Tokyo, 4 February, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM Kishida hints at sacking aide over anti-LGBT comments
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida indicated Saturday that he would sack a close aide whose discriminatory remarks against sexual minorities came to light the previous day.
Kishida, who has recently struck a cautious note about legally recognizing same-sex marriage, told reporters that the comments by Masayoshi Arai, who serves as one of his executive secretaries, “cannot but force” the Cabinet to consider his future.
———-
Blinken puts off China trip after spy balloon detected over U.S.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his high-profile visit to Beijing after what Washington sees as a Chinese spy balloon was detected traveling over sensitive areas of the continental United States, a senior official said Friday.
The State Department official said the presence of the balloon in the country’s airspace is a “clear violation of sovereignty as well as international law, and it’s unacceptable that this has occurred.”
———-
Suspected Chinese spy balloon in U.S. airspace, China says for weather use
WASHINGTON/BEIJING – The United States said Thursday it is tracking what it believes to be a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon that has flown for days over the country, but China acknowledged later that it is a weather observation airship that made an unintended entry into U.S. airspace.
Pat Ryder, press secretary of the U.S. Defense Department, said it is “currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground.”
———-
Special meeting between ASEAN, Myanmar junta leader sought: source
JAKARTA – Indonesia is seeking to hold a special meeting between ASEAN leaders and the head of Myanmar’s military junta amid a lack of progress toward the member country’s return to democratic rule after a coup two years ago, an ASEAN diplomatic source said Friday.
Indonesia has sent a senior military officer to Myanmar to share experience in transitioning from rule by the armed forces to democratic government, with President Joko Widodo planning to visit the fellow Southeast Asian country in the near future, a separate diplomatic source said.
———-
Philippines may send 2 robbery suspects to Japan early next week
MANILA – The Philippines may repatriate Japanese detainees believed to be involved in a string of robberies across Japan as early as next week, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Friday.
The Justice Department said two of the four men have been cleared of local charges and are now ready to be deported. Remulla identified one of the two as Toshiya Fujita.
———-
Japan firms must address human rights in supply chains: UNDP director
TOKYO – Japanese companies need to do more in addressing human rights issues in their businesses as a failure to keep up with international ethical standards will be a serious risk to their operations in global markets, a U.N. Development Program director said.
“If companies do not tackle this issue in the right way, they could be shut out from the European and U.S. markets,” Asako Okai, director of the UNDP’s Crisis Bureau, said in a recent interview.
———-
Sushi chain limits conveyor belt use to orders after licking scandal
OSAKA – The operator of the major sushi restaurant chain Sushiro said Friday it will temporarily limit the use of conveyor belts to specifically ordered food after a customer was found to have misused and licked unused cups and sushi.
Akindo Sushiro Co. said in a press release that customers will be asked to order food on a touch screen panel instead of taking ready-made food served on plates that travel on conveyor belts past numerous diners.
———-
U.S.-led Moon exploration project cannot succeed without Japan: NASA
TOKYO – The Artemis project, an international effort led by the United States aimed at advancing lunar exploration and eventually returning humans to the Moon by 2025, cannot succeed without Japan’s help, NASA’s attache in Asia said Friday.
“To succeed, we need not only JAXA, but also the cooperation of private companies,” said Garvey McIntosh, referring to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. “You don’t need to be a big company. As long as you have good ideas and passion, you can (contribute).”
