Monday that he no longer understands why Israel is harming the civilian population.

1. US President Donald Trump says he has extended the deadline for imposing a 50-percent tariff on the European Union. He says the date will be moved back by more than a month to give more time to negotiators to work out a deal.
2. Japan’s agriculture ministry says it will start selling government stockpiles of rice directly to retailers, so the grain can reach consumers at lower prices. The plan follows a series of competitive auctions that failed to bring down soaring prices of the staple crop. 3.Police in Okinawa arrested a US Marine Monday on suspicion of drunk driving. One day earlier, a US military member was arrested in a hit-and-run case. Police identified the drunk driving suspect as Marine Corporal Adrian Xavier Sanchez, who resides at Camp Schwab.

1. The latest opinion poll shows that the gap between the two leading candidates in South Korea’s presidential election has narrowed significantly. The election is slated for June 3. The results released on Friday by Gallup Korea show that the candidate from South Korea’s largest opposition Democratic Party, Lee Jae-myung, is the frontrunner with 45 percent in favor. He is trailed by Kim Moon-soo, of the conservative ruling People Power Party, at 36 percent. The survey of 1,002 respondents was held from Tuesday through Thursday. In last week’s Gallup Korea poll, Lee garnered 51 percent and Kim 29 percent.
2. Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump on Friday. Ishiba expressed his expectations for productive negotiations in the upcoming ministerial-level tariff talks in Washington. The call, requested by the US side, lasted 45 minutes. Ishiba said he is looking forward to meeting Trump at the G7 summit to be held in Canada in mid-June. Trump responded that he was too. The two leaders also discussed national security. Trump outlined his recent trip to the Middle East, and Ishiba responded that he appreciated the diplomatic efforts.
3. Japan’s new agriculture minister, Koizumi Shinjiro, says he will take steps so rice from government stockpiles can be sold at retail stores from early June in the 2,000 yen range, or about 14 to 21 dollars, per 5 kilograms. The ministry is releasing the reserve rice through auctions starting in March in an effort to stabilize distribution and lower prices. But rice prices have continued to soar. Koizumi is planning to use no-bid contracts to sell the stockpiled rice instead of auctioning it off to the highest bidders. He said at a news conference on Friday that the plan is to sell the reserve rice through discretionary contracts.

1. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has met with relatives of Japanese citizens who were abducted by North Korea. He pledged to make his utmost efforts to resolve the issue as soon as possible while gaining cooperation from the international community. 2. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has instructed his top tariff negotiator with the United States to be fully prepared for the possibility that a wider range of issues could be taken up in the next round of talks.
3. Japan’s new agriculture minister Koizumi Shinjiro has pledged to tackle soaring rice prices as he officially takes over from his predecessor Eto Taku.

1. People across much of Japan sweated through a second day of unseasonably hot weather on Wednesday.
2. Group of Seven finance officials are set to meet for discussions that are expected to be dominated by US tariffs and the impact on the global economy. The two-day gathering of G7 finance ministers and central bank governors will kick off on Wednesday in Banff, Canada. 3. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru had decided to appoint Koizumi Shinjiro, the former chairperson of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s Election Strategy Committee, to succeed Eto Taku as agriculture minister.

1. Japan’s top negotiator in tariff talks with the United States is scheduled to leave for Washington on Friday. Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei is expected to engage in a third round of ministerial discussions the following day. He said on Tuesday, “It’s important to achieve an agreement that’s a win for both countries. Japan’s national interests must not be damaged by prioritizing an early consensus.
2. NHK has learned that Japanese police have obtained arrest warrants for two Vietnamese nationals suspected of directing a shoplifting ring in Japan from their home country. Sources close to the investigation say a joint task force, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, has secured warrants for Nguyen Ba Thanh and Nguyen Thu Huyen. 3. US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed Ukraine over the phone on Monday. Both leaders said their conversation went well but no major progress was made on negotiations to reach peace. Putin stressed Moscow’s conventional claims, saying the main thing is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis.

1. US media are reporting that former US President Joe Biden has been diagnosed with an “aggressive form” of prostate cancer. According to CNN and others, Biden’s office released a statement on Sunday saying that the former president’s cancer had spread to his bones, but appeared to allow for “effective management.”
2. A pro-European candidate has declared victory in Romania’s presidential runoff on Sunday. The election authority says that with 99 percent of the votes counted, Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan was ahead with 53.83 percent, while his rival, George Simion, was trailing with 46.17 percent. Local media reported that Dan won the runoff.
3. Police in central Japan say a car that caused multiple accidents drove the wrong way for at least 10 kilometers on an expressway on Sunday. The river of the small car is still at large one day after the accidents on the Shin-Meishin Expressway. Police are looking for the car and its driver on suspicion of causing hit-and-run accidents.