Tokyo, 22 May, /AJMEDIA/
Retrial of 1966 Japan murders closes, ruling set for Sept. 26
SHIZUOKA, Japan – The retrial of the 88-year-old Iwao Hakamata, whose death sentence was finalized decades ago for a 1966 quadruple murder in central Japan, concluded Wednesday, with the ruling set to be handed down on Sept. 26.
While prosecutors demanded the death penalty on the final day of the retrial at the Shizuoka District Court, Hakamata will likely be acquitted, as the retrial itself indicates substantial doubts about his guilt. According to the country’s criminal procedure law, a retrial is granted if there is “clear evidence the accused is not guilty.”
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Vietnam public security minister To Lam elected as president
HANOI – Vietnam’s National Assembly on Wednesday elected public security minister To Lam as the country’s new president.
The election followed Vo Van Thuong’s resignation in March after serving just over a year in office, amid an anti-corruption drive. Vietnam’s president is the second highest position in the country after the general secretary of the ruling Communist Party.
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Japan logs 462.5 billion yen trade deficit in April on weak yen, oil
TOKYO – Japan recorded a trade deficit of 462.51 billion yen ($3 billion) in April as higher crude oil prices and a sharp drop in the yen boosted the value of imports, offsetting robust export growth, government data showed Wednesday.
Buoyed by continued strength in auto demand, exports rose for the fifth straight month, up 8.3 percent to 8.98 trillion yen, a record for April. Imports, meanwhile, also rose 8.3 percent, to 9.44 trillion yen, the largest ever for the month.
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Japan 10-year gov’t bond yield hits 1% for 1st time in 11 yrs
TOKYO – The yield on Japan’s benchmark 10-year government bond briefly hit 1 percent on Wednesday for the first time in around 11 years, amid speculation that the Bank of Japan could shift from its ultraloose monetary policy.
The benchmark yield rose to 1.000 percent at one time, up 0.020 percentage point from Tuesday’s close, touching the 1 percent threshold for the first time since May 2013.
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Japan, S. Korea leaders to agree in Seoul to tackle N. Korea threats
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol are certain to agree in talks later this month to deepen cooperation to tackle security threats from North Korea, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.
Kishida and Yoon, who are expected to meet in Seoul on Sunday on the sidelines of a trilateral summit involving Japan, South Korea and China, are also likely to affirm the need to bolster their security ties with the United States, the sources said.
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Japanese, Thai foreign ministers vow to boost bilateral business ties
TOKYO – Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and her Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa agreed Wednesday that the two nations will strengthen bilateral business ties and work together in other fields, the Foreign Ministry said.
During their talks in Tokyo, Kamikawa was quoted by her ministry as telling Maris that Japan hopes to speed up negotiations toward an early conclusion of a bilateral social security deal aimed at improving business conditions for those moving between Japan and Thailand.
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2 Chinese held for stealing 999 pairs of branded sneakers in Tokyo
TOKYO – Two Chinese men have been arrested for allegedly stealing 999 pairs of branded sneakers worth 18 million yen ($115,000) from a warehouse in Tokyo earlier this year, police said Wednesday.
Most of the stolen sneakers have been shipped to China, apparently for sale, the police said. Xin Yannan, a 28-year-old executive of a shoe sales company, and Shao Mingzhi, a 41-year-old transportation worker, both deny the allegation.
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Chinese journalist who reported on COVID outbreak released from jail
SHANGHAI – A Chinese citizen-journalist who was sentenced in 2020 to four years in prison for disseminating “false” information regarding the COVID-19 outbreak in the central city of Wuhan has been released, her supporters said Tuesday.
Zhang Zhan, 40, was taken by police to her elder brother’s home in Shanghai earlier this month and now only has limited freedom, the supporters said. In a video posted on X, Zhang thanked everyone for their assistance while holding back tears.
