Latest news with #SophiaUniversity
28-07-2025
- Politics
Nobel Committee Chair Calls for Listening to Hibakusha Voices
Tokyo, July 27 (Jiji Press)--Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Frydnes delivered a speech at Sophia University in Tokyo on Sunday, highlighting the need to listen to the voices of hibakusha, who survived the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hibakusha are "not only victims of war" but also "witnesses and teachers," Frydnes, 40, said during the Nobel Peace Prize Conference, hosted by the Norwegian Nobel Institute, which serves as the secretariat of the committee. "You (hibakusha) have turned ashes into testimony and testimony into global awareness. Over time, an international norm took stigmatizes the use of nuclear weapons as morally unacceptable. That norm is often referred to as the nuclear taboo," the committee chair noted. "The taboo is fragile, and memory fades. That is why we must listen (to the voices of hibakusha), especially now," he added. As the world is "at the edge of a new, more unstable nuclear age," Frydnes said, "We must return to the truth at the heart of the hibakusha's message." [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Yomiuri Shimbun
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Listen to Hibakusha' Says Norwegian Nobel Committee Chair during N-Weapons Disarmament Event in Tokyo
Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, emphasized the importance of listening to hibakusha atomic bomb survivors during his speech at an event on nuclear disarmament in Tokyo on Sunday. The event was part of his visit to Japan for the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 'We believe the world should listen and learn to the voices of hibakusha,' Frydnes, 40, said in his keynote speech at the Nobel Peace Prize Conference at Sophia University in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. Last year, the committee chose Nihon Hidankyo (Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations), a national organization of hibakusha groups, as the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Frydnes and those who accompanied him to Japan visited Hiroshima and Nagasaki on July 22 and 23, where they met and spoke with his speech on Sunday, Frydnes said that the activities of Nihon Hidankyo remind us of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons. After coming to Japan, he said he felt the need to think about how to pass these activities on to future generations. He added that even young people who have not experienced the war can learn from hibakusha's stories and emphasized the importance of preserving their testimonies and related source materials. Prior to the event, Terumi Tanaka, a cochairperson of Nihon Hidankyo, held a press conference about the organization receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. 'It was a good opportunity for people all over the world to become aware of the threat of nuclear weapons,' Tanaka, 93, said. 'I think we have been tasked with spreading [hibakusha's] testimonies more widely.'
AsiaOne
09-07-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
From 'fantastic' to 'spoiled': How Japan's trade effort to woo Trump backfired, World News
TOKYO — When Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba first met Donald Trump in February, his plan to placate the protectionist president's long-held frustration with Tokyo on trade was a promise to invest US$1 trillion (S$1.28 trillion) in the United States. It appeared to work. The pledge was hailed by Trump, who said at the time he did not expect "any problem whatsoever" in reaching a trade deal with Japan, citing their "fantastic relationship". In the months since, Tokyo's trade negotiators stuck to that strategy to avoid lowering barriers for imports of politically-sensitive products such as rice ahead of a dicey July 20 election, said four Japanese government sources with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But despite showing early signs of promise, the efforts backfired spectacularly, leaving negotiators with little time and few palatable options left to avert levies set to strain the world's fourth largest economy, the sources added. After calling Japan "spoiled" in social media posts last week that accused Tokyo of reluctance to buy US rice, Trump notified Ishiba on Monday that Washington would impose tariffs of 25 per cent on Japanese imports from Aug 1. "It's a sign of Trump's frustration," said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a specialist in American government and foreign policy at Tokyo's Sophia University. "Japanese companies will need to find ways to manage their businesses in a way that does not depend on the United States." A spokesperson for Japan's cabinet office, which oversees US tariff matters, declined to comment on Reuters' specific questions related to negotiations. Tokyo will continue to seek a pact with the United States "that benefits both countries, while protecting Japan's national interests" Ishiba told a cabinet meeting in televised remarks on Tuesday. [[nid:719963]] The US embassy in Japan referred questions on tariffs to the White House, which could not immediately be reached for comment. 'Dense fog' Japan, the largest foreign investor in the United States and one of its biggest trade partners, was among the first countries to engage Washington in tariff negotiations after Trump announced sweeping trade duties on April 2. Led by one of Ishiba's closest confidants, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo's negotiators pledged investments in sectors such as energy and steel during seven visits to Washington between April and June, the sources said. In return, they aimed to get Washington to drop tariffs on the automotive sector, which employs one in ten of Japan's workers and accounts for a fifth of overall exports. They also hoped it would head off any US demands for Japan to drop its own levies on agricultural products such as rice, moves opposed by rural voters as an election loomed. Polls show Ishiba's ruling coalition is at risk of losing its majority in the upper house vote, which could cast doubt over his shaky government and his own political future, analysts say. [[nid:719965]] Tokyo's negotiators believed they were making progress and had found a sympathetic ear in Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, with whom Akazawa regularly spoke in Washington and by telephone. In his public remarks, Akazawa repeatedly said the two sides aimed for a deal by the time Ishiba and Trump were due to meet for a second time on the sidelines of the G7 meeting at Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies, from June 15 to 17. But as the date neared, his optimism appeared to wane. "It feels like we're still in a dense fog," he told reporters on June 10, shortly before he left for Washington. When the leaders met in Canada, Trump appeared tired and disinterested and neither spoke much about trade, deferring to their cabinet ministers, said a source with knowledge of the meeting. Afterwards, Ishiba told reporters the meeting had confirmed "discrepancies in our understanding". Two weeks later, Trump took to Truth Social in frustration. "To show people how spoiled countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won't take our rice, and yet they have a massive rice shortage," he said. Some Japanese officials believe Tokyo will have to change tack and consider lowering barriers on farm imports to appease Trump. Others, including Tokyo's top trade negotiator Akazawa, have said Washington must reduce tariffs on Japan's vital automotive sector if a broader deal is to be reached. But first Ishiba must face his public, some of whom are growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress. "Given the tariffs number that we got, frankly it makes me wonder what all the past negotiations were for," said Hidetoshi Inada, 64, speaking outside Tokyo's Shimbashi station on his way home from his office job for a telecoms firm. "The outcome is everything," he said. [[nid:719915]]
Japan Today
08-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
From 'fantastic' to 'spoiled': How Japan's trade effort to woo Trump backfired
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington on February 7. By Tamiyuki Kihara, Makiko Yamazaki and Yoshifumi Takemoto When Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba first met Donald Trump in February, his plan to placate the protectionist president's long-held frustration with Tokyo on trade was a promise to invest $1 trillion in the United States. It appeared to work. The pledge was hailed by Trump, who said at the time he did not expect "any problem whatsoever" in reaching a trade deal with Japan, citing their "fantastic relationship". In the months since, Tokyo's trade negotiators stuck to that strategy to avoid lowering barriers for imports of politically-sensitive products such as rice ahead of a dicey July 20 election, said four Japanese government sources with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But despite showing early signs of promise, the efforts backfired spectacularly, leaving negotiators with little time and few palatable options left to avert levies set to strain the world's fourth largest economy, the sources added. After calling Japan "spoiled" in social media posts last week that accused Tokyo of reluctance to buy U.S rice, Trump notified Ishiba on Monday that Washington would impose tariffs of 25% on Japanese imports from Aug 1. "It's a sign of Trump's frustration," said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a specialist in American government and foreign policy at Tokyo's Sophia University. "Japanese companies will need to find ways to manage their businesses in a way that does not depend on the United States." A spokesperson for Japan's cabinet office, which oversees U.S. tariff matters, declined to comment on Reuters' specific questions related to negotiations. Tokyo will continue to seek a pact with the United States "that benefits both countries, while protecting Japan's national interests" Ishiba told a cabinet meeting in televised remarks on Tuesday. The U.S. embassy in Japan referred questions on tariffs to the White House, which could not immediately be reached for comment. 'DENSE FOG' Japan, the largest foreign investor in the United States and one of its biggest trade partners, was among the first countries to engage Washington in tariff negotiations after Trump announced sweeping trade duties on April 2. Led by one of Ishiba's closest confidants, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo's negotiators pledged investments in sectors such as energy and steel during seven visits to Washington between April and June, the sources said. In return, they aimed to get Washington to drop tariffs on the automotive sector, which employs one in ten of Japan's workers and accounts for a fifth of overall exports. They also hoped it would head off any U.S. demands for Japan to drop its own levies on agricultural products such as rice, moves opposed by rural voters as an election loomed. Polls show Ishiba's ruling coalition is at risk of losing its majority in the upper house vote, which could cast doubt over his shaky government and his own political future, analysts say. Tokyo's negotiators believed they were making progress and had found a sympathetic ear in Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, with whom Akazawa regularly spoke in Washington and by telephone. In his public remarks, Akazawa repeatedly said the two sides aimed for a deal by the time Ishiba and Trump were due to meet for a second time on the sidelines of the G7 meeting at Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies, from June 15 to 17. But as the date neared, his optimism appeared to wane. "It feels like we're still in a dense fog," he told reporters on June 10, shortly before he left for Washington. When the leaders met in Canada, Trump appeared tired and disinterested and neither spoke much about trade, deferring to their cabinet ministers, said a source with knowledge of the meeting. Afterwards, Ishiba told reporters the meeting had confirmed "discrepancies in our understanding". Two weeks later, Trump took to Truth Social in frustration. "To show people how spoiled countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won't take our rice, and yet they have a massive rice shortage," he said. Some Japanese officials believe Tokyo will have to change tack and consider lowering barriers on farm imports to appease Trump. Others, including Tokyo's top trade negotiator Akazawa, have said Washington must reduce tariffs on Japan's vital automotive sector if a broader deal is to be reached. But first Ishiba must face his public, some of whom are growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress. "Given the tariffs number that we got, frankly it makes me wonder what all the past negotiations were for," said Hidetoshi Inada, 64, speaking outside Tokyo's Shimbashi station on his way home from his office job for a telecoms firm. "The outcome is everything," he said. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
From 'fantastic' to 'spoiled': How Japan's trade effort to woo Trump backfired
By Tamiyuki Kihara, Makiko Yamazaki and Yoshifumi Takemoto TOKYO (Reuters) -When Japanese Premier Shigeru Ishiba first met Donald Trump in February, his plan to placate the protectionist president's long-held frustration with Tokyo on trade was a promise to invest $1 trillion in the United States. It appeared to work. The pledge was hailed by Trump, who said at the time he did not expect "any problem whatsoever" in reaching a trade deal with Japan, citing their "fantastic relationship". In the months since, Tokyo's trade negotiators stuck to that strategy to avoid lowering barriers for imports of politically-sensitive products such as rice ahead of a dicey July 20 election, said four Japanese government sources with knowledge of the talks, who spoke on condition of anonymity. But despite showing early signs of promise, the efforts backfired spectacularly, leaving negotiators with little time and few palatable options left to avert levies set to strain the world's fourth largest economy, the sources added. After calling Japan "spoiled" in social media posts last week that accused Tokyo of reluctance to buy U.S rice, Trump notified Ishiba on Monday that Washington would impose tariffs of 25% on Japanese imports from Aug. 1. "It's a sign of Trump's frustration," said Kazuhiro Maeshima, a specialist in American government and foreign policy at Tokyo's Sophia University. "Japanese companies will need to find ways to manage their businesses in a way that does not depend on the United States." A spokesperson for Japan's cabinet office, which oversees U.S. tariff matters, declined to comment on Reuters' specific questions related to negotiations. Tokyo will continue to seek a pact with the United States "that benefits both countries, while protecting Japan's national interests" Ishiba told a cabinet meeting in televised remarks on Tuesday. The U.S. embassy in Japan referred questions on tariffs to the White House, which could not immediately be reached for comment. 'DENSE FOG' Japan, the largest foreign investor in the United States and one of its biggest trade partners, was among the first countries to engage Washington in tariff negotiations after Trump announced sweeping trade duties on April 2. Led by one of Ishiba's closest confidants, Economy Minister Ryosei Akazawa, Tokyo's negotiators pledged investments in sectors such as energy and steel during seven visits to Washington between April and June, the sources said. In return, they aimed to get Washington to drop tariffs on the automotive sector, which employs one in ten of Japan's workers and accounts for a fifth of overall exports. They also hoped it would head off any U.S. demands for Japan to drop its own levies on agricultural products such as rice, moves opposed by rural voters as an election loomed. Polls show Ishiba's ruling coalition is at risk of losing its majority in the upper house vote, which could cast doubt over his shaky government and his own political future, analysts say. Tokyo's negotiators believed they were making progress and had found a sympathetic ear in Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, with whom Akazawa regularly spoke in Washington and by telephone. In his public remarks, Akazawa repeatedly said the two sides aimed for a deal by the time Ishiba and Trump were due to meet for a second time on the sidelines of the G7 meeting at Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies, from June 15 to 17. But as the date neared, his optimism appeared to wane. "It feels like we're still in a dense fog," he told reporters on June 10, shortly before he left for Washington. When the leaders met in Canada, Trump appeared tired and disinterested and neither spoke much about trade, deferring to their cabinet ministers, said a source with knowledge of the meeting. Afterwards, Ishiba told reporters the meeting had confirmed "discrepancies in our understanding". Two weeks later, Trump took to Truth Social in frustration. "To show people how spoiled countries have become with respect to the United States of America, and I have great respect for Japan, they won't take our rice, and yet they have a massive rice shortage," he said. Some Japanese officials believe Tokyo will have to change tack and consider lowering barriers on farm imports to appease Trump. Others, including Tokyo's top trade negotiator Akazawa, have said Washington must reduce tariffs on Japan's vital automotive sector if a broader deal is to be reached. But first Ishiba must face his public, some of whom are growing increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress. "Given the tariffs number that we got, frankly it makes me wonder what all the past negotiations were for," said Hidetoshi Inada, 64, speaking outside Tokyo's Shimbashi station on his way home from his office job for a telecoms firm. "The outcome is everything," he said.
