Tokyo, 26 August, /AJMEDIA/
“No first use” removed from draft report at nuke disarmament confab
NEW YORK – A call for states to adopt doctrines banning preemptive use of nuclear weapons has been removed from a draft report for an ongoing international disarmament conference, according to a version the chairman circulated Thursday.
The watered-down draft also took out a reference to “the Russian Federation” in its call for the restoration of local control over a conflict-prone nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine, a day before the end of the nearly monthlong review conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at U.N. headquarters.
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Another U.S. senator visits Taiwan amid tensions with China
WASHINGTON – A U.S. senator arrived in Taiwan on Thursday in what became the second visit by members of Congress since House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the self-ruled island infuriated China earlier this month.
Republican lawmaker Marsha Blackburn, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that her trip to meet with leaders in Taipei is intended to “advance and strengthen our partnerships” and that regular high-level visits to Taipei are “long-standing U.S. policy.”
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Figure skating: Hanyu at peace with his past, future, and fans
SENDAI – Yuzuru Hanyu’s path to world figure skating glory was not an easy one, but the two-time Olympic champion has come to view the many obstacles as part of a “blessed existence.”
Now looking forward to expressing himself outside the competitive arena, Hanyu recently reflected on his career, his relationship with his fans, and his ambitions on the ice.
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Japan, S. Korea officials to discuss wartime labor issue on Fri.
TOKYO – Senior Foreign Ministry officials from Japan and South Korea are set to meet on Friday in Tokyo to discuss the issue of wartime labor compensation, which has frayed bilateral relations, according to the Japanese ministry.
The talks come amid reports that South Korea’s Supreme Court may finalize soon, possibly within this month, a court order to liquidate assets seized from one of two Japanese firms over forced labor during Japan’s 1910-1945 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.
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Japan police chief to step down over ex-PM Abe’s assassination
TOKYO – The top bureaucrat of the Japanese police offered Thursday to step down to take responsibility for the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Itaru Nakamura, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, expressed his intention at a press conference where the agency announced the results of its investigation into the police’s failure to protect Abe when he was fatally shot while delivering a stump speech in the western city of Nara last month.
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Abe’s state funeral to cost gov’t 250 million yen: sources
TOKYO – The controversial state funeral for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe next month is going to cost the Japanese government around 250 million yen ($1.8 million), government sources said Thursday.
The amount, to be approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet as early as Friday, is expected to include costs for renting the venue, the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, and COVID-19 precautions, according to the sources.
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Fukushima nuclear debris removal delayed further to FY2023
TOKYO – The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which suffered core meltdowns in 2011, and the Japanese government said Thursday they will postpone the removal of radioactive fuel debris, originally slated to begin this year, by around 12 to 18 months.
It marks the second delay in removing melted fuel from the plant’s No. 2 unit, which was to begin in 2021 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Okinawa gubernatorial race begins with U.S. base relocation in focus
NAHA, Japan – Campaigning began for the Okinawa gubernatorial election on Thursday with candidates backed by the ruling and opposition parties set to clash over the contentious and long-running issue of the relocation of a key U.S. Marine Corps base within the southern island prefecture.
Reviving the all-important tourism industry is also a focus of the Sept. 11 election with the Okinawan economy having taken a heavy battering from travel restrictions put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
