1. NHK has learned that work to remove molten fuel debris at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is not likely to start until the late 2030s at the earliest. That’s behind a scheduled start of sometime in the early 2030s, as stated in a roadmap compiled by the government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company.
2. Top officials of the United States and China have started trade talks in Stockholm, Sweden. China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the talks began on Monday. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, who oversees his country’s economic policy, are attending the talks.
3. A division within Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is deepening as its leader and Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru reiterated his intention to remain in office. The party suffered a bitter defeat in the recent Upper House election. The LDP held a meeting of lawmakers from both houses of the Diet on Monday, following the loss in the election earlier this month.