Tokyo, 16 October, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM eyes launching probe into controversial Unification Church
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering launching an investigation into the Unification Church, a religious group under increased public scrutiny for links with the ruling party and financial troubles with its followers, government sources said Saturday.
The change in Kishida’s stance comes as he struggles with falling Cabinet support ratings stemming from his reluctance to address problems associated with the church, which remerged after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed more than three months ago.
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BOJ chief stays course on ultralow rate policy despite sharp yen drop
WASHINGTON – Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda said Saturday that monetary easing is still needed for Japan to ensure wage growth and achieve its 2 percent inflation target stably and sustainably.
Kuroda again signaled that the BOJ would remain an outlier among major central banks, which have begun to raise interest rates to fight inflation. The yen has plunged to a 32-year low versus the U.S. dollar as financial markets price in that policy divergence.
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Baseball: Nakagawa game-winner sends Buffaloes into Japan Series
OSAKA – Keita Nakagawa singled in the winning run in the ninth inning as the Pacific League champion Orix Buffaloes advanced to the Japan Series with a 3-2 walk-off win over the SoftBank Hawks on Saturday.
Nakagawa’s two-out single off closer Livan Moinelo at Kyocera Dome Osaka clinched the best-of-seven Climax Series final stage. Orix, which began with a one-win advantage as league champ and played all the games at home, won the series 4-1.
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Baseball: Hawks ace Kodai Senga to test MLB free agent market
TOKYO – Hard-throwing SoftBank Hawks ace Kodai Senga said Saturday that he will exercise his rights to file for free agency in order to play in MLB next season.
The 29-year-old right-hander earned the win in Game 3 of the Pacific League’s Climax Series final stage on Friday before the Hawks were eliminated from the postseason on Saturday.
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Ex-North Korea abductees think of others 20 yrs after returning to Japan
NIIGATA, Japan – Five Japanese snatched by North Korea in the 1970s and repatriated to Japan 20 years ago Saturday expressed their desire that the other abductees would return soon.
“Over the past 20 years, Ms. Megumi, my mother and the (other) victims of abduction have always been in the corner of my mind,” Hitomi Soga said in the Sea of Japan coastal city of Niigata. “I want to work harder than ever and do my best for all of them.”
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Xi pitched his long-term rule to make China as strong as U.S.
BEIJING – Chinese leader Xi Jinping has persuaded senior members of the ruling Communist Party to support his norm-breaking long-term rule, claiming it is necessary to make China as strong as the United States, according to several party and other informed sources.
At the party’s twice-a-decade congress starting Sunday, Xi is set to secure an unprecedented third five-year term as general secretary to cement his power further.
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Tourists enjoy 1st weekend after Japan scraps COVID border controls
TOKYO – Numerous tourist spots in Japan saw visitors return Saturday, the first weekend after the government scrapped coronavirus border controls and implemented a domestic travel subsidy program in a bid to spur inbound and local tourism.
The changes implemented Tuesday are part of government efforts to “live with the coronavirus” by reviving the economy while curbing the spread of COVID-19.
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Memorial for slain ex-PM Abe held in his western Japan constituency
SHIMONOSEKI, Japan – Some 2,000 mourners, including current and former lawmakers, attended a memorial service held Saturday for slain former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in the western Japan prefecture of Yamaguchi, where his constituency was located.
“My husband loved Yamaguchi Prefecture, and (supporters here) let him do big work for Japan. It was a fruitful 67 years of life for him,” the late leader’s widow Akie said at the ceremony at a convention center in Shimonoseki. “He was sent off magnificently.”