Latest news with #KyodoNews
Kyodo News
14 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 30, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 14 hours ago - 23:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- China agrees to begin steps to resume Japanese seafood imports: Tokyo TOKYO - Japan's government said Friday that China has agreed to begin procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood, lifting a ban imposed after the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. Chinese authorities are expected to issue a public notice easing the blanket ban that has been in place since August 2023 and soon open registration for Japanese facilities that process and preserve marine products, sources familiar with the matter said. ---------- Japan, U.S. tariff negotiators to hold another round of talks WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, will hold another round of talks on Friday with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent as the two governments explore a possible agreement to be reached by their leaders next month. On the eve of the talks, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump by phone, telling reporters afterward that each side was able to gain a better understanding of the views held by the other. ---------- Japan Diet begins debate on dual surname bill for 1st time in 28 yrs TOKYO - Japan's parliament on Friday began its first deliberations in 28 years on legislation that would give married couples the option of keeping different surnames. The passage of any of the three bills submitted separately by three opposition parties, however, looks unlikely during the current Diet session through late June, despite growing public acceptance of their push to change the longstanding rule requiring married couples to share a single family name. ---------- Report says N. Korea illegally gave 100 ballistic missiles to Russia SEOUL - North Korea provided Russia with at least 100 ballistic missiles last year in exchange for air defense systems and electronic jamming equipment, in clear violation of U.N. sanctions, the first report by an international monitoring body showed Thursday. The report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, led by Japan, the United States and South Korea, stressed that both countries are engaging in illegal arms transfers, urging the international community to strengthen monitoring and information-sharing efforts. ---------- Japan PM may attend NATO summit in late June in the Netherlands TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is considering attending a NATO summit meeting to be held in late June in the Netherlands, government sources said Friday, as Japan moves to demonstrate its closer ties with the trans-Atlantic defense alliance. If Ishiba attends, it will be the fourth straight year the sitting Japanese leader has done so. This year's gathering will be held on June 24 and 25 in The Hague. ---------- Japan's former Princess Mako gives birth to 1st child TOKYO - Mako Komuro, Crown Prince Fumihito's eldest daughter who married out of the imperial family, gave birth to her first child, the Imperial Household Agency said Friday. The 33-year-old mother and the child -- the first grandchild of the crown prince and the first great-grandchild of former Emperor Akihito -- are both in good health, a source close to the matter said. ---------- Japan, Bangladesh agree on defense equipment, tech transfer pact TOKYO - Japan and Bangladesh on Friday agreed in principle to conclude a pact for the transfer of defense equipment and technology, reiterating their commitment to stability in the Indo-Pacific region as China's influence grows, the Japanese government said. In a joint statement after talks in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, said they have instructed negotiators to speed up discussions on an economic partnership agreement. ---------- Japan eyes more rice exports as domestic consumption set to decline TOKYO - The Japanese government on Friday vowed to explore new overseas markets and provide support for more efficient production as part of efforts to increase rice exports in response to an envisioned long-term contraction in domestic consumption. In the annual white paper on food and agriculture for fiscal 2024 approved by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries recommends increased rice exports despite the Japanese government recently introducing measures to curb soaring domestic prices, driven in part by shortages. Video: Japan Business Federation appoints new chief
Kyodo News
18 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 31, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 7 minutes ago - 09:03 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S. agree tariff talks making progress toward deal WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator said Friday that he and U.S. Cabinet members agreed in their talks that they are making progress toward a potential tariff deal as early as next month. After a meeting in Washington with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's minister in charge of economic revitalization, told reporters that they plan to hold another round of negotiations before a Group of Seven summit in mid-June. ---------- Trump says U.S. to double tariffs on steel imports to 50% WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he will raise tariffs on steel imports to 50 percent from the 25 percent that his administration imposed earlier this year. Trump made the announcement during a speech at a United States Steel Corp. plant in Pennsylvania. Trump praised Nippon Steel Corp. for planning to invest $14 billion in the struggling iconic U.S. producer. ---------- China agrees to begin steps to resume Japanese seafood imports: Tokyo TOKYO - Japan's government said Friday that China has agreed to begin procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood, lifting a ban imposed after the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. Chinese authorities are expected to issue a public notice easing the blanket ban that has been in place since August 2023 and soon open registration for Japanese facilities that process and preserve marine products, sources familiar with the matter said. ---------- Japan consumer watchdog warns of rice scam websites as prices soar TOKYO - Japan's consumer affairs center has called on people grappling with soaring rice prices to beware of websites claiming to sell the staple at heavily discounted prices. The National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan said complaints related to such websites have spiked since March, with some claiming the rice was never delivered though payment had been made. ---------- Japan, Cambodia agree to bolster security cooperation TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet agreed Friday to strengthen security cooperation as Tokyo seeks to deepen ties with other Asian countries amid China's growing regional influence. At a press appearance in Tokyo, Ishiba expressed a desire to strengthen security ties with Cambodia, citing Japan's Official Security Assistance program, which is aimed at deepening cooperation with like-minded partners. ---------- Authorities launch joint probe into securities account hijackings TOKYO - Tokyo police and other authorities have launched a joint investigation into a recent spate of cases in which hacked securities accounts at multiple firms were used for unauthorized stock trading, investigative sources said Friday. The Metropolitan Police Department will work with the National Police Agency's cyber unit and the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission to investigate suspected unauthorized access and market manipulation, in which specific stocks were purchased to artificially inflate their prices and secure profits. ---------- Japan's Dai-ichi Life to take 15% stake in British insurer M&G TOKYO - Japan's Dai-ichi Life Holdings Inc. said Friday it will buy about a 15 percent stake in a British life insurance and asset management firm, aiming to expand its overseas reach and compensate for declining revenue from the shrinking domestic market. The Japanese life insurer said it will invest approximately 160 billion yen ($1.1 billion) to buy the shares in M&G PLC from the stock market, making it an affiliate and a preferred asset management partner. The deal will mark Dai-ichi Life's first entry into the European market. ---------- Sumo: Onosato performs ring entry ceremony at Meiji Jingu shrine TOKYO - New sumo grand champion Onosato performed his first ring-entering ceremony Friday at Tokyo's Meiji Jingu shrine to mark his promotion to the sport's highest rank. The 24-year-old from Ishikawa Prefecture officially became sumo's 75th yokozuna on Wednesday, having attained the rank at a record pace after just 13 professional tournaments. Video: Universal Studios Japan's special performance at Osaka Expo
Kyodo News
2 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 30, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 6 minutes ago - 09:23 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- China agrees to begin steps to resume Japanese seafood imports: Tokyo TOKYO - Japan's government said Friday that China has agreed to begin procedures to resume imports of Japanese seafood, lifting a ban imposed after the release of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. Chinese authorities are expected to issue a public notice easing the blanket ban in place since August 2023 and soon open registration for Japanese facilities that process and preserve marine products, sources familiar with the matter said. ---------- Japan PM says mutual understanding "deepened" with Trump over tariffs TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday he and U.S. President Donald Trump deepened their understanding of each other's positions on tariffs and agreed that their ministers should accelerate ongoing negotiations in greater detail. Ishiba made the comment after a roughly 25-minute phone call with Trump ahead of the next round of bilateral tariff negotiations at the ministerial level. ---------- U.S. appeals court says Trump's hefty tariffs can continue for now WASHINGTON - A U.S. federal appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump's administration to continue with its most sweeping tariffs for the time being. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington granted the administration's request to temporarily suspend a lower court ruling a day before that invalidated its so-called reciprocal tariffs along with some other levies. ---------- Japan's April jobless rate remains unchanged at 2.5% TOKYO - Japan's unemployment rate in April remained unchanged from the previous month at 2.5 percent, government data showed Friday. The job availability ratio was also unchanged from March at 1.26 in the reporting month, meaning there were 126 jobs available for every 100 job seekers, according to separate data. ---------- Ex-Japan PM Abe's widow Akie meets Putin, welcomed with large bouquet TOKYO - Akie Abe, widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, his presidential office said, with a photo showing him welcoming her with a large bouquet of flowers. Putin, who held in-person talks 27 times with Shinzo Abe during his tenure as prime minister until 2020, was quoted by the office as saying, "We remember his contribution to the development of Russian-Japanese cooperation." ---------- Japan, U.S. eye "2-plus-2" security talks in Washington TOKYO - Japan and the United States are considering holding "two-plus-two" ministerial security talks in Washington this summer, Japanese government sources said Thursday, as the allies face ongoing security challenges from China and North Korea. The meeting involving foreign and defense ministers from the two countries will be the first for the governments of Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump. The two leaders took office in October last year and January, respectively. ---------- Sony's financial arm aims to launch overseas businesses after listing TOKYO - The top executive of the financial unit of Sony Group Corp. said Thursday that it aims to launch overseas operations after it is spun off from the parent company and listed on the Tokyo stock market later this year. Toshihide Endo, CEO of Sony Financial Group Inc., said the company will focus on "honing our business model at home "through March 2027, adding that expanding its business abroad is "on the menu as an excellent strategy for the mid-term." ---------- Group held in Cambodia for alleged fraud involves some 20 Japanese TOKYO - Japanese police said Thursday that at least 20 Japanese were among roughly 30 people believed to be involved in scams and detained by local authorities in northwestern Cambodia. The group's detention in Poipet, mostly comprising people in their 20s, comes amid a rise in cases of Japanese nationals committing fraud and scams while hiding in Southeast Asia. Video: Japan Business Federation appoints new chief
Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 29, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 29 minutes ago - 09:19 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Rubio says U.S. to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students WASHINGTON - The United States will "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. In a statement, Rubio also said, "We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong." ---------- Nissan to raise 1 tril. yen by issuing debt, selling assets: source TOKYO - Ailing Nissan Motor Co. is planning to raise around 1 trillion yen ($7 billion) by issuing corporate bonds and selling assets to secure funds as it approaches a massive bond redemption, a company source said Wednesday. Nissan and its affiliated companies face the redemption of roughly 780 billion yen in corporate bonds during the current fiscal year through March. It also requires funds to cover costs related to plant closures and other restructuring measures. ---------- Japan eyes closer ties with Philippines, Cambodia via security aid TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya expressed eagerness to enhance ties with the Philippines and Cambodia through security aid as he met separately with their top diplomats in Tokyo on Wednesday, in the face of China's growing influence in Southeast Asia. On the economic front, Iwaya agreed with Enrique Manalo from the Philippines to further cooperate in infrastructure development, while he underscored the importance of enhancing the multilateral free trade system with Cambodia's Prak Sokhonn, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. ---------- Japan, U.S., Australia to agree to set up defense consultation body TOKYO - The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States and Australia are expected to agree to establish a senior official-level consultation body to discuss their forces' collaborative operations at their meeting later this week in Singapore, Japanese government sources said Wednesday. The planned talks on the fringes of the three-day Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in the city-state from Friday will come as the three Indo-Pacific democracies have become more vigilant against China's maritime assertiveness in the region. ---------- China removes remaining buoy from Japan's exclusive economic zone TOKYO - China has removed a buoy it had installed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone off a remote southwestern island, the Japan Coast Guard said Wednesday, meaning all such objects that had irked Tokyo have been cleared from its EEZ. The Japanese government said in December that it spotted a new buoy south of Yonaguni Island, which is located about 100 kilometers from Taiwan. But on its website on Wednesday, the coast guard referred to the buoy east of Taiwan as "nonexistent." ---------- BOJ's unrealized bond loss widens to record 28 tril. yen at end-March TOKYO - The Bank of Japan said Wednesday its unrealized loss on its Japanese government bond holdings widened to a record 28.62 trillion yen ($198 billion) at the end of March, reflecting rising yields as the central bank continued interest rate hikes. The loss tripled from an unrealized loss of 9.43 trillion yen a year earlier. The BOJ has raised its key policy rate three times since March 2024 when it shifted from unorthodox monetary easing toward monetary policy normalization. ---------- Japan gov't vows reserve rice supply to countryside amid price spike TOKYO - The government on Wednesday vowed to deliver lower-priced stockpiled rice it releases as a counter to surging prices more broadly and stably to consumers in rural areas, after it suspended taking orders from major retailers to make room for smaller ones. About 70 major retailors made requests to buy reserve rice from the farm ministry, bringing the total to over 200,000 tons, or about two-thirds of the 300,000 tons up for sale, a day after the launch of a new release scheme on Monday. ---------- Int'l short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI TOKYO - One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. Video: Osaka Expo-designated Indonesian National Day celebrations
Kyodo News
3 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 29, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 4 minutes ago - 09:17 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Rubio says U.S. to "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students WASHINGTON - The United States will "aggressively" revoke visas of Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in sensitive fields, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday. In a statement, Rubio also said, "We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People's Republic of China and Hong Kong." ---------- Nissan to raise 1 tril. yen by issuing debt, selling assets: source TOKYO - Ailing Nissan Motor Co. is planning to raise around 1 trillion yen ($7 billion) by issuing corporate bonds and selling assets to secure funds as it approaches a massive bond redemption, a company source said Wednesday. Nissan and its affiliated companies face the redemption of roughly 780 billion yen in corporate bonds during the current fiscal year through March. It also requires funds to cover costs related to plant closures and other restructuring measures. ---------- Japan eyes closer ties with Philippines, Cambodia via security aid TOKYO - Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya expressed eagerness to enhance ties with the Philippines and Cambodia through security aid as he met separately with their top diplomats in Tokyo on Wednesday, in the face of China's growing influence in Southeast Asia. On the economic front, Iwaya agreed with Enrique Manalo from the Philippines to further cooperate in infrastructure development, while he underscored the importance of enhancing the multilateral free trade system with Cambodia's Prak Sokhonn, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. ---------- Japan, U.S., Australia to agree to set up defense consultation body TOKYO - The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States and Australia are expected to agree to establish a senior official-level consultation body to discuss their forces' collaborative operations at their meeting later this week in Singapore, Japanese government sources said Wednesday. The planned talks on the fringes of the three-day Asia Security Summit, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, in the city-state from Friday will come as the three Indo-Pacific democracies have become more vigilant against China's maritime assertiveness in the region. ---------- China removes remaining buoy from Japan's exclusive economic zone TOKYO - China has removed a buoy it had installed inside Japan's exclusive economic zone off a remote southwestern island, the Japan Coast Guard said Wednesday, meaning all such objects that had irked Tokyo have been cleared from its EEZ. The Japanese government said in December that it spotted a new buoy south of Yonaguni Island, which is located about 100 kilometers from Taiwan. But on its website on Wednesday, the coast guard referred to the buoy east of Taiwan as "nonexistent." ---------- BOJ's unrealized bond loss widens to record 28 tril. yen at end-March TOKYO - The Bank of Japan said Wednesday its unrealized loss on its Japanese government bond holdings widened to a record 28.62 trillion yen ($198 billion) at the end of March, reflecting rising yields as the central bank continued interest rate hikes. The loss tripled from an unrealized loss of 9.43 trillion yen a year earlier. The BOJ has raised its key policy rate three times since March 2024 when it shifted from unorthodox monetary easing toward monetary policy normalization. ---------- Japan gov't vows reserve rice supply to countryside amid price spike TOKYO - The government on Wednesday vowed to deliver lower-priced stockpiled rice it releases as a counter to surging prices more broadly and stably to consumers in rural areas, after it suspended taking orders from major retailers to make room for smaller ones. About 70 major retailors made requests to buy reserve rice from the farm ministry, bringing the total to over 200,000 tons, or about two-thirds of the 300,000 tons up for sale, a day after the launch of a new release scheme on Monday. ---------- Int'l short film fest kicks off in Tokyo with focus on diversity, AI TOKYO - One of Asia's largest film festivals kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, with this year shining light on tales about diversity and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence. Japanese actor and festival president Tetsuya Bessho and guests including South Korean actor Oh Man Seok from the hit drama series "Crash Landing on You" took to the stage at an opening ceremony of the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which showcases five categories whose winners can qualify for next year's Academy Awards. Video: Osaka Expo-designated Indonesian National Day celebrations
