Tokyo, 6 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s lower house passes political funds reform bill amid backlash
TOKYO – Japan’s House of Representatives on Thursday cleared a bill proposed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to reform rules on political party funds, despite the opposition bloc’s mounting accusations that it will not be effective in resolving the country’s long-standing issue of politics and money.
Following weeks of fraught inter-party negotiations, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s LDP finally mapped out the revised bill. But it does not reflect requests by opposition parties, such as the introduction of guilt by association, which could punish lawmakers if their staff members are convicted.
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Putin says no talks with Japan unless it alters stance on Ukraine
ST. PETERSBURG – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that conditions are not currently in place for his country to resume talks with Japan on a post-World War II peace treaty, blaming Tokyo for souring bilateral relations by supporting Ukraine.
In response to a question from Kyodo News during a meeting with representatives of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, Putin said Russia is not refusing to engage in such a dialogue, but for it to occur Japan first needs to change its position on the war in Ukraine.
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DisneySea opens Fantasy Springs themed after “Frozen,” “Peter Pan”
CHIBA, Japan – The new Fantasy Springs theme area at Tokyo DisneySea opened on Thursday, offering visitors the chance to experience the world of films including “Frozen.”
The new area, also based on “Peter Pan” and “Tangled,” is the eighth themed port in DisneySea, adjacent to Tokyo Disneyland, and has four rides, three restaurants and a hotel.
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Japan raps Russia’s Putin for remarks on peace treaty talks, Ukraine
TOKYO – Japan criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after he said conditions are not in place for the resumption of talks on a postwar peace treaty due to Tokyo’s support for Ukraine, describing the remarks as “totally unacceptable.”
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said bilateral negotiations have been stalled as Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, adding it is “extremely unreasonable” for Moscow to blame Tokyo.
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Pacts inked on more pillars of U.S.-led IPEF economic initiative
SINGAPORE – The United States and 13 other countries participating in an economic initiative for the Indo-Pacific region inked agreements on two of the initiative’s three remaining pillars — promoting clean energy and implementing proper taxation — at their ministerial talks held in Singapore on Thursday.
These areas are among the four pillars of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, known as IPEF, which the United States launched in May 2022 as an apparent counter to China’s rise. An agreement on supply chain resilience, another pillar, was signed in November and took effect in February.
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Toyota, Mazda halt production of 5 models amid certification scandal
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. on Thursday paused production of a total of five vehicle models after the transport ministry said their certifications had been obtained improperly, affecting more than a thousand suppliers.
The move comes after the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism ordered shipments of Toyota’s Corolla Fielder, Corolla Axio and Yaris Cross, as well as Mazda’s Roadster RF and Mazda2 to be halted, saying their vehicle certification tests were carried out in ways that did not comply with government specifications.
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7 injured after explosion at Osaka shipyard
OSAKA – Seven men were injured Thursday after a suspected explosion at a shipyard in Osaka, the local police and fire department said.
Firefighters received a call at around 2:45 p.m. reporting that a vessel exploded and left some people injured at the shipyard in Nishinari Ward.
