Tokyo, 02 March, /AJMEDIA/
G-20 foreign ministers hold 2nd day talks, Ukraine war on agenda
NEW DELHI – Foreign ministers from the Group of 20 economies on Thursday were engaged in substantive debate on the second day of their meeting in India, with Russia’s war on Ukraine dominating the discussions.
A joint statement is unlikely to be issued following the two-day G-20 talks in New Delhi, which started with a welcome dinner on Wednesday, but India may release a wrap-up as the presiding country, according to Japanese government sources.
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Ex-BOJ chief sees “modest” effect in Japan’s massive monetary easing
WASHINGTON – Former Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa has criticized the powerful monetary easing undertaken by his successor and current chief Haruhiko Kuroda, saying its impact on inflation and economic growth has been “modest.”
Monetary policy has become a “quick fix” to structural problems that require more robust reforms, Shirakawa said in a magazine published Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund. He called for central bankers to reflect on the reason for and consequences of prolonged monetary easing.
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Japan drops to 104th in gender disparity rank in World Bank survey
WASHINGTON – Japan ranked a dismal 104th in the World Bank’s latest report on women’s economic opportunities, continuing to trail the rest of the Group of Seven developed member countries over the progress toward gender equality in the law.
The annual survey, covering 190 countries and territories, assesses gender gaps in laws and regulations across eight areas, including workplace, pay, parenthood, and entrepreneurship.
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Prince Hitachi, Emperor Naruhito’s uncle, undergoes surgery
TOKYO – Prince Hitachi, the uncle of Emperor Naruhito, underwent surgery for ureteral stones on Thursday and is recovering well, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 87-year-old prince was hospitalized at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo on Wednesday evening after running a fever of around 38 C. He had been experiencing a fever of over 37 C for several days prior
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Japan sees record-high 512 student suicides in 2022
TOKYO – The number of suicides among school students in Japan rose by 39 in 2022 from a year earlier to a record high of 512, according to preliminary education ministry data based on multiple government statistics.
Suicides among people aged 19 and under, including those enrolled in schools, are attributed the most to worries about academic underperformance, poor career prospects, and stress related to school and university entrance exams, health ministry data showed.
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U.S. approves potential sale of arms worth $619 million to Taiwan
WASHINGTON – The United States has approved a potential sale of missiles and related equipment to Taiwan worth $619 million to be used on its F-16 fighter jets, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
The approval by the State Department and formal notification to Congress the same day are almost certain to inflame tensions with Beijing, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary.
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North Korea’s Kim calls for increase in grain production in key meeting
BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for increasing grain production at a key four-day ruling party meeting through Wednesday focused on agricultural development, state-run media reported, amid speculation that the country has been suffering from a chronic food shortage.
At the plenary meeting of the Workers’ Party of Korea, which followed the previous plenum by an unusually short interval of two months, Kim said it is “important to concentrate on increasing the per-hectare yield at all the farms,” the official Korean Central News Agency said Thursday.
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Man sentenced to death in retrial over 2017 murder of elderly couple
NAGOYA – A man was sentenced to death in a retrial Thursday for the fatal robbery of an elderly couple at their central Japan home in March 2017.
Hiroshi Yamada was given the sentence sought by prosecutors after the Nagoya District Court ruled that he had murdered the couple with the intention of robbing them.
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Sushi chain installs AI camera system after licking scandal
TOKYO – Major sushi restaurant chain operator Kura Sushi Inc. said Thursday it has installed camera systems equipped with artificial intelligence on conveyor belts at its restaurants, after the industry was shaken by a series of incidents involving customers licking soy sauce bottles and conducting other unhygienic acts.
The major scandal has impacted on the sector, as some of the cases were recorded and posted online, racking up millions of views and prompting some restaurants to file damage reports to the police.
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Japan school trespasser brought at least 3 knives with him for attack
SAITAMA, Japan – A teenager under arrest on suspicion of entering a junior high school in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo and stabbing a teacher had at least three knives in his possession during the incident, investigative sources said Thursday.
The 17-year-old high school student is a Saitama resident suspected of attempted murder over the attack on a teacher at the school in Toda. He is also being investigated in connection with dismembered cat corpses that have been found in the city and elsewhere nearby after he implied he was behind the incidents, the sources said.
