Mainichi and Asahi wrote that Foreign Minister Hayashi told reporters on Tuesday that Japan will provide $3 million in emergency grant aid for Afghanistan, where more than 1,000 people were killed in a magnitude 5.9 earthquake on June 22. Japan will provide the assistance through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and has already provided 1,200….Read more

By Kusakabe Motomi   On June 23, the Japanese government began coordination to provide emergency grant aid and supplies through international organizations to help people in the southeastern part of Afghanistan, which was hit with an earthquake on June 22. Japan will likely not extend direct assistance to the country as it does not officially recognize the country’s interim regime….Read more

Yomiuri wrote that Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno told reporters on Monday that the government sent Amari Akira, former LDP secretary general and an honorary chairperson of the Japan-UAE parliamentary friendship group, to the UAE on May 15-17 as Prime Minister Kishida’s special envoy to express his condolences on the passing of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan last….Read more

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Sunday that it will send senior ruling party lawmaker Akira Amari to the United Arab Emirates as a special envoy of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida following the death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.   Amari, former secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party and a member of the House….Read more

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in a message released Saturday mourned the death of United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.   Kishida said Sheikh Khalifa played an important role in the UAE’s economic and social development and for the peace and stability in the Middle East.   His death on Friday is….Read more

Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa held a telephone conversation with Oman Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi on April 21, confirming that they will cooperate in their response to rising crude oil prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Hayashi said, “We look forward to Oman’s continued leadership in stabilizing the international oil market.” The ministers condemned the invasion of Ukraine.….Read more

Saturday’s Asahi wrote that the following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the GOJ is planning to suspend its policy of curbing investment in fossil fuel projects abroad and instead offer financial and other support to petroleum producing nations so they can ramp up their output even at the risk of slowing down global decarbonization. During a teleconference with the Kuwaiti….Read more

Tokyo, March 31 (Jiji Press)–Japanese industry minister Koichi Hagiuda told Kuwait’s oil minister Muhammad al-Faris at an online meeting Thursday of a plan to help Kuwait step up crude oil production as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has rocked the market.   Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, or NEXI, which the Japanese government wholly owns, will insure a syndicated loan to….Read more

Israel’s high-tech sector, including cyber, artificial intelligence (AI), and advanced medical treatment, raised $25 billion (about 3 trillion yen) in 2021. This is 2.5 times the previous year’s figure. While the global economy has labored under the COVID-19 pandemic, Israeli startup companies are leading the world with their new technologies. Israeli Ambassador to Japan Gilad Cohen contributed the following piece….Read more

TOKYO — Japan’s three biggest banks are teaming up with major U.S. and European lenders to loan $1 billion to help Kuwait increase oil output, seeking to calm energy markets roiled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.    Mizuho Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and MUFG Bank are making the loan to Kuwait Petroleum Corp., along with HSBC and JPMorgan Chase. Mizuho is expected to be the lead….Read more