Tokyo, 16 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan ruling bloc to endorse tax hike plan for more defense spending
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling parties are set to approve Friday a plan to raise taxes to fund a substantial increase in defense spending but will likely postpone deciding when to do so amid turmoil caused by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida abruptly floating the idea.
The government plans to increase corporate and tobacco taxes, alongside imposing a defense tax to boost defense spending to a total of 43 trillion yen ($312 billion) over the next five years, bringing it to a level equivalent to 2 percent of annual gross domestic product.
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Japan to vow to obtain enemy base strike capability amid threats
TOKYO – Japan is set Friday to decide to possess the capability of striking enemy bases, as well as double its defense costs, in a drastic shift from its postwar security policy under its war-renouncing Constitution.
With the security environment surrounding Japan becoming unstable in the face of threats from China and North Korea, Tokyo, which has abandoned warfare for the past 77 years, would be able to directly attack another country’s territory in case of an emergency.
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FOCUS: Stakes high for Japan PM’s tax hike plan to boost defense
TOKYO – Japan’s pledge to boost defense spending to 43 trillion yen ($312 billion) over the next five years has become a high-stakes gambit for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who has decided to push through tax increases to fund it.
Experts see his preference for tax increases rather than bond issuance as reasonable given the country’s fiscal health, the worst among developed nations, and beefing up defenses benefits Japan’s people.
North Korea successfully tests solid-fuel motor for ICBM development
BEIJING – North Korea said Friday it has successfully test-fired a “high-thrust solid-fuel motor” with 140 tons of thrust, according to state media, as the country seeks to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of being launched with a shorter preparation time.
The test, conducted Thursday by the Academy of Defense Science at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, was the first of its kind in the country and leader Kim Jong Un guided the launch on the spot, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
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Olympics: Hokkaido Gov. says Tokyo Games scandals hurt Sapporo bid
SAPPORO – The governor of Hokkaido on Thursday said Sapporo’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics had been dealt a blow by the widening corruption scandal related to the Tokyo Games last year.
“It is difficult to keep fostering momentum as things stand,” Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki told a press conference, referring to the suspected wrongdoing regarding the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
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5 banks to lend 1.2 tril. yen to help Japanese fund buy out Toshiba
TOKYO – Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and four other Japanese banks plan to lend a total of roughly 1.2 trillion yen ($8.87 billion) to a domestic investment fund to help it buy out Toshiba Corp., a source familiar with the matter said Thursday.
Japan Industrial Partners Inc. has already secured an investment offer worth about 1 trillion yen from a group of more than 10 Japanese companies, including Orix Corp. The acquisition of the embattled conglomerate is expected to total between 2.2 trillion yen and 2.5 trillion yen.
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5 SDF members dishonorably discharged for sexually harassing teammate
TOKYO – Five male members of Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force were given a dishonorable discharge Thursday for sexually harassing a former female colleague from the fall of 2020 through August last year.
In addition to discharging the five men — two in their 20s, two in their 30s and one in his 40s — the Defense Ministry also gave a six-month suspension to the commander of the unit to which Rina Gonoi, 23, belonged for failing to take adequate action after receiving a complaint from her.
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Int’l cruise ship operations resume in Japan after pandemic hiatus
YOKOHAMA – International cruise ship operations resumed in Japan on Thursday after an almost three-year suspension due to the coronavirus pandemic, with a ship operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Passenger Lines Ltd. setting sail for the Indian Ocean from Yokohama port near Tokyo.
The tourism ministry said the Nippon Maru has become the first cruise ship to leave a Japanese port since making an announcement in November allowing international cruise ships to resume operations and dock on its shores.
