Tokyo, 24 August, /AJMEDIA/
Indo-Pacific economic ministers to meet Sept. 8-9 in L.A.: U.S.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government said Tuesday it will host the first in-person ministerial talks on an Indo-Pacific economic cooperation plan in Los Angeles on Sept. 8 and 9, advancing an initiative launched earlier this year.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Trade Representative Katherine Tai will co-host the meeting with ministerial-level officials from the 13 other members of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, including Australia, India, Japan and South Korea.
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14 from Japan opposition party had dealings with Unification Church
TOKYO – Seven members of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, including a former leader, have been confirmed to have had dealings with organizations linked to the Unification Church, bringing the total of the country’s largest opposition party to 14, it said Tuesday after an internal survey.
Politicians’ connections to the church, formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, have become a source of controversy since former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed on July 8 over alleged links to the religious group by a gunman with a grudge against it.
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U.S. hosting lawmaker events to improve soured Japan-S. Korea ties
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is hosting events involving Japanese and South Korean lawmakers this week to help the Asian neighbors improve bilateral relations that have soured in recent years due to differences over historical issues, according to a U.S. government source.
The State Department has organized a series of events that began Monday in Washington and will include meetings between legislators so they can better understand each other as well as discussions with officials from the U.S. State and Defense departments, the source said.
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Japan to maintain sanctions on Russia as Ukraine war drags on
TOKYO – The Japanese government said Tuesday it will maintain sanctions on Russia while working in tandem with other Group of Seven nations as the war in Ukraine is set to enter its seventh month with no end in sight.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who attended a meeting of ministers and senior ministry officials virtually as he has contracted COVID-19, instructed them to craft measures to address rising energy prices prompted by the ongoing war.
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Tsai seeks counter-authoritarianism efforts from Japan lawmaker
TAIPEI – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said Tuesday the international community must work together to counter the expansion and provocations of authoritarianism as she met a delegation of Japanese lawmakers amid China’s assertive actions in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the meeting with Keiji Furuya, the head of a cross-party group of legislators dedicated to strengthening Japan-Taiwan relations, Tsai said, “If Taiwan is under attack, it would pose a significant threat to the democratic system and the entire Indo-Pacific region” and she expressed hope that Tokyo and Taipei will deepen cooperation.
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Ex-Malaysia PM Najib loses final appeal against graft conviction
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – Malaysia’s top court on Tuesday upheld former Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s corruption conviction and 12-year jail sentence plus a 210 million ringgit ($47.15 million) fine meted out by a lower court two years ago.
Najib’s failed last-ditch attempt to get the Federal Court to overturn the Kuala Lumpur High Court ruling made in July 2020 meant he has to start serving his jail sentence immediately.
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Olympus to sell original business of microscopes to U.S. company
TOKYO – Olympus Corp. is considering selling its microscope subsidiary to a U.S. private equity firm, aiming to rebuild its operations by letting go of its original business, a source familiar with the matter said Tuesday.
The major Japanese optical equipment maker, founded in 1919 as a microscope manufacturer, is expected to focus its financial resources on medical equipment following the sale of its science-centered subsidiary Evident Corp. to Bain Capital for several billion yen.
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Japan reports record 343 daily COVID-19 deaths
TOKYO – Japan saw a record 343 daily COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday amid the ongoing seventh wave of coronavirus infections, exceeding the previous high of 327 logged during the previous wave in late February, according to a tally of new cases across the country.
The death toll is also quickly mounting as monthly virus-related deaths exceeded 5,000 for the first time on Tuesday with more than a week left to go in August.
