Lee Jae-myung projected to win South Korean presidential election
South Korea's main opposition candidate will become the country's next president, public broadcaster KBS projects. NHK World's Kim Chan-ju reports on the reaction in Seoul and what comes next.
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NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
NATO chief shares insights in exclusive interview with NHK World
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Japan in April ― six months after he took office ― seeking stronger ties with the country. NHK World's Sugita Sachiyo had an exclusive interview with the political heavyweight who shared his insights on issues ranging from Japan's technological prowess to concerns about China. Rutte also revealed his own personal connection with Japan. Sugita offers a firsthand account of the visit, followed by a transcript of the pair's interview which was originally broadcast on April 10. Rutte arrived at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka, on a sunny spring day. Standing over 190 cm tall, he stood out among his Japanese hosts onboard a frigate. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited a Maritime Self-Defense Force base in Yokosuka on April 8. During the tour, he was briefed on the installed military equipment, including United States-made underwater drones and Canadian sonars. I had a chance to ask a question at a brief press conference on site, but the microphone handed to me would not work, even after several attempts. "Here, let's do this. You can use my mic," Rutte said with a laugh, and stepped down from the podium. He held his microphone towards me. "When it comes to maritime security, Japan faces difficulties with China destabilizing the region and ignoring the international laws. So is your presence here, your visit here at the Marine Self Defense Forces, kind of like a message towards China and your support towards Japan?," I asked. Rutte replied: "I would argue that we have this cooperation now with Japan, but also with Korea, with Australia, with New Zealand, for now, for many years now, So that is important, and of course, it also has to do with the role China is playing. Let's not be naive about it. China is supporting the Russian war effort. China is building up its armed forces, including its navy, at a rapid pace. So we cannot be naive, and we really have to work together to assess what is happening." Japan's tech capabilities The administration led by US President Donald Trump has been pushing Europe to bolster its defense capabilities. Rutte's trip included a visit to a facility operated by Mitsubishi Electric, which is involved in a project to create a next-generation fighter jet being co-developed by Japan, Britain and Italy. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited a Mitsubishi Electric facility in Kanagawa Prefecture on April 8. "We need this next-generation fighter jet to be available as soon as possible," said the NATO chief, noting Japan's high-tech capabilities. "Air defense systems, but also space, these are all areas where we really, as NATO, want to work more closely with Japan." Officials from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry arranged a meeting for Rutte with Japanese startups developing dual-use products that have civilian and military applications, including drones and quantum technologies. Rutte also met Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru during his visit, and the two leaders agreed to expand cooperation in the defense industry, as well as other fields. In June, the NATO Summit will be held in the Hague – Rutte's hometown – and Ishiba is expected to attend. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru on April 9. NHK World spoke one-on-one with Rutte during his stay in Tokyo This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. NHK World's Sugita Sachiyo: You have been stressing defense cooperation, but now many allies are wondering if they should continue to buy from, and rely on, the US. With this unpredictability, would cooperation with Japan's defense industry offer attractive alternatives? NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte: I would not say alternatives, because I think that allies will still work very much together within the alliance, including with the United States. But we also need – and this is not instead of, but 'and' – the Japanese industrial base, to become even more involved. And anything you guys here in Japan can do to make sure when it comes to the rules and the regulations, et cetera, to make it even easier to buy into the Japanese industrial base, will be highly appreciated, because we need this collective industrial base within the alliance, but also with our partners. One-on-one with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on April 9 Sugita: Japan has specific restrictions towards the export of weapons. So would you welcome it if the Japanese government lifted these kinds of regulations? Rutte: Of course, I have to be hesitant in advising, through the media, the Japanese government. But whatever we can do to expand that, of course we would love it, because you have a huge and successful defense industry. By the way, China is still suggesting that they are sort of neutral when it comes to Ukraine. They still try to project this position of neutrality when it comes to Ukraine and Russia. This is crazy, because they are not neutral. They are very much involved. They are one of the key enablers. So let's not be naive. They're delivering dual-use goods. They are helping with sanctions, circumstances, and in the meantime, they are building up the Chinese armed forces at a staggering rate. For example, when it comes to space, where Japan is really at the cutting edge, I think that will be helpful, particularly now with what is happening in China. Sugita: So you have mentioned China. The US has said that they want NATO to take seriously the threats emanating from China. How will NATO respond to this? Rutte: Let's not be naive about China. As I said, China is a key enabler of the Russian war effort in Ukraine. China is rapidly building up its own armed forces. I think Japan clearly has acknowledged this, and the US administration wants NATO, when it comes to the projection of the collective impact, to become more involved when it comes to our Indo Pacific partners – Japan, but also Korea and Australia and New Zealand. And we are doing that, and that is important. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Sugita: And maybe this trip, you in Japan…will also be, in that context, a part of it? Rutte: Yes and that's why I wanted to be here early in my tenure as Secretary General of NATO. Of course, we also have strong partnerships with the other IP4 countries [Indo-Pacific Four – Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea]. But Japan is by far the biggest economy in the IP4. You are the only G7 economy not in NATO. So cooperation is important – and not to extend Article Five [of NATO's founding treaty] to a collective defense clause to the Indo Pacific. That will not happen, I believe. But to have this practical cooperation when it comes to defense, industrial production, innovation – for example, working on joint standards to make that all possible. Sugita: I have heard from many NATO diplomats commending you on your good relations with President Trump. Could you maybe share with us, what's the secret recipe to getting along with him? Rutte: I don't think there is a recipe. We just like each other. Yes, we just like to work together – take, for example, on Ukraine, the fact that he broke a deadlock and said, we cannot accept the killing to continue at this rate. We cannot accept the fact that so many cities and their infrastructure are being destroyed. We have got to stop this. I really commend him for that and I think the US – being the world's strongest economy, the most powerful ally in NATO – for him, as president of that country, to take that initiative was important, and he broke the deadlock. Let's hope that he can bring this, and we will all support him, to a durable and lasting peace. But personally, yes, I like to work with him, and I think that this goes both ways. Sugita: On the US again – currently, there are many concerns from allies about the tariffs it is imposing. I know you've been repeatedly saying that this isn't for NATO, but how will you strive to keep the alliance together, and strong, despite these situations? Rutte: The tariff fight will have an impact on individual allies. And of course we are worried about that, because that could also impact their power in terms of investing more in defense when it comes to the real money. So that could be an impact. But collectively, as an alliance, of course, we have nothing to do with these terms. Sugita: What is your ideal picture of how the war in Ukraine will end? Rutte: The end has to be that Ukraine is there as a sovereign nation – that when there is a peace deal, that Putin will never, ever, ever try to capture one square mile, slash one square kilometer of Ukraine in the future again. And it means that a ceasefire – slash, a peace deal – has to be, as I said, lasting. We should make sure of that, not like in 2014 when he [Russian President Vladimir Putin] captured Crimea, and we had these Minsk accords and then, basically, 12 to 18 months later, he started again. We cannot have that again. We have to be clear [to him], when there's a peace deal, it is there, and [he] can never do this again. Flags of NATO and its member countries Sugita: I've heard from NATO sources that you speak a little Japanese. Rutte: No, I just can count to 10. But let me not do it, because probably it is totally wrong. My parents lived between Osaka and Kobe in the 1950s. So at home, there were so many Japanese discussions, about Japan and their lovely living here. I was really raised with a lot of respect for Japan. Thank you for the leadership Japan is now taking. We really want even more of that, because we need you, Japan, with all its strength and its power and its economy and its defense industrial base now, when it comes to China. We cannot be naive about China, and we've seen what is happening there. We have to work together on this. So I really want to thank you [for] what you're doing, and whatever you can do more of. It's highly appreciated.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Imperial family mourns WWII victims in two-day visit to Okinawa
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, on Thursday wrapped up their two-day visit to Okinawa Prefecture to mourn those killed in the Battle of Okinawa 80 years ago during the closing months of World War II. It was Princess Aiko's first visit to Okinawa Prefecture, which reflected the imperial couple's wish that memories of the war be passed onto the next generation, according to a close aide. On Thursday morning, the family visited a monument in Naha for the victims of the 1944 sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship, and laid bouquets of white flowers as they bowed deeply. They later visited the Tsushima-maru Memorial Museum. In August 1944, the Tsushima Maru, carrying about 1,800 people, including schoolchildren and other evacuees from Okinawa, was sunk in a U.S. torpedo attack. According to the operator of the museum, at least 1,484 people were killed in the incident. After arriving at Naha Airport on Wednesday, the imperial family traveled to the city of Itoman, a site of fierce ground battles, and laid flowers at the National War Dead Peace Mausoleum. The three bowed deeply in front of an ossuary holding remains. At Itoman, the family also visited the Cornerstone of Peace, on which the names of some 240,000 war victims are engraved. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visit a monument for the victims of the 1944 sinking of the Tsushima Maru evacuation ship in Naha on Thursday. | Jiji They then viewed a permanent exhibition at the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, looking closely at photographs and testimonies from the war. The family also spoke with 10 individuals, including survivors and those who lost family members. The imperial couple offered words of comfort to them and the princess said she felt the importance of peace and of hearing about experiences directly from people in Okinawa. Among the 10 was Rieko Tamaki, 91, from Naha, who lost eight of her 10 family members, including her father, brothers and grandparents, during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. Tamaki told the imperial family that she had escaped alone through shellfire and that her father was a military doctor. The imperial family members expressed their sympathy as they listened to the story. Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and their daughter, Princess Aiko, visit the Cornerstone of Peace, on which the names of some 240,000 war victims are engraved, in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday. | pool / via Jiji After the session, Tamaki told reporters, "I have complicated feelings about the emperor's family, but I felt their willingness to learn and understand." In Okinawa, more than 200,000 people were killed in fierce ground battles in the final stages of World War II. It was Emperor Naruhito's seventh visit to Okinawa and his third with Empress Masako. Their last visit took place in October 2022. On Thursday afternoon, the family inspected restoration efforts for the main hall of Shuri Castle, which was destroyed by a fire in 2019, before returning to Tokyo on a special aircraft Thursday night.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
South Korea's new president has a chance to clean up
The election of left-leaning former labor activist Lee Jae-myung as South Korean president Tuesday is just the latest example of how much of the world is moving in the opposite direction to the US. In common with recent elections in Canada and Australia, it's a rebuke of leaders on the right who've fought a rearguard action against the transition to renewables. Lee has promised to phase out coal, limit use of natural gas and accelerate the building of wind and solar. His position on nuclear power, a major success story that was strongly supported by his impeached predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol, remains ambiguous. However, resolving energy policy in South Korea won't be easy. Years of inertia and obstruction of the transition have left the country with a system that's plagued with high costs and has the lowest renewable penetration among developed economies. State-owned utility Korea Electric Power Corp., or Kepco, is wallowing in debt after it was forced to suppress bill prices when Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed up the cost of liquefied natural gas. In the best of times, it usually depends on government subsidies to sell electricity for less than it spends on fueling, building and servicing its plants. The biggest challenge will come from fixing the crippling costs of renewables. South Korea pays more for its wind and solar than any other major economy. It's the only significant market where you can still build a new coal power plant more cheaply than a new solar or wind generator. If Lee's plans for an energy transition aren't going to become mired in red tape while adding yet more costs to Kepco's teetering balance sheet, it will be slow, unrewarding work. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer came to power last year promising to build 1.5 million homes in five years by breaking through a similar morass of regulatory roadblocks. Homebuilding this year, however, is expected to hit its lowest level in 14 years. The barriers to renewables are legion. Some are natural: South Korea is as densely populated as the Netherlands, but its land is far more mountainous. That means a dearth of the flat sites best suited to solar and wind. The few that exist have to contend with a farming sector that aims to be largely self-sufficient in growing rice for the country's 52 million people. Hillsides where solar can be built are vulnerable to landslides, particularly as a warming climate causes more intense downpours. There are no grid connections to other countries, because South Korea doesn't much trust its neighbors. The more serious barriers are the effect of regulatory capture, though. One little-noticed update from Kepco and the powerful Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy last year largely outlawed new renewable development for seven years in a swath of the south and east, saying fresh generation licenses wouldn't be issued in the region until 103 electricity substations complete their upgrades in 2032. Similarly, onerous rules requiring solar developers to verify the carbon footprint of their panels throughout the supply chain were introduced in 2021 following concerns that Chinese modules were undercutting local manufacturers. That's helped prop up the local industry, but left the country with some of the highest module costs in the world. The carbon footprint of a grid that gets 60% of its power from fossil fuels seems to have been less of a concern. Lee's more vocal backing for offshore wind is a sign of how intractable these problems may be. It's the least price competitive form of clean energy in South Korea, but in a country where the rural lobby is opposed to onshore solar and wind and the green lobby wants a halt to further nuclear development, it's the one that's least likely to upset any interest groups. For all that, Lee has some advantages. The center-left has had control of Seoul's executive and legislative branches for just two years since 2008, from 2020 to 2022 when policy was dominated by COVID-19. He's now got that power, giving him a stronger hand in allowing more renewables onto the grid. Kepco's weakened financial state should mute its objections, too. He will need to move fast, though. Three under-construction nuclear generators near Ulsan and on the east coast must be expedited, while the red tape that's held back solar and wind will need to be slashed. If Kepco needs more bailouts, they should be conditional on it upgrading transmission networks to open up the windy, sun-baked east of the country as a renewables hub. Even costly offshore wind has potential, if prices can be brought down by shortening current decadelong development times. Costs for the technology in the U.K. fell by two-thirds between 2014 and 2019 as the sector grew. There's no reason South Korea can't repeat the trick. David Fickling is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change and energy.
