Tokyo, 4 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to expand Okinawa-based ground force unit amid China threat
TOKYO – Japan is considering expanding an Okinawa-based ground force unit to defend remote southwestern islands and prepare for a contingency involving Taiwan in the face of China’s increasing assertiveness, a government source said Saturday.
In a move that could further heighten tensions with China, the Defense Ministry plans to double the number of infantry regiments under the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 15th Brigade to two, as well as upgrade its highest rank from major general to general, the source said.
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Japan pledges $27 mil. in fresh aid to Ukraine neighbor Moldova
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday pledged $27 million in fresh aid to Moldova as he thanked the country for accepting evacuees from war-hit Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
In a meeting with Moldova’s President Maia Sandu in Tokyo, Kishida said the aid, supporting the areas of health, food, energy and gender, is intended to ease the burden inflicted on the country by Russia’s military aggression, according to the ministry.
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Football: Takehiro Tomiyasu ready to step up for short-handed Japan vs Croatia
DOHA – Takehiro Tomiyasu may be called upon to make a major contribution in Japan’s upcoming World Cup round of 16 game versus Croatia with his team’s defense weakened by the loss of Ko Itakura to suspension.
The 24-year-old has not yet started a game in Qatar, but he said Saturday he is 100 percent recovered from the hamstring injury he suffered earlier in the tournament and primed to carry Japan forward.
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Japan PM Kishida vows to promote women’s empowerment, economic independence
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday pledged to promote the economic independence of women as a core pillar of his “new form of capitalism” policy, saying Japan will step up efforts to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in cooperation with the international community.
In a speech at an international conference in Tokyo, Kishida cited measures his government is taking, including urging major Japanese companies to address wage gaps between men and women and setting up a system to encourage men to take paternity leave.
