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The Print
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
‘Pakistan completely exposed': Sanjay Jha on meeting with Japanese lawmakers after Op Sindoor
While speaking with ANI, Jha said, 'We met many of the Japanese parliamentarians (members of the National Diet of Japan) today and everyone is supporting us in the fight against terrorism… We have shown them the photographs of how Pakistani generals attended the funerals of the terrorists.' During discussions with members of Japan's National Diet, Jha said that the delegation presented evidence, including photographs of Pakistani generals attending funerals of known terrorists. Tokyo: JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is leading a multi-party delegation to Japan and other East Asian countries as part of India's global outreach against terrorism, said on Friday that the delegation received strong support from Japanese lawmakers in the fight against terrorism. He added, 'Pakistan is completely exposed now, its 'victim card' is exposed now, the people worldwide understand Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism. We have told them about the statement of the Pakistani Army chief, people here were not much aware of his 'pravachan' (preachings) on the two-nation theory.' Meanwhile, sharing a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Japan said, 'All-Party Delegation from India interacted with the Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League led by Chairman H.E. Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura. India's resolute stance of zero tolerance towards terrorism was conveyed. Members of the league expressed support for India's resolve to counter cross border terrorism.' Earlier in the day, Sanjay Kumar Jha stated that India would make no distinction between terrorists and country which promoted them. Speaking at an outreach event in Tokyo, Jha said, 'India, along with countries like Japan, have zero tolerance for terrorism. To implement this, India will not make any distinction hereafter between terrorists and the country that promotes them. We will not accept any nuclear blackmail. Any further terrorist incident will be met by India with resolute and decisive military action.' He stated that the delegation had come together to convey the message that the fight against terrorism was not just or India, but for the entire world. He further stated that Japan was a special and strategic partner of India and both countries were bound by values of democracy and press freedom. 'The entire delegation has come together on one issue to convey our message to the world that the fight against terrorism is not only for India, it is for the entire world…I wish to affirm that Japan is a special and strategic partner of India, and both countries are bound by similar values such as democracy and press freedom. We had an extremely fruitful meeting with the Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister yesterday. Now we have just met the speaker of the Japanese Parliament. All of them have condemned the terrorist incident that took place in April in Jammu and Kashmir and have expressed solidarity with India. India is extremely grateful to Japan for this,' Jha said. Jha and other delegates held a meeting with Japan's Former Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and Shinako Tsuchiya, Director General of the International Bureau, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). During the meeting, Members of Parliament reiterated India's strong resolve to fight every form of terrorism. (ANI) This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. Also Read: Sanjay Jha-led all-party delegation arrives in Tokyo to highlight India's fight against terrorism
India Gazette
23-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
"Pakistan's victim card is exposed now": JD (U) MP Sanjay Jha in Japan
Tokyo [Japan], May 23 (ANI): JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, who is leading a multi-party delegation to Japan and other East Asian countries as part of India's global outreach against terrorism, said on Friday that the delegation received strong support from Japanese lawmakers in the fight against terrorism. During discussions with members of Japan's National Diet, Jha said that the delegation presented evidence, including photographs of Pakistani generals attending funerals of known terrorists. While speaking with ANI, Jha said, 'We met many of the Japanese parliamentarians (members of the National Diet of Japan) today and everyone is supporting us in the fight against terrorism... We have shown them the photographs of how Pakistani generals attended the funerals of the terrorists.' He added, 'Pakistan is completely exposed now, its 'victim card' is exposed now, the people worldwide understand Pakistan's state-sponsored terrorism. We have told them about the statement of the Pakistani Army chief, people here were not much aware of his 'pravachan' (preachings) on the two-nation theory.' Meanwhile, sharing a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Japan said, 'All-Party Delegation from India interacted with the Japan-India Parliamentary Friendship League led by Chairman H.E. Mr. Yasutoshi Nishimura. India's resolute stance of zero tolerance towards terrorism was conveyed. Members of the league expressed support for India's resolve to counter cross border terrorism.' Earlier in the day, Sanjay Kumar Jha stated that India would make no distinction between terrorists and country which promoted them. Speaking at an outreach event in Tokyo, Jha said, 'India, along with countries like Japan, have zero tolerance for terrorism. To implement this, India will not make any distinction hereafter between terrorists and the country that promotes them. We will not accept any nuclear blackmail. Any further terrorist incident will be met by India with resolute and decisive military action.' He stated that the delegation had come together to convey the message that the fight against terrorism was not just or India, but for the entire world. He further stated that Japan was a special and strategic partner of India and both countries were bound by values of democracy and press freedom. 'The entire delegation has come together on one issue to convey our message to the world that the fight against terrorism is not only for India, it is for the entire world...I wish to affirm that Japan is a special and strategic partner of India, and both countries are bound by similar values such as democracy and press freedom. We had an extremely fruitful meeting with the Foreign Minister and former Prime Minister yesterday. Now we have just met the speaker of the Japanese Parliament. All of them have condemned the terrorist incident that took place in April in Jammu and Kashmir and have expressed solidarity with India. India is extremely grateful to Japan for this,' Jha said. Jha and other delegates held a meeting with Japan's Former Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and Shinako Tsuchiya, Director General of the International Bureau, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). During the meeting, Members of Parliament reiterated India's strong resolve to fight every form of terrorism. (ANI)
Tokyo Weekender
23-05-2025
- Business
- Tokyo Weekender
Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan Hits Yet Another Record High
In this week's news roundup, foreign visitors continue to flock to Japan in record numbers. W e also report on a third-generation Korean woman living in Japan who is suing a Tokyo hotel operator, claiming she was unfairly refused accommodation. Shinjiro Koizumi takes over from Taku Eto as agriculture minister. The National Diet enacts a revised law aimed at curbing predatory behavior at male host clubs. The remains of a Connecticut mother are found in Japan two years after she went missing. And Yuki Tsunoda survives a terrifying crash before finishing 10th at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Italy. List of Contents: Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan Hits Record High in April Korean Resident in Japan Sues Hotel Operator, Claiming She Was 'Unfairly Refused Accommodation' Shinjiro Koizumi Named New Agriculture Minister After Taku Eto's 'Rice' Gaffe Japan Takes Aim at Predatory Practices in Host Clubs Remains of Connecticut Mother Found in Japan Two Years After She Went Missing Yuki Tsunoda Related Posts Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan Hits Record High in April Foreign visitors continue to flock to Japan in record numbers. According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on Wednesday, the country received some 14.45 million foreign arrivals in the first four months of 2025, compared to 11.60 million for the same period last year. April saw a single-month record of 3.91 million inbound tourists, a 25.8% rise from 12 months earli er. It's also the first time the figure has topped the 3.9 mill ion mark . The prev ious high was in January, when 3.78 million foreign visitors arrived in Japan. 'Spring cherry blossom season boosted demand for visits to Japan in many markets, as in the previous month, and overseas travel demand increased in some Asian countries, in Europe, the US and Australia to coincide with the Easter holidays,' said the JNTO. Most visitors in April came from China (765,100), ahead of South Korea (721,600) and Taiwan (537,600). Inbound tourists from Canada (72,600) and Great Britain (69,500) hit record monthly highs. Speaking at Wednesday's press conference, Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Naoya Haraikawa said the number of foreign visitors this year may exceed 45 million. Korean Resident in Japan Sues Hotel Operator, Claiming She Was 'Unfairly Refused Accommodation' On Thursday, a third-generation Korean woman who lives in Japan filed a lawsuit in the Kobe District Court against a hotel management company in Tokyo's Shinjuku ward for ¥2.2 million in damages. The woman, who's in her 40s and works as a university professor in Kobe, claims she was unfairly refused accommodation. She alleges that the hotel denied her a room after she declined to present a passport or residence card at check-in. As a resident of this country, she wasn't legally obliged to show either. Only foreigners living outside Japan are required to present their passports. According to the complaint, the woman showed her health insurance card as proof of address. However, she was told that no exceptions were made for foreigners. A staff member then allegedly suggested that she could stay if she wrote her Japanese name. The woman, who lives under her real name, refused as she believed it violated her dignity. She was subsequently told to leave. The incident, which occurred last year, left her feeling emotionally distressed. 'I decided to take legal action because I don't want others to have to go through the same unpleasant experience I did,' she said . Shinjiro Koizumi Named New Agriculture Minister After Taku Eto Resigns Due to Rice Gaffe On Wednesday, Taku Eto became the first minister to resign from Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet. His position became untenable after he said that he 'had never had to buy rice' as he got it free from supporters. Speaking at a political fundraising party on Sunday, he added that he received so much of it, he had enough to sell. The comments angered consumers who are having to deal with skyrocketing prices for the country's staple grain. Eto later apologized, stating that he exaggerated the point. The damage, however, had already been done. 'Eto decided to resign because if the confusion over his remark had continued, it would affect the implementation of agricultural policies. I approved his offer,' said Prime Minister Ishiba. Following Eto's resignation, Shinjiro Koizumi was appointed as the new agriculture minister. 'I was instructed to put rice before anything,' the former Environment Minister told reporters. 'At this difficult time, I will do my utmost to address the high rice prices that people are struggling with daily.' The current price of rice is around double what it was a year ago. Japan Takes Aim at Predatory Practices in Host Clubs On Tuesday, the National Diet enacted a revised law aimed at curbing predatory behavior at male host clubs. The new legislation prohibits establishments from threatening to force indebted customers into prostitution or jobs in the sex industry. It also bans manipulative sales tactics, such as telling customers they will no longer be allowed to see their preferred host or that the host will face penalties, like demotion, unless the customer continues to spend money on drinks and food. The amended law is set to take effect within six months of promulgation. Any business seen violating these new regulations will receive a warning and instructions to change their policies. Those that fail to comply will be threatened with the revocation of their business license. In addition, operators of sex-related businesses are now prohibited from paying male hosts to introduce women to work in their establishments. Violations of this provision could result in up to six months in prison, a fine of up to ¥1 million, or both. According to the National Police Agency, there were 2,776 consultations nationwide related to male host clubs in 2024. The GoFundMe page for Patricia Wu-Murad Remains of Connecticut Mother Found in Japan Two Years After She Went Missing The body of Patricia Wu-Murad, a mother of three from Connecticut, has been discovered more than two years after she went missing along the Kumano Kodo trail in Nara. Her husband, Kirk, announced the news on Saturday on the Facebook page the family set up to help find her. According to the message, on April 27, a member of the original US research team retraced the area where Wu-Murad's backpack had been discovered in September 2024. He then found several of her personal items and what appeared to be a femur. 'He delivered the remains to the local Japanese police, who confirmed they were human,' read the message . 'DNA testing was performed, and on May 9, we were notified that the remains were a match to Pattie, through comparison with our daughter's DNA.' Wu-Murad disappeared on April 10, 2023, after checking out of a guesthouse in Higashiomi city. She planned to follow a scenic hiking trail to Osaka, which was expected to take between seven and nine hours. After she failed to show up at the Taiyo-no-yu guesthouse that evening, staff called the police to report her missing. Yuki Tsunoda Recovers After Terrifying Crash To Finish 10th at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix Japanese Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda walked away unscathed on Saturday despite his Red Bull car somersaulting into barriers while he was driving at approximately 240 kilometers per hour during the qualifying round for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. He started from the pit lane the following day after his mechanics pieced the vehicle back together. A determined single-stop strategy salvaged a point for the Sagamihara-born driver as he finished 10th. The race was won by his teammate, Max Verstappen . The Dutchman is now third, 22 points behind leader Oscar Piastri from Australia . Britain's Lando Norris is second. In men's soccer, Daichi Kamada became the first Japanese player to start in the FA Cup final. He played the full 90 minutes as Crystal Palace defeated Man City 1-0 to claim the club's first major trophy in its 120-year history. In the English topflight, Kaoru Mitoma scored his 10th league goal of the season as Brighton defeated Liverpool 3-2. Ritsu Doan, meanwhile, grabbed his 10th Bundesliga goal in Freiburg's 3-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. In Portugal, Hidemasa Morita helped Sporting CP win the league for the second successive year. In the women's FA Cup final, Hinata Miyazawa's Man Utd lost 3-0 to Chelsea, for whom Maika Hamano was an unused substitute. Related Posts British Couple in Shorts and T-Shirt Rescued From 'Ghost of Yotei' Mountain Actors Kei Tanaka and Mei Nagano Deny Affair Rumors Following Private Messages Leak Driver Deliberately Rams Car Into Seven Schoolchildren
Jordan Times
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Crown Prince meets with Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee
HRH Crown Prince Hussein meets on Thursday in Tokyo with the chairman and members of the Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee, and emphasises the strong friendship between the two countries, built on mutual respect and shared values over more than 70 years (Photo courtesy of Royal Court) AMMAN — HRH Crown Prince Hussein, in Tokyo on Thursday, met with the chairman and members of the Jordanian-Japanese Parliamentary Friendship Committee, which includes the Japanese ministers of environment and justice. The Crown Prince noted the deep-rooted ties between Jordan and Japan, which have been built on mutual respect and shared values for more than 70 years, according to a Royal Court statement. His Royal Highness also stressed the importance of enhancing joint cooperation and expanding relations between the two countries and peoples, praising the committee's role in achieving this, the statement said. The Crown Prince commended Japan's support of efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region, on the basis of the two-state solution, and its support to humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza. The committee, which was established in 1999 and consists of 18 members of the National Diet of Japan, works to deepen diplomatic and parliamentary relations between Jordan and Japan.
02-05-2025
- Business
A Call for More Responsible Public Finances in Japan
I make it a habit of watching the National Diet proceedings when they are broadcast live on television. Recently much of the debate I have seen has focused on the need for robust fiscal outlays, such as by hiking the '¥1.03 million wall' marking the threshold for income taxation, despite any impact it may have on Japan's future finances in terms of the issuance of Japanese government bonds it may entail. It is clear that some form of short-term financial support is needed for people facing difficulties in their daily lives due to ballooning retail prices. As I noted in my previous column, though, Japan is less internationally competitive today than at any point in the last three decades. The country's population continues to dwindle, which makes it all the more important to implement reforms on the private-sector supply side to enhance productivity while working to rebuild Japanese competitiveness as a whole. This will be required if we are to boost Japan's wages to a level where they sustainably outpace rises in the cost of living. Should Japan fail to accomplish this, on the other hand, any effort to address the underlying issues with superficial solutions will be little more than handing out discount coupons for shopping at the stores on board the Titanic while it steams toward the iceberg. Sure, it may prop up those shops' sales for the time being, but the people excited about this prospect have no understanding of the greater threat on the horizon. Big Debt, Small Growth The Japanese can never become a wealthy people on a lasting basis if they rely solely on temporary support measures from the fiscal side. Take a look at the graph below, which plots the growth in the ratio of outstanding public debt to the aggregate size of the economy over the period from 2001 through 2024. The countries displayed in it are developed economies with populations of 6 million or more; the horizontal axis places them according to net government debt (publicly held debt minus government-held financial assets) as a percentage of nominal GDP in the most recent year for which figures are available, while the vertical axis shows IMF figures for overall growth in real GDP over the entire period. The figure makes it clear that Japan is far and away the global leader in terms of ballooning debt, although one often hears mistaken claims that it is in the grips of an austerity program. Despite this, its growth rate since the turn of the century places it near the bottom of the pack. The 2001–24 period covered by the figure encompasses some major shocks to the global economy, namely the 2007–8 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic that kicked off in earnest in 2020. But the figure shows that more than half of the countries surveyed saw their public debt loads remain relatively unchanged or even fall during this period—quite dramatically, in some cases. Even more surprising is the fact that these countries all enjoyed healthier economic growth than Japan at the same time. One common understanding held by all these nations is that fiscal measures to boost demand are unsustainable. There is no way for national authorities to continually hike taxes or slash expenditures in order to free up the resources they require; in the long run, they invariably rely on bond issuance. The upshot is that even when public money is used to spark demand, in the end it depends on the growth and spending potential of the private sector to fuel these efforts. Looking Abroad for Fiscally Responsible Examples The countries appearing on the left half of the figure have a very strong awareness of the need for robust fiscal health. Germany and Switzerland, for example, have 'debt brake' language written into their constitutions to prevent unchallenged expansions of deficit spending. Underpinning this approach is an understanding that it is wrong to force future generations to pay the bill for debts incurred by the generations active today. In November 2024 the German coalition government collapsed when a budget gap amounting to just €17 billion exceeded the limit set by the country's debt brake, triggering a major confrontation between Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Finance Minister Christian Lindner. This year, on March 4, the two major German entities set to form the next coalition, the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union pairing, announced they would consider loosening the debt brake restrictions that have been applied too strictly in the past, but any loosening of these regulations will still leave far tougher controls than anything seen in the Japanese fiscal approach. Not included in the German coalition this time, despite gaining the second-highest number of seats in the February election, is the far-right Alternative for Germany. This party has made strides among younger voters in recent years, but it is worth noting that it, too, strongly favors keeping a firm hand on the debt brake. Even populist political parties like the AfD come down on the side of fiscally responsible policy, a most interesting development. In Sweden, when an elderly person who has lived more than 80 healthy years collapses and is hospitalized, in principle stomach pumping and other life-extending measures are not carried out. This is meant to respect the decisions of a person nearing the end of his or her life, but it is also a way to curtail expensive medical care and maintain the soundness of public finances. The money thus saved is meant to be redirected to the education and care of the younger generations. And in Denmark, legislation to reduce the number of national holidays by one in order to provide enhanced revenue to cover national defense passed in February 2023, marking the end to a Christian holiday that had been celebrated for more than three centuries. The Danish national contribution ratio—the percentage of personal income paid as tax and social insurance premiums—was a staggering 65% in 2021, compared to 48% in Japan. This leaves little room for further tax hikes, which led the government to ask the nation's people to work an extra day each year to boost tax revenues and provide needed resources for the nation's defense. Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, and Denmark are by no means the only countries reacting to the dangers of ballooning fiscal deficits. Most of the world's developed economies show similar awareness of the need to avoid red ink. Even in the United States, surveys by the Pew Research Center have shown a rising percentage of those who view deficit spending as a threat to the American economy—rising from 48% of respondents in 2019 to 57% in 2025. Federal Reserve Board Jerome Powell has warned that US deficit spending will not be sustainable into the future. In Japan, meanwhile, we seem to have a steadily growing number of people claiming that their nation can issue JGBs to continue any level of spending. But the problems inherent in this approach are already evident. The Bank of Japan is seriously concerned that Japan's outstanding public debt load, already the largest in the world in relation to GDP size, could spark an explosive climb in interest rates, and even though inflation in Japan's consumer prices is now outpacing that seen in Western economies, the central bank is taking a slow approach to correcting its ultraloose monetary policy. It is this that has driven a plunge in the value of the yen, making food and energy more expensive for the Japanese. We must recognize this cause of the pain we feel at the cash register nowadays. (Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The Democratic Party for the People's Tamaki Yūichirō speaks to the press at the National Diet in Tokyo on March 4, 2025, following his reinstatement as head of the party following a three-month hiatus. © Jiji.)
