Analysis: Xi Jinping's generals face a treacherous political battlefield
It is now indisputable that Gen. He Weidong has been purged, three months after he disappeared from public view, sparking a torrent of speculation within and outside China.
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Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
China and Russia collaborate in global spread of surveillance states
Comment Political meddling in Georgia shows threat of growing authoritarian coordination Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are working to expand their countries' influence in Georgia, a crucial South Caucasus link between Asia and Europe. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Reuters) HIROYUKI AKITA TBILISI, Georgia -- It was a rare instance of a senior Chinese official speaking with unusual candor: On July 2, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told European Union top diplomat Kaja Kallas that he does not want to see Russia lose the war in Ukraine.
Japan Times
5 hours ago
- Japan Times
Ishiba unlikely to make personal statement on WWII anniversary
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has decided not to make a personal statement on the 80th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II on Aug. 15, sources have said. Ishiba had also considered making such a statement on Sept. 2, the date when Japan formally signed the surrender document in 1945, but no such announcement is likely to be made that day either, senior government officials and lawmakers in Ishiba's ruling Liberal Democratic Party said Saturday. Ishiba is still looking for an appropriate time to make a statement, which would be based on the results of a review of the war. But some believe that it would be difficult to do so any time soon. A personal statement by Ishiba, who is viewed as relatively dovish, could intensify the calls for his resignation that have emerged inside the LDP — especially among the party's more hawkish wing — following its rout in the July 20 Upper House election. Japan has issued a prime minister's statement to mark each of the 50th, 60th and 70th anniversaries of the country's surrender in the war. But this tradition of marking key anniversaries could be broken by Ishiba. The prime minister has already given up on the idea of releasing a prime minister's statement on the war that requires Cabinet approval. He is instead considering working on a document to present his view, based on the results of experts' examination of the circumstances that led Japan to enter the war. But preparations for such a document did not progress because he was busy with the Upper House election and the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations. A source close to the prime minister said Ishiba would not be able to announce his views by Sept. 2. In a statement issued 10 years ago, then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the deep remorse and heartfelt apology expressed by past Cabinets "will remain unshakable." However, Abe also said: "We must not let our children, grandchildren, and even further generations to come, who have nothing to do with that war, be predestined to apologize." Supporting this view, many LDP lawmakers who belonged to the now-defunct faction that had been led by Abe think that no further war statements are necessary. Ishiba appears to believe that releasing a personal statement would further fuel the moves to oust him that are already simmering within the party. "It's better not to release anything," a source close to the prime minister said. Ishiba has not entirely scrapped the idea of compiling a paper to show his view. Sources said that he is looking for the appropriate time, while monitoring the situation inside the party. But he may be forced to abandon the idea if LDP turmoil continues. With the LDP having suffered three consecutive election setbacks, following last October's Lower House election and the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election last month, long-standing dissatisfaction with Ishiba's leadership has boiled over among his rivals. A number of LDP members are calling on him to resign, but Ishiba has vowed to stay on in order to deal with pressing issues, including the matter of U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods, and in the belief that stepping down would lead to more political uncertainty. The LDP is planning to hold a joint plenary meeting of all its parliamentary members on Friday, during which Ishiba will likely face pressure to quit. An LDP panel is also formally assessing the results of the Upper House election and will release its report this month. Depending on the content of the report, calls for Ishiba to take responsibility may further intensify.
Tokyo Reported
8 hours ago
- Tokyo Reported
Ito City mayor Maki Takubo to keep post despite academic fraud claims
SHIZUOKA (TR) – Maki Takubo, the major of Ito City, last week announced her intentions to keep her post despite allegations of academic fraud, reports TV Asahi (Aug. 2). On July 31, Takubo, 55, announced her intention to continue in office. 'I will devote my whole heart and soul to the cancellation of the new library construction plan, a major promise I made to the citizens,' she said. 'And I will also devote my whole heart and soul to the complete cancellation of the Izu Kogen Mega Solar Project.' In May, Takubo was elected as mayor. She is suspected of falsifying her academic background by claiming in a city magazine that she was a graduate of Toyo University when in fact she was expelled. Takubo later said that she believed she had graduated. She also showed the city assembly speaker what she called a diploma. However, the authenticity of the document is in question. Maki Takubo (X) A source close to Takubo tells TV Asahi that her continued tenure was expected. 'I thought she wouldn't resign at the end of the month,' says the source. 'I have mixed feelings about her continuing. It's not that I don't want to support her, but I'm not sure what to do.' Ito City has a population of approximately 65,000, many of whom are elderly. Tourism is the city's main industry, but visitor numbers have fallen by 500,000 compared to 20 years ago. As a result, challenges abound — but Takubo has strong support. 'Among the relatively high-income elderly people [in the area surrounding the proposed mega-solar project], she's a heroine,' says Ito City-based journalist Yoshiaki Kiyo. 'They're treating her like Joan of Arc. She has a rock-solid support base that says, 'We have to support Maki-chan.' So she can be aggressive.' The project includes the cutting down of the forests of Izu Kogen to install solar panels on the land. However, construction was halted in 2019, making Takubo's stance performative, says Kiyo. 'The mega-solar project issue has been largely resolved in Ito City,' says Kito. 'All that remains is the legal litigation, so even if Takubo says she'll do something as mayor, it's all just performance.'
