Tokyo, 15 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s 2 tril. yen Nov. red ink sets stage for largest yearly deficit
TOKYO – Japan posted a trade deficit of 2.03 trillion yen ($15 billion) in November after imports grew more than exports amid higher energy costs and a weaker yen, government data showed Thursday, increasing the likelihood the resource-scarce nation will report its largest-ever yearly deficit at the end of 2022.
Energy-related imports pushed up the overall import figure by 30.3 percent from a year earlier to 10.86 trillion yen. This compares with exports that grew 20 percent to 8.84 trillion yen amid robust U.S.-bound shipments of cars and machinery, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
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Anti-lockdown rallies give hope as China tightens grip on populace
BEIJING – Unprecedented nationwide protests against China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy last month have subsided amid a drastic easing of restrictions and heavy police intervention, but they are a ray of hope for those who are unhappy with the status quo while still demonstrating the tight grip the state has over its people.
Following the rallies that included calls for President Xi Jinping to step down amid public frustration over lockdowns and other stringent anti-virus measures, some protesters were detained and lawyers supporting them came under pressure from authorities.
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U.S. Fed slows pace of rate hikes, but policy tightening to continue
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday decided to raise its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage point, a smaller move than the previous four hikes, but signaled more increases are to come as it continues to battle high inflation.
Upon concluding a two-day meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, the central bank said it will lift its target range for the federal funds rate to 4.25 to 4.50 percent, as widely expected. Policymakers, meanwhile, raised their projection that the rate will be at around 5 percent by the end of next year.
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6 Chinese officials removed from Britain after violence at consulate
LONDON – Six officials at the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester were removed from Britain following an attack in October on a Hong Kong pro-democracy protester within the grounds of the diplomatic compound, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Wednesday.
The six include Chinese consul general Zheng Xiyuan, Cleverly added. The Chinese Embassy in London said in a statement that Zheng had completed his term in office and returned to China upon instruction, adding that it was a “normal rotation of Chinese consular officials.”
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No. of jailed journalists worldwide hits record high in 2022: report
NEW YORK – A record-high 363 journalists were imprisoned around the world this year for doing their work, with Iran jailing the most at 62 of the total, a New York-based journalism advocacy group said Wednesday.
The total jailed as of Dec. 1 increased some 20 percent from last year’s record high, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The latest figure was the highest since comparable data became available in the first half of the 1990s.
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Japan ruling LDP eyes shifting 1% of income tax payments for “defense tax”
TOKYO – The tax commission of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party agreed Wednesday to allocate about 1 percent of current income tax payments to a new “defense tax” as part of efforts to fund a planned increase in the country’s outlays for national security.
The LDP panel affirmed a draft government plan to cut by half an additional 2.1 percent imposed on income tax payments to aid the reconstruction of areas affected by a massive 2011 earthquake and tsunami, channeling some 200 billion yen ($1.5 billion) a year to the new tax.
Toyota, Thailand’s Charoen Pokphand to work for carbon neutrality
BANGKOK – Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will cooperate with Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group in producing hydrogen from farm waste and introducing fuel cell trucks in Thailand in a bid to achieve carbon neutrality in the Southeast Asian country.
Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota, told reporters in Bangkok that Toyota and CP have agreed to utilize each other’s strengths and assets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, saying, “I believe taking this crucial step will change the future landscape.”
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Gov’t panel reviewing Japan foreign trainee program holds 1st meeting
TOKYO – A Japanese government panel tasked with reviewing the country’s foreign trainee program held its first meeting Wednesday to address issues relating to human rights violations.
The panel of 15 members, including academics and the heads of municipal governments, will draw up its final report regarding the foreign technical intern program and the specified skills worker system — the former in particular coming under scrutiny due to accounts of physical abuse and withholding pay — around fall 2023.
