Tokyo, 21 June, /AJMEDIA/
Japan PM vows to focus on issues that cannot be postponed
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Friday that he will concentrate on tackling issues that “cannot be postponed,” ruling out the possibility of dissolving the House of Representatives for a snap election in the near future.
Kishida, apparently intent on being reelected as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in its presidential race around September, also said he will move ahead with policies on economic growth, diplomacy and security during his tenure.
———-
Japan’s new policy blueprint aims for pay hikes, end to deflation
TOKYO – Japan approved a new policy blueprint on Friday that sought to focus on boosting wages and the economy’s growth potential, with the hope that the country is now on the cusp of breaking with deflation and moving toward what it dubbed a “new stage.”
The plan, endorsed by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, acknowledges the fragile state of the economy and especially private consumption, saying that the government should keep close tabs on the impact of a weak yen, which inflates import costs.
———-
Japan top court rules transgender woman “father” of girl born after switch
TOKYO – Japan’s top court on Friday recognized a transgender woman as the “father” of her 3-year-old daughter conceived using her frozen sperm and born to her female partner after legally transitioning, in the first such ruling.
Scrapping a high court ruling, the Supreme Court recognized the parent-child relationship of the woman in her 40s, who was assigned male at birth and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2018, and her second daughter, born in 2020, using sperm preserved before her transition.
———-
Argentina withdraws from 2025 World Expo in Japan
TOKYO – Argentina has decided to withdraw its participation in the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, the third country to do so among those who were set to build their own pavilions, Japan’s minister in charge of the global event said Friday.
Hanako Jimi did not disclose at a press conference the reason for the withdrawal but the country has long been mired in extremely high inflation, leading President Javier Milei to cut government spending after taking office in December.
———-
Japan’s food waste in FY 2022 caused 4 tril. yen in economic losses
TOKYO – Still-edible food discarded in Japan in fiscal 2022 totaled an estimated 4.72 million tons, causing 4 trillion yen ($25 billion) in economic losses, the government said Friday, calling for more efforts to curb such waste even though the figure hit a record-low.
The government aims to halve food wasted by households and businesses from the fiscal 2000 level by fiscal 2030, and the latest data showed that food-related businesses, including convenience stores and restaurants, had already achieved the goal by reducing waste to 2.36 million tons from 5.47 million tons in fiscal 2000.
———-
Kyoto hotel’s refusal to accommodate Israeli man illegal: city
KYOTO – A Kyoto hotel illegally refused accommodation to an Israeli man, citing possible ties with the country’s military engaging in conflict in the Gaza Strip, the local government said Friday.
The city has instructed Hotel Material in Higashiyama Ward that such an act violates a law prohibiting hotels and other facilities from refusing to accommodate visitors except under special circumstances.
Israel’s embassy in Tokyo criticized the hotel’s action, calling the incident “a clear case of discrimination that is not in line with Japan’s business law.”
———-
Nissan to close auto plant in China amid intensifying EV price war
TOKYO – Nissan Motor Co. will close its passenger car factory in Jiangsu province, China, people familiar with the matter said Friday, as the Japanese automaker faces intensifying price competition and the rising popularity of electric vehicles made by local brands.
Like its Japanese peers, Nissan has been struggling with declining sales in the world’s largest auto market. Limited options in all-electric cars have been a major setback for Japanese companies as China is experiencing a rapid shift to EVs.
———-
SoftBank’s Son sets ambition to realize “super” AI in 10 yrs
TOKYO – SoftBank Group Corp. CEO Masayoshi Son on Friday put forward his latest ambition to realize artificial intelligence thousands of times smarter than humans within the next 10 years, saying he was “born to” create artificial superintelligence.
Toward that end, the Japanese investment and technology giant will deepen cooperation with such leading firms as U.S. semiconductor giants Nvidia Corp. and Intel Corp. while also ramping up operations at its British chip designing subsidiary Arm Holdings Plc., Son said at an annual shareholders’ meeting.
