Tokyo, 18 November, /AJMEDIA/
Kishida, Xi to work for stable ties, oppose nuke use in Ukraine
BANGKOK – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed Thursday to work for stabilizing bilateral ties and expressed their opposition to any use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, in a veiled counter to Russia’s threat to possibly use them against the neighbor it has invaded.
After their first in-person talks in Bangkok, Kishida said he also conveyed to Xi Japan’s “serious concern” about Chinese attempts to undermine Tokyo’s control over the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, as well as Beijing’s firing of ballistic missiles near Taiwan that fell into Japan’s exclusive economic zone in August.
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Japanese filmmaker detained in Myanmar returns home after amnesty
TOKYO – Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota returned to Japan on a commercial flight Friday after being released from a Myanmar prison under an amnesty by the junta the previous day.
Kubota was detained on July 30 while filming an anti-coup protest in Myanmar’s largest city Yangon and sentenced by a military-controlled court to 10 years in prison for sedition, among other crimes.
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APEC summit to focus on energy security amid rift over Ukraine war
BANGKOK – Pacific-rim leaders will hold a two-day meeting from Friday in Bangkok, focusing on ways to address surging energy and food prices and supply chain disruptions sparked by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
During the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum summit, the leaders are likely to agree to advance trade, investment and economic integration to spur growth in the regional economy.
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Japan mulls lethal weapon exports by revising strict rules
TOKYO – Japan is considering exporting lethal weapons by revising its strict guidelines on the transfer of defense equipment under its postwar pacifist Constitution, a government source said Thursday.
One of the ideas under discussion is that the government will realize such exports on condition that they would help boost the deterrence of the importing nation and contribute to Japan’s security environment, according to the source.
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U.S. House Speaker Pelosi to leave party leadership
WASHINGTON – Nancy Pelosi, a veteran U.S. lawmaker who heads the House of Representatives, said Thursday she will step down from the leadership of the Democratic Party following its loss of the chamber’s majority to Republicans in last week’s midterm elections.
Pelosi, 82, has led her party’s caucus in the chamber for nearly 20 years and is known for hard-line stances on issues related to China, including allegations over its human rights record.
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More deaths, elderly cases fuel concern about Japan’s new COVID wave
TOKYO – New coronavirus cases among the elderly are increasing while those with severe symptoms and deaths are also on the rise, an advisory panel of experts to the health ministry said Thursday, as Japan braces for its eighth wave of infections.
Nationwide infections reported in the week through Wednesday were 1.24 times higher than the previous week, with 46 out of the country’s 47 prefectures marking a rise during the period, the ministry reported at a meeting of the experts.
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Japan court orders 2 to pay 500 mil. yen over “fast movie” uploads
TOKYO – The Tokyo District Court on Thursday ordered a man and woman to pay 500 million yen ($3.6 million) in damages to 13 major film production companies for uploading minutes-long, edited versions of their films known as “fast movies” on YouTube without permission.
The court awarded the plaintiffs, including Toho Co., Shochiku Co. and Toei Co., the full amount they had demanded in giving the first court decision in Japan concerning damages for unauthorized uploading of such types of edited films.
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Football: Japan lose 2-1 to Canada in last friendly before World Cup
DUBAI – Japan lost 2-1 to Canada in their final warm-up friendly before the World Cup in Qatar, conceding a decisive penalty to the North Americans in injury time at Dubai’s Al-Maktoum Stadium on Thursday.
Moments after missing a chance to be the hero when he hit the post on a counterattack, second-half substitute Miki Yamane turned villain when he tripped Mark-Anthony Kaye in the box, enabling Lucas Cavallini to slot the winner from the spot in the 95th minute.
