Asian View
Key words : kishi motegi met one
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210316_21/
The US foreign and defense chiefs have begun a day of meetings in Tokyo, as part of their very first overseas trip.
The choice to travel to Tokyo and Seoul, South Korea, underscores the weight the Biden administration is giving to Asian alliances -- particularly as recent moves by China spark concerns in the US.
China is likely to be high on the agenda in a series of meetings. Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo and his counterpart Lloyd Austin met Tuesday afternoon.
The two countries have a shared interest in reining in China's growing maritime assertiveness and addressing its new coast guard law.
That law authorizes coast guard vessels to use weapons in waters Beijing considers to be under its jurisdiction.
Japanese Defense Minister Kishi said, "I'd like to exchange views on regional affairs, especially China's actions in the East and South China seas. And I also want to discuss a wide range of concrete measures to strengthen the Japan-US alliance's deterrence and response capabilities."
US Defense Secretary Austin said, "Without question, the US-Japan alliance remains the cornerstone in addressing today's and tomorrow's challenges as we work together to uphold a free and open Indo-Pacific."
The Japanese and US foreign ministers also met one-on-one ahead of their joint session of "2 plus 2" talks. In addition to China, North Korea was an issue expected to come up.
Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu said, "I'm so happy that finally we are seeing each other face to face. I look forward to our close cooperation."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, "One key element is the denuclearization of North Korea, we will continue to work on that as friends and partners. We stand with you, all the Japanese people, on the efforts to resolve the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea. The issue is critical for sovereignty of Japan and the lives and safety of the Japanese people."
A Japanese government official told NHK the meeting will likely end with a statement about security in East Asia. Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is also set to meet with Blinken and Austin, later on Tuesday.
Key words : media outlet at least four
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210316_04/
Media outlets in Myanmar say at least four more people died on Monday amid the continued crackdown on anti-coup protesters. The United Nations said at least 138 protesters have been killed in the country since the February 1 coup.
The military is apparently ready to play a greater role in the crackdown. It declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city, Yangon, where administrative and judicial powers are now in the hands of the military.
On Monday, protests occurred in the second largest city of Mandalay and other places. Security forces reportedly opened fire on citizens, leaving at least four people dead.
A UN spokesperson revealed that women and children are among the more than 130 people who have been killed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the ongoing violence against peaceful protesters.
A group that includes lawmakers from Aung San Suu Kyi's political party issued a statement on Sunday calling for resistance to the military. It said the act of law-abiding self-defense is not criminal.
Key words : suga inoculated
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210316_09/
Japan's Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has received a COVID-19 vaccine ahead of his visit to the United States.
Arrangements are being made for Suga to meet US President Joe Biden early next month or later. He and each member of a Japanese delegation accompanying him will be vaccinated before their trip.
Suga received the first of two doses of the vaccine at the National Center for Global Health and Medicine in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday morning.
He told reporters after the inoculation that it did not hurt much. He said he received the vaccine to take every precautionary effort available against the virus before his visit to the US next month.
He said COVID-19 vaccines are expected to have enormous benefits in preventing infections, as well as keeping patients from developing grave symptoms if infected. He said he hopes to deliver them to the Japanese public as soon as possible. He added that he will also work to provide people with the appropriate information, so they will be willing to be inoculated.
Key words : china visa
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210316_06/
China is streamlining visa applications for people who have received one of its coronavirus vaccines.
China's embassy in Japan announced on its website on Monday that businesspeople and their families can skip part of the visa documents required if they have a Chinese vaccine inoculation certificate.
China says the measure is intended to normalize international travel.
Embassy staff told NHK that vaccination is not compulsory and visa applications will continue to be accepted from unvaccinated travelers.
Chinese-made vaccines have not yet been approved in Japan.
The Chinese embassies in some other countries including Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam have also made a similar announcement.
The move is seen as China's attempt to promote its vaccines overseas.
Key words : Japanese companies joint
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210315_13/
Japanese companies have launched a joint team to develop a successor for the F-2 fighter jets used by the Air Self-Defense Force.
The F-2 aircraft are scheduled to be retired from around 2035.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and seven other firms have set up a team of about 200 engineers at a factory in Aichi Prefecture to speed up the design process.
Mitsubishi will oversee the project and develop the fuselage, while the other firms will be in charge of the engines, radar and other equipment.
They plan to increase the number of engineers to about 500 and to draw up a detailed design by fiscal 2027.
Mass production is planned to begin in fiscal 2031 after manufacturing prototypes and conducting flight tests.
The Defense Ministry says the new model will be developed with support from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which produces F-35 stealth fighter jets.
The ministry hopes to maintain Japan's technological capabilities by having domestic companies take the initiative in the fighter jet's development.
Key words : beef
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210316_11/
Sources say the Japanese government will soon raise its tariff on beef imports from the United States. The move would be based on a rule under a bilateral trade pact aimed at protecting domestic producers.
The sources say Japan would hike the duty from the current 25.8 percent to 38.5 percent and keep it in effect for 30 days. It would be in response to a projection showing US beef imports are certain to exceed a threshold set under the trade accord.
The ceiling for the fiscal year through March is set at 242,000 tons. The total imports by the end of last month came within about 9,000 tons of that amount.
The two countries would start talks within 10 days of the measure taking effect.
Japan last introduced a safeguard arrangement on US beef imports in 2017 under a World Trade Organization agreement.
The volume of overall beef shipments to Japan for the current fiscal year is lower than in the previous fiscal year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But imports from the US have grown to make up for a fall in production in Australia.
Key words : business federation
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210315_27/
The Japan Business Federation, or Keidanren, says it aims for women to fill more than 30 percent of top managerial posts in Japanese companies by 2030.
The target was first announced in a long-term vision it developed last year. Keidanren says 53 of its member corporations will join an initiative called "A Challenge for 30 percent by 2030" to help achieve the goal.
Specific measures include a seamless support program for women from hiring, to promotion to upper management positions, and to becoming executives. Keidanren will call on members to swiftly transform into organizations where all workers can perform to their potential regardless of gender.
The Cabinet Office says women accounted for only 6.2 percent of executives of listed Japanese companies as of July last year. The number is lower than the percentage of top women in US and European companies.
Karasawa Yasuyoshi, a Keidanren official in charge of promoting diversity, says companies cannot innovate themselves and be globally competitive without diversity.
He says he hopes setting an ambitious goal will trigger momentum for achieving it.
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿