Tokyo, 26 October, /AJMEDIA/
Ex-Japan health minister Goto replaces church-linked economy chief
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday named former health minister Shigeyuki Goto as economic revitalization minister, replacing Daishiro Yamagiwa, who stepped down amid a wave of criticism over his ties to the controversial Unification Church.
Goto assumed the post Tuesday evening, just three days before the government plans to decide on an additional economic package to ease the impact of rising prices and the coronavirus pandemic. His appointment comes as Kishida tries to stem his Cabinet’s falling approval ratings over issues including his party members’ church links.
———-
Japan’s Kishida sends congratulatory message to China’s Xi
BEIJING – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has sent a congratulatory message to Chinese leader Xi Jinping on securing a precedent-breaking third term as general secretary of the ruling Communist Party, Chinese state TV reported Tuesday.
In the message sent as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida said he, together with Xi, wants to “clearly show to the peoples of both countries and the international community in which direction Japan-China relations are set to develop,” the China Central Television report said.
———-
Japan, U.S. diplomats vow close cooperation in addressing China
TOKYO – Senior diplomats from Japan and the United States agreed Tuesday to keep working closely together to respond to “various challenges over China,” the Japanese government said.
During their meeting in Tokyo, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman also pledged to continue to work toward the complete denuclearization of North Korea under U.N. Security Council resolutions, including in a trilateral cooperation framework with South Korea, according to the Foreign Ministry.
———-
Biden gets Omicron-targeted COVID-19 booster shot
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday received a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot designed to provide increased protection against the dominant Omicron variant, and called for the public to do the same.
While the United States has a population of over 300 million, only around 20 million people in the country have received the updated vaccine, including just one in five seniors, according to the White House.
———-
Indonesia launches “second home visa” to attract investors, tourists
JAKARTA – Indonesia launched on Tuesday a “second home visa” program that will allow foreigners to stay and work in the country for five to 10 years to attract more foreign investors and boost tourism.
Visa applicants must show proof of a financial asset worth at least 2 billion rupiah ($128,000), among other requirements. Applications will be accepted online.
———-
Japan, EU pledge to lead free, fair economic order amid challenges
TOKYO – Japan and the European Union agreed in their economic dialogue Tuesday that they should lead the free and fair economic order as strategic partners, the Japanese government said, as authoritarian states such as China try to achieve their goals using coercive policies.
At their second meeting of a “high-level dialogue” held online on economic issues such as trade, investment and energy, Japanese ministers and European commissioners also shared the importance of securing stable energy and food supplies that have been threatened since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, according to the Foreign Ministry.
———-
Japan vows to closely cooperate with Britain under new PM Sunak
TOKYO – Japan said Tuesday it will maintain close cooperation with Britain under the government of the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, a day after he won the ruling Conservative Party’s leadership race.
“Britain is a global strategic partner (for Japan) sharing fundamental values, so our nation will closely collaborate with its next administration and further beef up the relationship between Japan and Britain,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told a press conference.
———-
Japan ready to address volatile yen moves by speculators: minister
TOKYO – Japan’s currency market interventions are designed to fix volatile fluctuations driven by speculators and the country stands ready to act when required as rapid movements cannot be left unaddressed, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said Tuesday.
Suzuki rejected the claim that the government and the Bank of Japan are moving in opposite directions, with the former stepping into the market to arrest the yen’s weakness while the central bank is pursuing an ultralow rate policy that is blamed for speeding up the currency’s decline.
