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Ottawa Citizen
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Today's letters: National Gallery mustn't neglect these volunteers
In search of Emily Carr, without help Article content I recently visited the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria. I was hoping to see many of Emily Carr's paintings but I was told that the National Gallery of Canada has a lot more. I visited the gallery on Victoria Day, May 19. The information desk in the Great Hall was empty. I couldn't find any of Carr's paintings near the Group of Seven collection. The only person to ask was a security guard but he wasn't able to help me. I am wondering: Why is the gallery cutting the service of knowlegable volunteers? Article content Article content Maria Barczyk, Ottawa Article content Thank you for recognizing the important work of the volunteers at the National Gallery of Canada. Having worked at the gallery as a docent since 2016, I have found it rewarding at so many levels. I have loved working with children visitors, doing tours, giving talks and appreciating art with both friends and the public. I have learned so much. Article content It would be wonderful to hear that the service of the volunteers could be re-instated. Article content Why would the National Gallery silence its most passionate, knowledgeable ambassadors? Volunteers gave freely — and this is the thanks they get. Kicking out trained volunteers who helped thousands engage with art is shameful. Article content The gallery claims to care about education and access, then scraps the very program that delivered both. Hypocrisy in action. Thousands of hours of free, expert work were erased overnight. This isn't just a mistake. It's an insult to the public, which funds the gallery. Article content Article content Royal visits can prompt grumbling about the monarchy. While it is indeed odd that the individual who is 'the final decider' in matters of public policy and appointments is someone in another country — who has that role by virtue of who their parents were, and their birth order — let us consider the positives. Article content As we look south, we see an administration that increasingly exploits the levers of governance for personal and partisan advantage, to the detriment of much of the populace and the world. Although it should be subject to the law and courts, it has structured the courts to its political advantage. Article content So it is comforting to know that, under our constitutional monarchy, the 'final decider' is someone who is completely insulated from all of that, and gives assent based on whether something is good for the nation, rather than for himself or herself personally or politically.
4 hours ago
- Business
Akazawa to Visit U.S. This Week for Tariff Talks
News from Japan Economy Jun 2, 2025 14:55 (JST) Tokyo, June 2 (Jiji Press)--Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa is expected to visit the United States this week for the fifth round of negotiations over Washington's tariffs, people familiar with the matter said Monday. The Japanese chief tariff negotiator is likely to hold talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others in Washington as early as Thursday. Tokyo and Washington are exploring the possibility of reaching an agreement at a meeting of the two countries' leaders on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada in mid-June. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba may visit the United States before the G-7 summit for a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. Akazawa returned home from the fourth round of negotiations with U.S. officials only on Sunday. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
Nikkei Asia
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
This year's G7 summit must check US isolationism
TOKYO -- As the Group of Seven summit marks its 50th year in Canada this month, Japanese and European leaders will once again confront the issue their predecessors faced half a century ago -- how to prevent Washington from retreating into isolationism and keeping it engaged in the world. "The 'postwar' period unquestionably ended -- not only for Japan, but the entire world -- on January 20, 2025," Gerald Curtis, an American political scientist and Japan expert, said at the Japan National Press Club in late May.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Japan PM Ishiba mulls Trump trade meeting before G7, says Yomiuri newspaper
TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering visiting Washington to meet President Donald Trump before a mid-month summit of the Group of Seven nations as he seeks a trade deal, the Yomiuri newspaper reported on Sunday. Japanese officials see signs of progress on easing Trump's tariffs after repeated visits by top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa, and say the U.S. side has shown strong interest in Japan's proposals, the Yomiuri said, citing Japanese government officials it did not name. Economy Minister Akazawa will return to Washington for more talks later this week, after which a decision will be made on a U.S. trip by Ishiba, the newspaper said. The White House and the Japanese Prime Minister's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. Speaking to reporters upon returning on Sunday from his fourth round of negotiations, Akazawa said talks are progressing towards an agreement but that the form of negotiations before the G7 summit was yet to be decided. Japan, a major U.S. ally, faces what Trump calls a reciprocal tariff of 24% from next month unless it can negotiate a bilateral deal. Tokyo is also scrambling to find ways to get Washington to exempt its automakers, Japan's biggest industry, from 25% tariffs on automobiles. Trump said on Friday he planned to double the tariffs on all imported steel and aluminium to 50%. Japan's Ishiba open to more stimulus but rules out sales tax cut Akazawa declined to comment on those tariffs on Sunday. He said Trade Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not mention them during the most recent negotiations. Some Japanese government officials hope an agreement can be announced in time for President Trump's birthday on June 14, the Yomiuri said. Akazawa said on Friday the two sides had 'agreed to accelerate the talks and hold another round ahead of the G7 summit', to be held from June 15 to 17 in Canada. But he said there would be no deal without U.S. concessions on tariffs, including on autos. Ishiba has said bilateral negotiations were progressing on trade expansion, non-tariff measures and economic security, while Tokyo has mentioned possible increases in its purchases of U.S. military equipment and energy, as well as cooperation on shipbuilding and repairing U.S. warships in Japan.
Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tariff Negotiations: Time To Deepen Japan-U.S. Cooperation through Industrial Collaboration
New forms of industrial collaboration between Japan and the United States are taking shape in connection with the two countries' tariff negotiations. Tokyo and Washington should deepen cooperation in a wide range of fields, and it is hoped that such efforts will lead to a review by the United States of its high tariff policy. Ryosei Akazawa, minister in charge of economic revitalization, held a fourth round of ministerial-level talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and other officials during his visit to the United States. 'I was able to confirm that the discussions are progressing toward an agreement,' Akazawa said afterward. The two sides will accelerate the talks with a view to reaching an agreement between the Japanese and U.S. leaders on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in mid-June, he said. A crucial theme in the negotiations is concrete measures to deepen cooperation on economic security. In his March speech to Congress, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his intention to resurrect the nation's shipbuilding industry to enhance the defense industry. Based on this, Japan is reportedly considering such specific measures as joint development and production of new icebreakers based on the technology used in Japan's icebreaker Shirase, and the joint manufacturing of vehicle carriers utilizing Japanese designs and parts. The United States was once the largest shipbuilder in the world. However, China now accounts for 70% of the global market share for building new vessels. The U.S. share is small, and there is considerable room for cooperation with Japan, which still has competitive strength. It is also important for the two countries to cooperate in the field of rare earths, which are essential for the production of electric vehicles and military equipment. China used restrictions on rare earth exports as a weapon in an exchange of retaliations over Trump's tariffs. As a result, the United States is believed to have a heightened sense of crisis. The Japanese government is considering providing technical support for the processing and smelting of important minerals such as rare earths. Nippon Steel Corp.'s plan to acquire U.S. Steel Corp., a major steel company in the United States, may also provide tailwind for the tariff negotiations. Trump gave a speech in a suburb of Pittsburgh on Friday and welcomed the move, saying, 'We are going to have a great partner.' He proudly said, 'There has never been a $14 billion [about ¥2 trillion] investment in the history of the steel industry in the United States of America.' The global market is flooded with cheap Chinese steel products. Injecting Nippon Steel's advanced technology and capital into U.S. Steel would enhance the U.S. steel company's competitiveness. It will also help strengthen domestic production, which the United States considers important for economic security. However, it was pointless for Trump to announce in his speech that he would raise additional tariffs on steel and aluminum products from 25% to 50%. To build a new economic relationship between Japan and the United States, a major condition is that the United States must first reconsider reciprocal tariffs and high tariffs on such products as vehicles and steel products. The United States needs to be aware that the development of its manufacturing industry also depends on whether it revises its high tariff policy. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, June 1, 2025)
