Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 15, 2025
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Japan's economy grows annualized real 1.0% in April-June
TOKYO - Japan's economy grew an annualized real 1.0 percent in the April-June period, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly expansion, government data showed Friday.
In the second quarter of 2025, gross domestic product adjusted for inflation increased 0.3 percent from the January-March period. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country.
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Japan marks 80th anniversary of World War II defeat
TOKYO - Japan on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, as the aging of survivors and ongoing global conflicts underscored the importance of renewing its commitment to peace.
A memorial ceremony will be held at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan arena to mourn the war dead, attended by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. About 3,400 bereaved family members are expected to take part.
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Farm minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni shrine on WWII anniv.
TOKYO - Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo on Friday as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II.
It was the first confirmed visit by a minister of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet to the Shinto shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with the war dead and is viewed as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by its Asian neighbors.
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Japan to push firms' foray into Africa under new initiative
TOKYO - The Japanese government will announce a new initiative next week to expand investment in Africa, in cooperation with India and Middle Eastern countries, at an international conference on the high-potential continent, government sources said Thursday.
At the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, starting next Wednesday in Yokohama near Tokyo, Japan and African nations are also expected to agree to promote academic, industrial and governmental discussions to boost trade between the regions, the sources said.
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Filipino comfort women supporters demand Japan apology for war crime
MANILA - Groups supporting Filipino women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II held a rally in Manila on Thursday to demand an official apology and compensation from Japan, criticizing its stance on the crimes committed by the military 80 years ago.
At the event held a day before the anniversary of the war's end with Japan's surrender in 1945, Elizabeth Atillo, whose mother was one of the so-called comfort women and died last year, said, "To the (leader) of Japan, I hope you give our parents justice for the abuses...so their souls can finally rest in peace."
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Japan tea ceremony master, peace champion Sen Genshitsu dies at 102
KYOTO - Sen Genshitsu, a master of Japanese tea ceremony who devoted his life to traveling around the world to pursue world peace through the art, died Thursday, the tea ceremony school he formerly headed said. He was 102.
Genshitsu, a former grand master of Urasenke, one of the art's top three schools in Japan, visited more than 60 countries to convey his philosophy of "peacefulness through a bowl of tea." In his youth, he was trained to be a kamikaze pilot during World War II but never flew on a suicide attack mission following Japan's defeat.
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China movie on Nanjing Massacre tops summer box office
SHANGHAI - A Chinese film depicting the 1937 Nanjing Massacre by Japanese troops has topped the summer box office, with tourists flocking to the Shanghai set where it was filmed, as this year marks 80 years since the end of World War II.
The film "Dead to Rights," released on July 25, has grossed more than 2.3 billion yuan ($321 million) and attracted over 60 million viewers, according to Chinese media.
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Man dragged away by brown bear on Hokkaido mountain, still missing
SAPPORO - A man in his 20s was attacked and dragged away by a brown bear Thursday on Mt. Rausu on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido and remains missing, according to local police.
Authorities were notified around 11:10 a.m. by the man's companion after the two encountered the bear at an altitude of about 550 meters. Police have launched a helicopter search around the Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site.
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Ishiba's deep interest in war, security reflected in Aug. 15 speech
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba listens to an explanation while visiting Iwoto island in March. (Pool) Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's use of the word 'remorse' in his speech marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II was notable for two key reasons. It revived a tone that was dropped 13 years ago in statements issued each Aug. 15 by his predecessors and reflected his abiding interest in war-related issues. Ishiba, who is 68 and a former defense minister, often told close associates that this anniversary will almost certainly be the last major milestone year before the war generation fades into history. In visits overseas as well as domestically, Ishiba has made it a point to visit sites closely linked with the war. For example, he took a two-hour drive on April 30 to the suburbs of Manila to visit a monument to Japanese who died in the Philippines during the fighting. He was the first prime minister to visit the site. Touching upon the fact the monument is in an isolated location, Ishiba told his associates, 'Consideration likely had to be made for anti-Japanese sentiment' in light of the 1.11 million local residents who perished in the fighting. Japan occupied the Philippines during the war. While Japan now enjoys friendly ties with the Philippines, Ishiba has said, 'We must not only view the history that is convenient for us.' Domestically, Ishiba visited Iwoto island in March. Formerly known as Iwojima, it was the site of fierce fighting during the war. In June, Ishiba visited the Himeyuri Peace Museum in Okinawa Prefecture, where one-quarter of the civilian population perished in the battle that raged there in 1945. Ishiba at one time, according to government sources, wanted to become the first prime minister to visit the island of Peleliu in Palau where about 10,000 Imperial Japanese Army soldiers died. But that trip never got off the ground. He has written that the catalyst for his stance to squarely face history was a meeting he had with Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first prime minister. Ishiba recalled he was at a loss for words when Lee asked him if he knew what Japan did when it occupied Singapore during the war. Lee reminded Ishiba that even though Japanese may forget what took place, the people of Singapore will never forget. Ishiba wrote that he took home from that experience the fact that even though the aggressor in war may forget as time passes, the victims will never forget. Because of his long interest in national security issues, Ishiba has sought to gain better insights on Japan's push to wage war all those decades ago. Prior to Japan's Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, younger elite bureaucrats, military officers and businessmen took part in a simulation exercise to gauge possible outcomes if Japan declared war against the United States. The conclusion was that defeat was inevitable, but that did not stop the top brass from blindly forging ahead. Ishiba told his associates, 'Such a tragedy will arise if civilian control over the military is insufficient.' Despite his strong interest in war issues, Ishiba did not issue a personal message on Aug. 15 that reflected his own thoughts. With the calls from within the Liberal Democratic Party for Ishiba to step down to take responsibility for the disastrous showing in the July Upper House election, he likely did not want to antagonize conservative elements in the party. Instead, Ishiba chose to include for the first time in 13 years the word remorse in his speech at the Aug. 15 ceremony. He confided to associates that he had many things he wanted to talk about but realized the speech would go on far too long if he raised the issue of historical understanding.
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an hour ago
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Japan lodges protest with S. Korea over marine survey near disputed islets
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PayPay Takes Step for U.S. Listing
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