Ex-lawyer in China continues fight for human rights
One of the convicted remains committed to protecting people's rights.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
China and Russia start joint military drills in Sea of Japan
China and Russia began joint naval drills in the Sea of Japan on Sunday as they seek to reinforce their partnership and counterbalance what they see as a U.S.-led global order. Alongside economic and political ties, Moscow and Beijing have strengthened their military cooperation in recent years, and their relations have deepened since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The Joint Sea-2025 exercises kicked off in waters near the Russian port of Vladivostok and would last for three days, China's Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday. The two sides will hold "submarine rescue, joint anti-submarine, air defense and anti-missile operations, and maritime combat." Four Chinese vessels, including the guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, are participating in the exercises alongside Russian ships, the ministry said. After the drills, the two countries will conduct naval patrols in "relevant waters of the Pacific." China and Russia have carried out annual drills for several years, with the Joint Sea exercises beginning in 2012. Last year's drills were held along China's southern coast. The Chinese Defense Ministry said Friday that this year's exercises were aimed at "further deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership" of the two countries. China has never denounced Russia's more than three-year war nor called for it to withdraw its troops, and many of Ukraine's allies, including the United States, believe that Beijing has provided support to Moscow. China insists it is a neutral party, regularly calling for an end to the fighting while also accusing Western countries of prolonging the conflict by arming Ukraine.
Japan Times
3 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.
Japan Times
18 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japan to ramp up measures against foreign election interference
Japan plans to enhance its surveillance and regulatory measures to prevent foreign interference in elections. The Cabinet Secretariat's National Cybersecurity Office will play a key role in identifying problems that must be addressed to create a system for dealing with threats in an integrated manner. In last month's Upper House election, foreign actors were suspected to be behind the spread of disinformation on social media. Election interference "poses a risk to democracy, but there's no specific body to handle it," cybersecurity minister Masaaki Taira told a news conference Friday, stressing the need to create a body to oversee measures. Election interference often involves information manipulation and propaganda aimed at influencing public opinion and policy decisions. By spreading disinformation and extremist discourse on the internet during elections, foreign actors seek to destabilize political systems through social divisions while supporting the campaigns of specific candidates and parties. Professor Takamichi Saito of Meiji University's Cybersecurity Laboratory said that election interference is "part of military strategy." Russia and China are suspected of meddling in Britain's 2016 referendum on whether to leave the European Union, in U.S. presidential elections since the same year and in the 2024 Taiwanese presidential election. In last month's Upper House election, some information was spread in an unnatural manner on social media, likely by automated bots. Some accounts on X linked to websites likely associated with Russia were frozen. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki told a news conference during the election campaign period that Japan "has become a target of influence operations" by foreign actors. Currently, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Foreign and Defense ministries are tasked with gathering and analyzing information, while the communications ministry is tasked with asking social media platform operators to address inappropriate posts. A cross-agency effort is becoming necessary as the threat of election interference grows. Key issues to be considered by the government include establishing measures to block content, such as the removal of problematic posts and bot accounts. The government faces a difficult challenge in determining how to conduct fact checks and regulate radical statements, including those labeling foreign nationals as enemies. A legal framework on the matter must be consistent with constitutionally protected freedom of speech, so designing such a system is expected to be a complicated procedure. "There are a wide range of issues to consider, such as how much obligation to impose on social media platform operators," a government source said. The National Cybersecurity Office was established last month to oversee active cyberdefense policy. The office will play a central role in investigating suspected interference in the Upper House race and measures other countries take against such interference.
