Japan, the United States and the Philippines have agreed in an online meeting to continue cooperation in maritime security in other areas.
Japan's Prime Minister Shiba Shigeto held a 30-minute video conference with U.S.
President Joe Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday. They agreed their countries will keep working together in maritime and economic security and building up infrastructure even after Biden leaves office next week, partly with China's growing maritime activity in mind. Ishiba also took up an order issued by Biden to block a buyout of US Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel. He said business leaders in Japan and the US are expressing strong concerns over the move and urged Biden to alleviate them. After the talks, Ishiba emphasized the importance of international cooperation as the global situation gets more complicated.
I will work harder to realize a free and open Indo-Pacificbased on the rule of law.
Asked when he will meet incoming U.S. President Donald Trump, Yeshiba said final coordination is underway to hold talks soon.
A group of officials from Japan's ruling coalition is visiting China. The three-day trip is part of a push to improve bilateral ties.
The 12-member delegation flew from Tokyo's Haneda airport on Monday. The group is led by Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Moriyama Hiroshi and his Kometo counterpart Nishida Makoto on Tuesday. They're set to attend the first Japan-China ruling Party Exchange Council meeting since 2018. The agenda will likely include Japanese seafood imports, Japanese citizens detained in China, and North Korea's repeated missile launches.
Arrangements are also underway for talks with senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who welcomed his Japanese counterpart Iwaya Takeshi to Beijing last month.
Tokyo police have arrested a former chancellor of Tokyo Women's Medical University for allegedly causing the school a loss of more than $700,000. Police say Iwamoto Kinuko had university funds transferred to an architect several times through February 2020. They allege the transfers were made as rewards for a fictitious advisory service concerning construction of a university facility in central Tokyo. They arrested Iwamoto on suspicion of breach of trust.
The 78-year-old suspect became the university's chancellor in 2019. People linked to the school filed a criminal complaint against her on suspicion of illicit spending. Police searched locations, including the university's headquarters and Iwamoto's home, last March. They say the analyzed seized financial materials and questioned related people, and that the flow of the funds suggests much of the money was redirected to Iwamoto.
Iwamoto was dismissed as chancellor at the university's extraordinary board meeting in August. Tokyo Women's Medical University is the only one in Japan that offers medical education exclusively to female students.
It operates schools of medicine and nursing, a hospital, and research facilities.
A survey shows 57% of Ukrainians say they are prepared to endure the conflict with Russia for as long as necessary.
That figure is 16 percentage points lower than one recorded a year ago.
Moscow's invasion of the country has been going on for nearly three years.
The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology conducted a survey last month.
18% of the respondents noted it is difficult to say how much longer they are ready to endure the war. That figure represents an increase of 11 percentage points. Anton Hrushetskyi is the executive director of the institute. He indicated the most important fact is the situation on the front lines.
Ukrainians saw we were losing territories in the east, and it it affected public moods and opinion.
Hrushetskyi said many people have begun to think it would be better to stop the fighting inside a peace deal.
I can't put up with the war. There is a saying that any place is good, but home is best. I hope peace negotiations will start soon.
I feel unlucky and sad because many of my friends have died. I hope the fighting will stop so that I can go home.
Observers believe Ukraine lost more than 3,600 square kilometers of land last year. The eastern regions of Donetsk and Kharkiv were among the territories captured. Local authorities say the number of evacuees in the capital Kiev increased by 11,000 in one year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has a new bargaining chip captured North Korean soldiers. He says they could find themselves heading home so long as Ukrainian troops are released from Russia in return.
Zelensky posted a video on Sunday showing what appears to be the interrogation of two North Koreans found in Kursk, western Russia. One is asked what his commanders said when they sent him to war. He replies by saying he was told is just training. A subtitle claims he wants to live in Ukraine but would go back to North Korea if told. The other soldier says he has a family and he responds with a nod when asked if he wants to go home.
Zelensky says he's ready to hand them over to North Korea if leader Kim Jong Un can broker in exchange for Ukrainian troops being held by Russia. He also says. There may be other options for those who do not wish to return, especially if they tell the truth about the invasion.
The incoming U.S. National Security Advisor says he expects his country's president-elect and Russia's president to speak by telephone in the coming weeks. Mike Waltz is currently a member of the House of Representatives. He appeared on an ABC television program on Sunday.
President-elect Donald Trump said earlier a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was being set up. Waltz indicated preparations for the meeting are underway.
I do, you know, expect a call for at least in in the coming days and and weeks.
Waltz also talked about Ukraine. He noted the country has manpower issues. The incoming advisor added troop shortages need to be addressed. He suggested Kiev.
Should lower its draft age from 25 to.
Everybody knows that this has to end somehow diplomatically. I just don't think it's realistic to say we're going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian soil.
Walt said Trump has acknowledged that reality.
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And those were the main stories for this hour.
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And that's the news this hour. I'm Gene Otani. From all of us here at NHK Newsline to all around the world, thanks very much for joining us.
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The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks brings you the stories behind these amazing places. In this episode of The Backstory of Japanese Landmarks, we feature the Great Buddha of Kamakura.
Kamakura is a popular tourist destination located near Tokyo. It's about a one-hour train ride from the capital. One of Kamakura's landmarks is the Great Buddha.
As its name suggests, the Great Buddha is a colossal copper statue of Amitaba Buddha. It was built as the principal deity of Jodo-sek temple, Kotokuin. The Buddha is nicknamed Brozano Daibutsu, meaning the great Buddha sitting out in the open.
It's a national treasure of Japan.
From central Kamakura, the train ride and walk to Kotoku-in Temple takes about 15 minutes. After passing through the temple's gate, the grand statue of Buddha comes into view.
The Buddha sits in a Zen meditation posture and is over 11 meters tall.
Kamakura was the seat of Japan's feudal government from the end of the 12th century to the early 14th century.
The construction of the Great Buddha began during this period in 1252, almost 800 years ago.
Today, the statue is covered with verdigris,A bright green substance that forms on oxidized copper.
A closer look reveals slight traces of gold leaf, indicating that the statue was originally gilded. The great Buddha was made by copper casting.
It's a manufacturing method of melting copper and pouring it into a mold.
But creating a statue that's over 11 meters high wasn't easy at the time, and it wasn't possible to melt over 120 tons of copper in one go. So the metal was cast in 40 sections. This is why joints can be seen on the statue's surface. The Buddha is hollow. The statue has two windows on its back. After the statue was completed, the inner mold was removed through these openings. Today, the windows let in light and air. The Buddha was enshrined when it was first built, but over time, the hall was damaged by earthquakes and typhoons. A tsunami at the end of the 15th century swept it away, leaving the Buddha exposed to the open air. The temple was also abandoned for a certain period, but was restored in the early 18th century.
After a period in which Japan secluded itself from the rest of the world, the Yokohama port near Kamakura was opened for foreign trade in 1859.
Following this, many foreigners are said to have visited the Great Buddha of Kamakura. Built nearly 8 centuries ago, the Great Buddha of Kamakura has a magnificence that continues to captivate people.
Thank you for tuning in to the back story of Japanese landmarks. We hope you have a chance to visit these landmarks and see for yourself what makes them so special.
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