Tokyo, 25 May, /AJMEDIA/
Tokyo Gov. Koike plans to run for third term: source
TOKYO – Gov. Yuriko Koike plans to run in Tokyo’s July gubernatorial election in the hope of securing a third four-year term, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday, amid speculation she may return to national politics.
With the ruling Liberal Democratic Party unlikely to field a candidate in the Tokyo governor race, it may decide to support Koike, according to party sources. Koike, 71, secured reelection as an independent candidate in the previous race in 2020.
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Ukraine hopes to ink security pact with Japan before July NATO summit
KYIV – Ukraine hopes to sign a security cooperation agreement with Japan sometime before a NATO summit meeting in July, a senior diplomat of the eastern European country said recently.
Aiming to bolster ties with countries in the Indo-Pacific region more than two years after the start of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine and Japan are in the “final stage” of talks on a bilateral security pact, First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
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Many G7 countries voice concern over China’s excess production
STRESA, Italy – Many finance chiefs from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies on Friday expressed concern that China’s underpriced excess production has had a negative impact on the global economy, Japan’s top currency diplomat said.
Masato Kanda, Japan’s vice finance minister for international affairs, also touched on currency issues, telling reporters in the northern Italian town of Stresa, “It’s all about taking appropriate action if there are excessive fluctuations.”
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Older Japanese men making up for lost time by dipping into cosmetics
TOKYO – Japanese men are increasingly turning to cosmetics and skin care to sharpen up their image, with those in their 40s and older seemingly becoming more conscious about how they present to important clients and customers.
The market grew about 1.7-fold from 2017 to 43.3 billion yen ($275 million) in 2023, according to major Japanese marketing research firm Intage Inc., as men focused more on how they appear in the video and online meetings that became much more common during and after the coronavirus pandemic.
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Japan on alert for unseasonal swarm of stink bugs that feed on fruit
TOKYO – Japan is bracing for a swarm of stink bugs that can attack tree fruits, with an unusually large number of prefectures already issuing alerts.
Of Japan’s 47 prefectures, 30 from west to east, including Tokyo, had issued stink bug alerts as of Friday, according to Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries data.
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Japan’s Princess Kako heads to Greece to mark 125 years of ties
TOKYO – Japan’s Princess Kako, a niece of Emperor Naruhito, left Tokyo for Greece on Saturday for a trip to mark 125 years since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the countries.
It will be the third official overseas visit of the younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, following her trips to Austria and Hungary in 2019 and Peru in November last year.
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U.S., Chinese defense chiefs to hold 1st in-person talks since 2022
WASHINGTON – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is planning to hold talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun next week in Singapore on the sidelines of a security conference, the Pentagon said Friday, with the meeting coming a time of heightened Taiwan tensions.
Austin will meet in person with his Chinese counterpart for the first time since November 2022 as their countries seek to facilitate communication and prevent their geopolitical rivalry from veering into conflict, accidental or otherwise.
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Biden likely to skip Ukraine summit set for mid-June in Switzerland
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden is not scheduled to attend a mid-June summit in Switzerland aimed at helping forge a path toward peace in Ukraine, sources with knowledge of the situation said Friday, as he appears to have prioritized a fundraising event for his 2024 reelection campaign.
The expected no-show by Biden is almost certain to be a big disappointment for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who hopes to garner broader global support for his country’s fight against Russia’s invasion during the two-day summit, set to begin June 15 at a resort complex situated high above Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland.
