Former Japan PM Aso to attend Pope Leo XIV's inauguration mass
Aso departed from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Friday.
The government decided at a Cabinet meeting earlier in the day to dispatch Aso, who is a Christian, as Japan's special ambassador.
Aso currently serves as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's supreme advisor.
He will attend Pope Leo's inauguration mass at St. Peter's Square alongside dignitaries and representatives of various countries and organizations.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Times
27 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Maehara steps down as Nippon Ishin co-leader along with three others
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara and three senior party leaders announced their resignations Tuesday, a move that shakes up an already-troubled party and leaves its future as an independent opposition force uncertain. In addition to Maehara, Nippon Ishin Secretary-General Ryohei Iwatani, General Affairs Chairman Tsukasa Abe, and Parliamentary Affairs Chief Joji Uruma will also resign, he said. The four are stepping down in order to take responsibility for Nippon Ishin's underwhelming performance in the July 20 Upper House election. 'When considering what Japan and Nippon Ishin must do to strengthen our position, I've concluded it's essential to renew public trust and reestablish a united party stance,' Maehara told party executives Tuesday afternoon. In the Upper House contest, Nippon Ishin won seven seats and is the third-largest opposition party in that chamber with a total of 19 seats. Nippon Ishin received only about 4.37 million proportional votes last month — down by almost 3.5 million from the roughly 7.84 million it received in the 2022 Upper House poll. How Tuesday's resignations might impact the party's relationship with other opposition parties and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is unclear. Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara (third from right) attends the party's plenary meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday. | JIJI Maehara and party executives have insisted on not joining the LDP-led ruling coalition, at least not as long as LDP President Shigeru Ishiba remains prime minister. But many Nippon Ishin members, especially those from the party's Kansai base, are more supportive of joining the coalition under certain conditions, such as if the LDP agrees to serious talks about designating Osaka as Japan's back-up capital city if a natural disaster were to strike Tokyo. At an Aug. 1 meeting of Nippon Ishin parliamentarians, no opinions were expressed against joining an LDP coalition, Maehara said. Asked Tuesday about joining a coalition, Maehara said Nippon Ishin will continue to push itself as a national party but did not view joining a ruling coalition as impossible. However, on whether Nippon Ishin would work with the ruling coalition or other opposition parties on policy implementation, Maehara said that was for new party executives to decide. The four Nippon Ishin leaders have conveyed their decision to step down to party chief Hirofumi Yoshimura, who is Osaka governor. In Nippon Ishin's unique leadership structure, a co-leader serves as the party's representative in parliament, while Yoshimura is in charge overall. An election to name a replacement for Maehara is likely to take place on Friday. Nippon Ishin is the second-largest opposition party in the Lower House, with 38 seats. But while it controls all 19 Lower House districts in Osaka Prefecture, it has always had difficulty building support outside the region. Six of the party's Upper House district seats are in the Kansai prefectures of Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto. It has only one non-Kansai Upper House district seat, in Kanagawa. Staff writers Gabriele Ninivaggi and Himari Semans contributed to this report.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
Akazawa returns to U.S. for more talks as tariff deal looks shaky
A trade deal reached by Japan and the United States after months of talks has turned out to be exceedingly fragile, as it emerged that the two countries view the handshake agreement very differently . The lack of formal documentation and slow implementation by the United States of a key tariff concession have left open the possibility that there's not much of deal to begin with . 'The recent Japan-U.S. agreement regarding U.S. tariff measures does not constitute a legally binding international commitment,' economy and fiscal policy minister Ryosei Akazawa told a Lower House budget committee hearing on Monday. Akazawa, Japan's chief negotiator in talks with the United States who shook hands with U.S. President Donald Trump to signal the agreement, departed Tokyo again on Tuesday evening for a four-day trip to Washington. Just two weeks after his triumphant mission-accomplished moment, Akazawa is back in the U.S. for a ninth round of talks. Under the terms of the July 22 deal, the U.S. will impose a 15% 'reciprocal' tariff on most Japanese goods — up from the current 10% but lower than the 25% Washington threatened to impose. Implementation of this portion has been set for Thursday . Also agreed upon was that Trump's tariffs on automobiles were to be cut in half from 25%, with the new total being 15% when a 2.5% levy independent of the Trump tariffs is included. The White House put out a fact sheet soon after the two sides reached the agreement, and the Japanese government issued a four-page powerpoint slide with an outline of the agreement. Among the discrepancies found between the two documents was the implementation of a $550 billion investment pledged by Japan. The U.S. president said Japan will invest at least that amount and at his direction, and that the United States would keep 90% of the profits. Japan said all it had agreed to was to provide loans, loan guarantees and equity investment up to that total through financial institutions backed by the government, and that direct equity investment will be just 1%-2% of the $550 billion. Japanese officials, including Akazawa and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, have repeatedly said there's no plan to issue a joint statement with the United States of any sort. 'There are pros and cons of drafting an agreement document. And because the cons outweigh the pros and it would not serve Japan's national interest, the decision was made not to issue a formal agreement document,' Ishiba told the Lower House on Monday. He said the government will consider releasing more details of the agreement in the coming days. Japan views auto exports as vital to its economy and wants the U.S. to cut the tariff on cars as soon as possible. | Reuters The United Kingdom has a written agreement with the U.S. outlining its trade deal as negotiated with the Trump administration, but the European Union and South Korea do not. In its fact sheet, the EU noted in a bold font that the deal it reached with the U.S. is 'not legally binding.' Richard Katz, an economist and author of 'The Contest for Japan's Economic Future,' said Japan is likely hoping that 'if we don't put the agreement in writing, we don't have to fulfill Trump's demands. 'It can evade the promises Trump may think Japan made — or that Trump is just making up now — all while insisting that Japan is fulfilling its part of the bargain.' The Trump administration has yet to issue a direct order to lower the levies on Japanese vehicles. Auto manufacturing is seen by Japan as a business at the core of its economic interests, and its insistence that the United States lower the rate or eliminate the new duty altogether on cars became a major sticking point during negotiations. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned that tariff rates could "boomerang" back to 25% if Trump is 'unhappy' with the implementation of the deal — specifically the $550 billion of investment by Japan into the U.S. One thing that the two sides do have mutual understanding on, according to Akazawa, is the need to ensure the other side lives up to its commitments. 'We have been asking the U.S. to sign the necessary presidential order to lower tariffs on automobiles as soon as possible, and the U.S. side also wants to move forward while reaffirming a shared understanding of the agreement,' Akazawa told an Upper House meeting before his departure. 'We will press for the prompt issuance of a presidential order on auto and auto parts tariffs, even if it's just a day sooner,' he added. "What we are asking for is very simple — just for the president to issue an executive order setting automobile tariffs at 15%,' Akazawa said in Tokyo just before leaving for the airport on Tuesday. 'It's not that there are complicated negotiations or tactics involved.'
NHK
3 hours ago
- NHK
Australian minister stresses importance of warship deal with Japan
The Australian government has chosen Japan to partner on the development of a new ship for the country's navy. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles spoke to NHK about the deal's significance after its announcement. He said: "It is a really significant moment in our relationship with Japan. It's easily the biggest defense industry agreement that there will be between our two countries. I think it's one of the biggest defense exports in Japan's history. And it takes, really to the next level what is becoming a growing and deeply significant defense relationship between our two countries." Marles also said the frigates will help to upgrade his country's defenses amid China's growing maritime activities in nearby waters. He noted that China is engaging in the largest "conventional military buildup since the end of the Second World War." He added that "it's why we need to be doing everything within our power to be making sure that Australia is capable." Marles said that Australia is considering joint missile operations with the United States and Japan as part of an overall plan to strengthen cooperation between the three countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
