Tokyo, 11 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan FY 2021 long-term debt hits new high above 1,000 tril. yen
TOKYO – The balance of long-term Japanese government debt surpassed 1,000 trillion yen ($7.7 trillion) for the first time in fiscal 2021 ended in March to reach its highest-ever level, the Finance Ministry said Tuesday.
The debt grew to 1,017.1 trillion yen, breaking records for the 18th consecutive year, on the back of swelling social security costs amid rapid aging of the population and emergency spending in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
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South Korea’s new leader voices hope to meet Japan PM at early date
SEOUL, May 10 Kyodo – South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he hopes to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at an early date, showing his readiness to work toward thawing relations long strained by disagreements over wartime issues.
Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who met with Yoon in Seoul after he was sworn in, said they agreed to cooperate to that end by maintaining close communication.
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Tokyo gov’t plans to start same-sex partnership system in Nov.
TOKYO – The Tokyo metropolitan government said it plans to introduce a system that recognizes partnerships involving sexual minorities from November as it unveiled Tuesday a new draft version of the scheme.
In order to enact the policy in November, a draft amendment to the existing ordinance on human rights that includes references to the partnership system will be submitted to the Tokyo metropolitan assembly in June, officials said.
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Okinawa urges PM to scrap U.S. base move plan before key anniversary
TOKYO – Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki held talks Tuesday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, urging him to scrap a controversial plan to relocate a U.S. air base within the southern prefecture, days ahead of the 50th anniversary of its reversion to Japan.
The governor handed Kishida a set of proposals at the prime minister’s office, which also said a decades-old pact defining the rights of U.S. forces and their personnel in Japan should be reviewed.
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Gov’t eyes extending education subsidies to middle-class in Japan
TOKYO – A government panel proposed Tuesday that Japan make higher education more accessible to middle-class students majoring in science and technology by expanding the scope of government subsidies available for low-income students.
The panel also called for extending financial support to students from households with three or more children, a move a government source says Prime Minister Fumio Kishida intends to use to draw more public support ahead of this summer’s upper house election.
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Tokyo’s Yamanote Line to test automated trains with riders from Oct.
TOKYO – East Japan Railway Co. said Tuesday it will carry out test runs of automated trains with passengers aboard on Tokyo’s Yamanote loop line for two months starting around October.
JR East has been testing the automated system on out-of-service trains on the line — one of Tokyo’s most congested — since 2018, and the operator intends to implement the technology around 2028.
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Toyota to halt 8 plants in Japan due to Shanghai COVID-19 lockdowns
NAGOYA – Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will suspend operations on 14 lines at eight factories in Japan for up to six days this month as it is difficult to procure parts due to the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai.
With the plan, Toyota said its global production for May will be reduced to about 700,000 vehicles from its previous target of 750,000.
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Sony FY 2021 operating profit soars to record 1.20 tril. yen
TOKYO – Sony Group Corp. said Tuesday its operating profit rose to a record 1.20 trillion yen ($9.16 billion) in the business year through March, as a robust movie sector and the yen’s depreciation against the U.S. dollar offset slower sales for its game unit.
Its operating profit soared 25.9 percent from the previous year, while sales also rose 10.3 percent to a record 9.92 trillion yen in the year ended March. Net profit dropped 14.3 percent to 882.18 billion yen.