Tokyo, 14 September, /AJMEDIA/
All options on table in responding to rapid yen moves: Japan official
TOKYO – Japan’s top currency diplomat said Wednesday all options are on the table in responding to the yen’s rapid fluctuations, after the U.S. dollar strengthened toward 145 yen.
Masato Kanda, vice finance minister for international affairs, said the yen’s recent movements are “concerning” and the government will keep close tabs on developments “with a heightened sense of urgency.”
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Putin, Xi to meet in Uzbekistan on Sept. 15
TOKYO – Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping will hold talks on Thursday in Uzbekistan, the Kremlin said Tuesday, with the two meeting in person for the first time since Moscow invaded Ukraine in late February.
Their meeting is scheduled on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Samarkand, according to the Russian presidential office.
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Japan, India hold maritime drills amid China concerns in Indo-Pacific
TOKYO – Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force said Tuesday it has been conducting exercises with the Indian Navy in waters off the South Asian nation’s east coast amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
The MSDF helicopter carrier Izumo and destroyer Takanami have joined the weeklong drills that began on Sunday in the area stretching from the Andaman Sea to the strategically important Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean, with India’s destroyer Ranvijay and frigate Sahyadri also participating.
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Japan’s wholesale prices jump 9% in Aug. as weak yen lifts import costs
TOKYO – Wholesale prices in Japan climbed 9.0 percent in August from a year earlier as the yen’s tumble against the U.S. dollar and other major currencies boosted import costs, Bank of Japan data showed Tuesday.
It marked the 18th straight month of increase, lifting the corporate goods price index to 115.1 against the 2020 base of 100, renewing a record high, according to the central bank.
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Japan parliament likely to convene extraordinary session on Oct. 3
TOKYO – Japan’s extraordinary parliament session is likely to be convened on Oct. 3, a ruling party lawmaker said Tuesday, in what would be the first Diet debate since Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reshuffled his Cabinet in early August.
During the session, the Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, are set to seek the passage of a second supplementary budget for the fiscal year through March 2023, centering on a new relief package to tackle rising price hikes.
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Harassment probe of Japan SDF launched after sexual assault claim
TOKYO – Japan’s Defense Ministry launched on Tuesday a comprehensive harassment investigation of the country’s Self-Defense Forces, following a recent allegation by a former female SDF member of sexual assault by colleagues.
A defense watchdog began the rare probe into various forms of harassment, including sexual harassment and abuse of power, with a call for victims to report cases of abuse by the end of October.
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Honda to realize carbon neutrality for motorcycles in 2040s
TOKYO – Honda Motor Co. said Tuesday it will ramp up sales of electric motorcycles, offering more than 10 new models globally by 2025, as it aims to realize carbon neutrality for its two-wheeler segment in the 2040s.
Honda said it will try to increase annual sales of electric motorcycles, currently hovering at 100,000 to 200,000 units, to 1 million units in the next five years.
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Japan PM Kishida not to attend Queen Elizabeth’s state funeral
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will not attend Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in Britain, given that the Japanese emperor and empress plan to do so, filling in the invitation slots from Britain, government sources said Tuesday.
The invitation extended to Japan by Britain was only for two people and plans are now under way for Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to attend the Sept. 19 funeral, the sources said.
