AJMEDIA News Digest: Jan. 10, 2023

Tokyo, 10 January, /AJMEDIA/

MSDF destroyer apparently runs aground off west Japan with oil leak

HIROSHIMA – A Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer became unable to sail Tuesday after it apparently ran aground in waters off the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi with an oil leak, the Defense Ministry and Japan Coast Guard said, adding no one on board was injured.

The crew of the destroyer, Inazuma, felt the vessel make “a big impact” with something while sailing in the Seto Inland Sea at around 12:10 p.m. and dropped anchor, the ministry said.

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China suspends visa issuance to Japanese travelers: industry sources

BEIJING – China has suspended the issuance of visas to Japanese travelers, several travel industry sources said Tuesday, after Beijing threatened to take countermeasures against Japan and some other countries for their tighter COVID-19 entry restrictions for travelers from China.

The visa suspension, which was notified to travel agencies in Japan, came as the Chinese Embassy in South Korea announced earlier in the day similar measures for South Korean visitors effective “until discriminatory entry restrictions against China are lifted.”

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U.S. Marines to set up unit in Okinawa for remote Japan island defense

WASHINGTON – The United States will set up a rapid reaction unit of the Marine Corps in Okinawa for the defense of remote islands in southwestern Japan, Japan-U.S. diplomatic sources said Monday.

A Marine Littoral Regiment, or MLR, will be established within a few years as part of a realignment of the Marine Corps in the southern island prefecture, according to the sources, amid China’s intensifying military activities in the East China Sea.

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Tokyo core consumer prices up 4.0% in Dec., biggest rise since 1982

TOKYO – Core consumer prices in Tokyo rose 4.0 percent from a year earlier in December for the sharpest gain in over 40 years, in a fresh sign of broadening price hikes that hurt households and could add pressure on the Bank of Japan to tighten its policy, government data showed Tuesday.

Tokyo’s core consumer price index excluding volatile fresh food items rose by the most since April 1982 when it gained 4.2 percent. The gauge, seen as an indicator of what to expect nationwide, was above the BOJ’s 2 percent target for the seventh straight month.

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Japan, France agree to join hands to achieve successful G-7 summit

PARIS – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed Monday to work together to realize a successful Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima later this year.

During their talks in Paris, Kishida and Macron also confirmed the need for the G-7 to maintain strict sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 and continue to support Kyiv, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.

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Japan culls record 10 mil. birds as avian flu spreads

TOKYO – The number of birds culled at poultry farms in Japan has exceeded 10 million as cases of avian flu continue to spread nationwide, the farm ministry said Tuesday.

A record 10.08 million birds have been culled so far this season, following an unprecedented 57 cases of avian flu across 23 prefectures. The figure surpasses the previous record of 9.87 million conducted between November 2020 and March 2021.

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Japan, U.S. to cooperate over next-generation nuclear reactors

WASHINGTON – Japan and the United States agreed Monday to strengthen bilateral cooperation on developing next-generation nuclear reactors during ministerial talks on energy.

Japanese industry minister Yasutoshi Nishimura and U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm also agreed during their meeting that Tokyo and Washington will work more closely on securing liquefied natural gas and other energy security matters.

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China prepares for restart of vehicle transport services to North Korea

BEIJING – China has prepared for the resumption of regular vehicle transportation services between a border city and North Korea, which have been suspended for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Beijing reopened its borders and abandoned quarantine measures on Sunday.

Non-regular vehicle transportation services between the border city of Hunchun in northeast China’s Jilin Province and North Korea appear to have resumed late last year, with at least one truck carrying rice and shoes entering Wonjong-ri on the North Korean side via a bridge over the Tumen River, local Chinese officials said.

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Japan vows to further beef up ties with Brazil under new president

TOKYO – Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Monday Japan will further strengthen relations with Brazil under the presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who became the nation’s leader at the start of this year.

During a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira in Brasilia, Hayashi criticized Sunday’s riots committed by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro in the capital city, while expressing his support for the “democratically elected” new leader, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

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Japan’s Nov. household spending falls 1.2%, 1st decline in 6 months

TOKYO – Japan’s household spending in November fell a real 1.2 percent from a year earlier for the first decline in six months, as warm temperatures dented demand for winter-related clothing and goods, the government said Tuesday.

Households of two or more people spent an average of 285,947 yen ($2,200), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said. On a seasonally adjusted basis, spending declined a real 0.9 percent from October.

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