Tokyo, 28 February, /AJMEDIA/
Japan gov’t OKs bill that allows state to advise firms over AI risks
TOKYO – The government on Friday approved a bill allowing the state to assess cases of misuse of artificial intelligence and advise firms on the issue, in what would be Japan’s first legislation dedicated to the rapidly spreading technology.
The government hopes to reassure companies and the public about utilizing generative AI amid concerns about how abuses could lead to the spread of disinformation and privacy violations.
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G20 finance chiefs at odds addressing concerns over protectionism
CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 advanced and emerging economies on Thursday remained at odds in addressing growing concerns over protectionism as the United States’ imposition of a series of import tariffs sparks retaliation.
With top officials from several major economies absent, the G20 finance ministers and central bank governors failed to issue a joint statement after a two-day meeting in Cape Town from Wednesday, just as the group’s foreign ministers did last week.
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Trump says tariff on Chinese goods to double to 20% next week
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he will double his administration’s additional tariff imposed on imports from China to 20 percent next week, accusing the country of not doing enough to clamp down on the flow of illicit drugs.
Trump also said his proposed 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods entering the United States will go into effect Tuesday as planned, claiming that illegally manufactured drugs such as fentanyl are still pouring into the country from the two continental neighbors “at very high and unacceptable levels.”
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Ruling bloc submits revised draft budget to win opposition support
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling bloc on Friday submitted to parliament a revised fiscal 2025 draft budget, with the minority government hoping opposition support will secure its passage.
The revision of the budget for the first time in three decades came as the government led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has struggled to win Diet approval for its spending plans for the fiscal year starting April following its election defeat last year.
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Japan wildfire burns largest area in over 30 years as blaze rages on
MORIOKA, Japan – A forest fire in northeastern Japan has scorched the largest area of land in more than 30 years, the central government said Friday, as local firefighters and Self-Defense Forces struggle to control the blaze.
The blaze has spread across at least 1,200 hectares in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, over the past three days, according to local authorities. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government has stepped up efforts to limit the damage.
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Thailand repatriates Uyghurs to China amid human rights concerns
BANGKOK – Thailand has repatriated 40 Muslim-minority Uyghurs to China after more than a decade of detention, the Thai deputy prime minister said late Thursday, despite concerns that they could face human rights abuses on their return.
The remark by Phumtham Wechayachai, who is also the defense minister, came as China said Thailand had deported 40 illegal Chinese immigrants without specifying that they were Uyghurs from its far-western Xinjiang region. The minority group is allegedly subjected to repression and forced labor by Chinese authorities.
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Japan OKs measures to digitally streamline justice procedures
TOKYO – Japan’s Cabinet on Friday approved a draft bill to revise laws related to the handling of criminal investigations and trials to digitally streamline procedures such as obtaining arrest warrants, in a bid to boost efficiency.
The government aims to pass the bill to revise laws including the Code of Criminal Procedure during the current ordinary parliamentary session, with the changes to be implemented in stages by fiscal 2026.
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Man arrested over pigeon killing faces new charges of pet bird abuse
TOKYO – A man arrested earlier this month for killing a captured pigeon at his home near Tokyo is facing new allegations of abusing a pet parrot and other birds he owned, an investigative source said Friday.
Police sent on Wednesday documents to prosecutors on the fresh allegations leveled against Hiroshi Tsuji, a 49-year-old taxi driver, who is suspected of beating the pet birds after plucking their feathers and holding them underwater between August and November.
