Tokyo, 24 September, /AJMEDIA/
Peace over Taiwan “critical,” Blinken tells China’s Wang amid tension
NEW YORK – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday told his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi that preserving peace and stability over Taiwan is “critical” to regional and global security amid growing tensions over the self-ruled democratic island.
During the nearly 90-minute talks, held on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Blinken also stressed the need to maintain open lines of communication to “responsibly manage” the competition between the United States and China, according to a senior U.S. government official.
———-
Quad states favor expansion in U.N. Security Council permanent seats
NEW YORK – Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia and India were committed Friday to advancing United Nations reform including an increase in permanent seats on its Security Council, as the world body faces challenges amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The foreign ministers of the four major Indo-Pacific democracies in the so-called Quad group also underscored the need to “address attempts to unilaterally subvert the international and multilateral system” including the workings of the United Nations, according to a document issued after their meeting in New York.
———-
U.S. vice president to discuss Taiwan during trip to Japan, S. Korea
NEW YORK – U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to discuss Taiwan security issues with Japanese and South Korean officials during her visit to the two Asian allies next week, a senior U.S. government official said Friday.
In her trip to Japan, Harris will lead a presidential delegation to the state funeral for slain former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which the White House announced the same day will include U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and former U.S. ambassadors to Japan Caroline Kennedy and William Hagerty.
———-
U.S., Japan scientists win prize for sleep disorder research
WASHINGTON – American and Japanese scientists have won a U.S. Breakthrough Prize for their discoveries shedding light on the cause of narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that makes people suddenly drowsy in the daytime.
One of the $3 million prizes in life sciences went to Emmanuel Mignot of the Stanford University School of Medicine and Masashi Yanagisawa of the University of Tsukuba for their separate research programs that have contributed to the creation of sleep-inducing drugs, the organizers said Thursday.
———-
U.N. team confirms war crimes in Ukraine after Russia’s invasion
GENEVA – A U.N. commission of inquiry on human rights violations in Ukraine said Friday that war crimes had taken place in the war-torn country following Russia’s invasion seven months ago.
Among the war crimes confirmed with evidence by the three-member investigative team under the U.N. Human Rights Council included inhuman treatment, violence against women and children, including rape and torture.
———-
Stuffed toy firm allegedly gave bribes to ex-Tokyo Olympics executive
TOKYO – A company that was responsible for selling officially licensed stuffed toys of the Tokyo Olympics mascots is suspected of giving several million yen to a former executive of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, investigative sources said Friday, in a spate of bribery scandals involving last year’s Summer Games.
Prosecutors were probing whether Haruyuki Takahashi had lobbied the committee to extend favor to Sun Arrow Inc. over the sale of stuffed toys for the world sports event, the sources said.
———-
Japan to launch domestic travel subsidy program on Oct. 11
TOKYO – Japan will launch a new subsidy program to boost domestic tourism on Oct. 11, the same day it plans to remove its daily cap for overseas arrivals as part of easing COVID-19 border control measures.
The “National Travel Discount,” which Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Thursday in New York, will replace the “Go To Travel” subsidy program and expand similar existing programs operating at the prefectural level.
———-
Soccer: Kamada, Mitoma on target as Japan beat U.S. 2-0 in friendly
DUSSELDORF, Germany – Daichi Kamada struck midway through the opening half and Kaoru Mitoma netted late off the bench as Japan tuned up for the World Cup in Qatar with a 2-0 win over the United States on Friday.
Japan’s high pressing and quick movement on the counter posed problems for an American side missing one of its biggest names, Chelsea attacker Christian Pulisic, who was a late injury withdrawal from the friendly at Dusseldorf-Arena.
