Tokyo, 23 April, /AJMEDIA
U.S. highlights need for stable exchange rates in talks with Japan
WASHINGTON – U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her Japanese counterpart Shunichi Suzuki have affirmed the importance of stable foreign exchange rates amid the yen’s recent rapid decline against the U.S. dollar, the Treasury Department said Friday.
The announcement was apparently meant to showcase that the United States and Japan are aligned on the issue, which has become a major concern for Tokyo on the back of the diverging monetary policies of the U.S. and Japanese central banks.
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IMF-World Bank meeting also raps Russia’s war but skips communique
WASHINGTON – A joint panel of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank gave up on issuing a communique after its meeting Friday, releasing instead a chair’s statement criticizing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The joint IMF-World Bank Development Committee skipped a communique for the first time under its current system. But the move followed suit after the IMF policy-setting body and finance chiefs of the Group of 20 economies also ended their respective talks without a joint statement.
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Bank of Japan needs to keep monetary easing policy: Kuroda
NEW YORK – The Bank of Japan needs to continue its monetary easing policy, the central bank’s governor Haruhiko Kuroda said Friday, defending the accommodative stance amid growing concern that it has triggered rapid depreciation of the yen against the U.S. dollar.
The BOJ’s position is in stark contrast with the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank, among other financial authorities in developed countries that are moving toward a tightening of monetary policy following emergency steps to address the economic downturn amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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Japan, Russia strike deal on salmon, trout fishing despite sanctions
TOKYO – Japan and Russia have clinched a deal on Tokyo’s fishing quota for salmon and trout spawned in Russian rivers, Japan’s Fisheries Agency said Saturday, reaching an agreement on the issue despite Japan’s economic sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
The two countries agreed on Japan’s quota of 2,050 tons within its exclusive economic zone for 2022, the same level as last year, and the payment to Russia of a fee between 200 million yen ($1.5 million) and 300 million yen, depending on the actual catch.
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U.S. warns Solomon Islands against allowing China military presence
WASHINGTON – The United States said Friday it has warned the Solomon Islands against any possible moves toward inviting a Chinese military presence following the recent signing of a security agreement between the Pacific nation and the Asian economic powerhouse.
“If steps are taken to establish a de facto permanent military presence, power-projection capabilities, or a military installation, the delegation noted that the United States would then have significant concerns and respond accordingly,” the White House said following a trip by senior U.S. officials to the island country.
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Japan PM likely to meet delegation sent by next S. Korean president
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will likely meet next week with a delegation dispatched to Japan by South Korea’s President-elect Yoon Suk Yeol, sources with knowledge of the plan said Friday.
The meeting, expected to take place as early as Monday, would give Kishida an opportunity to hear how the administration of Yoon, who is calling for a “future-oriented” approach, would seek to improve bilateral ties strained over issues related to wartime history.
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Japan shifts to hard-line stance on territorial dispute with Russia
TOKYO – Tokyo has switched to a hard-line stance in its decades-long territorial dispute with Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, stating in its annual foreign policy report released Friday that four northern islands are “illegally occupied” by Russia.
The 2022 Diplomatic Bluebook maintained the view from last year on China, saying its increasing military activities have become “a source of strong concern from the aspect of security for the international community and regions including Japan.”
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France issues arrest warrant for Ghosn over misuse of funds
PARIS/NEW YORK – French prosecutors have issued an international arrest warrant for former Nissan Motor Co. CEO Carlos Ghosn over alleged misappropriation of funds from Renault SA, Nissan’s key alliance partner, investigative authorities said Friday.
Aside from Ghosn, the prosecutors are after four individuals linked to a car dealer in Oman for their suspected roles in helping Ghosn’s alleged misconduct, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing French authorities and other sources.
