Yomiuri wrote that the “war of nerves” between the U.S. and Japan over foreign exchange policies is escalating, as the yen’s value against the U.S. dollar surged to the mid-105 level on Tuesday. The paper wrote that Washington’s policy turnaround from its effective approval of the weak yen is behind the yen’s rapid appreciation and that the Treasury Department’s recent….Read more

Asahi wrote that the finance ministers and central bank governors of Japan, China, and South Korea discussed at their meeting on Tuesday in Frankfurt the recent move by United States to put them on its new currency watch list. Finance Minister Aso said Japan’s foreign exchange policy will not be restricted by the U.S. designation.

It has been decided that U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Hiroshima, the first atomic-bombed city in human history, during the G7 Ise-Shima Summit in late May. He is reportedly considering using the Osprey for flights within Japan during his visit.   According to a government source, the U.S. side indicated it would like to use the Osprey. While it….Read more

NHK and TV-Asahi reported that White House Press Secretary Earnest told reporters on Monday that if President Obama visits Hiroshima after the Ise-Shima Summit in May, the President does not need to offer a formal apology over the atomic bombing. NHK said Washington is still studying the possibility of the President visiting Hiroshima, while TV-Asahi said the White House is….Read more

The G-7 ministerial meeting of energy began in Kitakyushu on May 1. Ahead of this session, Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Motoo Hayashi met with U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz separately on the same day and agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation on the safety of nuclear power plants. The two countries will conduct joint research and development on technologies….Read more

The Japanese and U.S. ministers in charge of information and communication technology agreed that the two countries will work together to increase Internet users by 1.5 billion by 2020 at a meeting held ahead of their G-7 ministerial session in Takamatsu on April 29. To be specific, the two countries will use international conferences and other venues to promote that….Read more

Friday’s Asahi carried a column by editorial writer Kado, who urged President Obama to exchange views with the victims of the atomic bombing if he visits Hiroshima.  The writer took issue with Secretary Kerry’s remark after visiting the Peace Memorial Museum in April, in which he said: “War must never be the first resort. If it must be, it must….Read more

Friday’s Asahi reported that in response to a written question submitted by an opposition lawmaker about the role that the USMC Ospreys played in disaster relief in Kumamoto, the GOJ said in a position paper on Thursday that “relief supplies were transported to the affected areas more swiftly and effectively” thanks to the airlift operations by the U.S. aircraft. The….Read more

Most Friday papers highlighted press remarks made on Thursday by Prime Minister Abe about the possibility of President Obama visiting Hiroshima. PM Abe said that traveling to nuclear ground zero and witnessing the consequences of the atomic bombing might help the President understand why Japan has been calling for nuclear disarmament.

Several Sunday papers wrote from Washington that a few Japanese politicians, including former Agricultural Minister Hayashi and former Foreign Minister Maehara, took part in a CSIS symposium on Friday, during which they expressed deep concern about Donald Trump’s repeated remarks critical of the present U.S.-Japan security arrangements. Hayashi said although the bilateral alliance may be asymmetrical, it is still important….Read more