Latest news with #GeorgeGlass
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Today
VIPs visit expo
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, third from right, and George Glass, Ambassador of the U.S. to Japan pose with U.S. delegates outside the U.S. pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, on Saturday. © Reuters
Japan Forward
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Forward
Fentanyl Trafficking from China: A New and Escalating Concern
United States Ambassador George Glass has warned that Japan must help prevent fentanyl trafficking through its territory. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on June 26, he said that synthetic opioids like fentanyl and methamphetamine are taking many lives in the US. He emphasized that the "Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is deliberately fueling the crisis" by trafficking "precursor chemicals." Glass called for international cooperation to block transshipment through Japan. In April, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the US Department of the Treasury released its 2024 report on fentanyl, identifying China as a "major supplier" of precursor materials. The Trump administration imposed additional tariffs of 25% on Mexico and Canada, and 20% on China, citing responsibility for fentanyl inflows. However, it had not previously implicated Japan in any such activities. On June 26, Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that a Chinese criminal group allegedly set up a fentanyl trafficking base in Nagoya aimed at shipping drugs to the US. Following this, Nagoya Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa held a press conference on June 30, calling it a "grave issue." He stated that the city would investigate and coordinate with Aichi Prefectural Police. Hirosawa added that the suspected company had reportedly withdrawn from Nagoya. The mayor also promised to intensify drug-abuse prevention education. Japanese lawmakers began voicing concerns about fentanyl over a year ago. In a 2024 session, Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Sanseito party, warned that Japan "must not underestimate the threat posed by synthetic opioids like fentanyl." Sohei Kamiya, leader of the Sanseito Party, calling for support on October 26, 2024, in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo (©Sankei) Citing US data showing over 100,000 opioid-related deaths in both 2021 and 2022, he highlighted the devastating impact of the drug, particularly in cities like Philadelphia. Kamiya expressed concern that fentanyl, sometimes mixed with heroin, methamphetamine, or even animal tranquilizers, could eventually flow into Japan, whether directly or disguised. He also noted that traffickers were producing chemically altered analogues of fentanyl to evade detection, making enforcement more difficult. In response to the growing concern, Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato stated on June 27 that no fentanyl had been seized at Japan's borders over the past six years. However, he did not address the issue of precursor chemicals. Those remain a central concern in US intelligence and enforcement reports. At a separate press briefing, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya declared that any unauthorized import or export of fentanyl "will never be tolerated." He emphasized that Japan will continue working closely with the United States and other countries to combat global trafficking networks. Retired US Marine Colonel Grant Newsham, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, weighed in on recent developments. He noted that Japan, so far, does not seem to be a primary target of China's fentanyl-based "drug warfare." "That doesn't mean it can't be — or that other types of drugs like kakuseizai (amphetamines) or cocaine aren't available. But Japan has seen nothing like the full-bore drug assault that the US faces from the Chinese and their Mexican partners." Newsham pointed out that Chinese fentanyl has already killed well over half a million Americans since 2013, and victims rendered into near-zombie states number at least ten times that. The societal and economic fallout, he stressed, is immense. "Why hasn't Japan been targeted like the US? Maybe because it isn't the 'main enemy.' That's the US, as the PRC sees it. Weaken the US, and Japan becomes easier to dominate," he said. US Customs and Border Protection officers seize nearly $4.6 million worth of fentanyl and methamphetamine, totaling 650 pounds, at the Port of Nogales. January 26, 2019 (Wikimedia Commons) Newsham also suggested cultural factors may play a role. Japan's societal structure may offer some resistance to the kind of widespread drug abuse that has affected the US since the 1970s. Regarding the newly reported drug route, he remarked, "This might just be one more channel in a vast logistical operation stretching from China to Mexico and increasingly to Canada. It may not be a major route. Overusing it could attract too much attention, especially if Japanese customs are more diligent than most." Newsham added, "I'm not sure the US authorities will blame Japan much for this. It's not as if they've been able to stop the flow from anywhere else." His final note was blunt: "One thing Japan needs to do is really crack down on Chinese people in Japan, especially those doing business. It's a pretty safe environment with little chance of being caught if you're doing something illegal." Author: Daniel Manning
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Japan says Chinese fighter jet came within 150 feet of surveillance plane above Pacific
A Chinese fighter jet came within about 150 feet of a Japanese naval reconnaissance plane over the weekend, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday, an action the US ambassador to Tokyo called 'dangerous' and 'reckless.' Saturday morning's close encounter between the Japanese P-3C Orion, a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft and a J-15 jet fighter launched from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong occurred over international waters of the Pacific, according to a statement from Japan's Defense Ministry. The encounter lasted about 40 minutes, as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense (JMSDF) force plane was on a surveillance mission, according to the statement. The Chinese jet came within 45 meters of the Japanese plane 'horizontally,' the ministry said. Another close encounter between a Chinese fighter and a Japanese plane occurred Sunday, with the Chinese warplane passing about 900 meters (2,950 feet) directly in front of the flight path of a P-3C, the ministry statement said. 'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' it said. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass was blunter in his criticism. 'The recent dangerous maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers' lives in peril,' Glass said in a post on X, sarcastically calling the incident 'another of Beijing's 'good neighbor' efforts.' 'Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression,' Glass said. In the past several years, China has been accused of all those actions in the South China Sea and other areas of the Indo-Pacific. At a defense forum in Singapore last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China exhibits a pattern of harassing and trying to intimidate its neighbors. 'We have all seen the videos and pictures of water cannons and ship-to-ship collisions and illegal boardings at sea. We are also seeing the illegal seizing and militarizing of lands in the South China Sea,' he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'These actions reveal a lack of respect for neighbours, and they challenge sovereignty, freedom of navigation and overflight,' he said. The Chinese-Japanese encounters occurred in international waters in the Pacific as Beijing sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region for training exercises. The Chinese carriers and their escorts were practicing far-sea defense and joint operations, a military statement said. 'This is a routine arrangement included in the annual training plan, aiming to improve the Chinese PLA Navy's ability to fulfill missions. The training complies with relevant international law and practice, and is not targeted at specific countries or entity,' Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy, said in a written statement.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Japan says Chinese fighter jet came within 150 feet of surveillance plane above Pacific
A Chinese fighter jet came within about 150 feet of a Japanese naval reconnaissance plane over the weekend, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday, an action the US ambassador to Tokyo called 'dangerous' and 'reckless.' Saturday morning's close encounter between the Japanese P-3C Orion, a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft and a J-15 jet fighter launched from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong occurred over international waters of the Pacific, according to a statement from Japan's Defense Ministry. The encounter lasted about 40 minutes, as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense (JMSDF) force plane was on a surveillance mission, according to the statement. The Chinese jet came within 45 meters of the Japanese plane 'horizontally,' the ministry said. Another close encounter between a Chinese fighter and a Japanese plane occurred Sunday, with the Chinese warplane passing about 900 meters (2,950 feet) directly in front of the flight path of a P-3C, the ministry statement said. 'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' it said. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass was blunter in his criticism. 'The recent dangerous maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers' lives in peril,' Glass said in a post on X, sarcastically calling the incident 'another of Beijing's 'good neighbor' efforts.' 'Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression,' Glass said. In the past several years, China has been accused of all those actions in the South China Sea and other areas of the Indo-Pacific. At a defense forum in Singapore last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China exhibits a pattern of harassing and trying to intimidate its neighbors. 'We have all seen the videos and pictures of water cannons and ship-to-ship collisions and illegal boardings at sea. We are also seeing the illegal seizing and militarizing of lands in the South China Sea,' he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'These actions reveal a lack of respect for neighbours, and they challenge sovereignty, freedom of navigation and overflight,' he said. The Chinese-Japanese encounters occurred in international waters in the Pacific as Beijing sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region for training exercises. The Chinese carriers and their escorts were practicing far-sea defense and joint operations, a military statement said. 'This is a routine arrangement included in the annual training plan, aiming to improve the Chinese PLA Navy's ability to fulfill missions. The training complies with relevant international law and practice, and is not targeted at specific countries or entity,' Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy, said in a written statement.
CNN
12-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Japan says Chinese fighter jet came within 150 feet of surveillance plane above Pacific
A Chinese fighter jet came within about 150 feet of a Japanese naval reconnaissance plane over the weekend, the Japanese Defense Ministry said Thursday, an action the US ambassador to Tokyo called 'dangerous' and 'reckless.' Saturday morning's close encounter between the Japanese P-3C Orion, a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft and a J-15 jet fighter launched from the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong occurred over international waters of the Pacific, according to a statement from Japan's Defense Ministry. The encounter lasted about 40 minutes, as the Japan Maritime Self-Defense (JMSDF) force plane was on a surveillance mission, according to the statement. The Chinese jet came within 45 meters of the Japanese plane 'horizontally,' the ministry said. Another close encounter between a Chinese fighter and a Japanese plane occurred Sunday, with the Chinese warplane passing about 900 meters (2,950 feet) directly in front of the flight path of a P-3C, the ministry statement said. 'Such unusual approaches by Chinese military aircraft could lead to an accidental collision,' it said. US Ambassador to Japan George Glass was blunter in his criticism. 'The recent dangerous maneuver by a Chinese fighter jet that put Japanese crewmembers' lives in peril,' Glass said in a post on X, sarcastically calling the incident 'another of Beijing's 'good neighbor' efforts.' 'Whether it's harassing Philippine ships, attacking Vietnamese fishermen, or firing flares at Australian aircraft, Beijing knows only reckless aggression,' Glass said. In the past several years, China has been accused of all those actions in the South China Sea and other areas of the Indo-Pacific. At a defense forum in Singapore last month, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said China exhibits a pattern of harassing and trying to intimidate its neighbors. 'We have all seen the videos and pictures of water cannons and ship-to-ship collisions and illegal boardings at sea. We are also seeing the illegal seizing and militarizing of lands in the South China Sea,' he said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. 'These actions reveal a lack of respect for neighbours, and they challenge sovereignty, freedom of navigation and overflight,' he said. The Chinese-Japanese encounters occurred in international waters in the Pacific as Beijing sent two aircraft carrier groups to the region for training exercises. The Chinese carriers and their escorts were practicing far-sea defense and joint operations, a military statement said. 'This is a routine arrangement included in the annual training plan, aiming to improve the Chinese PLA Navy's ability to fulfill missions. The training complies with relevant international law and practice, and is not targeted at specific countries or entity,' Senior Capt. Wang Xuemeng, spokesperson for the Chinese PLA Navy, said in a written statement.
