Latest from Asahi Shimbun
Asahi Shimbun
5 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Millions in cash found during raid on ex-Aum leader's family
Shoko Asahara, leader of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, is transported in a police car in Tokyo in June 1995. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Police in Saitama Prefecture uncovered tens of millions of yen in cash while searching the home of Shoko Asahara's widow and son seven years after the Aum Shinrikyo cult leader's execution, according to sources. The unusual raid on the family of Asahara, also known as Chizuo Matsumoto, underscores authorities' continued close scrutiny of individuals linked to the doomsday cult that perpetrated a deadly nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway system 30 years ago. Asahara's wife and second son reside at the apartment in Koshigaya. Police conducted a search of the apartment in mid-April under legislation targeting organizations responsible for mass murder, a law intended to keep Aum Shinrikyo's successors under surveillance. Authorities said the cash was found divided into smaller bundles and hidden in multiple locations throughout the residence. Both police and the Public Security Intelligence Agency are now investigating the money's origin and intended use. Although the PSIA attempted to conduct an onsite inspection of the apartment in March, it was blocked by Asahara's wife, prompting the agency to report the matter to police. Aum Shinrikyo was disbanded following the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack that killed 14 people and sickened thousands. Shoko Asahara was executed in 2018 for the attack and other crimes. However, Aleph and two other successor groups remain under close government scrutiny. While authorities believe neither the wife nor the son is currently affiliated with any of these groups, the PSIA continues to monitor their activities. Aleph was ordered in 2020 to pay 1.025 billion ($6.89 million) in damages to the victims of Aum's crimes following a lawsuit filed by a victims' support organization. Compensation payments, however, have been delayed. While Aleph reported assets of 1.3 billion yen in 2019, that figure had dropped to 61 million yen by February this year, raising questions about the group's financial transparency and its ability to fulfill legal obligations.
Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Anxiety spreads in Japan over ‘spying' prison sentence in China
China is cracking down on suspected spies in the name of 'national security.' (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Japanese nationals are increasingly fearful about working in China after a court in Beijing sentenced a Japanese employee to prison over unexplained espionage charges, industry sources say. The suspect, who works for Astellas Pharma Inc., was handed a prison term of three years and six months on July 16 by the Beijing Second Intermediate People's Court. It was the latest incident of a Japanese national being sentenced to prison in China over spying allegations. Espionage-related charges fall under the category of 'national security,' which has been prioritized by the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Based on this category, trials of espionage suspects are not open to the public. Therefore, as the latest ruling shows, prison sentences can be issued without the public knowing what exactly the suspect is accused of doing. This uncertainty is the biggest reason that 'fewer Japanese people want to be posted to China,' said an expat of a Japanese company stationed in China. Scholars who specialize in Chinese politics or national security are also avoiding travel to China due to safety concerns. GREATER CAUTION URGED 'It is extremely regrettable that a guilty ruling has been issued,' said Kenji Kanasugi, Japan's ambassador to China, who attended the court session. He said the Astellas Pharma employee appeared calm in court. According to the Japanese Embassy, the man said he would 'consult with his lawyer' before deciding on whether to appeal the ruling. A different Japanese corporate employee said he was stationed in Beijing when the Astellas Pharma worker was taken into custody in March 2023, just before his planned return to Japan. 'The impact of the incident was huge,' he said. Ke Long, chief researcher at the policy research department of the Tokyo Foundation, said Japanese employees should be careful about their behavior in China. 'From the perspective of a businessperson, being sentenced to three and a half years without being shown any evidence is outrageous,' Ke said. 'The Chinese government's crackdown is intensifying, so Japanese nationals living in China must take this ruling seriously and exercise greater caution.' The statutory penalty under China's espionage law ranges from three years to life imprisonment. The three-and-a-half year sentence is considered 'relatively short compared with previous cases,' a senior official of Japan's Foreign Ministry said. Ke said the sentence indicates the Astellas Pharma employee did nothing serious enough to threaten China's national security. However, Ke also suggested that China may have imposed the near-minimum sentence to avoid worsening ties with Japan at a time when Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's government is struggling in the Upper House election campaign. Japan-China relations have recently shown signs of improvement, including China's resumption of Japanese seafood imports. The ruling may also have been timed to prevent anti-Japanese sentiment from rising in China with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II nearing. China might have deliberately avoided ruling on sensitive dates like July 7, when the Marco Polo bridge incident occurred in 1937, and Aug. 15, the day the war ended in 1945. COUNTERMEASURES PLANNED Japanese companies have scrambled to take measures to protect workers in China from arrest by Chinese authorities. They have held training sessions for their overseas employees and tightened information management, such as reducing cross-border transfers of sensitive data. Some companies have also instructed employees to avoid bringing into China their regularly used laptops or smartphones. But is this any way to operate? 'Japanese companies cannot do business in China without worrying about the current situation,' Ken Kobayashi, chairman of the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said after the July 16 ruling. 'We hope Chinese authorities will enforce laws in a way that eliminates the anxieties of Japanese expatriates and their families.' Although Chinese authorities usually encourage citizens to report suspected spies, the July 16 ruling was not reported by Chinese media. At a regular news conference on July 16, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, said, 'As long as you act in accordance with the law, there's nothing to worry about.' (This article was written by Sotaro Hata, correspondent, and Masaki Hashida.)
Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Fact check: Do foreigners get preferential treatment?
Editor's note: The Asahi Shimbun has established new election coverage guidelines and set up a section for fact checking, including information posted on social media, during campaigns. The newspaper conducts fact checks to determine the veracity of comments made by politicians and social media posts in which the truth may be difficult to immediately confirm. *** Polarizing information has been circulating on the internet and elsewhere during the July 20 Upper House campaign that accuses foreign nationals of receiving preferential treatment over Japanese nationals for welfare benefits. As an example, in a video posted on an anonymous X account on June 23, a personality was 'furious' and claimed that 'foreigners are given preferential treatment in welfare' as the reason. The post had been viewed more than 2.85 million times by July 15. In Upper House election campaigning, some political parties and candidates have voiced similar concerns. The minor opposition Sanseito party, in particular, has stated in its policy that it will suspend welfare payments to foreigners. To rebut such rumors, welfare minister Takamaro Fukuoka denied that the government was providing favorable treatment to foreign residents in medical or welfare benefits at a news conference on July 15. The welfare ministry's division that is in charge of welfare administration told The Asahi Shimbun that there is no preferential treatment under the system. For foreign nationals living in Japan to receive welfare benefits, their assets and level of need are investigated in the same manner as Japanese nationals. Some foreign nationals may not be eligible to receive welfare depending on their residence status. NUMBERS SHOW MINOR DISCREPANCY As part of a fact-checking exercise, The Asahi Shimbun examined how many households are actually on welfare. Using the results of the 2020 census, it calculated the percentage of households receiving benefits by nationality of the head of household. As a result, of the 54.35 million households headed by a Japanese national, 1.57 million households, or 2.89 percent, were receiving welfare benefits. Of the 1.36 million households headed by a foreign national, 46,000 households, or 3.36 percent, were being given welfare assistance. By nationality of the head of household, there were 29,000 households headed by a South Korean or North Korean national on welfare. The figure accounted for 14.43 percent of the total number of households headed by a South Korean or North Korean national. There were 5,700 households headed by a Chinese national on the welfare rolls. The figure accounted for 1.62 percent of the total number of households headed by a Chinese national. There were 5,100 recipient households headed by a Filipino, accounting for 5.41 percent of the total number of households headed by that nationality. There were 1,700 households headed by Brazilians receiving welfare assistance, which accounted for 2.17 percent of the total number of households headed by that nationality. Of all households receiving welfare benefits, including those whose head of household is Japanese, elderly households accounted for 56 percent. However, when looking at households headed by a South Korean or North Korean national, the percentage was even higher, numbering 68 percent. Among all households receiving welfare assistance, including households headed by a Japanese national, 4.43 percent were single-mother households. However, among households headed by Filipino nationals, the percentage was significantly higher, at 48.41 percent. Atsushi Yoshinaga, a professor at Hanazono University who is an expert on welfare administration, said, 'The high percentage of elderly households headed by South Korean and North Korean residents in Japan receiving welfare benefits is due to the fact that for a long time in Japan, foreign nationals have been systematically excluded from joining the national pension system, resulting in a large number of people with low pensions.' He also said, 'Many Filipinos are impoverished women who have divorced their Japanese spouses and have children.' 'In both cases, there are historical reasons and it makes sense to allow them to continue receiving social welfare,' he said. MINISTRY CONDUCTS INVESTIGATION The Public Assistance Law stipulates that all citizens in need who are Japanese nationals are eligible to receive welfare. In the case of foreign nationals, in consideration of fairness to Japanese nationals, eligibility is limited to permanent residents who can work freely in Japan, spouses of Japanese nationals, other permanent residents including third-generation overseas immigrants of Japanese descent, special permanent residents such as Korean residents in Japan, and people who have been certified as refugees. Those who are in Japan on visas that restrict their employment, such as student visas, technical intern visas and specified skilled worker visas, are not eligible. Welfare benefits are doled out on a household basis. According to the ministry, the screening process for eligibility is conducted based on the same criteria, regardless of the nationality of the head of the household. Applicants are investigated to determine if they are able to work and if they have any assets. If there are assets, they must be converted into cash and used for living expenses. In the case of foreign nationals, to prevent them from entering Japan just for receiving welfare assistance, the circumstances that led to their impoverishment along with information about the guarantor they provided when they obtained their visa will be subject to investigation.
Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Business
- Asahi Shimbun
INTERVIEW/ Eiji Hashimoto: Nippon Steel chooses U.S., not China, to return to top of industry
Nippon Steel Corp.'s acquisition of U. S. Steel required nerves of steel, which Eiji Hashimoto, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, known as the 'iron negotiator,' has in abundance. Last year, the company's bid for the storied U.S. steelmaker was opposed both by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, then the Republican presidential candidate. Trump, who returned to the White House, eventually approved the deal after Nippon Steel decided to enter into a national security agreement with the U.S. government and issue a 'golden share,' which enables Washington to veto key management decisions of U. S. Steel. Looking back on the year-and-a-half-long negotiations with the U.S. administration, Hashimoto said governments becoming increasingly involved in the economy is a new global trend, not something unique to the United States. While Nippon Steel spent about $14 billion (2 trillion yen) to purchase U. S. Steel, the company has substantially downsized operations in China. With the world's two superpowers being increasingly decoupled, Hashimoto said his company has chosen to work with the United States, instead of China. Nippon Steel was the world's fourth-largest steelmaker in crude steel production in 2024. The acquisition of the 29th-placed U. S. Steel put the company closer behind Chinese rival Ansteel Group Corp., which ranked third. Hashimoto said Nippon Steel will build a new mill in the United States, its first in more than half a century, through U. S. Steel as part of its strategy for a resurgence in the global steel industry. Excerpts from the interview with Hashimoto follow: * * * Question: U. S. Steel, which offered to sell itself to a rival due to financial difficulties, once competed for the top spot in the world's steel industry. How did Nippon Steel secure Trump's approval for bringing the iconic American steelmaker under its umbrella? Hashimoto: Trump has a precise goal of reviving the U.S. manufacturing industry. To meet his goal, we promised to invest in U. S. Steel's plant and equipment. We also argued that simply imposing high tariffs on imports was not enough to rehabilitate the industry. I believe that Trump was eventually convinced and changed his mind. The Trump administration's series of actions were not anything special to one country, but taken against the backdrop of a new trend common in the world. It is a trend of governments becoming increasingly involved in the economy and business through industrial policy. Q: Will you elaborate? A: While addressing geopolitical risks such as the U.S.-China confrontation, countries around the world must balance economic growth and the prevention of global warming. Neither companies nor government alone can meet these two formidable challenges. The only way is for the public and private sectors to join forces. China has been giving priority to state-owned enterprises. Japan is also trying to rebuild its chip industry under a government initiative. Q: The shift appears particularly striking in the United States because the country tended to leave the economy to the private sector and the market. What is your observation? A: During the Cold War, the United States favored Japan to confront the Soviet Union. But once the Cold War was won, the United States bashed Japan, which had become economically stronger, and went easy on China. It established the World Trade Organization to promote free trade and helped China join in 2001. However, China, the biggest beneficiary of free trade, has become too strong and also confronted the United States militarily. That is why the United States shifted its policy. I do not expect this trend to change under either a Republican or a Democratic administration. Q: Government involvement in companies in particular stands out in the steel industry. The British and Australian governments are also rehabilitating weakened steelmakers. Why? A: I think there are two reasons. One is the magnitude of the impact of a steelmaker going bankrupt. A wide range of manufacturing industries depends on steel products. The other is the structure of the steel industry, which tends to result in excess production. Steel is indispensable for a country's industrialization and urbanization. As steel mills usually take 10 years to start operations, they are designed with the capacity to meet demand for an increase in domestic consumption and exports. However, as the country develops, domestic demand passes its peak and production capacity becomes excessive. China's steel demand is the largest in the world, but it has begun to shrink since reaching its peak in 2020. State-owned manufacturers and other companies have been exporting large quantities of steel that became redundant amid the country's real estate slump at low prices, which is worsening market conditions around the world. Excess production capacity should be reduced, but the government cannot make the decision, considering the impact on tax revenues and employment. Q: Why has Nippon Steel downsized Chinese operations? A: The Chinese government has collected data from state-owned manufacturers and spent public funds on the development of advanced technologies. Last summer, we decided to dissolve an automotive steel sheet joint venture with Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., which is under (the world's largest crude steel producer) China Baowu Steel Group Corp. Q: Amid the ongoing decoupling between the United States and China, Nippon Steel is clearly shifting to the United States. What is the reason? A: In business, we lose unless we keep an eye on international rules and trade rules and stand by those who formulate them. China, which became stronger under the rules created by the United States, is suffering because the United States has changed those rules. When we must choose between the two, it is taken for granted that Japan will side with the United States. We are focusing on the U.S. and Indian markets. With the population projected to increase, demand for steel is expected to grow. As the United States and India are politically opposed to China, their markets are also important because we can avoid negative effects of steel being exported from China at low prices. Q: Nippon Steel promised to invest 1.6 trillion yen in U. S. Steel's plant and equipment, up from the 400 billion yen indicated to the Biden administration. Why was the amount increased? A: To the Biden administration, which valued its relationship with the (steelworkers') union, we only presented (investments) to renovate the mills where its members worked. In the commitment to the Trump administration, we included all the investment projects we originally planned, including those for nonunionized mills. The increased investment was the deciding factor (for Trump's approval). Q: Nippon Steel signed a national security agreement, in which it promised not to cut U. S. Steel's production capacity without Washington's approval, and will also issue a golden share. Won't these impose constraints on the company's management of its subsidiary? A: There is no disagreement between Nippon Steel, which aims to expand its business, and the Trump administration, which intends to oversee the implementation of the investment. Neither the national security agreement nor the golden share will prevent us from doing what we want to do. Q: Of U. S. Steel's nine directors, Nippon Steel has given the U.S. government the authority to appoint an external director and approve the appointments of two others. Won't this shackle the company's operations in the future? A: Nippon Steel will nominate the remaining six directors, a majority. There is no problem at all. Q: Who proposed issuing the golden share? A: Nippon Steel did. It includes the word 'golden,' a favorite for Trump. It made it easier for him to explain to the American people that he had gained something great. U. S. Steel is one of the companies that have long supported the United States and made it prosper. The United States won World War II on the back of industrial strength represented by companies like U. S. Steel and Ford Motor Co. In deciding whether to approve the acquisition of U. S. Steel, it is only natural that the U.S. government tried to be cautious in the extreme and oversee (the implementation of) the investment. Imagine if Nippon Steel fell into financial difficulties and were about to be purchased by a foreign company. I do not think the Japanese government would make a judgment based solely on economic rationality. Q: Why was Nippon Steel adamant about acquiring all shares in U. S. Steel? A: We need to share cutting-edge technologies with U. S. Steel to rebuild its operations. It was essential to obtain a 100-percent stake to prevent the outflow of technologies. We had informed the Trump administration that we would rescind our buyout bid altogether if Washington did not approve the full ownership. Q: You are often called the 'iron negotiator' for being unafraid of causing friction and willing to take risks. What is your view about risks in business? A: When I was president, Nippon Steel substantially raised prices of automotive steel sheets and acquired a steel mill in India. Some people were opposed, but no matter what you do, there are risks. The biggest risk is that the company will continue to shrink without taking any risks. Companies that can effectively manage risks will be the winners. When I joined Nippon Steel in 1979, the company was the world's top steelmaker and Japan's largest manufacturing company. However, our presence in the industry declined, and we were surpassed in sales by Toyota Motor Corp. As a sales representative dealing with the automaker, I concluded that Nippon Steel was overtaken because automakers had taken on challenges overseas. 'Shrinking equilibrium' is a source of misguided thinking. If you just shrink, you will never reach a state of balance. Shrinking will deteriorate human resources, reduce vitality and result in further downsizing. A company will fail unless it takes risks to grow. Q: Nippon Steel was not always willing to take risks. What changed the company? A: The circumstances happened to be favorable. The cost of raw materials was low due to deflation, and we were able to secure manpower without raising wages because there were plenty of workers. Interest rates were low and even below 0 percent for some time. Now everything has been reversed. Prices have risen and workers are in short supply. Interest rates have also risen, albeit slightly. We have no other choice but to try to grow. Q: At a news conference following the acquisition of U. S. Steel, you promised a resurgence of Nippon Steel. What is your vision, including for its domestic business? A: The expansion of overseas operations and the maintenance of domestic operations are indispensable to each other, like the two wheels of a cart. Although domestic demand will decrease, we will maintain manufacturing bases in Japan by becoming the overwhelming top player, and develop technologies, including those for decarbonization. We will further increase the weight of high-end products that cannot be made in China and reduce costs by renovating facilities. The money required for this cannot be earned in Japan alone. We will expand overseas business and increase profits, which will be returned to Japan. Nippon Steel constructed many plants until around the time it became the world's leading steelmaker. However, no new mills have been built since the 1970s, and none of us has experience. Nippon Steel will build a new mill in the United States. We can develop human resources by dispatching people overseas and giving them opportunities. (This article is based on an interview by Seisaku Yamamoto.) * * * Born in Kumamoto Prefecture in 1955, Eiji Hashimoto joined Nippon Steel Corp. in 1979, before its merger with Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd. in 2012. He worked mainly in sales and also handled exports and overseas business. Hashimoto became president in 2019 and has served as chairman and chief executive officer since 2024.
Asahi Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Sanseito hopeful does interview with Russian state media
Sohei Kamiya is the leader of the Sanseito party, which pushes a 'Japanese First' platform. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) The leader of the rising opposition party Sanseito demanded a party staff member resign for allowing an Upper House election candidate to be interviewed by a Russian state-owned news agency. 'I never said it was OK for her to give an interview with Sputnik,' Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told a TV program on July 15. The Russian agency's Japanese-language service had posted a video interview with party candidate Saya onto social media a day prior. Saya, who uses only one name, is running in the Tokyo constituency in the July 20 election. She discussed why she decided to represent the 'Japanese First' party, among other subjects, in the video. Kamiya said the party staffer arbitrarily gave approval. 'It is outrageous,' he said. The Russian government has been criticized for using Sputnik as a propaganda tool, and the European Union has sanctioned a block on its services for spreading disinformation over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to reporters in Toyama on July 16, Kamiya indicated that he would not call Saya to account for her behavior. 'The problem is that (the staff member) failed to keep with the (party) guidelines,' he said. (This article was written by Ryutaro Abe and Yuta Ogi.)
