Japan says no fentanyl seized at border in six years after US smuggling report
FILE PHOTO: Japan's Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato speaks during an interview with Reuters at the Finance Ministry in Tokyo, Japan April 17, 2025. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
Japan says no fentanyl seized at border in six years after US smuggling report
TOKYO - No fentanyl had been seized at Japan's borders in the six years through 2024, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Friday, after a media report alleged a Chinese group in Japan smuggled chemicals into the United States to make the synthetic drug.
"Japan will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the smuggling of illegal drugs," Kato said at a regular briefing when asked about the allegations reported by the Nikkei Business daily. Kato did not say whether fentanyl he referred to included precursor chemicals as well as the finished drug.
The media report, which identified a company operating in Nagoya, central Japan until at least July 2024, comes as Japan tries to negotiate a trade deal with the U.S. in a bid to roll back or eliminate a 25% tariff on Japanese automobile imports.
U.S. President Donald Trump in March slapped additional tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China after he accused those three countries of facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the U.S., where it has caused nearly 450,000 overdose deaths,
The allegation that fentanyl precursor chemicals had been shipped from Japan will not affect Japan's ongoing trade talks, Japan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Takeshi Iwaya said.
"Japan intends to continue actively working toward the eradication of illegal drugs, including fentanyl, through close coordination with the United States and other relevant countries," he said at a separate press briefing. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
36 minutes ago
- Straits Times
UK man jailed for 40 years for teenager's murder in London sword rampage
FILE PHOTO: A floral tribute and photograph placed behind the coffin of Daniel Anjorin, 14, following his funeral service at Jubilee Church in Ilford, east London, Britain. Jonathan Brady/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo LONDON - A man who killed a 14-year-old boy in London during a rampage with a sword was on Friday jailed for a minimum of 40 years. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, nearly decapitated schoolboy Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute series of attacks in Hainault, east London, in April last year, in which he also assaulted several other people including police officers. Prosecutors said Monzo killed and skinned his cat before driving his van at a pedestrian and slicing him with the sword, murdering Daniel and then trying to murder a police officer. He then broke into a house and attacked a sleeping couple in bed before leaving after their child began to cry, finally wounding a second police officer before his arrest. Monzo said he did not remember having carried out the attacks and his lawyers argued he should not be found guilty of murder as he was suffering from cannabis-induced psychosis. Prosecutor Tom Little, however, argued that "self-induced intoxication" did not provide a defence to the charge of murder and Monzo was convicted of Daniel's murder by a jury. He was also convicted of other charges, including three counts of attempted murder, for which there is no partial defence of diminished responsibility. Judge Joel Bennathan told Monzo he would have jailed him for a minimum of 50 years, but reduced the sentence to 40 years "to recognise your mental ill health and previous good character". REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business Times
US: S&P 500, Nasdaq touch record highs after tame inflation data
[NEW YORK] The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq opened at record highs on Friday (Jun 27) as a benign inflation report supported hopes for a dovish policy outlook from the US Federal Reserve this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 118.8 points, or 0.27 per cent, at the open to 43,505.6. The S&P 500 rose 9.7 points, or 0.16 per cent, at the open to 6,150.7, while the Nasdaq Composite rose 49.4 points, or 0.24 per cent, to 20,217.264 at the opening bell. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
World Bank urges aid for economies in conflict as US pushes cuts
FILE PHOTO: The World Bank logo is seen at the 2023 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund in Washington, U.S., April 13, 2023. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File photo The goal of ending extreme poverty around the globe remains elusive partly due to compounding challenges faced by economies in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) including food insecurity and weak government capacity, a report from the World Bank showed. The report released on Friday by the Washington-based lender calls on a scaling up of international support, debt relief and technical assistance at a time when the United States, the world's largest aid donor of the past decades, steps back. Extreme poverty is rising fast in economies hit by conflict and instability, according to the World Bank's first comprehensive report on FCS economies since the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 420 million people in conflict-ridden economies survive on less than $3 a day, more than the rest of the world combined, even as they are home to under 15% of the global population. The number is projected to rise to 435 million, or nearly 60% of the world's extreme poor, by 2030. "FCS economies have become the epicenter of global poverty and food insecurity, a situation increasingly shaped by the frequency and intensity of conflict," the World Bank report said. Economic output in FCS nations could stall or weaken further as conflict and violence have surged and intensified over the past years. The most high-intensity conflicts can shrink per capita GDP by some 20% after five years, according to the report. Conflict and war economies are home to 1 billion people and their populations average only six years of schooling, with life expectancy seven years shorter than in other developing countries. Since 2020, the per capita GDP in these economies has shrunk by an average of 1.8% per year, while it has expanded by 2.9% in other developing economies, the report said. 'Progress on poverty reduction has stalled since the mid-2010s, reflecting the compounded effects of intensifying conflict, economic fragility, and subdued growth,' it said. Targeted domestic reforms and coordinated, long-term global engagement are needed to lift those populations out of poverty, according to the World Bank. Measures need to focus on addressing root causes of conflict such as injustice and exclusion, as well as expanding access to education and healthcare, and improving infrastructure. Investment in tourism and agriculture could help create jobs for a growing working-age population. "With sound policies and sustained global engagement, FCS economies can chart a better path toward development," said the World Bank. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
