Tomoyasu Website 2026

1. A senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official has arrived in China amid a row over comments Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae made in relation to Taiwan. The director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, Kanai Masaaki, arrived in Beijing on Monday afternoon. It is believed Kanai intends to explain that Takaichi’s remark a bout a possible Taiwan emergency did not deviate from the Japanese government’s position regarding Taiwan.
2. Japanese and South Korean government sources have told NHK that Seoul notified Tokyo of its intention to call off a joint maritime drill scheduled for this month. The two countries were planning a search and rescue exercise of Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force and the South Korean Navy. But the sources say the South Korean side informed Japan this month that it will cancel the exercise. It is not clear why.
3. Japan’s Environment Ministry says 88 people were attacked by bears across nation in October alone, with seven of the victims dying. That’s the worst figure for any month in the past decade. The ministry also says that from April to the end of October, 12 people were killed and 184 were injured. Casualties were reported in 21 of the country’s 47 prefectures. Akita topped the list at 56, followed by 34 in Iwate, 20 in Fukushima, 15 in Nagano and 13 Niigata.

1. China’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the Japanese ambassador to China to demand a retraction of a remark by Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae about a possible Taiwan contingency.
2. NHK has learned that a Japanese research institute believes the wild bear population in Akita Prefecture may be growing as a result of good beechnut yields becoming more frequent in recent years. The nut is a primary food source for the animals.
3. Major League Baseball superstar Ohtani Shihei of the Los Angeles Dodgers has won this season’s National League Most Valuable Player award.

1. Japanese police squads armed with rifles have begun a campaign to cull bears that appear in populated areas of northeastern Japan. Riot police personnel trained to use firearms to deal with terrorists have been sent there from other prefectures to work with local police.
2. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a stoppage funding bill to reopen the federal government, ending the longest shutdown in US history. Trump signed the bill shortly after its passage in the US House of Representatives.
3. Investigative sources say police have referred actor Hirosue Ryoko to prosecutors over a traffic accident in April that injured a passenger in her car. Police say Hirosue rear-ended a large trailer truck while driving on an expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan.

1. US state governors and other local government representatives have emphasized their intention to continue efforts to address climate change at the annual United Nations climate summit, known as COP30. * Conference of the Parties締約国会議
The event kicked off on Monday in the northern Brazilian city of Belem, but the Republican administration of US President Donald Trump has sent no high-ranking officials. The US is the second largest emitter of carbon dioxide. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who is a Democrat, said on Tuesday, “I do not want the United States of America to be a footnote on climate policy, and that’s exactly what Donald Trump is intending to do.”
2. The head of the International Criminal Court has called for cooperation from the international community in maintaining independence and impartiality among growing pressure from major powers. ICC President Akane Tomoko spoke at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. The Japanese judge has been serving as president since last year.
3. Top diplomats from the Group of Seven nations have gathered in Canada’s Ontario Province for foreign ministerial talks. The group is expected to discuss ways to increase pressure on Russia in a bid to force a ceasefire with Ukraine.

1．A police squad inspected areas on Tuesday where bears have been spotted in Morioka City, Iwate Prefecture, in northeastern Japan. The move came ahead of a bear culling operation scheduled to start on Thursday.
2. A Japanese government council has been formed to bolster the country’s economic security. It has hammered out priority economic growth measures for 17 strategi fields, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The measures will be reflected in a new stimulus package ahead of schedule.
3. Japanese lawmakers are expected to discuss how to deal with the country’s departure tax as part of tax reforms for the next fiscal year. Travelers leaving Japan, including Japanese citizens, must pay 1,000 yen, or about 6 dollars and 50 cents, per person. The departure tax, formally called the International Tourist Tax, was introduced in 2019. It is collected as a free added to prices of tickets for airlines and other forms of transportation.

1. A recent spate of bear attacks in Japan has prompted some businesses to take action. Leading convenience-store chain Lawson has issued a safety manual for workers and customers. It tells store managers to switch their front doors from automatic to manual if bears are sighted nearby, so they can only be opened by hand. Workers are also told to clean outdoor garbage spaces more frequently, as the smell of food attracts the animals.
2. A summary of Bank of Japan policymakers’ opinions at their last meeting reflects a view that their time for another interest-rate hike is approaching. The summary released Monday shows policymakers decided to stand pat given the uncertainties in the global economy and the need to watch the momentum toward wage increases in Japan. But the document includes the opinion that even if no immediate action was required, “the Bank should not miss the timing to raise the policy interest rate.”
3. Flamed from torches illuminated the night sky of a city in northeastern Japan on Saturday during a traditional fire festival. The Taimatsu Akashi took place at Midorigaoka Park in Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture. It is said to have originated more than 430 years ago to honor people who died defending Sukagawa Castle against Date Masamune during the Sengoku warring states period. Date was a feudal warlord in the region.

1. Japan’s leading business lobby is planning to propose changes to the country’s work-life balance system, including easing limits on working hours while considering employee health. But a major labor organization is against it.
2. World leaders gathered in Brazil on Thursday ahead of next week’s COP 30 climate summit. They are hoping to make headway in combating global warming.
3. Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has fronted a third day of Diet debates as head of the minority government. Party leaders pressed her on issues including the soaring cost of living and policies on foreign nationals.

1. At least 12 people, including a young child, have been confirmed dead in a UPS cargo plane crash that happened in the US state of Kentucky. One of its engines reportedly fell off during takeoff. The McDonnel Douglas MD-11, carrying a crew of three, crashed immediately after taking off from an international airport in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday.
2. Japan has raised the fishing quota for flying squid for the second time this season. But a ban on catches by small vessels remains in place, leading to growing frustration among some fishers. A government panel on Wednesday approved a plan to expand the quota by 6 percent to 27,600 tons. It is the first time the quota has been hiked twice in the middle of the fishing season.
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has expressed readiness to continue implementing support for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. The pledge came during her first phone talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday since assuming the prime ministerial post last month. Takaichi stressed that Japan’s stance that it stands with Ukraine remains unchanged.

1. US media outlets say Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is now projected to win the New York City mayoral election held on Tuesday. Mamdani, who is 34 years old, was born in Uganda with Indian ancestry He was first elected to the New York State Assembly in 2020 and is now serving his third term. He will become the first Muslim mayor of the city.
2. Britain’s Defense Ministry says about 1.14 million Russian military personnel have likely been killed or wounded since Moscow started its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ministry released the estimate on social media on Tuesday, adding that roughly 350,000 of the casualties occurred this year.
3. Former US Vice President Dick Cheney has died. He was 84 years old. His family said in a statement on Tuesday that Cheney died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease. It said his wife, daughters and other family members were with him as he passed.

1. Japan’s Economic Security Minister Onoda Kimi, who is in charge of promoting coexistence with foreign nationals, outlined the issues on her agenda as she spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. Onoda said she will consider optimizing controls on immigration and residency status, measures to deal with over-tourism and private lodgings, proper responses to crimes committed by foreigners, and grasping the extent of real estate ownership by foreign nationals and rules for property acquisition. The government plans to solicit opinions from experts in drawing up its basic ideas on policies related to foreign nationals.
2. Japan’s Defense Ministry is arranging to send Ground Self-Defense Force personnel to Akita Prefecture to assist in the capture of wild bears. Sources say the activities could start as early as Wednesday. The northern prefecture has seen a spate of bear attacks on humans, some of which have resulted in injuries and deaths. The prefecture has asked the SDF to help it capture the animals.
3. Plans to light up the fall foliage at a park in Hokkaido, northern Japan, have been canceled due to bear sightings in the area. Hachironuma Park in the city of Hokuto is known for its stunning fall leaves. The park is over 10 hectares and has about 2,000 trees, including maple and azalea.