Tokyo, 12 July, /AJMEDIA/
Top court rules Unification Church no-refund document invalid
TOKYO – Japan’s top court on Thursday overturned a lower court ruling that had absolved the Unification Church from returning donations to the family of a late former member, deeming that a document the woman signed preventing her from seeking refunds was invalid.
In the first ruling by the Supreme Court on donations to the religious group, its First Petty Bench sent the case back to the Tokyo High Court, citing insufficient examination of whether the organization had acted illegally.
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Nikkei stock index ends above 42,000 mark for 1st time on tech gains
TOKYO – Tokyo’s stock indexes ended at fresh all-time highs on Thursday, with the Nikkei crossing 42,000 for the first time, boosted by buying of Apple Inc. suppliers and other technology issues, as well as optimism about corporate earnings.
The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 392.03 points, or 0.94 percent, from Wednesday at 42,224.02, closing at a record high for the third day in a row. The broader Topix index finished 19.97 points, or 0.69 percent, higher at 2,929.17.
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Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu’s widow plans extended stay in Japan
TOKYO – Liu Xia, the widow of the late Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, plans to come to Japan for an extended stay soon from Germany, where she currently resides, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The Japanese government has issued a visa for her with the status of “cultural activities” following an invitation from a private university for Liu to work as a researcher, the sources said. They added that she plans to live in the Kansai region of western Japan.
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NATO leaders call China “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war on Ukraine
WASHINGTON – NATO leaders on Wednesday accused China of being a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, in their harshest criticism yet of the Asian power that is seen by the transatlantic military alliance as continuing to pose challenges to the rules-based international order.
A joint declaration, endorsed by the leaders of the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization during a summit in Washington, also said they “strongly condemn” North Korea’s exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles for use in the war in Ukraine.
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Japan, South Korea leaders agree North Korea-Russia ties as serious threat
WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed Wednesday with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol that North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia are a serious threat and that the security challenges facing Asia and Europe are increasingly indivisible.
They confirmed during a meeting in Washington that Japan and South Korea will strengthen cooperation with the United States, as well as NATO and Indo-Pacific partners, in view of regional issues becoming more complex and having wider implications, according to Japanese officials.
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Hotline not used over Japan SDF ship sailing into Chinese waters
BEIJING – China and Japan did not use their defense hotline to communicate over the incident last week in which a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer temporarily sailed into Chinese territorial waters, diplomatic sources said Thursday, calling into question the direct line’s effectiveness in crisis management.
Bilateral communications were instead conducted via normal channels involving foreign and defense officials after the MSDF destroyer Suzutsuki entered China’s waters off its eastern province of Zhejiang on July 4 despite repeated warnings from Chinese vessels, the sources said.
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Ad firm Hakuhodo fined 200 mil. yen over Tokyo Olympics bid-rigging
TOKYO – A Tokyo court on Thursday fined major advertisement firm Hakuhodo Inc. 200 million yen ($1.2 million) for taking part in bid-rigging linked to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, in the first ruling for one of the six companies indicted in the scandal.
The Tokyo District Court also sentenced Kenichiro Yokomizo, 57, former president of Hakuhodo DY Sports Marketing Inc., to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, for rigging bids for contracts to plan the test events and operate the venues of the 2021 Summer Games tournament.
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Rugby: Michael Leitch shifts to 2nd row for Japan clash with Georgia
SENDAI – Captain Michael Leitch will make his anticipated switch to the second row and university student Yoshitaka Yazaki will earn his second cap at fullback when Japan host Georgia in an international rugby test Saturday.
The test at Yurtec Stadium Sendai in northeastern Japan is Eddie Jones’ second following his reappointment as Brave Blossoms head coach.
