Tokyo, 16 April, /AJMEDIA
Japan’s ruling LDP proposes acquiring enemy base strike capability
TOKYO – A national security panel of the Liberal Democratic Party has proposed that Japan acquire an enemy base strike capability, in a move to counter growing missile and other security threats in the region, ruling party lawmakers said Friday.
Whether to push for the controversial plan to possess such capability has been the key issue for a major policy review into Japan’s security by year-end, at a time when China and North Korea are ramping up their military activities.
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Japan tilts toward Hiroshima as G-7 summit location for 2023: sources
TOKYO – Japan is considering Hiroshima, one of the two atomic-bombed Japanese cities in World War II, as the most viable location to host a summit of the Group of Seven nations next year under its presidency, government sources said Friday.
The choice of Hiroshima is seen as fitting to stress the importance of peace after Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and its threat of using nuclear weapons, the sources said.
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U.S. confirms Russian flagship struck by Ukraine cruise missiles
WASHINGTON – The United States believes that the sunken flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet was struck by two Ukrainian missiles, a senior defense official said Friday, highlighting Russia’s struggle in its military campaign against Ukraine.
The assessment is in line with the Ukrainian assertion that the country hit the warship Moskva with Neptune short-range cruise missiles. The Russian Defense Ministry admitted on Thursday that the ship has sunk, without acknowledging an attack.
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No need to stop social activities with Omicron: Japan COVID adviser
TOKYO – Japan’s top coronavirus adviser said Friday the country no longer needs to “fully” stop social activities, as symptoms of the currently dominant Omicron variant are less severe than those of previous strains, in a major shift from his previous stance focusing on strict controls to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Shigeru Omi said in an interview with Kyodo News that Japan’s coronavirus situation has entered a new phase and there is no more need to take measures such as shutting down schools and department stores as the government did in April 2020 when the country’s first COVID-19 state of emergency was declared.
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Japan’s population falls by record 644,000 to 125.5 mil. in 2021
TOKYO – Japan’s population had its largest drop on record, falling by 644,000 to just over 125.5 million in 2021, reflecting a decline in foreign residents amid tighter border controls over the coronavirus pandemic and the rapidly aging society, government data showed Friday.
The population stood at 125,502,000 as of Oct. 1, down 644,000 from a year earlier for the 11th consecutive year of decline. The drop was the biggest since comparable data became available in 1950, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.
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North Korea marks key anniversary amid fears about military provocations
BEIJING – North Korea on Friday marked the 110th anniversary of the birth of its founder, Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong Un, amid mounting concern that it would conduct military provocations directed against the United States.
As speculation grew that North Korea may launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or carry out its seventh nuclear test on the occasion of the anniversary, the United States, Japan and South Korea strengthened surveillance on the country.
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Japan, 5 Central Asia nations vow to closely communicate over Ukraine
TOKYO – Japan and five Central Asian nations pledged Friday to closely communicate over responses to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
During online talks with ministers and officials of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi condemned Moscow’s aggression on Ukraine that began in late February as a serious breach of international law, according to the ministry.
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China cuts bank reserve requirements amid COVID-19 resurgence
BEIJING – China’s central bank said Friday it will cut the amount of cash that banks must hold as reserves, in an attempt to ease credit and shore up the economy hit by another wave of novel coronavirus infections.
The reduction of the reserve requirement ratio by the People’s Bank of China is aimed at bolstering consumption and domestic investment by prompting financial institutions to lend more money to companies and other entities.
