Tokyo, 8 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan upgrades Jan.-March GDP to annualized 0.5% contraction
TOKYO – Japan’s economy shrank an annualized real 0.5 percent in the January-March period, upwardly revised from the initially reported 1.0 percent contraction despite the continued fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Wednesday.
The decline in inflation-adjusted gross domestic product, the total value of goods and services produced in the country, corresponds to a 0.1 percent fall on a quarterly basis, the Cabinet Office said.
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North Korea may conduct nuclear test “any time”: U.S. special envoy
WASHINGTON – North Korea could conduct a nuclear test at “any time” while Washington’s response to such a provocation would be taken in “very close” coordination with its two Asian allies, U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim said Tuesday.
But the U.S. government will remain open to dialogue with North Korea toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula even if Pyongyang moves ahead with its first nuclear test since 2017, he said.
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BOJ chief makes rare apology for remark on price hike tolerance
TOKYO – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda made a rare apology Tuesday for saying at an event the previous day that consumers have become more “tolerant” of price hikes, following criticism that the remark was inappropriate.
“I did not mean that consumers are voluntarily accepting the price increases. I apologize if my words led to a misunderstanding,” he told reporters at the prime minister’s office.
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Japan, NATO top officers vow to strengthen ties for global security
TOKYO – Top uniformed officers from Japan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization agreed Tuesday they will reinforce their relations to contribute to global security, amid concerns over the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Asia.
“The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific region is indivisible,” Gen. Koji Yamazaki, chief of the Japanese Defense Ministry’s Joint Staff, told a joint press conference with Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of NATO’s Military Committee, after their talks in Tokyo.
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World Bank warns of stagflation, cuts outlook amid Ukraine war
WASHINGTON – The World Bank warned Tuesday that the global economy is facing the risks of a protracted period of feeble growth and elevated inflation amid Russia’s war in Ukraine as it forecast growth this year to slump to 2.9 percent, down 1.2 percentage points from its estimate in January.
Japan was among the major advanced economies facing bleaker prospects this year, with its real gross domestic product expected to grow 1.7 percent, 1.2 points lower than the earlier projection.
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Japan, U.S. conduct fighter jet drill again amid North Korea threat
TOKYO – Japan and the United States conducted a joint fighter jet drill over the Sea of Japan on Tuesday for the second time in two weeks, days after North Korea’s latest missile launches amid growing fears of a possible nuclear test.
The exercise, following Pyongyang’s test-firing of eight short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Sunday, was intended to showcase “strong will of Japan and the United States to respond to every situation” and the two countries’ “close collaboration,” and to further strengthen their alliance, Japan’s Defense Ministry said.
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Ukraine needs firm backing to end Russia invasion: Lithuania minister
TOKYO – Ukraine needs strong military backing by the international community to completely defeat Russia’s invasion or face further land grabs by its President Vladimir Putin, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
The top diplomat said in an interview Monday in Tokyo that Kyiv must be the one to determine how to achieve victory in the war in Ukraine at a time when European leaders are divided over how to end it.
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Major Asian short film festival opens in Tokyo with eye on metaverse
TOKYO – One of Asia’s largest short film festivals opened Tuesday in Tokyo, celebrating new ways to experience cinema through virtual reality and artificial intelligence as it maintained a hybrid format combining screenings at venues and online.
With 2022 dubbed the year of the metaverse, an all-encompassing virtual world where people socialize and work, the 24th Short Shorts Film Festival and Asia, from June 7 to 20, will also feature an exclusive online seminar exploring the use of technology in filmmaking.
