Tokyo, 21 May, /AJMEDIA/
Biden opens Asia trip, says supply chain vital in South Korea plant tour
SEOUL – U.S. President Joe Biden kicked off his trip to Asia on Friday with a visit to a Samsung Electronics Co. chip plant in South Korea to highlight the importance of beefing up supply chains.
The president met with new South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for the first time at the site and toured the world’s largest chip plant in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, in a show of their commitment to closer cooperation in building a resilient supply chain.
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Japan to ease COVID border controls with 20,000 daily int’l arrivals
TOKYO – Japan will double the cap on overseas arrivals to 20,000 people per day starting next month as it continues to ease border controls triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the top government spokesman said Friday.
The government will also ease COVID-19 testing and quarantine rules for people arriving in Japan, dividing countries and regions into three groups according to the infection situation.
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Ex-residents on Russian-held islets may need visas for grave visits
TOKYO – Former Japanese residents on the Russian-controlled, Japan-claimed islands off Hokkaido may be required to obtain visas in future travel to the islets when they visit their families’ graves there, a senior official at Russia’s foreign ministry has said.
The possible change in the existing program, which allows them to travel to the islands without visas for that purpose, comes as tensions mount between the two countries over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Japan protests China over suspected test drilling in E. China Sea
TOKYO – Japan’s Foreign Ministry said Friday it has confirmed ongoing construction by China of a facility believed to be meant for unilateral gas field development in the East China Sea.
The ministry lodged a protest with the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo, saying it is regrettable that China has pushed forward with unilateral development.
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South Korea, U.S. leaders to meet for talks on North Korea, economy
SEOUL – South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden will hold their first summit on Saturday, with North Korea issues and economic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region at the top of the agenda.
Yoon, who was sworn in as president on May 10, will have the earliest-ever bilateral summit with an American counterpart. Biden embarked Thursday on a five-day visit to Asia that will also take him to Japan. It marks Biden’s first trip to the region since taking office last year.
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G-7 mobilizes $19.8 bil. for Ukraine, says ready for more aid
BONN, Germany – Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven industrialized nations said Friday they have mobilized $19.8 billion this year for war-torn Ukraine and pledged more financial assistance if needed.
In a communique issued after a two-day meeting held near Bonn, Germany, the G-7 finance ministers and central bank governors condemned “Russia’s war of aggression” and said, “We will continue to stand by Ukraine throughout this war and beyond and are prepared to do more as needed.”
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Japan gov’t to salvage Hokkaido tour boat next week, 12 still missing
SAPPORO – Japan plans to salvage as early as Monday a tourist boat that sank off Hokkaido last month, officials said Friday, as deepwater divers ended their two-day search inside the boat without a trace of the 12 people still missing.
The transport ministry, together with a private company, will commence the salvaging work Saturday, the officials said, estimating that the operation will cost about 140 million yen ($1 million).
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IAEA chief says planning to visit Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine
TOKYO – International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said Friday he is planning to visit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine in the near future.
The planned visit to the plant, now under Russia’s control following its invasion of Ukraine, was announced as Grossi met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo.