1. Scorching temperatures are expected to continue across Japan on Friday. People are advised to take measures to avoid heatstroke. Heatstroke alerts have been issued across the country. The Japan Meteorological Agency says the current high temperatures are life-threatening.
2. French President Emmanuel Macron says his country will recognize the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September. The move would make France the first among Group of Seven nations to recognize Palestine. Macron announced his decision on social media on Thursday, saying “the French people want peace in the Middle East – as French citizens, alongside Israelis, Palestinians, and our European and international partners – to prove that peace is possible.”
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has received a briefing from the country’s chief tariff negotiator over the term of a trade agreement reached with the United States earlier this week. Ishiba met Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa Ryosei in Tokyo on Thursday. Akazawa held talks with US President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Tuesdsay. Ishiba told reporters after the briefing that the outcome of the negotiations is in line with his idea that investment should come before tariffs. He said he first floated the proposal when he met President Trump at the White House in February.