Kyodo News Digest: July 24, 2025
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Japan, U.S. reach deal on reduced 15% auto, "reciprocal" tariffs
TOKYO/WASHINGTON - Japan and the United States have struck what President Donald Trump called a "historic" trade deal that will set tariffs on Japanese cars and other products at 15 percent -- lower than initially threatened -- and boost Japanese investment in the world's biggest economy.
The deal, first announced by Trump on social media Tuesday, capped off rounds of bilateral negotiations since mid-April, during which export-reliant Japan aimed for a win-win agreement ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for Washington to impose a "reciprocal" 25 percent tariff on Japanese goods.
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Japan PM's resignation seen as inevitable, decision to come in Aug.
TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's resignation is seen as inevitable following the governing coalition's major setback in the House of Councillors election, lawmakers said Wednesday, adding that he will make a final decision on his future in late August.
Ishiba, who leads the Liberal Democratic Party, met with his predecessors to address the LDP's predicament after the ruling bloc lost its majority in both houses of parliament. Speaking to reporters, he dismissed media reports that he plans to resign.
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Japan, EU agree to boost economic security, defense cooperation
TOKYO - The leaders of Japan and the European Union agreed Wednesday on new initiatives to strengthen cooperation in economic security, trade and defense, amid uncertainty over U.S. tariff policies and China's growing military and economic influence.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement issued after their summit in Tokyo that they will establish a "Japan-EU Competitiveness Alliance" to collaborate in ensuring economic security and bolstering their industries.
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Business leaders laud Japan-U.S. trade deal, admit ongoing challenges
TOKYO - Japanese business leaders on Wednesday praised the government for reaching a trade deal with the United States under which tariff rates on Japanese cars and other products will be set at 15 percent, while acknowledging it will still cause hardship for firms.
"The persistent negotiations paid off," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, chairman of the Japanese Business Federation, the country's most powerful business lobby, also known as Keidanren, told reporters, adding that his group has "high regard" for the outcome.
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Man acquitted of 1966 murder case to file damages suit vs Japan gov't
SHIZUOKA, Japan - Iwao Hakamata, who was acquitted in a retrial over a 1966 murder case in Shizuoka Prefecture, plans to file a damages suit against the Japanese government and the prefecture over fabricated evidence by investigative authorities, his legal team said Wednesday.
His lawyers said at a press conference they plan to file the suit around the anniversary of the Shizuoka District Court's Sept. 26 acquittal of Hakamata, 89, in the murder of four members of a family. They have not decided the amount of damages they will seek.
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Senior "Luffy" crime group member gets 20 yrs over Japan robberies
TOKYO - A Tokyo court on Wednesday sentenced a senior figure in a crime ring that orchestrated robberies across Japan from the Philippines to 20 years in prison, marking the first conviction of a leading member.
Tomonobu Kojima, 47, was convicted of assisting in a robbery and other crimes remotely directed by the group, whose members used monikers such as "Luffy," the name of a popular manga character, and recruited perpetrators via social media.
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Sumo: Ichiyamamoto falls into share of lead, Onosato stays in hunt
NAGOYA - Rank-and-filer Ichiyamamoto suffered his second loss of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament at the hands of veteran komusubi Takayasu on Wednesday, dropping him into a four-way tie for the lead at 9-2.
Grand champion Onosato, the lone yokozuna at Nagoya's new IG Arena after Hoshoryu's injury withdrawal, managed to beat Mongolian-born sekiwake Kirishima, leaving the two at 8-3 after Day 11 of the 15-day tournament.
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Split Japan antinuke groups, Hidankyo unite for 80th A-bomb anniv.
TOKYO - Two Japanese antinuclear groups that split during the Cold War issued a rare joint statement Wednesday to mark the upcoming 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, appealing for the people of Japan to carry the cities' message to the world.
The statement by the Japan Congress Against A- and H-Bombs, known as Gensuikin, and the Japan Council Against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, known as Gensuikyo, was also cosigned by Nihon Hidankyo, Japan's leading group of atomic bomb survivors and the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
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