Tokyo, 17 March, /AJMEDIA/
LDP amends party rules to toughen penalties for fund violations
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, headed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, revised internal rules on Sunday to toughen penalties for lawmakers involved in political funds scandals, as public trust in politics has been declining significantly.
The LDP has come under intense scrutiny amid allegations that some of its factions, including the largest one formerly led by the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, neglected to report portions of their income from fundraising parties and created slush funds for years.
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More foreign students set to be eligible for Japan government scholarships
TOKYO – The Japanese government plans to expand the scope of foreign university students eligible for its scholarships from April to provide more academic opportunities to children of the country’s growing number of foreign workers, according to officials.
The education ministry is set to include in the target students who are residing in the country with their parents under a “dependent” visa on condition they have completed education through elementary, junior high and high school level in Japan and intend to work and stay in the country after graduating from university, they said.
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Japan business lobby chief hopes for gov’t efforts to end deflation
TOKYO – The head of Japan’s biggest business lobby on Sunday expressed hope that the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will take necessary measures to fully combat the country’s decades-long deflation.
In a speech at the annual convention of Kishida’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Masakazu Tokura, chairman of the Japan Business Federation known as Keidanren, said the nation’s economy has been on an upward trend on the back of robust wage growth.
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Japan completes 4th round of Fukushima treated water discharge
TOKYO – The release of the fourth batch of treated radioactive water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea concluded Sunday, with the next round possibly starting next month, the plant’s operator said.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. released about 7,800 tons of processed water as planned in the latest round, which began in late February. Abnormal tritium levels have not been detected in nearby waters since the first discharge in late August.
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M5.4 quake hits Japan’s Fukushima Pref., no tsunami warning issued
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck off Fukushima Prefecture early Sunday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency said.
The 6:17 a.m. quake registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in towns including Futaba and Okuma, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The temblor’s focus was off Fukushima at a depth of about 50 kilometers.
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Emperor worried about weak ties to British royals before 1998 visit
LONDON – Japan’s imperial couple “felt a sense of unease” about their links to the British royal family ahead of their state visit in 1998, newly released documents at the National Archives in London showed Saturday.
The files opened to public view show that, despite their past visits, then Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko felt they lacked the more intimate connections enjoyed by other members of the imperial family with Britain and its royal family.
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Woman, baby daughter hit by train in apparent murder-suicide
OSAKA – A 28-year-old woman and her baby daughter died Saturday in an apparent murder-suicide when they were hit by an express train in Osaka Prefecture, police said.
The woman carrying the baby walked onto a crossing as the train was approaching in Shimamoto at around 7:50 p.m., the police said, citing video footage from a nearby security camera.
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Extension of Hokuriku Shinkansen line opens, tourism hopes boosted
FUKUI, Japan – An extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line connecting Kanazawa and Tsuruga in central Japan opened on Saturday, establishing bullet train services in Fukui Prefecture for the first time and carrying hopes for a tourism boost in areas hit by the New Year’s Day earthquake.
The new section shortens travel time between Tokyo and the city of Fukui by 33 minutes to as fast as 2 hours and 51 minutes. Passengers now no longer must transfer to high-speed and limited express trains after Kanazawa.
