logo
Ishiba and Tomasdottir agree to deepen cooperation between Japan and Iceland

Ishiba and Tomasdottir agree to deepen cooperation between Japan and Iceland

Japan Times6 days ago

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Icelandic President Halla Tomasdottir met in Tokyo on Tuesday and agreed to deepen cooperation between their countries in a wide range of fields, including the economy and security.
During their meeting at the Prime Minister's Office, Ishiba said he feels Japan has an affinity with Iceland because both countries are known for their many volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.
Referring to intensifying competition in the Arctic, including for new shipping routes, Ishiba said Japan hopes to advance its cooperation with Iceland in a concrete way.
Tomasdottir said Japan is Iceland's most important partner in Asia, and expressed her eagerness to collaborate with Japan on geothermal energy and gender equality.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kyodo News Digest: June 3, 2025
Kyodo News Digest: June 3, 2025

Kyodo News

time2 hours ago

  • Kyodo News

Kyodo News Digest: June 3, 2025

KYODO NEWS - 5 minutes ago - 09:24 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan PM may seek snap election if no-confidence submitted TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may dissolve the House of Representatives for a snap general election if the main opposition party submits a no-confidence motion, a source close to the government leadership said Monday. Ishiba, whose coalition holds a minority in the lower house, could take the move before any no-confidence motion is put to a vote in the chamber, the source said. If such a motion is submitted and approved, the prime minister must dissolve the lower house or the Cabinet must resign en masse within 10 days. ---------- Japanese baseball legend Nagashima dead at 89: Yomiuri newspaper TOKYO - Japanese baseball legend Shigeo Nagashima, who rose to stardom for his on-field exploits during the country's era of rapid economic growth in the 1960s and 1970s, died Tuesday, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. He was 89. Nagashima, who was a key player of the Yomiuri Giants team that achieved nine consecutive Central League and Japan Series titles from 1965 to 1973 and later managed the club, was a charismatic figure whose popularity transcended sports. ---------- White House says Trump "likely" to speak with China's Xi this week WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump is "likely" to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, the White House said Monday, amid renewed trade tensions between the two countries. The prospect for such talks, mentioned to reporters by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, comes after China hit back at the United States over alleged violations of a temporary bilateral trade agreement reached in mid-May in Geneva. ---------- South Koreans begin voting in presidential election SEOUL - South Koreans began voting Tuesday in a presidential election to choose a successor to ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, whose imposition of martial law deeply divided the nation and sent shockwaves across the country. More than 14,000 polling stations opened at 6 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m. Of over 44 million eligible voters, about 34.7 percent have already cast ballots during early voting on Thursday and Friday. ---------- Japan crafts basic plan to support "employment ice age" generation TOKYO - The government on Tuesday mapped out a basic framework to support people in their 40s to 50s who fell victim to Japan's "employment ice age," with a focus on easing retirement anxieties. One key element is to provide "safety net public housing," operated in a way that prevents aging people from being denied a home. ---------- Japan's departure tax revenue hits record high in FY 2024 TOKYO - Japan's revenue from a departure tax collected from travelers in fiscal 2024 hit a record high amid an influx in the number of visitors, the Finance Ministry said Monday. Although revenue from the tax for the full fiscal year, which runs from April to March, has yet to be calculated with final receipts gathered by the end of May, the total has already reached 48.1 billion yen ($34 billion), eclipsing the previous record of 44.3 billion yen in fiscal 2019, it said. The full total will be announced later. ---------- U.N. official looks to Japan as leader in disaster resilience efforts GENEVA - The focus of work related to natural disaster recovery must shift from rapid rebuilding to long-term resilience and inclusivity, and Japan can play a leading role in such efforts, according to the chief of the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. "We must stop building back fast with big promises and start building back better and more resilient," said Kamal Kishore, special representative of the U.N. secretary general for disaster risk reduction, in a recent interview with Kyodo News. ---------- Japanese footballer in Australia arrested in betting scandal SYDNEY - A Japanese footballer playing on an Australian A-League team has been arrested for alleged involvement in a betting scandal, Australian authorities said. Riku Danzaki, 25, a midfielder for Melbourne-based A-League club Western United, is suspected of deliberately receiving yellow cards during matches to manipulate betting outcomes, local media said. Video: Dance troupe from West Bank performs at Osaka Expo's Palestine day

South Korea votes for new president after months of turmoil
South Korea votes for new president after months of turmoil

Japan Times

time3 hours ago

  • Japan Times

South Korea votes for new president after months of turmoil

South Korean voters headed to the polls to pick a new president on Tuesday, with the two leading candidates vowing to revive an ailing economy and put months of turmoil over a failed martial law attempt in the rearview mirror. The poll is effectively pitting Liberal front-runner Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party (DP) against conservative rival Kim Moon-soo of the governing People Power Party (PPP). Tuesday has been designated a public holiday, with voting precincts opening at 6 a.m. local time and due to close at 8 p.m, while South Koreans overseas were allowed to vote early from May 20 to 25. The snap election was triggered by the ouster of Yoon Suk Yeol, who briefly imposed martial law in December, unsettling many South Koreans who saw the move as a reminder of the country's authoritarian past. The winner must face the challenge of stabilizing the country after months of political turmoil that saw Yoon booted from office — fracturing the country along party lines and putting the South Korean economy in a state of limbo. But the results will also have far-ranging foreign policy implications, including for closer relations with Japan and the U.S., as well as soured ties with China. Depending on the victor, the result could also signal a shift in South Korea's approach to nuclear-armed North Korea. Barring an unforeseen development, observers say a victory by Lee — who has consistently led in opinion polls since entering the race — appears all but certain. Lee, who lost by a razor-thin margin to Yoon Suk Yeol in the 2022 election, held commanding leads in polls throughout the campaign, and remained ahead with 49% support against 35% for Kim Moon, one final opinion poll released by Gallup Korea on May 27 showed. Another right-leaning candidate, the Reform Party's Lee Jun-seok, received 11% support. While Kim had eroded a more than 20 percentage point gap with Lee at the start of the campaign on May 12, he failed to convince the Reform Party candidate to back him to avoid splitting the conservative vote. Exit polls released immediately after polls close could offer clarity about the winner far more quickly than the last presidential election, when the victor remained unknown until the early hours the following day. The next president — who will take office immediately for a single, five-year term and will not have the advantage of a formal transition, unlike with many prior elections — will instantly face a host of challenges. First and foremost, he will be expected to tackle a deepening economic downturn and shepherd through tough tariff negotiations with the U.S., which has slapped its South Korean ally with a 25% levy on key exports such as steel, aluminium and automobiles. In a nationwide survey conducted early last month by the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper , 40.7% of respondents cited 'revitalizing the economy and securing future growth engines' as the next president's most pressing task. Resolving social conflict and promoting national unity was a distant second at 21.7%. But there's a host of other challenges the next president will also need to face. These include the country's rapidly graying society and plummeting birthrate, an urgent demographic crisis also seen in neighboring Japan and China. Young couples and singles commonly complain about the soaring costs of child care, discrimination against working parents and gender inequality. With women making up 50.5% of South Korea's 44.39 million eligible voters, the demographic could have a sizable impact on the result despite all of the candidates remaining in the race being men — the first time since 2007 that no women are in the final lineup. South Korea has elected only one female leader: Park Geun-hye, who took office in 2013 and was impeached in 2017.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store