NHK reported that the culture ministers from Japan, South Korea, and China met in person for the first time in four years in Jeonju, South Korea, today and agreed to strengthen cultural exchanges among youth and cooperate in developing tourism content utilizing the arts. The network said the meeting was attended by Culture Minister Nagaoka and her Chinese and South….Read more

Tokyo, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese education ministry has decided to impose a civil fine on the religious group known as the Unification Church for failing to answer questions submitted by the ministry, officials said Wednesday.   The Religious Juridical Persons Council, an advisory panel to the education minister, Wednesday gave the go-ahead to impose the fine on the controversial….Read more

At its meeting on Sept. 4, the government’s Council for the Promotion of Countermeasures against Novel Influenza selected Igarashi Takashi, president of the National Center for Child Health and Development, as head of the council to succeed Omi Shigeru, chairman of the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association. The council will review the government’s action plan on countermeasures against novel influenza, which outlines….Read more

Tokyo, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is poised to create a database on women aiming to become politicians as one of additional measures to increase female lawmakers of the party.   At its meeting Tuesday, the LDP’s Headquarters for Implementing the Reform of Party, chaired by party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi, compiled the additional measures to support women….Read more

Since the release of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Japanese locations that suffered heavily from the 2011 accident have been bombarded by harassment phone calls coming from China. Stones have even been thrown at some Japanese schools in China. Beijing has no right to ignore these irrational and dangerous acts and should take strong measures to put….Read more

No matter how much the central government called for efforts, there were not enough hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and it took time for a testing system to be put in place. In the event of another infectious disease outbreak, the command post must play a role to avoid repeating mistakes made amid the coronavirus pandemic.   The Cabinet Agency….Read more