Asahi wrote that in his policy speech in the Diet on Monday, Prime Minister Kishida expressed his intention to establish a new international conference for achieving a world without nuclear weapons with the goal of hosting the first meeting in Hiroshima by the end of this year or later. The paper wrote that the prime minister is hoping that both….Read more

NHK reported that Gen. Milley, the JCS chairman, and Gen. Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, have tested positive for the coronavirus, noting that the two senior uniformed officials are the most recent top military leaders to test positive for COVID-19 in recent weeks following Defense Secretary Austin earlier this month. Both generals are reportedly able to continue to perform their….Read more

The Japan Coast Guard (JCG) confirmed there were two China Coast Guard vessels in the contiguous zone outside Japan’s territorial waters near the Senkaku Islands (Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture) on Jan. 17. This was the 21st consecutive day that Chinese government ships were sighted near the Senkakus. According to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters (Naha), the JCG issued a….Read more

YURI MOMOI, Nikkei China bureau chief   BEIJING — Friction over trade and security between the U.S. and China has now spilled into the realm of ideology such as democracy, freedom and human rights. Countries around the world — whether democratic or autocratic — face widening economic and social divides, Japan included. Which camp wins the ideological contest will be….Read more

BEIJING = A freight train arrived at the North Korean town of Sinuiju from the Chinese border city of Dandong on Monday, a source close to the matter said, adding that traffic operations between the two countries are likely to resume on a daily basis.   The cargo train had made the journey from Sinuiju to Dandong on Sunday morning….Read more

JUNTARO ARAI, Nikkei staff writer   TOKYO — Japan bolstered cooperation with Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore on ammonia and hydrogen fuel under new agreements clinched by Japan’s trade minster this week, but the approach has raised international criticism as helping coal power.   Japan aims to develop technology for ammonia-exclusive firing — generating electricity using just ammonia — by 2030,….Read more

Tokyo, Jan. 17 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering support for Tonga following Saturday’s massive eruption of an undersea volcano off the southern Pacific island nation, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said Monday.   “We’re closely communicating with the government of Tonga and related countries and hoping to give a proper response” to the situation, Kihara told a news….Read more

The cardinal rule for evacuating from tsunami is to flee if a tremor is felt. However, tsunami can come even if there is no tremor. It is hoped that people will pay attention to the diverse range of natural disasters and renew their awareness of the threat they pose.   A massive underwater volcanic eruption occurred off the South Pacific….Read more

China must stop applying unreasonable pressure on Lithuania.   In November 2021, a Taiwanese Representative Office was opened in Lithuania, after the Baltic state agreed to use the word Taiwan in the office’s name.   Lithuania has a history of being oppressed. It used to be part of the former Soviet Union – a Communist state – and takes the….Read more

By “Kogoro”   Economic security will be one of the issues discussed during the ordinary Diet session that convenes on Jan. 17. The emphasis will be on building a network to contain China together with the United States, Japan’s ally. Even though the Biden administration is generally considered to be liberal, its stance toward China is actually more hardline than….Read more