Iran sees no prospects for resuming talks with US
The ministry's spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said on Monday that no dates, time or venues have so far been determined for talks with the US on the issue of nuclear development.
The Israeli attack on June 13 sparked 12 days of tit-for-tat military responses between Israel and Iran. The US also conducted airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
US President Donald Trump last week indicated that there were plans for Iranian and US officials to soon discuss the nuclear issue.
But Tehran and Washington remain divided as Iran is demanding a guarantee that it will not be attacked again as a condition for resuming the talks.
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Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
JCP vows fairer taxes, stronger social safety net and a commitment to peaceful diplomacy
Sunday's Upper House vote will be an election of historic significance for the future of Japan. The Japanese Communist Party will do everything in its power to help voters drive the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito into a minority in the House of Councilors and bring an end to LDP rule. Like millions of voters, we call out the LDP-Komeito conservative coalition and call for equally harsh judgment of their complementary forces — Nippon Ishin no Kai and the Democratic Party for the People. As the oldest political party in Japan, we will resolutely fight against xenophobia and extreme right-wing trends. The LDP's politics are now in a terminal and critical state with the party unable to respond to domestic and international issues or the wishes of the people. Many people are suffering from rising prices, yet the LDP is completely ill-equipped. Its members offer only short-term repairs — not long-term solutions — to the surge in rice prices and rice shortages. Pensions, medical care, nursing care and social security — all are in a growing state of crisis and the ruling coalition is heading down a path that will only make things worse. Real wages have been negative for three consecutive years, yet no one is taking political responsibility to raise wages and provide relief for Japan's workers. At the root of all this is the distortion of politics that prioritizes the interests of the business world and large corporations. On the foreign-policy front, Japan's challenges are just as great. How should we deal with President Donald Trump's America? Should we continue down the path of military expansion as Washington tells us to? How should we respond to the Trump administration's unjust tariffs? Or being forced to construct a new U.S. military base in Okinawa and turn our backs on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons? Can we continue to be at the mercy of America? The JCP believes that if we want to realize the earnest wishes of the people, we need to reform the LDP's 'business-centered' politics and stop putting ourselves at the mercy of the person in the White House. The expansion of the JCP, which cuts into these two distortions, is a sure way to improve Japanese politics and our nation's standing in the world. Please help our party make a breakthrough in this historic election by voting for the JCP candidate in your area. Our basic policies have remained consistent throughout the years and always put the interests of the average Japanese worker first. As a party that has consistently advocated for the abolition of the consumption tax, the JCP will do its utmost to urgently reduce the consumption tax to 5% with the aim of abolishing it. The big problem is how to secure the funds for this. We propose ending the tax-cut handouts to large corporations, which Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba says he regrets and has admitted are 'ineffective.' We will fund the abolishment of the consumption tax by correcting the tax cuts and preferential treatment for large corporations and the wealthy, including reviewing the preferential tax system for the wealthy commonly referred to as the '¥100-million wall' because tax burdens relative to income drop for earners of more than ¥100 million. In addition, we will promptly raise the minimum wage to ¥1,500 per hour, aiming for ¥1,700. To achieve this, we will impose a temporary tax on a portion of the internal reserves of large companies, which have accumulated to over ¥500 trillion, and use the resulting financial resources to support wage increases for small and medium-sized enterprises. In conjunction with wage increases, we will reduce working hours and increase 'free time,' while improving the treatment of nonregular workers and eliminating unjust termination of employment. On the agricultural front, we will change the erroneous policy of forcing rice farmers to reduce their acreage and production, and promote increased rice production, ensuring a comfortable supply and demand, as well as price guarantees and income compensation for farmers. The politics of pitting the elderly against the working generation and cutting social security have increased the hardships of all generations, dampened consumption, stirred up anxiety about the future and contributed greatly to economic stagnation. We will change this and work to improve social security. In terms of political reform, we will ban corporate and organizational donations and eliminate money-based corruption. For younger people, we will aim to make tuition free up to university. We will increase public education spending to the OECD minimum level and improve poor educational conditions. We will also correct excessive competition and management in education, while creating a rent-reduction and rent-subsidy system and promoting the construction and supply of public housing. On the foreign-policy front, we will reject the Trump administration's demand for a massive military expansion, stop the creation of a warring nation based on the Japan-U.S. alliance and devote our efforts to diplomacy to build peace in East Asia. To address the climate crisis, we will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75%-80% by 2035, phase out nuclear and coal-fired power plants and promote a shift to renewable energy and energy conservation. Last but not least, we will promote gender equality, including optional separate surnames for married couples, the early realization of same-sex marriage and the correction of the wage gap between men and women. We will also continue to work to eradicate discrimination and hate speech against foreign nationals, protect the rights of foreign workers and promote the revision of immigration laws in accordance with international human-rights law. Tomoko Tamura is the chairwoman of the Japanese Communist Party. In the lead-up to the July 20 Upper House election, The Japan Times reached out to the nation's major political parties requesting an op-ed for our Opinion pages on why this election is so crucial and why their party deserves the citizens' vote. We are publishing all those who responded.
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nissan Faces Difficult Journey as Firm Carries Out Restructuring Measures
Nissan Motor Co. announced its determination to carry out restructuring measures without exceptions — it will effectively close its Oppama plant in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, a symbol of its domestic production, at the end of fiscal 2027 and its Shonan plant in the prefecture by the end of fiscal 2026. However, the road for the firm's revival remains difficult considering the impact of high tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and a serious sales slump in China, the world's largest auto market. 'It was a difficult decision for both myself and the company,' Nissan President Ivan Espinosa told a press conference on Tuesday. 'However, we believe it's necessary for Nissan to overcome its current challenging situation and return to a growth trajectory.' The Oppama plant in Kanagawa Prefecture, which is home to the company's global headquarters in Yokohama, had been positioned as a 'mother' plant for establishing the firm's production technology. Taiwan-based major electronics manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. was believed to have been hoping for a partnership with Nissan that would have included jointly making electric vehicles at the plant. Espinosa denied any talks about establishing a joint venture or outsourcing production, suggesting that he made the painful choice of closing the plant. Nissan's domestic production capacity is about 1.2 million cars, but the company only produced 640,000 in fiscal 2024. Domestic sales in the January-June period of 2025 are expected to slump to about 220,000 units, the lowest in 30 years. Operating profit in the April-June period of 2025 is expected to fall into the red by about ¥200 billion. U.S. tariffs on imported automobiles could push Nissan's operating profit, representing its core business profit, down by as much as ¥450 billion in the fiscal year ending March 2026. Espinosa said that exports are uncertain considering the U.S. tariff policy. 'The world is changing by the minute.' Nissan's sales volume in China in fiscal 2024 fell 12% from the previous year, hit by the rise of local manufacturers. Sales of the N7 electric sedan, whose development was led by local joint venture Dongfeng Nissan, have been strong. However, fierce price competition has left it uncertain whether the company will be able to secure stable profits. Through a series of restructuring measures, Nissan is hurrying to downsize its excessive production facilities, putting pressure on management. Espinosa explained that with production terminated at its Oppama and Shonan plants, the capacity utilization rate of the remaining 10 factories in Japan and overseas will increase to an average of nearly 100%. However, the financial market still has strong concerns about Nissan's restructuring. The company's share price fell to its lowest level in about 16 years this month, falling below ¥300 at one point. Nissan once aimed to integrate its operations with Honda Motor Co. by establishing a holding company but decided to terminate talks with Honda in February of this year. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry and Nissan's main bank, Mizuho Bank, Ltd., have called for the resumption of talks, but Nissan remains committed to improving profitability by closing plants and prioritizing restructuring on its own for the time being.
Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Trump signals the end of the road for Japan tariff negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Japan over trade and said that its "reciprocal" tariff rate of 25%, mentioned in a letter sent to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba last week, might simply be allowed to go into effect on Aug. 1. 'The letters are a deal,' Trump told reporters on Tuesday at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick standing by his side. 'I will veer from those deals on occasion when somebody is willing — like if Japan would open up their country," he added. "They don't do that. They just don't do that. And I don't subscribe to it one way or the other. 'So, we might just stick with a letter.' Trump suggested in his comments that South Korea might be close to making a deal that would supersede the tariff letter sent to its president. South Korea's Aug. 1 reciprocal rate, as outlined in its letter, is also set at 25%. Additional tariffs on pharmaceutical products might be imposed as soon as the end of July, Trump added while speaking to reporters on the tarmac. On Wednesday morning in Tokyo, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki declined to comment on Trump's remarks. The U.S. president sent letters to dozens of countries notifying them of the reciprocal tariff rate to be imposed on their goods from Aug. 1. These rates will apply to almost all exports to the United States and replace a 10% baseline rate now being charged. Reciprocal tariffs will not be charged on goods subject to separate sector-specific tariffs, which include a 25% duty on vehicles and auto parts and a 50% duty on steel and aluminum. Tariff talks between the United States and Japan have been intense but fruitless, with no concrete results being reported in three months of negotiations. The two sides have remained far apart. Public comments have indicated that they might not have even agreed on a starting point for talks, with Japan insisting on a rollback of tariffs already imposed as a precondition for discussions and the United States insisting that only the reciprocal tariffs were on the agenda. Tokyo has been especially focused on the duty being imposed on autos and has said that this remains its top priority. Trump criticized Japan on a number of occasions in recent weeks, saying that it's 'tough' and 'spoiled' and that it has refused to buy American products, especially rice and cars. At one point, he suggested that he would end trade talks and simply raise the tariff rate on Japanese goods to as high as 35%. Upper House elections will be held in Japan on Sunday, and polls indicate that the race could be close. Ishiba has been under considerable pressure to hold the line in talks with the United States and could continue to face pressure after the vote if new coalition partners are needed to govern. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was appointed by Trump to lead negotiations with Japan in April, is set to visit the 2025 Osaka Expo this weekend. He might hold a meeting with Ishiba during the trip, according to news reports. Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, on Tuesday declined to confirm a meeting with Bessent or any planned meetings on trade with the United States.
