Tokyo, 19 October, /AJMEDIA/
30 tril. yen new stimulus eyed as Japan fights inflation, weak yen
TOKYO – Japan should target around 30 trillion yen ($201 billion) for a new economic package to be compiled later this month, a senior ruling party lawmaker said Tuesday as the government aims to help ease the pain of accelerating inflation and support the economy.
Koichi Hagiuda, the policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters after meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida that they agreed that “the size and substance” of the package are important.
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Kishida vows help to those financially affected by Unification Church
TOKYO – Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday expressed eagerness to push for legal reforms designed to assist people financially affected by the Unification Church, saying the government is aware that the contentious religious group may have already broken the law.
The Kishida administration has decided to formally investigate the organization, which has come under public scrutiny over its links to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as well as allegations of causing its followers financial difficulties from dubious “spiritual sales” practices.
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Yen falls to fresh 32-year low in lower 149 zone vs. dollar in London
TOKYO – The yen briefly fell to the lower 149 level against the U.S. dollar in London trading Tuesday, hitting a fresh 32-year low.
After trading in the upper 148 zone in Tokyo earlier in the day, the yen continued its slide to around 149.30, the lowest since August 1990, as market players sold the yen for the dollar in anticipation of wider interest rate differentials between Japan and the United States, dealers said.
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Ohtani returns to Japan, longs to play in MLB postseason
TOKYO – Two-way MLB star Shohei Ohtani said Tuesday he hopes to still be playing baseball this time next year after missing MLB’s postseason for five straight years with the Los Angeles Angels.
Speaking upon his return to Japan, the American League’s 2021 MVP reflected on being considered for more postseason awards, his playing for Japan next March in the World Baseball Classic and his 2022 season ending too early for his liking.
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Biden pitches abortion rights 3 weeks ahead of U.S. midterm elections
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday touted the prospects of passing a federal law guaranteeing abortion rights in his latest effort to galvanize support for his Democratic Party heading into the November midterm elections.
The Democrats are facing headwinds in maintaining control of the House of Representatives, with historical precedent showing that the party in power tends to lose seats in what is usually perceived as a referendum on the president’s term near the halfway mark. The Democrats could also lose control of the evenly divided Senate.
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Japan’s ruling parties begin discussions on security strategy update
TOKYO – Japan’s ruling parties on Tuesday began official discussions on how to update the government’s long-term security and diplomacy policy guideline by the end of this year.
At their first consultation meeting to review the National Security Strategy, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito, known as a pacifist party, agreed to deepen their engagement on security matters, lawmakers said.
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2023 U-20 soccer World Cup to be held in Indonesia despite stampede
JAKARTA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo and FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed Tuesday that next year’s U-20 soccer World Cup will be played in Indonesia as planned, despite a recent stadium tragedy that left 132 people dead.
Widodo said he and the head of the world soccer body wanted FIFA standards to be adhered to when the tournament is held and they agreed that the management of soccer matches in Indonesia needed to be reformed.
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Pakistan says nuclear arsenal is secure after Biden casts doubt
ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Army said Tuesday that the security of the country’s nuclear arsenal is watertight, following comments last week from U.S. President Joe Biden that cast doubt on Islamabad’s control of its nuclear weapons.
After a meeting of the army’s top brass, the Pakistan military’s public affairs division said in a statement that the country has taken all measures to strengthen its nuclear security regime on par with international best practices.
