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Tag: Japan

  • China’s Wang Yi takes aim at Japan in call with South Korean foreign minister

    China’s Wang Yi takes aim at Japan in call with South Korean foreign minister

    By Orange Wang

    With less than a week to go until a presidential summit, China’s top diplomat has used talks with his South Korean counterpart to reassert Beijing’s stand on Taiwan and take aim at Tokyo.

    In a phone call with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, China’s Wang Yi raised the spectre of Japan’s colonial past to get support for his country’s position on Taiwan.

    Wang accused “certain political forces in Japan” of trying to “reverse the course of history and whitewash [the country’s] crimes of aggression and colonialism”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

    “It is believed that the South Korean side will uphold a responsible attitude towards history and people, adopt the correct stance and safeguard international justice, including adhering to the one-China principle on Taiwan,” Wang told Cho.

    A day earlier, Wang warned that “Japan’s current leader publicly challenged China’s sovereignty” and the world “must stay highly vigilant to the resurgence of militarism in Japan”.

    Tokyo has been critical of drills by the People’s Liberation Army around Taiwan this week, adding to the tensions that followed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion last month that an attack on Taiwan by the PLA could constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, justifying military intervention from Tokyo.

    Source : SCMP

  • How Japan’s space industry can regain thrust after H3 rocket failure

    How Japan’s space industry can regain thrust after H3 rocket failure

    By Julian Ryall

    Japan’s latest rocket failure has triggered much soul-searching and resurrected a debate about whether the country’s space programme, long defined by caution and incremental progress, is equipped for a market that now rewards speed, repetition and a tolerance for failure.
    On Monday, the domestically built H3 rocket, Japan’s new flagship launcher, failed, costing the country a satellite and drawing sharp criticism from the Japanese media.

    Local media called the incident a “significant setback” to Japan’s space ambitions and warned that the programme “faces a long road” before it could regain the trust of foreign partners and customers seeking guarantees that their satellites would be deployed.

    While aerospace experts agree that the loss of the rocket and its payload will dent the reputation of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), they also caution against a rush to judgment.

    “Yes, this is a huge black eye for JAXA and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which makes the engines for the H3, but this is just the nature of the space business,” said Lance Gatling, president of Nexial Research.

    “Part of the problem in Japan is that they have not failed enough. Development here is very long because they want perfection.

    Whenever something goes wrong in the process, it takes a long time to figure out what needs to change and the design engineers, laboratory technicians and everyone else are standing around waiting for someone else,” the aerospace and defence analyst said.

    Source : SCMP

  • China marks Nanking massacre anniversary with warning against Japan’s militarism

    China marks Nanking massacre anniversary with warning against Japan’s militarism

    By Yuanyue Dangin Beijing

    A top official warned against moves to revive Japanese militarism as China held its annual national commemoration of the Nanking massacre amid tense ties with Tokyo.

    Speaking at a memorial ceremony in the eastern city of Nanjing on Saturday, Shi Taifeng, head of the ruling Communist Party’s organisation department, said that any attempt to revive militarism, challenge the post-war international order or undermine global peace and stability was “doomed to failure”, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

    Shi, one of 23 members of the party’s elite Politburo, was the highest-ranking official to attend the 88th anniversary commemoration.
    The memorial ceremony took place at the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders.

    At 10.01am, air raid sirens sounded across the city, with cars, trains and ships sounding their horns.

    Presided over by Minister of Public Security and State Councillor Wang Xiaohong, the ceremony featured the address by Shi, who labelled the “indelible” Nanking massacre a “crime against humanity” and called for “promoting an accurate historical perspective on the second world war”.

    Source : SCMP

  • US, Japan defense chiefs say China harming regional peace

    US, Japan defense chiefs say China harming regional peace

    TOKYO: Beijing’s actions are “not conducive to regional peace,” Japan’s defense minister and US counterpart Pete Hegseth agreed during a call after Chinese aircraft locked radar on Japanese jets near Taiwan, Tokyo said Friday.

    The December 6 radar incident came after comments by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Taiwan that infuriated China.

    It was followed this week by Chinese-Russian air patrols around Japan.

    Hegseth and Shinjiro Koizumi “exchanged candid views on the increasingly severe security situation in the Indo-Pacific region, including the radar incident,” the Japanese defense ministry said after the call.

    They “expressed serious concern over any actions to increase regional tensions, as China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability,” the statement added.

    Koizumi said on X that he told Hegseth that China was “disseminating information that is completely contrary to the facts” about the radar incident.

    “However, Japan has made clear that it does not seek escalation and that we are responding calmly while making necessary rebuttals, and we are keeping the door open for dialogue,” Koizumi added.

    Hegseth’s office said that they “discussed… China’s military activities” among other issues including “Japan’s efforts to increase its defense spending and strengthen its capabilities.”

    “Secretary Hegseth and Defense Minister Koizumi reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan Alliance and underscored their commitment to deterring aggression in the Asia-Pacific,” the US statement added.

    ‘Tactical exercises’

    Takaichi had suggested on November 7 that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

    Last week, J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft that had scrambled in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan.

    Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.

    But China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday accused Japan of sending the jets “to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorization, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and… maliciously hype up the situation.”

    On Tuesday two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country, Japan said.

    Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.

    A day later, Japan and the United States air forces conducted their own joint air drills, Tokyo said.

    The “tactical exercises” over the Sea of Japan involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s, Tokyo said.

    South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defense zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.

    Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”

    Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

  • US, Japan hold joint air exercise after China-Russia patrols

    US, Japan hold joint air exercise after China-Russia patrols

    TOKYO: Japan said Thursday it held a joint air exercise with the United States in a show of force, days after Chinese-Russian patrols in the region and following weeks of diplomatic feuding between Tokyo and Beijing.

    The Japanese joint chiefs of staff said Wednesday’s exercise with the US Air Force was conducted in “an increasingly severe security environment surrounding our country.”

    Tokyo said Wednesday that two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers flew a day earlier from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.

    Japan said that it scrambled fighter jets in response.

    Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi angered Beijing last month by suggesting that Japan would intervene with military force in any Chinese attack on Taiwan.

    Thursday’s announcement by Japan’s chiefs of staff said: “We confirmed the strong resolve of Japan and the United States not to allow any unilateral change of the status quo by force, as well as the readiness of the Self-Defense Forces and the US military.”

    In a separate statement it said that the “tactical exercises” over the Japan Sea involved two US B52 bombers, three Japanese F-35 fighter jets and three Japanese F-15s.

    The joint exercise came as the United States criticized Beijing for the first time on Wednesday after Chinese military aircraft locked radar onto Japanese jets on Saturday.

    The J-15 jets from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier twice locked radar on Japanese aircraft in international waters near Okinawa, according to Japan, which scrambled jets in response.

    “China’s actions are not conducive to regional peace and stability,” a US State Department spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday.

    “The US-Japan Alliance is stronger and more united than ever. Our commitment to our ally Japan is unwavering, and we are in close contact on this and other issues.”

    Fighter jets use their radar for fire control to identify targets as well as for search and rescue operations.

    Tokyo also summoned Beijing’s ambassador following the radar incident, over which the two countries offer differing accounts of events.

    Japan said it scrambled its F-15 jets because it was worried about possible “airspace violations.”

    Guo Jiakun, spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs, accused Japan Wednesday of sending the jets “to intrude into the Chinese training area without authorization, conduct close-range reconnaissance and harassment, create tense situations, and continue to maliciously hype up the situation.”

    Takaichi’s comments about intervening in any Taiwan emergency enraged Beijing as China claims the self-ruled island as its own and has not ruled out seizing it by force.

    Tokyo was forced to deny a Wall Street Journal report that said US President Donald Trump had advised Takaichi not to provoke China over Taiwan’s sovereignty.

    But Tokyo is apparently frustrated at the lack of public support from top officials in Washington and has urged the US to be more vocal, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

    ‘Regrettable’

    NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Wednesday that the radar incident and the joint Chinese-Russian patrols were “regrettable,” Japan’s Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said on X.

    The statement followed a 15-minute video conference between Rutte and Koizumi, the defense ministry said in a statement.

    Rutte “affirmed that security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions is completely inseparable,” Koizumi said.

    South Korea said Tuesday that Russian and Chinese warplanes also entered its air defense zone, with Seoul also deploying fighter jets that same day.

    Beijing confirmed later on Tuesday that it had organized drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans.”

    Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

  • Japan lifts tsunami warning after 7.5-magnitude earthquake

    Japan lifts tsunami warning after 7.5-magnitude earthquake

    Japanese authorities lifted tsunami warnings on Tuesday hours after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern regions, injuring at least 30 people and forcing about 90,000 residents to evacuate their homes.

    The earthquake struck off the coast at 11:15 pm (1415 GMT) on Monday, and the Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami as high as 3 metres (10 feet) could hit the country’s northeastern coast. Warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and tsunamis from 20 to 70 cm (7 to 27 inches) high were observed at several ports, JMA said.

    By the early hours of Tuesday, the JMA downgraded the warnings to advisories, and later lifted all advisories. There were no reports of major damage.

    The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori prefecture, at a depth of 54 km.

    On Japan’s 1-7 scale of seismic intensity, the tremor registered as an “upper 6” in Hachinohe city, Aomori prefecture — a quake strong enough to make it impossible to keep standing or move without crawling.

    “As of now, I have received reports of 30 people being injured and one fire,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters.

    East Japan Railway suspended some services in the area, which was also hit by a massive 9.0-magnitude quake on 11 March 2011. Other train services are facing delays in northern Japan, the operator said.

    Following the tremor, the JMA issued an advisory for a wide region from the northernmost island of Hokkaido down to Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, calling on residents to be on alert for the possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting again within a week.

    “There is a possibility that further powerful and stronger earthquakes could occur over the next several days,” a JMA official said at a briefing.

    No irregularities were reported at nuclear power plants in the region run by Tohoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power, the utilities said. Thousands of households had lost power immediately following the quake, but service resumed by Tuesday morning.

    Yen weakens briefly

    The yen weakened against major currencies after news of the tremor, with the dollar and euro both touching session highs.

    Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. Located in the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.

    The northeastern region suffered one of the country’s deadliest earthquakes on 11 March 2011, when a 9.0-magnitude tremor struck under the ocean off the coast of the northern city of Sendai. It was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan and set off a series of massive tsunami that devastated a wide swathe of the Pacific coastline and killed nearly 20,000 people.

    Drawing on lessons from that disaster, when a magnitude 7-level earthquake had struck two days beforehand, the government now issues a one-week “megaquake” advisory whenever a significant earthquake occurs in the region.

    The 2011 tsunami also damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, leading to a series of explosions and meltdowns in the world’s worst nuclear disaster for 25 years.

  • Japan keen to boost imports of high-value apparel from Bangladesh while logistics a key hurdle

    Japan keen to boost imports of high-value apparel from Bangladesh while logistics a key hurdle

    Japanese apparel importers are now considering Bangladesh as a key sourcing destination for high-value and fashionable garments, as the country’s capacity in producing such items continues to improve.

    Representatives of the Japan Textile Importers Association (JTIA) expressed its interest during a meeting with BGMEA leaders yesterday in the capital’s Uttara, according to a press release by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

    “With Bangladesh’s remarkable progress in producing high-quality products, Japanese buyers now have confidence in Bangladesh as a sourcing hub for high-value and fashionable apparel,” the BGMEA quoted the delegation as saying in the release.

    Despite the positive outlook, the JTIA delegation identified logistical bottlenecks as a major concern in expanding apparel imports from Bangladesh.

    “Japanese buyers prioritise imports within the shortest possible lead time. To reduce lead time, they suggested further simplifying Bangladesh’s customs procedures and improving operational efficiency at Chattogram Port,” the release said.

    The delegation also praised Bangladesh’s apparel industry for its growth and ongoing efforts to ensure social and environmental compliance, as well as workers’ safety and welfare.

    Representatives from MN Inter-Fashion Limited, Kowa Company, AIT Corporation, and several other Japan-based companies, along with JTIA officials, were also present at the meeting.

    Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu, president of BGMEA, said, “Bangladesh’s garment industry is now strategically focusing on market diversification, and Japan is a highly important and promising market for us.”

    “The industry is working with dedication to shift its product range from basic cotton-based items to synthetic and technical textiles, thereby moving into the high-value apparel segment,” he added.

    The BGMEA president also urged the Japanese government, through JTIA, to continue Bangladesh’s duty-free market access even after its graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status in 2026 to sustain Bangladesh’s export competitiveness in that market.

    He expressed the view that such trade benefits could be ensured through a mutually beneficial framework, such as an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) or a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA).

  • China protests to Japan over PM Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks

    China protests to Japan over PM Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks

    BEIJING: China lodged serious representations and protests to Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remarks about Taiwan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday.

    Takaichi on Friday told Japanese lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could be an “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported.

    Japanese officials’ attempt to “meddle on cross-strait affairs” would cause serious damage to China-Japan relations, Lin said during a regular press briefing, urging Japan to stop making provocations.

  • Refuel row: Japan rescinds airbase access to South Korean jets over Dokdo islets dispute

    Refuel row: Japan rescinds airbase access to South Korean jets over Dokdo islets dispute

    By Julian Ryall

    Tokyo has rescinded a plan to allow South Korean military jets to refuel at a base in Okinawa after learning the aircraft had recently flown near contested islets in the Sea of Japan, a revelation that triggered nationalist anger and concerns about the political risks of closer defence ties between the uneasy neighbours.

    The now-scrapped refuelling operation would have seen South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team stop over at Naha Air Base in Okinawa en route to an air show in Dubai in early November.

    But the plan was dropped after Japan’s government learned the unit had conducted training flights in October around the Dokdo islets – rocky outcrops off the Korean peninsula’s east coast that are administered by South Korea but have been claimed by Tokyo since the end of World War II.

  • Japan to establish school in Bangladesh to hire skilled transport drivers

    Japan to establish school in Bangladesh to hire skilled transport drivers

    Leading Japanese entrepreneur and politician Miki Watanabe has announced plans to establish a driving school in Bangladesh to hire skilled drivers for his country.

    Watanabe, founder of the Watami Group, made the announcement during a meeting with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna here last evening (25 October), said CA’s Press Wing.

    “We are now looking for a 12,000-square-metre area to set up a driving school,” Watanabe told the Chief Adviser, adding that there is a high demand for qualified drivers in Japan and Bangladesh can be a key source of such manpower.

    The Chief Adviser asked the officials to find a suitable land for the proposed driving school, preferably on the outskirts of Dhaka.

    It was a follow up meeting on Professor Yunus’s official visit to Japan in May, during which Japanese entrepreneurs signed an agreement with Bangladeshi authorities to recruit 100,000 workers from Bangladesh over the next five years.

    Watanabe, a long-time admirer of Professor Yunus’s work, informed that he already established a language training academy in Monorhodi of Narsingdi district to train and recruit at least 3,000 Bangladeshi workers.

    “Fifty-two workers have already gone to Japan to work in the construction and agriculture sectors,” Watanabe said.

    He added that the academy currently provide training to 40 students per session but will gradually expand its facilities and network across the country.

    The Chief Adviser emphasized the importance of teaching Japanese etiquette, decorum, and cultural values through the academy.

    “Teaching etiquette and culture should be an integral part of the academy’s training,” Professor Yunus said.

    “It will help Bangladeshis understand Japan deeply and prepare them better before they leave for Japan,” he added.

    Professor Yunus also encouraged the Watami founder to expand training programmes in caregiving, nursing, construction, and farming, noting that skilled workers in these fields can earn significantly higher wages in Japan.

    “We would like to do these as well,” Watanabe replied.

    Watanabe praised the newly established Japan Cell in the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, which facilitates cooperation between Japanese investors and Bangladeshi institutions.

    He also expressed interest in setting up another training centre in or near Dhaka to make it easier for Japanese companies to visit without travelling long distances to Monohordi.

    The Chief Adviser immediately instructed officials to locate a ready facility—such as an unused IT park—that could be quickly transformed into a Japanese language and vocational training centre with minimal investment.

    “We will work together,” Professor Yunus said, adding, “We’ll find land for the driving school and a ready facility for the new training centre.”

    Shazeeb Khairul Islam, Personal Secretary to the Chief Adviser, said that authorities would soon organize visits for Japanese investors to potential IT park sites around Dhaka.

    Professor Yunus also called for greater efforts to increase the number of Japanese language proficiency tests held in Bangladesh, noting that Japan requires overseas recruits to demonstrate adequate language skills.

    Currently, the tests are held only twice a year, which, he said, is insufficient to meet growing demand.

    During the meeting, Watanabe fondly recalled the memory of establishing a school at Narayankul in Gazipur more than a decade ago, inspired by Professor Yunus’s vision for a poverty-free world.

    “The school now has 1,500 students. It’s a wonderful institution—the students are amazing and doing very well,” Watanabe said.

    SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed also attended the meeting.