Tokyo, 21 November, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM sacks scandal-hit internal affairs minister amid pressure
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sacked Internal Affairs and Communications Minister Minoru Terada on Sunday, as pressure built on the premier to fire him over a funds-related scandal amid falling support ratings for his Cabinet.
Terada’s departure is a fresh blow to Kishida as he became the third Cabinet minister to go in under one month. The other two ministers left their posts as the result of a gaffe or close ties to the controversial Unification Church.
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G-7 condemns recent N. Korean ICBM launch in “strongest terms”
WASHINGTON – The Group of Seven industrialized nations on Sunday condemned “in the strongest terms” North Korea’s recent launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and called for “significant measures” to be taken by the U.N. Security Council.
The joint foreign ministerial statement was issued by countries including the United States and Japan after Pyongyang test-fired another missile on Friday. The missile likely fell within Japan’s exclusive economic zone off its northern main island, according to the Japanese government.
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Japanese project encourages men to lead change for gender equality
TOKYO – A Japanese project that encourages men to take the lead in eliminating gender disparities was launched over the weekend as the world celebrated International Men’s Day on Saturday.
Founded by social entrepreneur Genki Katsube, the #MenWithWomen project promotes 15 behavioral principles, such as ensuring equal allocation of positions within organizations, not treating women like commodities, not seeking sexual favors, and not expecting behavior based on gender stereotypes.
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Historic fund to aid climate change-hit nations OK’d at U.N. talks
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Negotiators at U.N. talks agreed Sunday to set up a fund to compensate poorer countries affected by climate disasters, finally heeding their demands for help in bearing the cost of damage caused by climate change.
“History was made today…as parties agreed to the establishment of a long-awaited loss and damage fund for assisting developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change,” the presidency of the 27th session of a U.N. climate conference being held in Egypt tweeted.
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Malaysia faces hung parliament after election, ex-PM Mahathir loses
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia faced a hung parliament Sunday, after neither of the two major alliances of parties competing in the previous day’s general election was able to win a majority, while former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad lost his parliamentary seat.
The palace, in a statement, directed the competing coalitions to inform the monarch by 2 p.m. Monday of their agreed-on alliances that have majority control of the parliament and a prime minister of their choice.
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Nepal holds general election amid economic worries
KATHMANDU – Nepal voters went to the polls in the Himalayan nation’s general election on Sunday, with Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s ruling bloc strongly favored to win.
Over 17.9 million of the 30 million Nepalis are eligible to vote to elect 275 parliamentarians, of which 165 will be elected by first-past-the-post votes, while 110 will be elected under the proportional representation system.
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Car driven by 97-year-old man kills woman, hurts 4 in Japan
FUKUSHIMA, Japan – A minivehicle driven by a 97-year-old man hit a woman and rammed into three cars in the northeastern Japan city of Fukushima on Saturday afternoon, killing the pedestrian and injuring four other women, police said.
Police on Sunday arrested Kuniyoshi Namishio on suspicion of fatally hitting the woman on a sidewalk in the city. The police declined to reveal whether the man has admitted to the charge.
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Man arrested for punching mom unconscious on her 100th birthday
KOBE – A man was arrested Sunday for allegedly punching his mother in the head the previous day on her 100th birthday, leaving her in critical condition, police said.
Hiromu Nozawa, 69, is suspected of committing the assault on his mother Toshiko at their home in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, at around 4 a.m. on Saturday. The woman suffered an acute subdural hemorrhage and remains unconscious after the incident, the police said.
