Tokyo, 22 November, /AJMEDIA/
Japan space agency gives up on landing Moon probe
TOKYO – Japan’s space agency said Tuesday it has given up on landing the country’s ultra-small space probe on the Moon after communication with the lander failed to stabilize following its launch last week.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency said the Omotenashi lander could not receive transmissions from Earth to correct its trajectory and position, as its solar cells kept facing away from the sun.
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Gov’t panel to back Japan’s acquisition of counterstrike capabilities
TOKYO – The government’s panel for defense buildup and budget financing is set to endorse a plan for Japan to acquire an enemy base strike capability, or “counterstrike capability,” even under its postwar pacifist Constitution, experts of the panel said Monday.
The panel backed the idea raised by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in a draft proposal at a meeting on Monday as it wrapped up nearly two months of discussion, the experts said.
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M5.6 quake hits Indonesia’s West Java, death toll rises to 62
JAKARTA – A magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Indonesia’s Sukabumi Regency on Monday, killing at least 62 people and injuring 700 others, local authorities said.
The national disaster agency said more than 1,700 houses were damaged with over 3,800 people displaced after the quake struck at 1:21 p.m. at a depth of 10 kilometers. The epicenter was about 100 km away from the capital Jakarta.
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U.N. Security Council again fails to take unified action on N. Korea
NEW YORK – The U.N. Security Council failed Monday as in previous recent efforts to take unified action over the latest test-launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile by North Korea, as the positions of most members and those of China and Russia remained far apart.
The Security Council convened an urgent meeting to address Pyongyang’s launch of an ICBM last week after the Group of Seven industrial nations called on the council to take “significant measures.”
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China “forcefully” seizes likely rocket debris from Philippine Navy
MANILA – The Chinese coast guard has “forcefully” retrieved rocket debris that a Philippine naval boat was towing to a nearby island, Philippine authorities said Monday, in the latest encounter in the disputed South China Sea.
The Philippine Armed Forces Western Command said the incident happened Sunday morning, hours before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Manila, as it received a report of a floating object, which resembled debris from a Long March 5B rocket that China launched in late October.
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Japan adds 2 ships to its fleet of Aegis-equipped destroyers
TOKYO – Japan on Monday raised the number of Aegis-equipped destroyers in its fleet to eight from the current six, after the Maritime Self-Defense Force said two new ships had successfully intercepted ballistic missiles in exercises.
The tests came with North Korea test-firing ballistic missiles at an unprecedented pace, and with China ramping up its missile capabilities.
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FOCUS: String of ministerial changes may prod Kishida to reshuffle Cabinet
TOKYO – A close aid of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was sacked as a minister amid a political funds-related scandal, becoming the third member to leave his Cabinet in less than a month, in a heavy blow to his already fragile government.
With his power base weakening, speculation has been growing that by the end of this year, Kishida, whose approval ratings have been struggling, may carry out a second Cabinet reshuffle since he took office in October 2021 in the hope of propping up public support.
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Football: Tomiyasu says Japan have everything required to beat Germany
DOHA – Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu said Monday that Japan have all the ingredients they need to beat Germany in the teams’ upcoming World Cup opener.
“We have enough quality to beat them, of course we have to be confident, but we have to find the balance,” the 24-year-old said at the Japan training base in Qatar.
