Tokyo, 16 July, /AJMEDIA/
Abe shooter’s mother donated 100 mil. yen to Unification Church
NARA, Japan – The mother of the man who fatally shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donated about 100 million yen ($720,000) to the Unification Church, the man’s uncle said Friday.
The assailant, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, has told investigators he believes Abe was linked to the church and that he resents the organization because his mother’s donations to it ruined his family’s finances.
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G-20 finance chiefs discuss high inflation after Ukraine invasion
NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Finance chiefs from the world’s 20 biggest economies on Friday met on the Indonesian island of Bali to discuss ways to curb global inflation amid Russia’s war on Ukraine.
With inflation affecting more than just food and energy prices, the finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 sought coordinated action to avoid an economic downturn.
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S. Korean foreign minister to visit Japan from Mon.: Japan gov’t
TOKYO – South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin will make a three-day visit to Japan from Monday and hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, the government said Friday, as their countries seek to improve ties frayed by history-related disputes.
Park would be visiting Japan for the first time since he took up his post in May under the new administration of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol. During his trip, he plans to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, according to sources familiar with the countries’ bilateral relations.
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U.S. OKs $108 mil. sale of tank parts, other aid to Taiwan
WASHINGTON – The State Department said Friday it has approved the sale of $108 million worth of spare and repair parts for tanks and other assistance to Taiwan, the latest U.S. move in support of the self-ruled democratic island that is facing pressure from China.
The sale will contribute to the “sustainment of the recipient’s vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems and logistical support items, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats,” an agency under the Defense Department said in a press release.
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Biden says he raised Saudi journalist murder with crown prince
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday after talks with the de facto Saudi Arabian ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he raised the issue of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia is taking place at a time when the power of the major crude oil producer looms large as the United States struggles with high gasoline prices amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The trip has sparked controversy as a possible compromise of Biden’s tough stance against the Middle East nation’s human rights record.
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Russia bans 384 Japan lawmakers’ entry in response to Japan sanctions
TOKYO – Russia has banned the entry of 384 Japanese lawmakers from the House of Representatives in retaliation for Japan’s sanctions against Russian lawmakers over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.
Former prime ministers Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga are among those barred, the ministry said. The move came after Russia said on May 4 that it will ban indefinitely the entry of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and many high-ranking officials.
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Over 80% of university seniors in Japan secure job offers
TOKYO – A total of 83.3 percent of university seniors in Japan who are scheduled to graduate next March have secured job offers as of July 1, with the figure almost recovering to pre-pandemic levels, a recent survey found.
The online poll by Recruit Co., the operator of the Rikunabi job information website, found the rate climbed 2.8 percentage points from a year earlier, marking the second-highest after 85.1 percent was logged in 2019.
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Malaysia’s Mahathir pays condolence visit to ex-PM Abe’s home
TOKYO – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad paid a condolence visit to the home of slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Friday, as he stopped over in Japan on his way back from South Korea.
Speaking to reporters after the visit, the 97-year-old two-time prime minister of the Southeast Asian country recalled his exchanges with his one-time Japanese counterpart.