1. Japan’s Princess Kako, who is on an official visit to Brazil, has paid a courtesy call on the country’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula visited Japan as a state guest and met with Emperor Naruhito in March.
2. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said that an extension of a 90-day pause on what the Trump administration calls “reciprocal” tariff is “highly likely.” The window is currently set to close on July 9 for most of the trading partners that were hit with the levies.
3. Japan remains 118th among 148 countries in a global ranking of gender equality, due partly to its performance in the field of politics. Japan is close to parity in education and healthcare, and recorded some progress in the economic field. However, its parity score declined in political participation, due to a reduction of women’s representation in ministerial positions.