Tokyo, 14 March, /AJMEDIA/
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Friday came under fire for his distribution of gift vouchers worth 100,000 yen ($676) each to rookie lower house members of his scandal-mired ruling Liberal Democratic party.
Opposition party leaders questioned the legality of Ishiba’s handing out the vouchers ahead of a March 3 dinner meeting at his official residence, ramping up pressure on the premier to fully explain himself. Some opposition members demanded he step down.
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Japan’s Iwaya calls U.S. tariffs “regrettable” in talks with Rubio
LA MALBAIE, Canada – Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Thursday he had told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the imposition of tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports by President Donald Trump was “regrettable.”
Shortly after their meeting in the small Canadian resort of La Malbaie, Quebec, Iwaya told reporters that he had asked Trump’s administration to exempt Japan from planned auto and reciprocal tariffs.
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Suspended bullet trains in Japan restart after decoupling incident
TOKYO – Suspended coupled bullet train services in northeastern Japan resumed Friday, the operator said, after safety checks were completed following an incident last week in which linked shinkansen trains disconnected while in motion.
JR East said full operations are expected from Saturday and metal fittings will be used to secure coupling levers in drivers’ compartments to prevent a recurrence.
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No. of foreign residents in Japan hits record high for 3rd year
TOKYO – The number of foreign nationals residing in Japan reached over 3.7 million as of the end of 2024, up 10.5 percent from a year before and hitting a record high for the third straight year, government data showed Friday.
The number of people granted refugee status dropped by 113 to 190. But 1,661 — mainly Ukrainians — were given status under “complementary protection,” a new program that allows those fleeing conflict to stay in Japan, similarly to those granted refugee status, by in principle giving them long-term resident visas.
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Japan court denies request to revoke extension of aging nuclear units
NAGOYA – A Japanese court rejected Friday a request to revoke the approval given by the country’s regulator to extend the operations of three nuclear reactors on the Sea of Japan coast beyond the service period limit of up to 40 years in principle.
The Nagoya District Court ruled in favor of the continued operation of the Nos. 1 and 2 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant and the No. 3 unit at the Mihama plant, all in Fukui Prefecture and run by Kansai Electric Power Co., in the first judicial decision in lawsuits seeking revocation of approval for extending the operation of reactors.
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A-bomb victims to attend nuke confab preparatory meeting in N.Y.
TOKYO – Nihon Hidankyo, Japan’s leading group of atomic bomb survivors and winner of the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, said Friday it will send two members to New York for a meeting starting in April to prepare for a major nuclear disarmament conference next year.
The group, also known as the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, will dispatch Hiroshi Kanamoto, 80, and Jiro Hamasumi, 79, to the third meeting of the preparatory committee for the review conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, with 2025 marking the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.
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Suspected killer of livestreamer wanted world to know of unpaid debts
TOKYO – A 42-year-old man arrested over the fatal stabbing of a young woman while she was livestreaming on a Tokyo street said he wanted the world to know she had failed to repay debts to him, investigative sources said Friday.
The statement by the suspect, Kenichi Takano, came after he was arrested Tuesday over the killing of 22-year-old Airi Sato in a residential area of Shinjuku, one of Tokyo’s busiest wards. He claimed she owed him over 2 million yen ($13,000).
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Baseball: Pitching rehab going as planned, focused on hitting: Ohtani
TOKYO – Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani on Friday tamped down concerns about his return to the mound by explaining why the team has had him stop throwing a bullpen session.
Ohtani has not thrown in the bullpen since Feb. 25 and is not expected to face hitters until after the Dodgers return from their season-opening series against the Chicago Cubs at Tokyo Dome beginning Tuesday.
