Tokyo, 18 August, /AJMEDIA/
Ex-Tokyo Olympic exec Takahashi arrested on bribery suspicion
TOKYO – A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee executive, who had wielded huge influence in sports circles, was arrested by prosecutors Wednesday on suspicion of receiving bribes of about 51 million yen ($380,000) from major business suit retailer Aoki Holdings Inc.
In addition to Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former senior managing director of Japan’s largest advertising agency Dentsu Inc., the prosecutors arrested Hironori Aoki, a former chairman of the retailer, and two other people in connection with the case unfolding about a year after the Tokyo Olympics.
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Hanae Mori, renowned Japanese fashion designer, dies at 96
TOKYO – Pioneering Japanese fashion designer Hanae Mori, who gained international acclaim for her designs themed on “East meets West,” died on Aug. 11 at her Tokyo home, her office said. She was 96.
The fashion trailblazer, known for her butterfly motifs, became the first Japanese person to be listed as an official “haute couture” designer in Paris in 1977. Mori presented her collections for decades in Japan and abroad until retiring from the runway in 2004.
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New Russian operator offers Japan firms same contracts for Sakhalin 2
TOKYO – The new Russian operator for the Sakhalin 2 oil and gas project in the Russian Far East has offered Japanese power companies and other buyers the same prices, supply levels and other conditions as before, a source familiar with the deal said Wednesday.
The new company was launched on Aug. 5 following a decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Japan — whose relations with Moscow have deteriorated since it launched its offensive in Ukraine — has been waiting to see whether Japanese utilities could maintain their contracts with the operator.
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Japan ruling party policy chief visited Unification Church-linked facility
TOKYO – Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda visited a facility linked to the controversial Unification Church in June, accompanying ruling party candidate Akiko Ikuina ahead of the upper house election, Ikuina’s office said Wednesday.
Hagiuda, then industry minister, and Ikuina, who was elected in the House of Councillors election on July 10 in the Tokyo constituency, visited the facility in the city of Hachioji in western Tokyo apparently to seek the religious group’s support.
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Japan, China arranging high-level talks amid Taiwan tension
TOKYO – The governments of Japan and China are arranging high-level security talks in China, sources close to the matter said Wednesday, with the two sides seeking to avoid further deterioration of ties following Beijing’s major military exercises held near Taiwan earlier this month.
During the envisioned meeting between Japanese national security adviser Takeo Akiba and China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi, Tokyo is likely to convey its concern over the drills Beijing conducted in protest of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan and underscore the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
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North Korea fires two cruise missiles toward Yellow Sea: Yonhap
SEOUL – North Korea fired two cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing a South Korean military official.
The missiles were launched from a central region of the nation as U.S. and South Korean troops on Tuesday began a preliminary drill ahead of their annual exercises from next Monday.
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U.S. downplays concerns over Russia-China exercises amid Ukraine war
WASHINGTON – The United States on Wednesday played down concerns that planned military exercises involving Russia, China, India and other countries will undermine U.S. efforts to isolate Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
“These are joint exercises that involve a number of countries well beyond Russia and China…I’ll also note that most of the participating countries also routinely participate in a wide array of military exercises and exchanges with the United States as well,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told a press conference.
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South Korea president denies hostility toward North, offers aid
SEOUL – President Yoon Suk Yeol said Wednesday that South Korea has no hostile intentions toward North Korea, showing his willingness to offer aid programs if Pyongyang firmly commits to denuclearization.
North Korea fired two cruise missiles toward the Yellow Sea the same day, a South Korean military official said, after U.S. and South Korean troops on Tuesday began a preliminary drill ahead of their annual exercises from next Monday.
