Tokyo, 9 June, /AJMEDIA/
24-year-old becomes youngest Japanese to circumnavigate globe by yacht
KOBE – A 24-year-old completed a solo round-the-world yacht voyage on Saturday, breaking the record for the youngest Japanese to achieve the feat that was set 30 years ago.
Hirotsugu Kimura, a former Maritime Self-Defense Force member, reached his goal off Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan, after 231 days. The challenge to complete the trip without port calls and taking on supplies was his second attempt after one in 2022 was marred by mechanical failure.
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Japan, U.S. eye “two-plus-two” security talks in Tokyo in late July
TOKYO – Japan and the United States are considering holding talks involving their foreign and defense chiefs in Tokyo on July 28, sources familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The two countries may also convene a meeting of foreign ministers of the Quad, which also includes Australia and India, the following day, they said. The itinerary will be finalized depending on the schedule of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
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Japan to sign agreement with Ukraine for long-term support
TOKYO – Japan will sign an agreement pledging long-term support for Ukraine, including convening intergovernmental talks within 24 hours of any new Russian invasion to determine what assistance can be provided, government sources said Saturday.
The agreement, to remain in effect for 10 years, will be signed during a planned meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the fringes of a Group of Seven summit in Italy starting Thursday.
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Japan SDF trialing Starlink for ship crews’ personal internet use
TOKYO – The Japan Self-Defense Forces recently began trialing the use of the Starlink satellite internet service offered by American aerospace company SpaceX to give deployed crew of its maritime branch’s vessels access to the web for personal use.
Two Maritime Self-Defense Force training ships have been equipped with Starlink antennas, which link up with over 6,000 low-orbit satellites, allowing smartphones and other web-enabled devices to connect and access high-speed internet in remote areas.
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Fuel shortage in Japan hinders flight increases amid tourism surge
TOKYO – Critical fuel shortages for commercial flights at airports across Japan have led to difficulties in increasing the number of international flights and adding new routes, industry and government sources said Saturday.
A surge in demand for flights due to increasing inbound tourism has outpaced the supply capacity of petroleum refiners, with the issue further compounded by labor shortages in the distribution phase.
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45% of Japanese living abroad feel lonely: government study
TOKYO – Nearly 45 percent of Japanese nationals living abroad feel lonely at times, a recent government survey showed, with areas lacking strong Japanese community ties believed to contribute to higher feelings of isolation.
The survey was the first of its kind conducted by the Japanese Foreign Ministry, targeting approximately 1.3 million Japanese nationals living abroad. It garnered 55,420 online responses between October and December last year.
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Man arrested for killing his probation officer in western Japan
OTSU, Japan – A 35-year-old man was arrested Saturday for allegedly killing a neighbor who was serving as his probation officer in Otsu, western Japan, in May, police said.
Kohei Iitsuka was on probation after being convicted of robbery in 2019. According to Justice Ministry records, the last time a probation officer was killed by someone they were overseeing was in 1964.
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Baseball: Rookie wins debut as Buffaloes sweep Giants in interleague
TOKYO – Rookie southpaw Kazuma Sato threw five scoreless innings on Sunday and earned the win as the defending Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes completed a three-game interleague sweep of the Yomiuri Giants with a 4-1 victory.
Sato (1-0) allowed two walks and a hit while striking out three at Tokyo Dome. He took to the mound in the bottom of the first after Orix seized a 2-0 lead against veteran Tomoyuki Sugano (5-1).
