Latest news with #Watanabe
Japan Forward
4 days ago
- Business
- Japan Forward
Bangladesh in Motion: Building New Bridges for a Shared Future
Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government, made an official visit to Japan from May 28 to 31. His visit was the first since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, after weeks of political unrest. In Tokyo, Yunus sought to build on his country's longstanding partnership with Japan through renewed state support and deeper economic and societal ties. PM Ishiba escorts CA Yunus past the honor guard during the welcome ceremony. (©Prime Minister's Office) During the four-day trip, the chief adviser held talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, senior officials, and business leaders. He secured a $1.06 billion budget assistance pledge, setting the stage for deeper bilateral cooperation. The financial package is earmarked for Bangladesh's economic reforms, climate resilience, railway modernization, and education. Beyond government-to-government dialogue, Yunus addressed one of Japan's most pressing challenges: labor shortages. With a rapidly aging population and a declining workforce, Bangladesh is emerging as a critical partner in supplying young, skilled labor to boost Japan's economy in the decades ahead. To support this effort, a human resources seminar was held on May 29 in Tokyo, drawing some 300 attendees. Organized by the Bangladeshi embassy, the event united state officials and recruitment agencies to promote the mobilization of Bangladeshi youth in Japan's labor market. Officials from Japan and Bangladesh sign a memorandum of understanding on May 29 (©Kenji Yoshida) In his speech, Yunus emphasized the value of people-to-people connections and called for closer collaboration in training and deploying competent workers. The chief adviser also praised his friend Miki Watanabe, chairman of the Japanese restaurant group Watami, expressing gratitude for his sustained backing of Bangladesh's development. Watanabe echoed the sentiment, pledging to act as a bridge between the two countries. On the sidelines, a new memorandum of understanding was signed between a Watami-affiliated company and the Bangladeshi government to establish a Japan Training Center in Bangladesh. Watanabe (left) and Yunus (right). (©Sankei by Yoshifuru Ogino) Scheduled to open in October, the center will offer Japanese language instruction and vocational training aligned with Japan's Technical Intern Training Program and Specified Skilled Worker program. Its goal is to prepare 3,000 Bangladeshi workers annually for placement in Japan. Several government-level memoranda were also signed to enhance labor mobility between the two nations. The focus on human resources complemented a series of other high-profile events. On Friday, Yunus spoke at a Japan External Trade Organization event where six memoranda of understanding were signed, spanning sectors such as energy, finance, and information technology. Earlier, the chief adviser participated in the 30th Nikkei Forum, where he held talks with former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. In their conversation, Yunus urged Mahathir to support Bangladesh's bid to join the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a long-held diplomatic objective for Dhaka. The latest visit marked strategic gains for both sides. For Tokyo, the progress affirmed Japan's growing expectations for South Asia to meet its demographic and economic challenges. In Dhaka, the visit signaled that despite domestic upheaval, momentum for reform and a positive relationship with Japan persists. The series of agreements is also expected to help ease pressure on the country's overpopulated workforce. Author: Kenji Yoshida
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Morgan Stanley Keeps Their Hold Rating on Denka Co (DIK)
In a report released yesterday, Ryoichi Watanabe from Morgan Stanley maintained a Hold rating on Denka Co (DIK – Research Report), with a price target of Yen2,500.00. The company's shares closed last Thursday at €12.40. Confident Investing Starts Here: Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter According to TipRanks, Watanabe is an analyst with an average return of -13.8% and a 0.00% success rate. Currently, the analyst consensus on Denka Co is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of €19.58.
The Mainichi
28-05-2025
- Politics
- The Mainichi
LDP's endorsement of Mio Sugita dismays even 'benefactor' after human rights breaches
TOKYO -- I'm appalled by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The party has officially endorsed former House of Representatives member Mio Sugita, who has long been criticized for her discriminatory remarks, as a proportional representation candidate in this summer's House of Councillors election. Japan's legal authorities have recognized statements by Sugita as human rights violations, yet it was recently reported that for some reason she has moved to deny that very recognition, despite previously frankly accepting it in a contribution to a monthly magazine. Sugita's entry into politics was facilitated by a "benefactor" -- former lower house member Yoshimi Watanabe, 73, who retired three years ago. Watanabe rose as a young theorist in the LDP, and after serving as minister for administrative reform, he went on to found the now-defunct Your Party in 2009, playing a key role in the "third pole" boom represented by alternative political forces. Sugita's first book, "Nadeshiko Fukkatsu" (The return of Nadeshiko), published in 2014, mentions that she joined the Your Party while working at the Nishinomiya Municipal Government in Hyogo Prefecture, after being approached by Watanabe. Watanabe recalls, "The first time we met was around 2007. I remember she was engaged in activities aligned with my aspirations for civil service reform." At the time there was a "super civil servant" boom, which called for reform in the mindset of public workers. Sugita herself held study sessions under the name "Nishinomiya super civil servant school" and gave lectures nationwide. These activities apparently caught Watanabe's eye. "That's why I endorsed her as the head of the Your Party's Hyogo No. 6 electoral district branch. However, although we transferred party subsidies, it was discovered that she was not active at all, so I issued a stern warning," Watanabe recalls. In the 2012 lower house election, Sugita left her "benefactor" and was elected for the first time as a representative of the former Japan Restoration Party, the predecessor to today's Nippon Ishin (the Japan Innovation Party). After spending time in the short-lived Party for Future Generations, Sugita joined the LDP in 2017 at the invitation of then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. But soon after she put on her Diet members badge, she came under scrutiny for her discriminatory and exclusionary remarks and behavior. Below are a few examples of these remarks: "Gender equality is an immoral delusion and can never be realized" (comment made during a lower house plenary session, Oct. 31, 2014). "LGBT couples have no 'productivity'" (contribution to monthly magazine Shincho 45's August 2018 issue). Statues of so-called comfort women conveying the issue of wartime sexual violence "should be blown up one by one" (dialogue book "'Rekishisen' wa Onnna no Tatakai" (History wars are a woman's battle), published in 2016). "Women can tell any number of lies" (LDP meeting, Sept. 25, 2020). "The Your Party is a political party with no association with far-right ideology. At the time, Ms. Sugita seemed like a strongly reform-oriented, principled public servant. I think her remarks are a kind of outlandish outrage marketing. She was probably not good at steady election campaigning to begin with. I think she got a taste for the fact that her extreme statements would elicit certain reactions," Watanabe comments. Indeed, Sugita proudly wrote in the aforementioned work "Nadeshiko Fukkatsu," "I got a sense of my role as a Diet member," when there was a stir over an internet video from the lower house budget committee in 2014 in which Sugita blatantly spoke of "China and South Korea, who are saying that if you shout a lie 100 times, it becomes the truth." Watanabe sharply comments, "Ms. Sugita seems like a 'pseudo-conservative.' Pseudo-conservatives probably target internet right wingers for survival, but I think more people are seeing through their facade." One statement in Sugita's long list of sexist, xenophobic remarks came in February 2016. On her blog and social media, she disparaged Koreans living in Japan and Ainu women who attended the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women wearing traditional attire, stating, "Their mere presence is a disgrace to Japan." In 2023, the Sapporo and Osaka legal affairs bureaus recognized her statements as human rights violations. However, since being endorsed by the LDP in March this year, Sugita has for some reason started claiming "It is incorrect that I was recognized for human rights violations," saying words to this effect after a party convention on March 9. This stance has been widely reported. However, no media outlet has pointed out that in the January 2024 issue of the monthly magazine "Hanada," Sugita herself wrote, "In 2023, both the Sapporo and Osaka legal affairs bureaus recognized (my statements) as human rights violations." She also wrote, "There were four comments that were recognized as such." She disclosed in detail which posts were recognized as violations based on the bureaus' notification of their findings. When confronted about her recent 180-degree turn from her own previous explanation, Sugita's side responded, "The videos on the official website have everything," but the videos do not provide any explanation on this matter. Sugita's actions have already caused significant harm. Kazue Muta, a professor emeritus at the University of Osaka known for her research on feminism, is probably one of the biggest victims. Sugita repeatedly defamed Muta on social media and other platforms from around 2018, falsely claiming there had been a "misuse of research funds" for studies supported by an education ministry-affiliated group via a grant-in-aid for scientific research between fiscal 2014 and 2017. "The University of Osaka received protest calls from people who believed Ms. Sugita's statements. The university staff handled it calmly and did not inform me directly about the calls, but it caused them a significant burden," Muta said. In a lawsuit Muta filed, a court found Sugita's conduct unlawful and ordered the legislator to pay compensation in a ruling. This was finalized in 2023. "Ms. Sugita's actions are political interference in academia itself, similar to the problematic bill on (overhauling) the Science Council of Japan. My research was probably targeted because it included the comfort women issue, which Sugita claims is 'fabricated.'' If a man were to say, 'Comfort women were just prostitutes,' it could be perceived as misogynistic. But coming from Ms. Sugita, who is a woman, it could produce an atmosphere of acceptance with people pointing out, 'Look, even a woman is saying it.' I imagine she recognizes the role and position expected of her," Muta adds. Many women who were made into comfort women were trafficked by contractors chosen by the Japanese military or deceived and illegally taken abroad under military control to be placed in so-called comfort stations. This process is referred to as forced abduction by experts. "Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also expressed 'strong discomfort' with Sugita's words and actions (in the March 21 upper house budget committee), which makes her endorsement all the more disappointing, if not absurd. I even think the bottom has fallen out of ethics," a disconcerted Muta says. The bottom has fallen out. This sentiment was echoed by Mitsuhiro Kimura, the leader of Issuikai, a prominent ethnic nationalist group. From a nationalist standpoint, he fights against hate speech directed at foreign residents in Japan. "Prime Minister Ishiba likely endorsed Sugita due to the situation within his party and the election strategy. But that represents a defeat of political ethics. The bottom has fallen out," Kimura comments. I have interviewed Ishiba numerous times and heard him criticize the discriminatory and exclusionary climate that exists within some corners of the party. Kimura adds, "It's fine to discuss various domestic and international issues. But Sugita's actions are not like that. Japanese people are inherently tolerant, but I don't feel that virtue at all. Recently, there have been too many politicians, both within the ruling and opposition camps, attacking foreigners and domestic minorities with ulterior motives like 'it will get votes' or 'I want to wear a (Diet member's) badge.' This issue goes beyond a single parliamentarian. I think the LDP might as well aim for the extreme right and rename itself the Japan Exclusion Party." The upper house election is still ahead of us. Mr. Ishiba, how about rethinking your stance? (Japanese original by Riki Yoshii, Opinion Editorial Department)
Hypebeast
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
YEN TOWN MARKET Is Bringing a ‘Samurai Champloo' 20th Anniversary Pop-Up to Seoul
Summary Seoul is set to celebrate the 20th anniversary ofSamurai Champloowith a special pop-up event. This marks the first time such an event dedicated toShinichirō Watanabe's cult-fave anime will be held in South Korea. Limited-edition apparel, accessories and merch will be available at the pop-up. This includes sweaters, long and short-sleeve tees featuring brand-new anniversaryNujabesandSamurai Champloographics. A significant highlight of the pop-up will be the limited re-release of the highly sought-afterrecord box set. This collector's item was initially launched exclusively in Japan and quickly sold out upon its original release. The set includes six 7-inch vinyl records featuring opening themes and in-show tracks composed by Nujabes. Each record sleeve boasts a unique design adorned with memorable scenes from the anime, including its iconic opening sequence. TheSamurai Champloo20th Anniversary pop-up will take place over the coming weekend from May 31 – June 1 in Hannam-dong, one of Seoul's most vibrant shopping districts. Samurai Champloo 20th Anniversary – YEN TOWN MARKET POPUP in SEOUL1F, 10 Hannam-daero27-ga, Yongsan-gu, SeoulSouth Korea
The Mainichi
13-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Baseball: Yoshiaki Watanabe's walk-off sac fly ends Eagles' 4-game skid
SENDAI (Kyodo) -- Yoshiaki Watanabe hit a walk-off sacrifice fly as the Rakuten Eagles ended their losing streak at four games with a 4-3 victory over the Lotte Marines on Tuesday. Watanabe, who came up for a pinch-hit appearance with runners at the corners and one out in the ninth inning, lifted his game-winning sac fly to left at Rakuten Mobile Park Miyagi. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run home run by Ryosuke Tatsumi, his first of the season. The Marines came back to tie the game twice but ended up suffering their fourth straight loss. In other action, Cuban left-hander Livan Moinelo (4-0) threw seven innings of one-run ball as the SoftBank Hawks beat the Seibu Lions 6-1. The Chunichi Dragons rallied from an early three-run deficit to edge the Yakult Swallows 5-4.
