Tokyo, 4 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan, Brazil agree to jointly protect Amazon rainforest
BRASILIA – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed Friday to strengthen efforts to combat climate change, including enhancing the protection of the Amazon rainforest.
During their talks in Brasilia, Kishida and Lula signed a comprehensive cooperative agreement on decarbonization and other environmental issues.
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Japan PM calls for speeding up debate on revising Constitution
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday vowed to speed up discussions on revising the Constitution as Japan marked the 77th anniversary of its coming into force, while others called for it to remain unchanged in the face of recently introduced rules allowing defense equipment and technology transfers.
“With significant changes occurring in today’s society, amending the Constitution has become an increasingly important issue that can no longer be put off,” Kishida said in a video message sent to a gathering of pro-Constitutional amendment forces in Tokyo.
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Yen briefly rises to 151 in N.Y. after weak U.S. labor data
NEW YORK – The yen appreciated against the U.S. dollar in New York on Friday, briefly reaching a three-week high in the upper 151 range after the latest labor data suggested a weaker-than-expected situation in nonfarm payrolls.
The yen’s high for the day was 151.86 per dollar, a level that has not been seen since April 10, and it was quoted at 152.90-153.00 at 5 p.m. in New York, compared with 153.61-71 late Thursday. Tokyo markets were closed Friday for a national holiday.
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Japan, U.S., Australia sign defense technology cooperation pact
HONOLULU – The defense ministers of Japan, the United States and Australia on Thursday signed a cooperation agreement on new technologies including autonomous systems, as they ramp up security ties amid China’s military buildup in the Indo-Pacific region.
In a joint statement released after their meeting in Hawaii, the three also said their forces aim to conduct an “inaugural regional air and missile defense live-fire exercise in 2027” at a regular multinational military exercise.
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Japan, 3 nations concerned with China’s “dangerous” actions at sea
HONOLULU – The defense ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines on Thursday expressed their “serious concern” over China’s recent “dangerous and destabilizing conduct” against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea.
In a joint readout issued after their talks in Hawaii, the four ministers urged China to adhere to a 2016 ruling by an international court that invalidated its claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, amid Beijing’s growing assertiveness in regional waters.
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ASEAN, Japan, China, S. Korea ensure funds for pandemics, disasters
TBILISI – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus Japan, China and South Korea on Friday agreed to provide each other funds in times of emergency such as pandemics and natural disasters, building on their existing currency swap arrangements for the U.S. dollar and its counterparts.
The finance ministers and central bank governors of the Asian nations met on the fringes of events hosted by the Asian Development Bank in Georgia’s Tbilisi, at a time when the dollar has gained strength relative to its counterparts following aggressive monetary tightening to fight inflation.
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Japan finance chief sees need for stable forex moves amid weak yen
TOKYO – Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on Friday stressed the need for foreign exchange rates to move stably by reflecting economic fundamentals, saying that excessive fluctuations should be rectified.
Speaking at a press conference during his visit to Georgia, Suzuki declined to comment on whether Japan intervened in the currency market when the yen spiked in a short span of time Wednesday in New York.
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Baseball: Cubs’ Imanaga named National League Rookie of the Month
NEW YORK – Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for the span from late March when the season began through the end of April, Major League Baseball said Friday.
The 30-year-old lefty, formerly of the DeNA BayStars in Japan’s Central League, went 4-0 with a 0.98 ERA in five starts during the month in an impressive beginning to his major-league career.
