Kyodo News Digest: July 11, 2025
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
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Japan, U.S., Philippines reaffirm importance of navigation freedom
KUALA LUMPUR - The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States and the Philippines on Thursday reaffirmed the importance of freedom of navigation as they discussed the situation in the East and South China seas amid Beijing's aggressive maritime behavior.
In the first trilateral ministerial meeting involving the three countries since President Donald Trump's return to the White House in January, the ministers confirmed their opposition to any unilateral actions toward attempting to change the status quo "by force or coercion," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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Japan seeks free, fair trade in talks with ASEAN amid tensions
KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya called for a "free, fair and open" international economic order in his talks Thursday with his ASEAN counterparts in Malaysia, amid trade tensions stemming from the threat of steep U.S. tariffs against Japan and the group's members.
Noting the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is "at the center of global growth," Iwaya said Japan is eager to strengthen cooperation with the regional bloc, adding its role has been "increasingly important for regional peace and prosperity."
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Japan, U.S. top diplomats agree to support bilateral tariff talks
KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday agreed to support bilateral tariff negotiations, following President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Aug. 1.
The two top diplomats, who met on the sidelines of ASEAN-related regional meetings in Kuala Lumpur, confirmed that they will back ministerial talks aimed at reaching a "mutually beneficial" deal, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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Chinese fighter jet flies close to Japan SDF plane: Japan gov't
TOKYO - A Chinese fighter jet flew close to a Japan Air Self-Defense Force aircraft over international waters in the East China Sea, Japan's government said Thursday, in a move that could strain ties between the two countries.
Following the close encounters within 70 meters between a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber and an ASDF YS-11EB electronic intelligence aircraft on Wednesday and Thursday, the government said it expressed "serious concerns" to China, calling for preventive measures.
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Japan urges China to ease export curbs on critical minerals
KUALA LUMPUR - Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya urged his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday to ease Beijing's export restrictions on critical minerals, including rare earth elements used in semiconductors, expressing "strong concern" over the negative impact of the curbs on Japanese firms.
Iwaya, who met with Wang on the fringes of regional gatherings in Malaysia, also called on China to remove the remaining import ban on Japanese food items imposed in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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Japan seeks "future-oriented cooperation" with ASEAN, 2 neighbors
KUALA LUMPUR - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Thursday called for boosting "future-oriented cooperation" among the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Japan, China and South Korea, building on a similar accord reached by the three non-ASEAN countries in March.
At the outset of the ASEAN-plus-three meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Iwaya said the trilateral process involving Japan, China and South Korea has "synergy effects" with the three nations' collaboration with the regional bloc.
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World Expo water shows to resume after sanitizing legionella bacteria
OSAKA - Water shows at the World Exposition in Osaka will resume on Friday, after a monthlong suspension due to the detection of high levels of legionella bacteria in the venue's seawater.
Expo organizers said Thursday they have decided to restart the shows after taking measures to improve water quality including sanitization. Following an examination, the level of legionella in water from the Water Plaza, a large seawater reservoir, was confirmed to be below the allowable limit under their guidelines.
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Bullet train services temporarily halted around Tokyo amid downpour
TOKYO - Shinkansen bullet train services in and around Tokyo were temporarily halted Thursday evening due to a torrential downpour, as the country's weather agency issued multiple heavy rain warnings.
Services on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line were stopped between Shinagawa and Shin-Yokohama stations from around 7:20 p.m. to 8:05 p.m. after rainfall in the area met rain gauge thresholds, while those for the Tohoku Shinkansen Line were also briefly suspended between Tokyo and Sendai stations, according to JR Tokai and JR East.
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Video: ISS connected to Osaka Expo venue via live broadcast
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Japan, U.S. ministers reached trade agreement in mid-June: sources
TOKYO - Japan's chief negotiator reached an agreement with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in mid-June on a deal offering massive Japanese investment in the United States in exchange for a reduction in tariffs, sources close to the matter said Saturday. Over the following month, Japan focused on convincing U.S. President Donald Trump through Lutnick of the advantages of the agreement, with the proposal of expanding imports of U.S.-grown rice used as the final bargaining chip. The trade deal, announced by Trump on July 23, includes tariffs on Japanese cars set at 15 percent -- lower than the 27.5 percent that was to have been levied -- in exchange for $550 billion of Japanese investment in the United States. During the course of the negotiations, which spanned around three months from mid-April, Japan identified Lutnick as the only person who could communicate "directly and on a deep level" with Trump due to their close friendship of over 30 years, and directed its efforts on him, according to one of the sources. Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, built trust with Lutnick not only through in-person talks but also through dozens of phone calls, the source said. Believing that Lutnick placed a high priority on economic security amid China concerns, Japan emphasized its willingness to contribute to strengthening U.S. domestic supply chains and eventually reached an understanding with him. Trump, however, maintained a hardline stance even in late June, venting frustration that Japan does not import significant amounts of American cars and rice. "I'm not sure we're going to make a deal. I doubt it," he had said, while demanding additional concessions in exchange for lowering tariffs. The tide turned on July 22 immediately following Japan's upper house election. A sudden meeting was arranged for the following day between Trump and Akazawa, who was in Washington for an eighth round of talks. Akazawa and Lutnick began to "rehearse" in preparation for the talks, with Lutnick suggesting that a total investment of $400 billion be proposed in the expectation that Trump would ask for $500 billion. A board was prepared by U.S. officials to clearly show Trump how much Japan would investment. But Trump demanded even more, leaving Akazawa no choice but to agree to $550 billion. A senior official of the prime minister's office acknowledged that the deal does not align with World Trade Organization rules or the Japan-U.S. trade agreement that took effect in January 2020, but also conceded that Trump "is a president who genuinely believes in protecting his country through tariffs."
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
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Australia, Britain sign 50-yr AUKUS treaty amid US review
SYDNEY (Kyodo) -- Australia and Britain signed a new 50-year treaty on Saturday to cement the existing trilateral AUKUS nuclear submarine program with the United States, reaffirming their commitment to the plan amid a U.S. review of the three-way pact. The treaty will enable comprehensive cooperation on the design, build, operation, sustainment, and disposal of new AUKUS submarines, as well as supporting port visits and the rotational presence of a British Astute-class submarine at a navy base near Perth on Australia's west coast, according to a joint statement. The new bilateral treaty between London and Canberra sits under the existing trilateral AUKUS security agreement involving Washington. Under the plan announced by the three countries in 2021, Australia will purchase nuclear-powered submarines from the United States in the early 2030s and deliver its first domestically built vessels in the early 2040s. The strengthened commitment to the AUKUS submarine program comes after the United States announced a review of the trilateral AUKUS pact in June, seeking to ensure the agreement aligns with President Donald Trump's "America First" agenda. Speaking at the signing ceremony in the southeast Australian city of Geelong on Saturday, British Defense Secretary John Healey said the new treaty will fortify the Indo-Pacific and strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. "This is a treaty that will define the relationship between our two nations and safeguard the securities of our countries for our children and our children's children to come," said Healey. At a press conference in Sydney on Friday, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles stressed that it was "the most natural thing in the world" for a new government to undertake a review, while Healey said that both Australia and Britain welcome it as an opportunity for the Trump administration to renew their commitment to the pact.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Trump's distraction methods fall flat against Epstein uproar
U.S. President Donald Trump's super powers as a public figure have long included the ability to redirect, evade and deny. But the Republican's well-worn methods of changing the subject when a tough topic stings politically are not working as his White House fends off persistent unrest from his usually loyal base about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. Trump has scolded reporters, claimed ignorance and offered distractions in an effort to quash questions about Epstein and the suspicions still swirling around the disgraced financier's case years after his 2019 death in prison. The demand for answers has only grown. "For a president and an administration that's very good at controlling a narrative, this is one that's been harder," said Republican strategist Erin Maguire, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman. Unlike political crises that dogged Trump's first term, including two impeachments and a probe into alleged campaign collusion with Russia, the people propelling the push for more transparency on Epstein have largely been his supporters, not his political foes. Trump has fed his base with conspiracy theories for years, including the false claim that former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Trump's advisers fanned conspiracies about Epstein, too, only to declare them moot upon entering office. That has not gone over well with the president's right-leaning base, which has long believed the government was covering up Epstein's ties to the rich and powerful. "Donald Trump's been running a Ponzi scheme based on propaganda for the better part of a decade and it's finally catching up to him," said Geoff Duncan, a Republican former lieutenant governor of Georgia and Trump critic. "The far right element is just dug in. They're hell bent on getting this information out." The White House has dismissed reporting about Trump's ties to Epstein as "fake news," though it has acknowledged his name appears in documents related to the Epstein case. Trump and Epstein were friends for years before falling out. "The only people who can't seem to shake this story from their one-track minds are the media and Democrats," said White House spokesman Harrison Fields. Before leaving for a trip to Scotland on Friday, the president again urged people to turn their attention elsewhere. "People should really focus on how well the country is doing," Trump told reporters, lamenting that scrutiny was not being given to others in Epstein's orbit. "They don't talk about them, they talk about me. I have nothing to do with the guy." Trump in recent weeks has employed a typical diversion playbook. He chastised a reporter for asking about Epstein in the White House Cabinet Room. He claimed in the Oval Office that he was not paying close attention to the issue. And, with help from Tulsi Gabbard, his director of national intelligence, he explosively accused Obama of treason for how he treated intelligence in 2016 about Russian interference in the U.S. election. On Thursday, Trump took his distraction tour to the Federal Reserve, where he tussled with Chair Jerome Powell about construction costs and pressed for lower interest rates. That, said Republican strategist Brad Todd, was more effective than focusing on Obama in 2016, which voters had already litigated by putting Trump back in office. "The Tulsi Gabbard look backward, I think, is not the way for them to pivot," Todd said, noting that Trump's trip to the Fed highlighted the issue of economic affordability and taking on a Washington institution. "If I was him I'd go to the Fed every day until rates are cut." Democrats have seized on Trump's efforts to move on, sensing a political weakness for the president and divisions in the Republican Party that they can exploit while their own political stock is low in the wake of last year's drubbing at the polls. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this month showed most Americans think Trump's administration is hiding information about Epstein, creating an opportunity for Democrats to press. Trump's supporters and many Democrats are eager to see a release of government files related to Epstein and his case, which the Justice Department initially promised to deliver. "Yesterday was another example of the Trump folks trying to throw as much stuff against the wall to avoid the Epstein files," Mark Warner, a Democratic U.S. senator from Virginia, said in a post on X on Thursday about Gabbard's accusations against Obama. Trump allies see the administration's efforts to change topic as a normal part of an all-out-there strategy. "They are always going at 100 miles an hour. Every department, every Cabinet secretary, everybody is out there at full speed blanketing the area with news," Republican strategist Maguire said. Trump has weathered tougher periods before, and his conservative base, despite its frustration over the files, is largely pleased with Trump's work on immigration and the economy. In a July Reuters/Ipsos poll, 56% of Republican respondents favored the administration's immigration workplace raids, while 24% were opposed and 20% unsure. Pollster Frank Luntz noted that Trump had faced felony convictions and other criminal charges but still won re-election last year. "We've been in this very same situation several times before and he has escaped every time," Luntz said.
