Tokyo, 21 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan lower house OKs bill to reform foreign trainee program
TOKYO – Japan’s House of Representatives on Tuesday cleared a bill to reform the controversial foreign trainee program to encourage workers from abroad to stay longer through a new system amid a serious labor shortage in the aging country.
The current Technical Intern Training Program, introduced in 1993 as a way to transfer skills to developing nations, has been criticized as a cover for importing cheap labor. Many trainees have run away due to abuse or unpaid wages and harassment.
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Japan government urged to address higher debt costs, fiscal reform
TOKYO – Japan should not backpedal on its efforts to restore fiscal health as the likelihood of higher interest rates would mean increased payments for the debt-ridden nation, potentially limiting its room for future emergency spending, a fiscal policy advisory panel said Tuesday.
In a set of recommendations submitted to the government before it draws up a fiscal policy blueprint this summer, the panel underscored the need to reduce the budget deficit and the size of the national debt in relation to the economy.
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Japanese town installs barrier to block viral Mt. Fuji photo spot
KOFU, Japan – A Japanese town on Tuesday set up a large black screen to block a scenic view of Mt. Fuji in response to what it calls unruly behavior from tourists after the photo spot went viral online.
The 2.5-meter high, 20-meter wide screen now blocks the sight of Japan’s highest mountain towering over a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, which could previously be photographed from across a road, making the area a popular destination for foreign tourists.
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M6.0 earthquake hits south of Tokyo, no tsunami threat
TOKYO – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0 struck near the Ogasawara Islands in the Pacific Ocean, south of Tokyo, on Tuesday, but there was no threat of a tsunami, Japan’s weather agency said.
The quake occurred at around 9:39 a.m. at a depth of around 50 kilometers and registered 4 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Hahajima Island, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. There were no immediate reports of injuries or major damage.
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U.N. rejects Russian resolution on banning weapons in space
NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council on Monday rejected a resolution proposed by Russia on banning all weapons in space, with the United States saying Moscow is trying to mislead the world from its true intention.
Seven members of the 15-seat council including China backed the resolution, short of the nine required for adoption. The United States, Japan and five other countries opposed it while Switzerland abstained.
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2 men face murder charges over burned bodies found north of Tokyo
TOKYO – Two 20-year-old men were served with fresh arrest warrants Tuesday on suspicion of murder after being arrested in connection with the discovery of the burned bodies of a married couple north of Tokyo in April, police said.
Kirato Wakayama, a former actor, and Kang Gwang Gi allegedly strangled to death Ryutaro Takarajima, 55, and his wife Sachiko, 56, in the garage of a vacant house in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward between the night of April 15 and the early hours of April 16.
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Studio Ghibli receives honorary Palme d’Or at Cannes film festival
CANNES, France – Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli on Monday received an honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes film festival for contributing to the genre’s creativity through global hits such as “Spirited Away,” marking the first time an institution was awarded rather than an individual.
“Alongside the Hollywood greats, the Japanese studio embodied by two superb storytellers, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and a host of cult characters, has unleashed a fresh wind on animated film over the past four decades,” the organizer said in a statement.
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U.S. expresses official condolences for death of Iranian president
WASHINGTON – The United States on Monday formally expressed its condolences for the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other senior officials in a helicopter crash.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby, however, told a press briefing that Raisi, who was seen as a protege of Iran’s supreme leader, was a “man who had a lot of blood on his hands” and the U.S. stance on its longtime adversary has not changed.
