Tokyo, 25 August, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to set up expert panel on financing defense cost rise
TOKYO – The Japanese government is planning to set up an expert panel to deepen discussions on how to secure enough funds to boost the country’s defense costs with the security environment rapidly worsening, government and ruling party sources said Wednesday.
The panel is likely to hold around four meetings as early as from September through the end of this year, when both the compilation of fiscal 2023 initial budget and the updating of three key security-related documents such as the National Security Strategy are expected, according to the sources.
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Toyota accepts California’s independent emission standards
NEW YORK – Toyota Motor Corp. has accepted California’s exhaust gas emission standards, following a years-long dispute that had prompted the state government to suspend purchases of vehicles from it and other major automakers.
The Japanese automaker said in a statement released Monday that it “continues to share the vision of (greenhouse gas) reduction and carbon neutrality goals” with the California Air Resources Board and the state government.
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KDDI mobile service disrupted again, soon restored
TOKYO – KDDI Corp., the provider of the “au” mobile service, said voice calls had been disrupted from around 9 p.m. Wednesday due to equipment failure but were restored about 45 minutes later, following a large-scale network outage that spanned several days in early July.
The second-largest mobile carrier by subscribers in Japan said the disruption Wednesday night occurred in a part of the eastern region of the country but did not affect data services.
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Malaysia’s jailed ex-PM Najib likely to attempt comeback: Mahathir
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia – The possibility of jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak making a political comeback will lie with a potential royal pardon and the outcome of the next general election, ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad said on Wednesday.
The Federal Court, the country’s highest court, sent Najib to prison on Tuesday after dismissing his appeal against a 12-year sentence and a 210-million-ringgit ($47 million) fine by the Kuala Lumpur High Court, which in July 2020 found him guilty of breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering over billions of dollars siphoned off from the state fund 1MDB.
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U.S. offers additional $3 bil. aid to Ukraine on Independence Day
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled an additional $2.98 billion in military aid for Ukraine on Wednesday, marking the country’s Independence Day and the six-month milestone since the Russian invasion began.
The package will enable Ukraine to acquire air defense and artillery systems, munitions, radars and other equipment to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term, Biden said in a statement.
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China, S. Korea mark 30th anniv. of ties amid delicate power balance
BEIJING/SEOUL – Leaders of China and South Korea called Wednesday for a boost in relations on the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties, as Seoul faces a delicate balancing act between its security ally, the United States, and its largest trading partner.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged congratulatory letters, with Yoon expressing hope that “new ways of cooperation” can be found over the next 30 years and Xi calling for “a substantive friendship” with the anniversary as the new starting point, the South Korean presidential office said.
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Nearly 80% of judges for Japan arts competitions are men: study
TOKYO – Nearly 80 percent of judges in major Japanese arts competitions across nine sectors, including music and manga, have been men over the past 10 years, an organization of artists said Wednesday.
A report by the group “Hyogen no Genba Chosadan,” which aims to promote gender parity across the artistic fields, found that 77 percent of the judges of the competitions and 66 percent of top-prize winners were men with the results highlighting the potential barriers women face in their careers.
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U.S. first lady has “rebound” result after negative COVID test
WASHINGTON – U.S. first lady Jill Biden has received a “rebound” positive result for the novel coronavirus after having previously tested negative, the White House said Wednesday.
The 71-year-old wife of President Joe Biden “has experienced no reemergence” of COVID-19 symptoms and will remain in Delaware where she has reinitiated isolation procedures, it said, noting she tested negative on Tuesday.
