A man shouted "die" as he doused an animation studio with fuel and set it ablaze in Japan on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, killing at least 33 people in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/arson-suspected-as-fire-engulfs-japanese-studio-at-least-23-feared-dead-236861">nation's worst mass murder</a> in nearly two decades.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/several-feared-dead-in-fire-at-japan-animation-studio-236791">attack in the city of Kyoto</a> - the latest grisly killing in a nation widely known for its low crime rates - "too appalling for words" on Twitter and offered condolences.

Police detained a 41-year-old man who had shouted "die" as he poured what appeared to be petrol around the three-storey Kyoto Animation building shortly after 10 am&nbsp;(0100 GMT), public broadcaster NHK reported.

Thirty-three people were confirmed dead, an official for the Kyoto City Fire Department said.

Fire engulfed the building as white and black smoke billowed from its charred windows. It was Japan's worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack on a Tokyo building in 2001.

Shiro Misaki, a 47-year old owner of a neighbourhood bar five minutes from studio, said he was driving nearby when he saw the thick smoke.

"Policemen were stopping traffic and it was really hazy with smoke," he said. "Even after I got back to my restaurant I could smell the smoke."

The prime minister said the cause was arson.

"Today, many people were killed and wounded in an arson murder case in Kyoto," Abe said in a post on Twitter.

"It is too appalling for words."
<img alt="Kyoto attack" data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="433d614f-d13d-4019-ba79-5295233d73a4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2019-07-18T042032Z_1_LYNXNPEF6H07M_RTROPTP_4_JAPAN-FIRE.JPG" />
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Some of the victims were found in the studio, some on the third floor and others in a staircase leading up to the roof, the fire official said. Another 36 were injured, 10 of them seriously, the official said.

The suspected arsonist was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not question him, NHK said.

Kyoto police declined to comment.

The studio produces popular series such as the "Sound! Euphonium". Its "Free! Road to the World - The Dream" movie is due for release this month.

"I am heartbroken," Hideaki Hatta, the studio's chief executive told reporters. "It in unbearable that the people who helped carry Japan's animation industry were hurt and lost their lives in this way."

There was an outpouring of support for the studio on Japanese-language social media, with some users posting pictures of animation. Many posted with the hashtag "#PrayForKyoani" - using an abbreviation for Kyoto Animation.

The studio has an outsized impact on Japan's animation industry that outstrips the list of works it has produced, said Tokyo-based film commentator Yuichi Maeda.

"It has a huge presence in animation here. To have this many people die at once will be a huge blow to the Japanese animation industry," he said.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the country.

Less than two months ago, a knife-wielding man slashed at a group of schoolgirls at a bus stop in Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo, killing one girl and the father of another, while injuring more than a dozen children.

In 2016, a man armed with a knife broke into a facility for the disabled in a small town near Tokyo and killed 19 patients.

A man shouted "die" as he doused an animation studio with fuel and set it ablaze in Japan on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, killing at least 33 people in the nation's worst mass murder in nearly two decades.

A man shouted "die" as he doused an animation studio with fuel and set it ablaze in Japan on Thursday, public broadcaster NHK said, killing at least 33 people in the nation's worst mass murder in nearly two decades. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the attack in the city of Kyoto - the latest grisly killing in a nation widely known for its low crime rates - "too appalling for words" on Twitter and offered condolences. Police detained a 41-year-old man who had shouted "die" as he poured what appeared to be petrol around the three-storey Kyoto Animation building shortly after 10 am (0100 GMT), public broadcaster NHK reported. Thirty-three people were confirmed dead, an official for the Kyoto City Fire Department said. Fire engulfed the building as white and black smoke billowed from its charred windows. It was Japan's worst mass killing since a suspected arson attack on a Tokyo building in 2001. Shiro Misaki, a 47-year old owner of a neighbourhood bar five minutes from studio, said he was driving nearby when he saw the thick smoke. "Policemen were stopping traffic and it was really hazy with smoke," he said. "Even after I got back to my restaurant I could smell the smoke." The prime minister said the cause was arson. "Today, many people were killed and wounded in an arson murder case in Kyoto," Abe said in a post on Twitter. "It is too appalling for words." Popular series Some of the victims were found in the studio, some on the third floor and others in a staircase leading up to the roof, the fire official said. Another 36 were injured, 10 of them seriously, the official said. The suspected arsonist was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not question him, NHK said. Kyoto police declined to comment. The studio produces popular series such as the "Sound! Euphonium". Its "Free! Road to the World - The Dream" movie is due for release this month. "I am heartbroken," Hideaki Hatta, the studio's chief executive told reporters. "It in unbearable that the people who helped carry Japan's animation industry were hurt and lost their lives in this way." There was an outpouring of support for the studio on Japanese-language social media, with some users posting pictures of animation. Many posted with the hashtag "#PrayForKyoani" - using an abbreviation for Kyoto Animation. The studio has an outsized impact on Japan's animation industry that outstrips the list of works it has produced, said Tokyo-based film commentator Yuichi Maeda. "It has a huge presence in animation here. To have this many people die at once will be a huge blow to the Japanese animation industry," he said. Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the country. Less than two months ago, a knife-wielding man slashed at a group of schoolgirls at a bus stop in Kawasaki, just south of Tokyo, killing one girl and the father of another, while injuring more than a dozen children. In 2016, a man armed with a knife broke into a facility for the disabled in a small town near Tokyo and killed 19 patients.

Arson attack on Japanese animation studio kills at least 33

Fire swept through <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/several-feared-dead-in-fire-at-japan-animation-studio-236791">an animation studio in Japan</a> on Thursday and 23 people were feared killed and scores injured, with the cause suspected to have been arson after a man was seen shouting "die" as he doused the building with petrol.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the fire in the city of Kyoto - the latest grisly killing in a country known for its low crime rates - "too appalling for words" on Twitter and offered condolences to the victims.

Police had taken a 41-year-old man into custody who had shouted "die" as he poured what appeared to be petrol around the three-story Kyoto Animation building shortly after 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), public broadcaster NHK reported.

Thirteen people were confirmed dead and at least 10 more had no vital signs after they were found in the studio, an official for the Kyoto City Fire Department said.

White and black smoke billowed from the windows of the building, television footage showed.

"I heard the sound of fire engines and stepped outside my house, and saw big flames spewing out of the building," NHK quoted a 16-year-old boy as saying.

"Fire department officials were trying to rescue the injured in a nearby park but it seemed like there weren't enough of them," he said.

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The studio produces popular series such as the "Sound! Euphonium". It's "Free! Road to the World - The Dream" movie is due for release this month.

The 10 people without vital sounds were found in the studio, some on the third floor and others in a staircase leading up to the roof, the fire official said.

Another 36 were injured, 10 of them seriously, the official said.

The suspected arsonist was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not question him, NHK said.

Kyoto police declined to comment.

Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the country.

Less than two months ago, a knife-wielding man slashed at a group of schoolgirls at a bus stop in Kawasaki, a city just south of Tokyo, killing one girl and the father of another, while injuring more than a dozen children.

In 2016, a man armed with a knife broke into a facility for the disabled in a small town near Tokyo and killed 19 patients.

Fire swept through an animation studio in Japan on Thursday and 23 people were feared killed and scores injured, with the cause suspected to have been arson after a man was seen shouting "die" as he doused the building with petrol.

Fire swept through an animation studio in Japan on Thursday and 23 people were feared killed and scores injured, with the cause suspected to have been arson after a man was seen shouting "die" as he doused the building with petrol. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called the fire in the city of Kyoto - the latest grisly killing in a country known for its low crime rates - "too appalling for words" on Twitter and offered condolences to the victims. Police had taken a 41-year-old man into custody who had shouted "die" as he poured what appeared to be petrol around the three-story Kyoto Animation building shortly after 10 a.m. (0100 GMT), public broadcaster NHK reported. Thirteen people were confirmed dead and at least 10 more had no vital signs after they were found in the studio, an official for the Kyoto City Fire Department said. White and black smoke billowed from the windows of the building, television footage showed. "I heard the sound of fire engines and stepped outside my house, and saw big flames spewing out of the building," NHK quoted a 16-year-old boy as saying. "Fire department officials were trying to rescue the injured in a nearby park but it seemed like there weren't enough of them," he said. Popular series The studio produces popular series such as the "Sound! Euphonium". It's "Free! Road to the World - The Dream" movie is due for release this month. The 10 people without vital sounds were found in the studio, some on the third floor and others in a staircase leading up to the roof, the fire official said. Another 36 were injured, 10 of them seriously, the official said. The suspected arsonist was injured and was being treated in hospital, so police could not question him, NHK said. Kyoto police declined to comment. Violent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the country. Less than two months ago, a knife-wielding man slashed at a group of schoolgirls at a bus stop in Kawasaki, a city just south of Tokyo, killing one girl and the father of another, while injuring more than a dozen children. In 2016, a man armed with a knife broke into a facility for the disabled in a small town near Tokyo and killed 19 patients.

Arson suspected as fire engulfs Japanese studio; at least 23 feared dead

Taiwan moved thousands of people to safety on Wednesday as the island braced for its first typhoon this year, as airlines cancelled domestic flights and authorities issued warnings about floods and high seas.

Typhoon Danas, categorised at the weakest typhoon level, was expected to hit the eastern county of Yilan late on Thursday. It was moving across the ocean in a northwesterly direction at 18 kph (11 mph), weather officials said.

More than 2,000 people were moved to safety, most of them tourists on islands off its east coast, authorities said.

Nearly two dozen domestic flights and ferry services were cancelled, while troops were put on standby in some areas amid fears of heavy rain, which can trigger landslides and flooding.

Typhoons regularly hit Taiwan, China, the Philippines, and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or the South China Sea.

Typhoon Morakot devastated Taiwan in 2009, killing nearly 700 people, most of them in landslides.

Taiwan moved thousands of people to safety on Wednesday as the island braced for its first typhoon this year, as airlines cancelled domestic flights and authorities issued warnings about floods and high seas.

Taiwan moved thousands of people to safety on Wednesday as the island braced for its first typhoon this year, as airlines cancelled domestic flights and authorities issued warnings about floods and high seas. Typhoon Danas, categorised at the weakest typhoon level, was expected to hit the eastern county of Yilan late on Thursday. It was moving across the ocean in a northwesterly direction at 18 kph (11 mph), weather officials said. More than 2,000 people were moved to safety, most of them tourists on islands off its east coast, authorities said. Nearly two dozen domestic flights and ferry services were cancelled, while troops were put on standby in some areas amid fears of heavy rain, which can trigger landslides and flooding. Typhoons regularly hit Taiwan, China, the Philippines, and Japan in the second half of the year, gathering strength from the warm waters of the Pacific Ocean or the South China Sea. Typhoon Morakot devastated Taiwan in 2009, killing nearly 700 people, most of them in landslides.

Taiwan issues warnings for year's first typhoon as thousands evacuated

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-states-weekly-jobless-claims-fall-to-three-month-low-235066">United States</a> will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-koreas-acquisition-of-us-f-35-fighter-aimed-at-opening-gate-to-invade-north-north-korea-state-media-234830">South Korea</a> and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions.

The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its allies, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for East Asia policy.

Stilwell told reporters in the South Korean capital, Seoul, that he took the situation seriously but did not elaborate on what steps Washington might be willing to take and said fundamentally it was up to South Korea and Japan to resolve their differences.

"We hope that resolution will happen soon," he said.

"The United States, as a close friend and ally to both, will do what it can do to support their efforts to resolve it."

Last week, Stilwell had told Japan's NHK broadcaster the United States would not intervene in the dispute, and instead encouraged dialogue between Washington's two biggest allies in Asia to settle it.

Simmering tension, particularly over a case for compensation of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two, took a sharp turn for the worse this month, when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea.

Japan has denied that the dispute over compensation for labourers is behind the export curbs, even though one of its ministers cited broken trust with South Korea over the labour dispute in announcing the restrictions.

Instead, Japan has cited "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, with Japanese media reporting some items ended up in North Korea.

South Korea has denied that.

The export curbs could hurt global technology companies, including the operations of South Korean tech giant Samsung in the Texas state capital of Austin, a South Korean government source told reporters.

"It will adversely affect companies ranging from Apple, Amazon, Dell, Sony and billions of consumers all over the world," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues.

If Japan went so far as to drop South Korea from its "white list" of countries with minimum trade restrictions, it would cause a "tremendous amount of problems" and strain ties between Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the source added.

When asked whether the South Korean government was considering retaliatory measures, the source said South Korea preferred to resolve the dispute diplomatically.

South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki repeated his call for Japan to lift the curbs, while adding that South Korea would soon unveil plans to make its supply chain more independent.

"The government is working on comprehensive plans to reduce the country's dependence on Japan's materials, components and equipment industries," he said at the start of a regular meeting of ministers responsible for various aspects of the economy.

Forced Labour Dispute

Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, urged South Korea to take "appropriate steps" to resolve the labour issue, which was reignited by a South Korean court ruling late last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation.

"There is no change to our stance that we strongly urge South Korea to take appropriate and timely steps to comply with international law, and accept an arbitrator in accordance with the treaty," he said.

Japan believes the issue of compensation for its wartime actions was settled under a 1965 treaty.

When asked about media reports that Japan was considering seeking damages from South Korea if Japanese corporate assets were sold off to compensate labourers, Nishimura said the government would respond firmly and was considering options to "protect Japanese companies’ legitimate economic activities".

The dispute is also bleeding into North Korea policy, a key agenda item for Stilwell, who arrived on Tuesday.

The Japanese government has distanced itself from Japanese media reports that South Korea violated international sanctions by exporting banned goods to North Korea, saying it had said no such thing.

Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the reported accusation a "grave challenge".

On Tuesday, a South Korean intelligence official fired back, telling lawmakers that Japan had been "lukewarm and passive" in enforcing U.N. sanctions.

Relations between the neighbours have long been plagued by memories of Japan’s 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

The United States will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between South Korea and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions.

The United States will "do what it can do" to help defuse a worsening political and economic dispute between South Korea and Japan, a senior US diplomat said on Wednesday, as South Korea warned that the row would have global repercussions. The United States has been hesitant to publicly wade into the feud between its allies, but the dispute, which threatens global supplies of memory chips and smartphones, has overshadowed the visit by David Stilwell, the top US diplomat for East Asia policy. Stilwell told reporters in the South Korean capital, Seoul, that he took the situation seriously but did not elaborate on what steps Washington might be willing to take and said fundamentally it was up to South Korea and Japan to resolve their differences. "We hope that resolution will happen soon," he said. "The United States, as a close friend and ally to both, will do what it can do to support their efforts to resolve it." Last week, Stilwell had told Japan's NHK broadcaster the United States would not intervene in the dispute, and instead encouraged dialogue between Washington's two biggest allies in Asia to settle it. Simmering tension, particularly over a case for compensation of South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two, took a sharp turn for the worse this month, when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials to South Korea. Japan has denied that the dispute over compensation for labourers is behind the export curbs, even though one of its ministers cited broken trust with South Korea over the labour dispute in announcing the restrictions. Instead, Japan has cited "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, with Japanese media reporting some items ended up in North Korea. South Korea has denied that. The export curbs could hurt global technology companies, including the operations of South Korean tech giant Samsung in the Texas state capital of Austin, a South Korean government source told reporters. "It will adversely affect companies ranging from Apple, Amazon, Dell, Sony and billions of consumers all over the world," the source said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive diplomatic issues. If Japan went so far as to drop South Korea from its "white list" of countries with minimum trade restrictions, it would cause a "tremendous amount of problems" and strain ties between Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the source added. When asked whether the South Korean government was considering retaliatory measures, the source said South Korea preferred to resolve the dispute diplomatically. South Korean Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki repeated his call for Japan to lift the curbs, while adding that South Korea would soon unveil plans to make its supply chain more independent. "The government is working on comprehensive plans to reduce the country's dependence on Japan's materials, components and equipment industries," he said at the start of a regular meeting of ministers responsible for various aspects of the economy. Forced Labour Dispute Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's deputy chief cabinet secretary, urged South Korea to take "appropriate steps" to resolve the labour issue, which was reignited by a South Korean court ruling late last year that ordered Japanese companies to pay compensation. "There is no change to our stance that we strongly urge South Korea to take appropriate and timely steps to comply with international law, and accept an arbitrator in accordance with the treaty," he said. Japan believes the issue of compensation for its wartime actions was settled under a 1965 treaty. When asked about media reports that Japan was considering seeking damages from South Korea if Japanese corporate assets were sold off to compensate labourers, Nishimura said the government would respond firmly and was considering options to "protect Japanese companies’ legitimate economic activities". The dispute is also bleeding into North Korea policy, a key agenda item for Stilwell, who arrived on Tuesday. The Japanese government has distanced itself from Japanese media reports that South Korea violated international sanctions by exporting banned goods to North Korea, saying it had said no such thing. Nevertheless, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called the reported accusation a "grave challenge". On Tuesday, a South Korean intelligence official fired back, telling lawmakers that Japan had been "lukewarm and passive" in enforcing U.N. sanctions. Relations between the neighbours have long been plagued by memories of Japan’s 1910-45 colonisation of the Korean peninsula.

US diplomat vows to help South Korea, Japan resolve worsening dispute

When anti-nuclear activist Junko Isogai ran for office in Japan's northern Niigata region, it had an awkward dimension: not just stump speeches and chats with constituents, but entertaining potential backers.

"I was asked to pour sake, make flattering conversation and act in a way men wouldn't dislike," Isogai, 45, a mother of two teenage girls, told Reuters. "It was like being a bar hostess."

Such traditional campaign practices - heavy on face-to-face interaction and personal ties - are among many barriers women face when trying to enter Japan's male-dominated politics, candidates and experts say.

Other hurdles include a lack of role models, social norms discouraging women from speaking out, and the burden of an intense, full-time job in a society where women are expected to be responsible for housework, child-rearing, and eldercare.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-prime-minister-shinzo-abes-ruling-bloc-set-for-solid-upper-house-win-polls-236080&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjBoZjKhrnjAhUDk3AKHSCCCR0QFjACegQIDRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw18D3s9rMqBwU1-F5FK4mQ-">Prime Minister Shinzo Abe</a> has made bringing more women into the workforce a policy pillar. But politics remains male-dominated.

Since Abe took office in December 2012, Japan's global ranking of women in parliament has fallen to 164th from 122nd among 193 countries. His Liberal Democratic Party has a smaller percentage of female lawmakers than its main opposition party.

A July 21 upper-house election will be the first national poll since the passage of a gender parity law that set non-binding targets for parties to field equal numbers of male and female candidates. A record of 28% of candidates is women.

But only 15% of LDP candidates are women, compared with 45% for its main opposition, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ).

Sakura Uchikoshi, a Tokyo-based lawyer making her first foray into politics in the rural district of Niigata, is among the opposition candidates.

Niigata has a tradition of strong female politicians, including outspoken former foreign minister Makiko Tanaka. And it currently has three female opposition MPs.

NETWORKS AND NAMES

Uchikoshi, who unlike many male politicians did not rise through party ranks, suffers from an image as an outsider. She was born in Hokkaido and pursued her career in Tokyo.

That's a stark contrast with her LDP rival Ichiro Tsukada, a Niigata-born incumbent whose father was also an MP.

"My lack of name recognition is the bottleneck," Uchikoshi told Reuters in an interview before a rally.

"Male candidates have networks and ... the lack of that for rookie female candidates makes it difficult," she said, adding she was grateful for support from the three incumbent women.

Politicians, especially in the LDP, typically rise through the ranks from local assemblies to parliament, creating their base along the way. That path can be tough for women, who are expected to raise families rather than shake hands.

"Individuals have to cultivate networks themselves," said Sophia University professor Mari Miura. "Many women, who have to interrupt their careers for child-rearing and struggle with work-life balance, can't afford such energy."

Uchikoshi's backers hope she stands out as a fresh alternative to Tsukada, said Hiroshi Sasaki, a university professor and civic activist advising her campaign.

Tsukada's reputation was dented when he bragged about securing a highway project in southern Japan as unsolicited favour for Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso. He resigned as deputy cabinet minister over the fuss.

"Usually, I vote for the LDP, but this time I think they are making fools of us and I'm angry," said 63-year-old Niigata retiree Susumu, who declined to give his last name.

Uchikoshi's husband, a lawyer, and their teenage son are living in Tokyo for the duration of the campaign, which officially kicked off on July 4.

"My son didn't seem to realise I'd have to stay in Niigata," she said.

By contrast, experts and politicians say, men, don't tend to see family duties as a barrier to entering politics.

"If a woman is a full-time housewife and her husband runs for office, she can take care of the home," CDPJ leader Yukio Edano told Reuters. "Unfortunately, the burden of child-rearing is heavier for women so the cost of running is bigger."

Isogai, who lost her bid for Niigata's prefectural assembly and is supporting Uchikoshi, said she often felt guilty for leaving her teenage daughters to the campaign.

"When I saw them with a button missing, I felt sorry," said Isogai, who moved to Niigata from Fukushima after the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Her husband, often away for work, wasn't used to household chores, she said.

"When it comes to campaigning, it is overwhelmingly easier for men," she said.

Proponents say more female lawmakers would help Japan focus on key policies such as child care, education, and welfare.

"I'm a working mother myself and the issues of child care and elderly care are very personal," Uchikoshi said. "To prioritise such issues, we need more women legislators."

When anti-nuclear activist Junko Isogai ran for office in Japan's northern Niigata region, it had an awkward dimension: not just stump speeches and chats with constituents, but entertaining potential backers.

When anti-nuclear activist Junko Isogai ran for office in Japan's northern Niigata region, it had an awkward dimension: not just stump speeches and chats with constituents, but entertaining potential backers. "I was asked to pour sake, make flattering conversation and act in a way men wouldn't dislike," Isogai, 45, a mother of two teenage girls, told Reuters. "It was like being a bar hostess." Such traditional campaign practices - heavy on face-to-face interaction and personal ties - are among many barriers women face when trying to enter Japan's male-dominated politics, candidates and experts say. Other hurdles include a lack of role models, social norms discouraging women from speaking out, and the burden of an intense, full-time job in a society where women are expected to be responsible for housework, child-rearing, and eldercare. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made bringing more women into the workforce a policy pillar. But politics remains male-dominated. Since Abe took office in December 2012, Japan's global ranking of women in parliament has fallen to 164th from 122nd among 193 countries. His Liberal Democratic Party has a smaller percentage of female lawmakers than its main opposition party. A July 21 upper-house election will be the first national poll since the passage of a gender parity law that set non-binding targets for parties to field equal numbers of male and female candidates. A record of 28% of candidates is women. But only 15% of LDP candidates are women, compared with 45% for its main opposition, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ). Sakura Uchikoshi, a Tokyo-based lawyer making her first foray into politics in the rural district of Niigata, is among the opposition candidates. Niigata has a tradition of strong female politicians, including outspoken former foreign minister Makiko Tanaka. And it currently has three female opposition MPs. NETWORKS AND NAMES Uchikoshi, who unlike many male politicians did not rise through party ranks, suffers from an image as an outsider. She was born in Hokkaido and pursued her career in Tokyo. That's a stark contrast with her LDP rival Ichiro Tsukada, a Niigata-born incumbent whose father was also an MP. "My lack of name recognition is the bottleneck," Uchikoshi told Reuters in an interview before a rally. "Male candidates have networks and ... the lack of that for rookie female candidates makes it difficult," she said, adding she was grateful for support from the three incumbent women. Politicians, especially in the LDP, typically rise through the ranks from local assemblies to parliament, creating their base along the way. That path can be tough for women, who are expected to raise families rather than shake hands. "Individuals have to cultivate networks themselves," said Sophia University professor Mari Miura. "Many women, who have to interrupt their careers for child-rearing and struggle with work-life balance, can't afford such energy." Uchikoshi's backers hope she stands out as a fresh alternative to Tsukada, said Hiroshi Sasaki, a university professor and civic activist advising her campaign. Tsukada's reputation was dented when he bragged about securing a highway project in southern Japan as unsolicited favour for Abe and Finance Minister Taro Aso. He resigned as deputy cabinet minister over the fuss. "Usually, I vote for the LDP, but this time I think they are making fools of us and I'm angry," said 63-year-old Niigata retiree Susumu, who declined to give his last name. Uchikoshi's husband, a lawyer, and their teenage son are living in Tokyo for the duration of the campaign, which officially kicked off on July 4. "My son didn't seem to realise I'd have to stay in Niigata," she said. By contrast, experts and politicians say, men, don't tend to see family duties as a barrier to entering politics. "If a woman is a full-time housewife and her husband runs for office, she can take care of the home," CDPJ leader Yukio Edano told Reuters. "Unfortunately, the burden of child-rearing is heavier for women so the cost of running is bigger." Isogai, who lost her bid for Niigata's prefectural assembly and is supporting Uchikoshi, said she often felt guilty for leaving her teenage daughters to the campaign. "When I saw them with a button missing, I felt sorry," said Isogai, who moved to Niigata from Fukushima after the March 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Her husband, often away for work, wasn't used to household chores, she said. "When it comes to campaigning, it is overwhelmingly easier for men," she said. Proponents say more female lawmakers would help Japan focus on key policies such as child care, education, and welfare. "I'm a working mother myself and the issues of child care and elderly care are very personal," Uchikoshi said. "To prioritise such issues, we need more women legislators."

Japanese women are running for parliament in record numbers, but face many obstacles

Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Tuesday it was "regrettable" that the South Korean government had made what he said was an erroneous explanation after the two sides sat down for a working-level meeting over Japan's export controls.

The feud between the two deepened over the weekend when they contested accounts of a frosty meeting last week on the dispute, which could threaten global supplies of microchips and smartphone displays.

Tokyo lodged a protest against Seoul, saying it had broken an agreement on what the two sides would disclose from the Friday discussions on Japan's curbs of exports to Korea of some materials used to make high-tech equipment, a Japanese trade ministry official said at the weekend.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) also disputed a Korean official's statement that Seoul had asked Japan on Friday to withdraw the restrictions.

But a Korean trade ministry official shot back that Seoul had "clearly demanded Japan withdraw its trade restrictions at yesterday’s meeting, and there should be no disagreement over that matter with <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/more-acrimony-in-japan-south-korea-row-as-tokyo-lodges-protest-235529&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwipm7SR97jjAhVK-2EKHV0YAdcQFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ep2wU2z8egmK_dl6grAZj">Japan</a>."

He told Reuters the two sides had discussed what they would disclose but that there was no agreement.

At a regular briefing on Tuesday, Seko disputed that claim, saying the officials had spent about an hour towards the end of the five-hour meeting to discuss and agree on what to disclose to media.

Japan recently tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing what it has called "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/calls-for-boycott-of-japan-grow-in-south-korea-as-diplomatic-row-simmers-233755">South Korea</a>, as well as a lack of consultations about export controls.

But the dispute also appears to be rooted in a decades-old wartime disagreement. It comes amid deep frustration in Japan over what Tokyo sees as Seoul's failure to act in response to a South Korean court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate former forced labourers from the Second World War.

Seko repeated Japan's stance that its latest move - taken for reasons of national security - fell under the jurisdiction of individual countries and did not require checks from international bodies.

"The claim that (our latest steps) go against free trade ... is completely unfounded. If the topic is raised at the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) general council, we will firmly explain Japan's stance," Seko said.

Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Tuesday it was "regrettable" that the South Korean government had made what he said was an erroneous explanation after the two sides sat down for a working-level meeting over Japan's export controls.

Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Tuesday it was "regrettable" that the South Korean government had made what he said was an erroneous explanation after the two sides sat down for a working-level meeting over Japan's export controls. The feud between the two deepened over the weekend when they contested accounts of a frosty meeting last week on the dispute, which could threaten global supplies of microchips and smartphone displays. Tokyo lodged a protest against Seoul, saying it had broken an agreement on what the two sides would disclose from the Friday discussions on Japan's curbs of exports to Korea of some materials used to make high-tech equipment, a Japanese trade ministry official said at the weekend. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) also disputed a Korean official's statement that Seoul had asked Japan on Friday to withdraw the restrictions. But a Korean trade ministry official shot back that Seoul had "clearly demanded Japan withdraw its trade restrictions at yesterday’s meeting, and there should be no disagreement over that matter with Japan." He told Reuters the two sides had discussed what they would disclose but that there was no agreement. At a regular briefing on Tuesday, Seko disputed that claim, saying the officials had spent about an hour towards the end of the five-hour meeting to discuss and agree on what to disclose to media. Japan recently tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing what it has called "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, as well as a lack of consultations about export controls. But the dispute also appears to be rooted in a decades-old wartime disagreement. It comes amid deep frustration in Japan over what Tokyo sees as Seoul's failure to act in response to a South Korean court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate former forced labourers from the Second World War. Seko repeated Japan's stance that its latest move - taken for reasons of national security - fell under the jurisdiction of individual countries and did not require checks from international bodies. "The claim that (our latest steps) go against free trade ... is completely unfounded. If the topic is raised at the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) general council, we will firmly explain Japan's stance," Seko said.

Japan trade minister blasts South Korea for 'mistaken' explanation after bilateral meeting

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-pm-abes-coalition-on-track-to-win-majority-in-july-21-election-media-233479">Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition</a> is set to win a solid majority in an upper house election later this week, keeping alive his dream to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, a survey showed on Monday.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito together are on track to win as many as 83 seats, well over the 63 seats needed for a majority of the 124 seats to be contested on Sunday, the poll by the Nikkei business daily conducted late last week showed.&nbsp;

Similar polls taken by other media outlets, including the Kyodo news agency, showed support for the LDP had increased to 31.0 per cent of all respondents, up 2 percentage points from a similar poll last month. Support for Komeito was unchanged at 5.6 per cent.

Such a showing could enable the ruling bloc and other smaller parties including the Japan Innovation Party, which supports constitutional revisions, to maintain their "supermajority", or two-thirds of the vote.

&nbsp;Such a majority is needed to start the process of revising Japan's post-World War Two pacifist constitution.&nbsp;

Changing the constitution to enshrine the role of Japan's military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, has been a long-held goal for Abe, who has been prime minister and leader of the LDP since 2012.

Constitutional revisions require approval by two-thirds of both chambers of parliament and a majority in a public referendum.

Upper house elections are held every three years, with members` terms running for six years. The LDP won a landslide victory in 2013 but fared less well in 2016.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is set to win a solid majority in an upper house election later this week, keeping alive his dream to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, a survey showed on Monday.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is set to win a solid majority in an upper house election later this week, keeping alive his dream to revise Japan's pacifist constitution, a survey showed on Monday. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito together are on track to win as many as 83 seats, well over the 63 seats needed for a majority of the 124 seats to be contested on Sunday, the poll by the Nikkei business daily conducted late last week showed. Similar polls taken by other media outlets, including the Kyodo news agency, showed support for the LDP had increased to 31.0 per cent of all respondents, up 2 percentage points from a similar poll last month. Support for Komeito was unchanged at 5.6 per cent. Such a showing could enable the ruling bloc and other smaller parties including the Japan Innovation Party, which supports constitutional revisions, to maintain their "supermajority", or two-thirds of the vote. Such a majority is needed to start the process of revising Japan's post-World War Two pacifist constitution. Changing the constitution to enshrine the role of Japan's military, known as the Self-Defense Forces, has been a long-held goal for Abe, who has been prime minister and leader of the LDP since 2012. Constitutional revisions require approval by two-thirds of both chambers of parliament and a majority in a public referendum. Upper house elections are held every three years, with members` terms running for six years. The LDP won a landslide victory in 2013 but fared less well in 2016.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc set for solid upper house win: Polls

Chandrayaan-2: A look at the past moon expeditions

A row between <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/calls-for-boycott-of-japan-grow-in-south-korea-as-diplomatic-row-simmers-233755&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjkh4bL67HjAhWQOnAKHdK0CDwQFjAHegQIBBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1rNFlubgai0uu1K36l6Dq6">Japan and South Korea</a> escalated on Saturday, with contested accounts of a frosty meeting the day before that had failed to make progress on a dispute that could threaten global supplies of microchips and smartphone displays.

Tokyo lodged a protest against Seoul, saying it had broken an agreement on what the two sides would disclose from the Friday discussions on Japan's curbs of exports to Korea of some materials used to make high-tech equipment, said Japanese trade ministry official Jun Iwamatsu.

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-restricts-chip-smartphone-materials-exports-to-south-korea-231877&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjl1rby67HjAhWGFYgKHYb8B_QQFjAAegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw29aGx03LnTm9o7nxEPuTA6">Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI)</a> also disputed a Korean official's statement that Seoul had asked Japan on Friday to withdraw the restrictions.

But a Korean trade ministry official shot back that Seoul had "clearly demanded Japan withdraw its trade restrictions at yesterday’s meeting, and there should be no disagreement over that matter with Japan."

He told Reuters the two sides had discussed what they would disclose but that there was no agreement.

"I am frustrated," said the Korean official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Japan recently tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing what it has called "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, as well as a lack of consultations about export controls.

But the dispute also appears to be rooted in a decades-old wartime disagreement. It comes amid deep frustration in Japan over what Tokyo sees as Seoul's failure to act in response to a South Korean court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate former forced labourers from the Second World War.

In the Friday talks, South Korean officials expressed regret over Japan's export restrictions and asked Tokyo to remove them, participant Han Cheol-hee, a trade ministry director, told reporters as he was leaving Japan on Saturday.

In response, Iwamatsu, director of METI's trade control policy division, told a hastily arranged news conference: "We've checked the record of the meeting ... We found no clear comment asking for the withdrawal."

Iwamatsu said the two sides had agreed on what they would disclose from the talks but that the Korean official went beyond the agreement.&nbsp;

"We believe this is something that affects our relationship of trust," he said.

One reason for the sensitivity over characterising the talks could be a Japanese fear that if Korea can assert that it used consultations and unsuccessfully sought to have Tokyo withdraw the curbs, Seoul could justify escalating the matter to the World Trade Organisation.

"The nature of the meeting is not a consultation, but an occasion where Japan gives an explanation after getting a request from the South Korean government," Iwamatsu said.

"Therefore we would like to correct expression from a South Korean official that the meeting can appropriately be described as consultation for problem-solving."

Friday's talks began with two negotiators from each side facing off in stony silence in a small meeting room, without greeting each other and with the Japanese officials not standing or bowing when their Korean counterparts entered.

A Japanese official later explained that the bureaucrats had earlier met and exchanged greetings. South Korean media, however, reported there was a "cold reception" for their officials, and that the meeting took place in a room that looked like a "garage".

A row between Japan and South Korea escalated on Saturday, with contested accounts of a frosty meeting the day before that had failed to make progress on a dispute that could threaten global supplies of microchips and smartphone displays.

A row between Japan and South Korea escalated on Saturday, with contested accounts of a frosty meeting the day before that had failed to make progress on a dispute that could threaten global supplies of microchips and smartphone displays. Tokyo lodged a protest against Seoul, saying it had broken an agreement on what the two sides would disclose from the Friday discussions on Japan's curbs of exports to Korea of some materials used to make high-tech equipment, said Japanese trade ministry official Jun Iwamatsu. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) also disputed a Korean official's statement that Seoul had asked Japan on Friday to withdraw the restrictions. But a Korean trade ministry official shot back that Seoul had "clearly demanded Japan withdraw its trade restrictions at yesterday’s meeting, and there should be no disagreement over that matter with Japan." He told Reuters the two sides had discussed what they would disclose but that there was no agreement. "I am frustrated," said the Korean official, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. Japan recently tightened restrictions on the export of three materials used in high-tech equipment, citing what it has called "inadequate management" of sensitive items exported to South Korea, as well as a lack of consultations about export controls. But the dispute also appears to be rooted in a decades-old wartime disagreement. It comes amid deep frustration in Japan over what Tokyo sees as Seoul's failure to act in response to a South Korean court ruling ordering a Japanese company to compensate former forced labourers from the Second World War. In the Friday talks, South Korean officials expressed regret over Japan's export restrictions and asked Tokyo to remove them, participant Han Cheol-hee, a trade ministry director, told reporters as he was leaving Japan on Saturday. In response, Iwamatsu, director of METI's trade control policy division, told a hastily arranged news conference: "We've checked the record of the meeting ... We found no clear comment asking for the withdrawal." Iwamatsu said the two sides had agreed on what they would disclose from the talks but that the Korean official went beyond the agreement. "We believe this is something that affects our relationship of trust," he said. One reason for the sensitivity over characterising the talks could be a Japanese fear that if Korea can assert that it used consultations and unsuccessfully sought to have Tokyo withdraw the curbs, Seoul could justify escalating the matter to the World Trade Organisation. "The nature of the meeting is not a consultation, but an occasion where Japan gives an explanation after getting a request from the South Korean government," Iwamatsu said. "Therefore we would like to correct expression from a South Korean official that the meeting can appropriately be described as consultation for problem-solving." Friday's talks began with two negotiators from each side facing off in stony silence in a small meeting room, without greeting each other and with the Japanese officials not standing or bowing when their Korean counterparts entered. A Japanese official later explained that the bureaucrats had earlier met and exchanged greetings. South Korean media, however, reported there was a "cold reception" for their officials, and that the meeting took place in a room that looked like a "garage".

More acrimony in Japan-South Korea row as Tokyo lodges protest

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/neymar-wants-barcelona-return-says-clubs-vice-president-230937&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj7-duegq_jAhUIWCsKHWA4AUkQFjABegQIEBAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw15e2GHqJESvRzv616C0QdF">Barcelona </a>have agreed a deal to sign emerging Japanese talent Hiroki Abe from Kashima Antlers, the J-League club said on Friday.

The 20-year-old attacker, named the league's best young player of 2018, was set to undergo a medical with the Spanish side and would join up with their 'B' side.

Financial details were not released but earlier reports said Barca would pay around $2.25 million&nbsp;for Abe, who made his senior international debut at the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/copa-america-koji-miyoshi-shines-japan-plays-2-2-draw-against-uruguay-229170&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjVg4qpgq_jAhXbad4KHelTCxYQFjAAegQIAxAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0lMGxWeUqY2tZIy176eb0w">Copa America</a> and appeared in all three of their matches.

"It was a difficult decision to leave (Kashima) mid-season, but I chose to make the move because I absolutely want to take on this new challenge at Barcelona," Kyodo news agency quoted Abe as saying in a statement.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign emerging Japanese talent Hiroki Abe from Kashima Antlers, the J-League club said on Friday. The 20-year-old attacker, named the league's best young player of 2018, was set to undergo a medical with the Spanish side and would join up with their 'B' side.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign emerging Japanese talent Hiroki Abe from Kashima Antlers, the J-League club said on Friday. The 20-year-old attacker, named the league's best young player of 2018, was set to undergo a medical with the Spanish side and would join up with their 'B' side. Financial details were not released but earlier reports said Barca would pay around $2.25 million for Abe, who made his senior international debut at the Copa America and appeared in all three of their matches. "It was a difficult decision to leave (Kashima) mid-season, but I chose to make the move because I absolutely want to take on this new challenge at Barcelona," Kyodo news agency quoted Abe as saying in a statement.

Barcelona agree deal to sign Japan's Abe

Rebalancing is the new mantra of statecraft and reset is the new form of global rapprochement. 
 
Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for as many as 20 meetings, including nine bilaterals and eight pull-aside engagements, with his global counterparts. On the sidelines of the G20 summit at Osaka, Japan, were varied groupings: Russia-India-China, Japan-US-India and Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa. It offered, once again, good optics for the creation of a multilateral system of partnerships with various countries and international organisations.

All great powers realise that the era of super-power domination is over, and with the emergence of new power centres like China, India and Japan, new rules of the game and new terms of engagement need to be chalked out. Forums like G20 are critical for constructing a multi-polar and democratic order, which would guarantee each country — large or small — peace, security, justice and development in order to address challenges like climate change, corruption, pollution, terrorism, technology sharing and data flow management, among others.

In the wake of the financial woes of the West and its increasingly protectionist tendencies of late — Brexit in the UK and the triumphalism of Donald Trump — one can notice a common trend that arises out of part distrust and part national interest. No more prominent example of global rebalancing may be cited than China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) against the backdrop of the US’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ that Beijing intuitively believes to be especially devised to contain its rise.

How is the rebalancing working out? US allies in Asia, connected to and militarily aligned with the pivot, are absolutely okay with engaging economically with China, a phenomenon that seeks to strike a balance between the regional and global geo-economic and geostrategic priorities. The hegemonic struggle between the US and China to stake control over Asia and the world notwithstanding, nations are trying hard to hold on to their values and diplomats are honing their skills on economic statecraft.

Is rebalancing, then, the other name of strategic promiscuity? In a way, it is. Because being close to another country does not necessarily mean hostilities against a third country. Rebalancing, therefore, is more akin to focusing on areas of respective and mutual convergence. That’s where it syncs with national interest. While the reasons for US foreign policy to focus on Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey is ascribed to their fluid and open approach to the international order than those of China or Russia, the real factor could be to reduce China’s global clout by fostering partnerships with existing and rising great powers.

Russia, in turn, has been trying to counterbalance the USA’s global leadership by cooperating with China on issues relating to state sovereignty, strengthening the UN Security Council, and pitching for a multi-polar world order wherein no single state assumes a paramount position vis-à-vis the others in world affairs. Despite paeans sung on the merits of multilateralism, it is natural that a leader in power would pursue policy based on his/her perception of national interest. 
 
Napoleon justified his campaign against Russia, and later his act to launch the desperate battle at Waterloo, on the plea that he was acting in the interest of France; Hitler was said to be acting in Germany’s national interest on grounds of which he justified his expansionist policies, including annexation of Austria and the breakup of Czechoslovakia (1938). British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain justified his act of currying favour with Hitler and Mussolini on the pretext that such appeasement was in Britain’s national interest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently justified demonetisation as a move taken in “national interest” and not for “political gains”, arguing that it was a step to fight black money.

It is par for the course, then, that during a recent extensive bilateral meeting in New Delhi, India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar reconfirmed to his American counterpart, Mike Pompeo, about the Indian imperative to act in its national interest and nurture the time-tested, history-honoured relationships with many countries, including Russia and Iran. India is also engaging more actively with Japan, while taking care not to antagonise China, which is another deft exercise of rebalancing. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-rebalancing-is-trademark-in-a-multi-polar-diplomatic-world-2770634">original article)</a>

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Rebalancing is the new mantra of statecraft and reset is the new form of global rapprochement. Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for as many as 20 meetings, including nine bilaterals and eight pull-aside engagements, with his global counterparts.

Rebalancing is the new mantra of statecraft and reset is the new form of global rapprochement. Therefore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched for as many as 20 meetings, including nine bilaterals and eight pull-aside engagements, with his global counterparts. On the sidelines of the G20 summit at Osaka, Japan, were varied groupings: Russia-India-China, Japan-US-India and Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa. It offered, once again, good optics for the creation of a multilateral system of partnerships with various countries and international organisations. All great powers realise that the era of super-power domination is over, and with the emergence of new power centres like China, India and Japan, new rules of the game and new terms of engagement need to be chalked out. Forums like G20 are critical for constructing a multi-polar and democratic order, which would guarantee each country — large or small — peace, security, justice and development in order to address challenges like climate change, corruption, pollution, terrorism, technology sharing and data flow management, among others. In the wake of the financial woes of the West and its increasingly protectionist tendencies of late — Brexit in the UK and the triumphalism of Donald Trump — one can notice a common trend that arises out of part distrust and part national interest. No more prominent example of global rebalancing may be cited than China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) against the backdrop of the US’s ‘Pivot to Asia’ that Beijing intuitively believes to be especially devised to contain its rise. How is the rebalancing working out? US allies in Asia, connected to and militarily aligned with the pivot, are absolutely okay with engaging economically with China, a phenomenon that seeks to strike a balance between the regional and global geo-economic and geostrategic priorities. The hegemonic struggle between the US and China to stake control over Asia and the world notwithstanding, nations are trying hard to hold on to their values and diplomats are honing their skills on economic statecraft. Is rebalancing, then, the other name of strategic promiscuity? In a way, it is. Because being close to another country does not necessarily mean hostilities against a third country. Rebalancing, therefore, is more akin to focusing on areas of respective and mutual convergence. That’s where it syncs with national interest. While the reasons for US foreign policy to focus on Brazil, India, Indonesia and Turkey is ascribed to their fluid and open approach to the international order than those of China or Russia, the real factor could be to reduce China’s global clout by fostering partnerships with existing and rising great powers. Russia, in turn, has been trying to counterbalance the USA’s global leadership by cooperating with China on issues relating to state sovereignty, strengthening the UN Security Council, and pitching for a multi-polar world order wherein no single state assumes a paramount position vis-à-vis the others in world affairs. Despite paeans sung on the merits of multilateralism, it is natural that a leader in power would pursue policy based on his/her perception of national interest. Napoleon justified his campaign against Russia, and later his act to launch the desperate battle at Waterloo, on the plea that he was acting in the interest of France; Hitler was said to be acting in Germany’s national interest on grounds of which he justified his expansionist policies, including annexation of Austria and the breakup of Czechoslovakia (1938). British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain justified his act of currying favour with Hitler and Mussolini on the pretext that such appeasement was in Britain’s national interest. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently justified demonetisation as a move taken in “national interest” and not for “political gains”, arguing that it was a step to fight black money. It is par for the course, then, that during a recent extensive bilateral meeting in New Delhi, India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar reconfirmed to his American counterpart, Mike Pompeo, about the Indian imperative to act in its national interest and nurture the time-tested, history-honoured relationships with many countries, including Russia and Iran. India is also engaging more actively with Japan, while taking care not to antagonise China, which is another deft exercise of rebalancing. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Rebalancing is trademark in a multi-polar diplomatic world

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully Thursday on a distant <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-spacecraft-hayabusa2-lands-on-ryugu-asteroid-takes-samples-198878">asteroid for a final touchdown</a>, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.

"The touchdown is successful," spokesman Takayuki Tomobe from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The successful touchdown was greeted with cheering and applause in the JAXA mission control room, with officials grinning and shaking hands.

JAXA officials said earlier that the probe appeared to have landed successfully, but confirmation came only after Hayabusa2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room.

"All of us are relieved to see that the probe has resumed sending data from its antenna, which can send a large amount of data to us," Tomobe said.

"This means that the probe is not in a serious condition," he added.

The brief landing Thursday is the second time Hayabusa2 has touched down on the desolate asteroid Ryugu, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth.

The complex multi-year mission has also involved sending rovers and robots down to the surface.

Thursday's touchdown was intended to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.

To get at those crucial materials, in April an "impactor" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.

Hayabusa2's first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position.

The second touchdown required special preparations because any problems could mean the probe would lose the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.

A photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2's camera after the April blast showed that parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with materials that are "obviously different" from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters before the latest touchdown.

The probe was expected to land briefing in an area some 20 metres away from the centre of the crater to collect the unidentified materials believed to be "ejecta" from the blast.

"It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater," Tsuda said.

The touchdown is the last major part of Hayabusa2's mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.

"I'm really looking forward to analysing these materials," Yoshikawa said.

The Hayabusa2 mission has attracted international attention, with Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May sending a video to the probe's team ahead of the landing.

"The world is watching. We love you, take care Hayabusa2," the musician told the team.

At about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to JAXA's first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa -&nbsp;Japanese for falcon.

That probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey and was hailed as a scientific triumph.

Hayabusa2's photos of Ryugu, which means "Dragon Palace" in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders.

The Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014, and has a price tag of around $270 million.&nbsp;

It has already made history, including with the creation of the crater on Ryugu's surface.

In 2005, NASA's Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet but only for observation purposes.

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully Thursday on a distant asteroid for a final touchdown, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully Thursday on a distant asteroid for a final touchdown, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system. "The touchdown is successful," spokesman Takayuki Tomobe from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The successful touchdown was greeted with cheering and applause in the JAXA mission control room, with officials grinning and shaking hands. JAXA officials said earlier that the probe appeared to have landed successfully, but confirmation came only after Hayabusa2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room. "All of us are relieved to see that the probe has resumed sending data from its antenna, which can send a large amount of data to us," Tomobe said. "This means that the probe is not in a serious condition," he added. The brief landing Thursday is the second time Hayabusa2 has touched down on the desolate asteroid Ryugu, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth. The complex multi-year mission has also involved sending rovers and robots down to the surface. Thursday's touchdown was intended to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago. To get at those crucial materials, in April an "impactor" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere. Hayabusa2's first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position. The second touchdown required special preparations because any problems could mean the probe would lose the precious materials already gathered during its first landing. A photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2's camera after the April blast showed that parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with materials that are "obviously different" from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters before the latest touchdown. The probe was expected to land briefing in an area some 20 metres away from the centre of the crater to collect the unidentified materials believed to be "ejecta" from the blast. "It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater," Tsuda said. The touchdown is the last major part of Hayabusa2's mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples. "I'm really looking forward to analysing these materials," Yoshikawa said. The Hayabusa2 mission has attracted international attention, with Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May sending a video to the probe's team ahead of the landing. "The world is watching. We love you, take care Hayabusa2," the musician told the team. At about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to JAXA's first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa - Japanese for falcon. That probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey and was hailed as a scientific triumph. Hayabusa2's photos of Ryugu, which means "Dragon Palace" in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders. The Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014, and has a price tag of around $270 million. It has already made history, including with the creation of the crater on Ryugu's surface. In 2005, NASA's Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet but only for observation purposes.

Japan's Hayabusa2 probe lands successfully on asteroid

On June 22, 1944, in the middle of the historic Normandy campaign when the allies were fighting the Germans on a French beach, Indian troops fighting for the British Commonwealth handed Japan their biggest defeat until then in the twin battles of Imphal &amp; Kohima in World War II.

Indian and British troops had linked up from Kohima and Imphal at Milestone 109 on June 22, 1944, ending the siege of Imphal and with it bringing to an end the limit of Japanese expansionist ambitions in Asia.

The historic day should legitimately be christened as "India’s D-Day"&nbsp;as Indian troops fighting under the British flag were able to stop the spread of fascism in Asia on its track.&nbsp;

A Japanese victory at Imphal would have opened the gateway to India for Imperial Army General Mutaguchi with disastrous consequences for India which had until then fallen to several foreign invasions.&nbsp;

The allied victory at Kohima and Imphal achieved as part of the larger Burma campaign in 1944 brought Lord Mountbatten into the limelight and a little known soldier Sam Manekshaw who later became India’s only field Marshal and architect of India’s 1971 victory over Pakistan.

Both Mountbatten and Manekshaw moulded in fire during the Burma campaign in 1944 left an indelible mark on the Indian subcontinent. 
 
Watch Video:

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Although&nbsp;India’s biggest moment of glory in World War II lost out to America’s "Mount Suribachi" moment at Iwo Jima when US Marines raised the star-spangled US flag on the island in 1945, it nevertheless became a historian's "go to handbook"&nbsp;on military tactics.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

India may have lost the battle of images but the nation still remembers.

The battle was British India’s finest moment with Indian and British troops fighting shoulder to shoulder on land and in the air to thwart the Axis power which had already ravaged Europe and had engulfed most of Asia.&nbsp;

India stood as the beacon of freedom against brutal Japanese oppression even as several Asian countries from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea among others falling&nbsp;prey to unbelievable horror by the Japanese Imperial Army.

The victory over&nbsp;the Japanese at Kohima and Imphal, however, came a heavy cost with the Commonwealth losing over 12,000 troops mostly Indian soldiers and the Japanese suffering over 50,000 casualties.

The war cemetery with over 1,500 graves at Imphal and Kohima bares testimony to the supreme sacrifice made by the allies. The campaign spearheaded by the Gurkhas and several Indian divisions comprising of "unknown soldiers" turned the tide of the war in Asia leading to the final destruction of Japan's imperialist ambitions in Asia.

It was a battle new India should never forget, ever. 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On June 22, 1944, in the middle of the historic Normandy campaign when the allies were fighting the Germans on a French beach, Indian troops fighting for the British Commonwealth handed Japan their biggest defeat until then in the twin battles of Imphal & Kohima in World War II.

On June 22, 1944, in the middle of the historic Normandy campaign when the allies were fighting the Germans on a French beach, Indian troops fighting for the British Commonwealth handed Japan their biggest defeat until then in the twin battles of Imphal & Kohima in World War II. Indian and British troops had linked up from Kohima and Imphal at Milestone 109 on June 22, 1944, ending the siege of Imphal and with it bringing to an end the limit of Japanese expansionist ambitions in Asia. The historic day should legitimately be christened as "India’s D-Day" as Indian troops fighting under the British flag were able to stop the spread of fascism in Asia on its track. A Japanese victory at Imphal would have opened the gateway to India for Imperial Army General Mutaguchi with disastrous consequences for India which had until then fallen to several foreign invasions. The allied victory at Kohima and Imphal achieved as part of the larger Burma campaign in 1944 brought Lord Mountbatten into the limelight and a little known soldier Sam Manekshaw who later became India’s only field Marshal and architect of India’s 1971 victory over Pakistan. Both Mountbatten and Manekshaw moulded in fire during the Burma campaign in 1944 left an indelible mark on the Indian subcontinent. Watch Video: × Although India’s biggest moment of glory in World War II lost out to America’s "Mount Suribachi" moment at Iwo Jima when US Marines raised the star-spangled US flag on the island in 1945, it nevertheless became a historian's "go to handbook" on military tactics. India may have lost the battle of images but the nation still remembers. The battle was British India’s finest moment with Indian and British troops fighting shoulder to shoulder on land and in the air to thwart the Axis power which had already ravaged Europe and had engulfed most of Asia. India stood as the beacon of freedom against brutal Japanese oppression even as several Asian countries from Singapore, Hong Kong, South Korea among others falling prey to unbelievable horror by the Japanese Imperial Army. The victory over the Japanese at Kohima and Imphal, however, came a heavy cost with the Commonwealth losing over 12,000 troops mostly Indian soldiers and the Japanese suffering over 50,000 casualties. The war cemetery with over 1,500 graves at Imphal and Kohima bares testimony to the supreme sacrifice made by the allies. The campaign spearheaded by the Gurkhas and several Indian divisions comprising of "unknown soldiers" turned the tide of the war in Asia leading to the final destruction of Japan's imperialist ambitions in Asia. It was a battle new India should never forget, ever. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Battle of Imphal & Kohima: India’s D-Day revisited

People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show,&nbsp;splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water.

In Kushiro, just 160 kilometres south of Rausu, where the four dozen people laughed and cheered, boats were setting off on Japan's first commercial whale hunt in 31 years.

Killed that day were two minke whales, which the boats in Rausu also search for glimpses of - a situation that whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa confessed had him worried.&nbsp;

"They won't come into this area - it's a national park - or there'd be big trouble," the 57-year-old former pollock fisherman said. "And the whales we saw today, the sperm whales and orcas, aren't things they hunt."&nbsp;

"But we also watch minkes," he added. "If they take a lot in the (nearby) Sea of Okhotsk, we could well see a change, and that would be too bad for whale watching."

Whale-watching is a growing business around Japan, with popular spots from the southern Okinawa islands up to Rausu, a fishing village on the island of Hokkaido, so far north that it's closer to Russia than to Tokyo.

The number of whale watchers around <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-decades-japan-resumes-commercial-whaling-amid-protests-231866">Japan</a> has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, the latest year for which national data is available. One company in Okinawa had 18,000 customers between January and March this year.

In Rausu, 33,451 people packed tour boats last year for whale and bird watching, up 2,000 from 2017 and more than 9,000 higher than 2016. Many stays in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and buy local products such as sea urchins and seaweed.

"Of the tourist boat business, 65 per cent is whale watching," said Ikuyo Wakabayashi, executive director of the Shiretoko Rausu Tourism Association, who says the numbers grow substantially each year.

"You don't just see one type of whale here, you see lots of them," she said. "Whale-watching is a huge tourist resource for Rausu and this will continue, I hope."

Wakabayashi was drawn to Rausu by whale-watching; a native of the western city of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-summit-officially-opens-in-japans-osaka-with-trade-tensions-looming-231047">Osaka</a>, she fell in love with the area after three trips there to see orcas.

"I thought this was an incredible place," she said. "Winters are tough, but it's so beautiful."

Hasegawa, who says he has a waiting list of customers in high season, has ordered a second boat.

"Right now, the lifestyle we have is good," Hasegawa said. "Better than it would have been with fishing."

Small Industry

The five whaling vessels moored at Kushiro port on Sunday, the night before the hunt resumed, were well-used and well-maintained. Crew members came and went, carrying groceries or towels, heading for a public bath.

Barely 300 people are directly involved with whaling around Japan, and though the government maintains whale meat is an important part of food culture, the amount consumed annually has fallen to only 0.1 per cent of total meat consumption.

Yet Japan, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - himself from a whaling district - left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and returned to commercial whaling on July 1.

Whaling advocates, such as Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association, celebrated the hunt.

"We endured for 31 years, but now it's all worth it," he said in Kushiro on Monday night after the first minkes were brought in to be butchered. "They'll be whaling for a week here, we may have more."

Everybody acknowledges that rebuilding demand could be tough after decades of a whale being a pricey, hard-to-find food. Consumption was widespread after World War Two, when an impoverished Japan needed cheap protein, but fell off after the early 1960s as other meat grew cheaper.

"Japan has so much to eat now that food is thrown out, so we don't expect demand for whale will rise that fast," said Kazuo Yamamura, president of the Japan Whaling Association.

"But looking to the future, if you don't eat whale, you forget that it's a food," he said. "If you eat it in school lunches, you'll remember that you'll remember that it's good."

Pro-whaling lawmaker Kiyoshi Ejima said that subsidies were unlikely, but that the government should be careful not to let the industry founder. About 5.1 billion yen ($47.31 million) was budgeted for whaling in 2019.

"If we pull away from our hands too soon, a lot of companies will fail," he added.

The goal of selling whale throughout Japan may be impractical, said Joji Morishita, Japan's former IWC commissioner.

"The alternative ... is to just limit the supply of whale meat to some of the major places in Japan that have a good tradition of whale eating," Morishita said, adding that the meat is difficult to thaw and cook.

In areas for which whaling is a tradition, this niche market could promote tourism, which Abe has made a pillar of his economic plan.

"Whale eating in a sense is ideal - it's different, it's well-known, and for better or worse, it's very famous," Morishita said. "Taking advantage of this IWC withdrawal, I think there are business changes that are viable."

Whales Up Close

For Rausu, on Hokkaido's remote Shiretoko Peninsula, the viable business is whale watching.

Foxes run through the streets of the city's downtown, which clings to a narrow strip of land below mountains and faces the Nemuro Strait. Summer often brings thick fog, while winter storms can leave waist-high drifts.

Though fishing was long Rausu's economic backbone, the industry has taken a hit from declining fish stocks, which locals blame on Russian trawlers and falling prices. The population has dropped by several hundred annually, slipping below 5,000 this year.

Hasegawa, a fourth-generation fisherman, began his tour boat business in 2006. Though the first few years were a struggle, he is now happy with his choice as Rausu's reputation grows globally.

On a recent weekday, customers packed the parking lot at a wharf lined with squid-fishing boats, waiting to board Hasegawa's boat and those of three other companies. Hasegawa's customers came from all over Japan and several foreign countries.

"Today there were more (whale) jumps than usual; it was fantastic," said Kiyoko Ogi, a 47-year-old Tokyo bus driver who's been whale-watching in Rausu three times. "I'm opposed to commercial whaling; seeing whales close is so exciting."

Whale hunting was never big in Rausu, and though Hasegawa said there once was "trouble" with people hunting small Baird's beaked whales nearby, those fishermen now stay far from the tours and will tell him where to find orcas and sperm whales.

But he's dubious about whether demand for whale meat will ever pick up. Restaurants and hotels in Rausu avoid serving it.

"We get a lot of kids in summer vacations. If you tell them on the boat that 'this is the whale we ate last night,' they'd cry," he said.

"If they serve whale, nobody from overseas will come, especially Europeans," he added. "Given that the national government is trying to woo overseas tourists so much, its thinking (on whaling) seems a bit wrong."

People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show, splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water.

People packed the decks of the Japanese whale-watching boat, screaming in joy as a pod of orcas put on a show, splashing tails at each other, rolling over, and leaping out of the water. In Kushiro, just 160 kilometres south of Rausu, where the four dozen people laughed and cheered, boats were setting off on Japan's first commercial whale hunt in 31 years. Killed that day were two minke whales, which the boats in Rausu also search for glimpses of - a situation that whale-watching boat captain Masato Hasegawa confessed had him worried. "They won't come into this area - it's a national park - or there'd be big trouble," the 57-year-old former pollock fisherman said. "And the whales we saw today, the sperm whales and orcas, aren't things they hunt." "But we also watch minkes," he added. "If they take a lot in the (nearby) Sea of Okhotsk, we could well see a change, and that would be too bad for whale watching." Whale-watching is a growing business around Japan, with popular spots from the southern Okinawa islands up to Rausu, a fishing village on the island of Hokkaido, so far north that it's closer to Russia than to Tokyo. The number of whale watchers around Japan has more than doubled between 1998 and 2015, the latest year for which national data is available. One company in Okinawa had 18,000 customers between January and March this year. In Rausu, 33,451 people packed tour boats last year for whale and bird watching, up 2,000 from 2017 and more than 9,000 higher than 2016. Many stays in local hotels, eat in local restaurants and buy local products such as sea urchins and seaweed. "Of the tourist boat business, 65 per cent is whale watching," said Ikuyo Wakabayashi, executive director of the Shiretoko Rausu Tourism Association, who says the numbers grow substantially each year. "You don't just see one type of whale here, you see lots of them," she said. "Whale-watching is a huge tourist resource for Rausu and this will continue, I hope." Wakabayashi was drawn to Rausu by whale-watching; a native of the western city of Osaka, she fell in love with the area after three trips there to see orcas. "I thought this was an incredible place," she said. "Winters are tough, but it's so beautiful." Hasegawa, who says he has a waiting list of customers in high season, has ordered a second boat. "Right now, the lifestyle we have is good," Hasegawa said. "Better than it would have been with fishing." Small Industry The five whaling vessels moored at Kushiro port on Sunday, the night before the hunt resumed, were well-used and well-maintained. Crew members came and went, carrying groceries or towels, heading for a public bath. Barely 300 people are directly involved with whaling around Japan, and though the government maintains whale meat is an important part of food culture, the amount consumed annually has fallen to only 0.1 per cent of total meat consumption. Yet Japan, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe - himself from a whaling district - left the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and returned to commercial whaling on July 1. Whaling advocates, such as Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association, celebrated the hunt. "We endured for 31 years, but now it's all worth it," he said in Kushiro on Monday night after the first minkes were brought in to be butchered. "They'll be whaling for a week here, we may have more." Everybody acknowledges that rebuilding demand could be tough after decades of a whale being a pricey, hard-to-find food. Consumption was widespread after World War Two, when an impoverished Japan needed cheap protein, but fell off after the early 1960s as other meat grew cheaper. "Japan has so much to eat now that food is thrown out, so we don't expect demand for whale will rise that fast," said Kazuo Yamamura, president of the Japan Whaling Association. "But looking to the future, if you don't eat whale, you forget that it's a food," he said. "If you eat it in school lunches, you'll remember that you'll remember that it's good." Pro-whaling lawmaker Kiyoshi Ejima said that subsidies were unlikely, but that the government should be careful not to let the industry founder. About 5.1 billion yen ($47.31 million) was budgeted for whaling in 2019. "If we pull away from our hands too soon, a lot of companies will fail," he added. The goal of selling whale throughout Japan may be impractical, said Joji Morishita, Japan's former IWC commissioner. "The alternative ... is to just limit the supply of whale meat to some of the major places in Japan that have a good tradition of whale eating," Morishita said, adding that the meat is difficult to thaw and cook. In areas for which whaling is a tradition, this niche market could promote tourism, which Abe has made a pillar of his economic plan. "Whale eating in a sense is ideal - it's different, it's well-known, and for better or worse, it's very famous," Morishita said. "Taking advantage of this IWC withdrawal, I think there are business changes that are viable." Whales Up Close For Rausu, on Hokkaido's remote Shiretoko Peninsula, the viable business is whale watching. Foxes run through the streets of the city's downtown, which clings to a narrow strip of land below mountains and faces the Nemuro Strait. Summer often brings thick fog, while winter storms can leave waist-high drifts. Though fishing was long Rausu's economic backbone, the industry has taken a hit from declining fish stocks, which locals blame on Russian trawlers and falling prices. The population has dropped by several hundred annually, slipping below 5,000 this year. Hasegawa, a fourth-generation fisherman, began his tour boat business in 2006. Though the first few years were a struggle, he is now happy with his choice as Rausu's reputation grows globally. On a recent weekday, customers packed the parking lot at a wharf lined with squid-fishing boats, waiting to board Hasegawa's boat and those of three other companies. Hasegawa's customers came from all over Japan and several foreign countries. "Today there were more (whale) jumps than usual; it was fantastic," said Kiyoko Ogi, a 47-year-old Tokyo bus driver who's been whale-watching in Rausu three times. "I'm opposed to commercial whaling; seeing whales close is so exciting." Whale hunting was never big in Rausu, and though Hasegawa said there once was "trouble" with people hunting small Baird's beaked whales nearby, those fishermen now stay far from the tours and will tell him where to find orcas and sperm whales. But he's dubious about whether demand for whale meat will ever pick up. Restaurants and hotels in Rausu avoid serving it. "We get a lot of kids in summer vacations. If you tell them on the boat that 'this is the whale we ate last night,' they'd cry," he said. "If they serve whale, nobody from overseas will come, especially Europeans," he added. "Given that the national government is trying to woo overseas tourists so much, its thinking (on whaling) seems a bit wrong."

In Japan, the business of watching whales overshadows resumption of hunt

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-us-agree-to-restart-trade-talks-at-xi-trump-meeting-report-231374">United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks</a> this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.

After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Japan just in late June, US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-summit-donald-trump-confirms-wont-impose-new-tariffs-on-china-231445">Donald Trump agreed to suspend a new round of tariffs</a> on $300 billion worth of imported Chinese consumer goods while the two sides resumed negotiations.

Trump said then that China would restart large purchases of US agricultural commodities, and the United States would ease some export restrictions on Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies.

But sources familiar with the talks and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-prices-drop-as-trade-tensions-stoke-economy-worries-234147">China trade</a> watchers in Washington say the summit did little to clear the path for top negotiators to resolve an impasse that caused trade deal talks to break down in early May.

A US official said last week the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-trade-officials-aim-to-talk-next-week-officials-233488">discussions were expected to resume with a phone call</a> between US <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oil-prices-drop-as-trade-tensions-stoke-economy-worries-234147">Trade </a>Representative Robert Lighthizer, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

A USTR spokesman said the call was expected this week, but gave no further details.

The United States is demanding that China make sweeping policy changes to better protect American intellectual property, end the forced transfer and theft of trade secrets and curb massive state industrial subsidies. At stake, US officials say, is the dominance of the high-tech industries of the future, from artificial intelligence to aerospace.

"We've had a change in atmospherics," said Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a business-oriented Washington think tank. "While this is great for markets, the administration has not said one specific thing about how we're unstuck."

Scissors, who has at times consulted with Trump administration officials, said that both sides got what they wanted out of the summit -- a lowering of the temperature and the avoidance of new tariffs that would have been painful for both sides.

Watch: US-China trade friction hurting world economic chain: Chinese scholars

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"The pressure for one side to give in to the other is diffused right now. I expect this to drag out for months," Scissors added.

No firm commitments

Washington and Beijing appear to have different ideas of what the two leaders agreed in Osaka.

Three sources familiar with the state of negotiations say that the Chinese side did not make firm commitments to immediately purchase agricultural commodities.

In pics: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/why-china-is-afraid-of-us-abrams-tanks-to-be-delivered-to-taiwan-234260">Why China is afraid of US Abrams tanks to be delivered to Taiwan</a>

One of the sources said Trump raised the issue of agricultural purchases twice during the meeting, but Xi only agreed to consider purchases in the context of a broader final agreement.

Other than a small purchase of American rice by a private Chinese firm, no purchases have materialized. Chinese officials and state media accounts in the past week have emphasized that any deal, including agricultural purchases, is dependent on the removal of US tariffs.

"The Chinese have been clear they didn't promise anything," said one source familiar with the talks.

"The idea they would give up their main leverage before getting anything doesn’t make sense. I could see them buying some pork and buying some soybeans, but it's still going to be pennies."

Trump administration officials have also downplayed the extent of pledges to allow Huawei to purchase US technology products, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro saying that only "lower-tech" US semiconductors could be made available for sale to the company. [nL2N243133].

Reuters reported last week that the Commerce Department's export control enforcement staff was told to continue to treat Huawei as a blacklisted entity as the department considers requests for licenses to US&nbsp;firms to sell products and services to Huawei [nL2N24402Y]

Chinese officials point out that they only got the United States to concede on Huawei at the Osaka talks, rather than on their other demand, which was removing the existing tariffs.

So the focus on the upcoming talks will be the scrapping on the tariffs, they say.

A second source said that US tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and Chinese tariffs on $160 billion worth of US goods could wind up being "the new normal."

One Chinese official familiar with the situation said that trade talks would be re-started very quickly, but that there was a "fairly large gap" in the core demands of both countries and it would be a challenge to reach consensus on the toughest issues.

"The negotiating environment is even more severe," the official said.

Another official said <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/sale-of-weapons-to-taiwan-violates-one-china-policy-cancel-it-immediately-china-to-us-234236">China remained concerned</a> about the presence of hawks in the US&nbsp;team, such as Trump advisor Peter Navarro.

"There are bullies there," the official said.

The officials spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

China's foreign ministry cited Xi as telling Trump at Osaka that "on issues concerning China's sovereignty and dignity, China must safeguard its core interests".

A senior Beijing-based Asia diplomat said there would be pressure on China's leadership not to give in to the United States and for any outcomes to seen as equal and balanced.

"A trade deal cannot be portrayed as a victory for the United States," the diplomat said, citing conversations with Chinese officials.

Which text?

There has been no indication the two sides will resume negotiations using a text that had been largely agreed before China backtracked on commitments in early May, prompting Trump to proceed with a long-threatened tariff hike to 25 per cent on a $200 billion list of Chinese imports.

Beijing had cut out of that text commitments to make changes to its laws reflecting reform pledges, arguing that this would violate its national sovereignty.

Lighthizer has insisted on legal changes to make it more likely that Chinese reform pledges will be carried out.

Finding a way around this issue is paramount for talks. Beyond that, there are many other difficult issues to resolve, including the structure of an enforcement mechanism designed to hold the two sides to their pledges.

US demands for curbs to provincial and local subsidies for Chinese state companies, access to China's cloud computing market, agricultural biotech approvals and the ultimate size of China's purchases of agricultural products are all divisive issues for the two sides.

Claire Reade, a former China trade negotiator at USTR who is now a Washington-based trade lawyer with the firm Arnold and Porter, said there was room on both sides to get a deal.

"It's a question of political will and there are ways to manoeuvre around the current red flags that have been put in the ground," Reade said. "Both President Xi and President Trump have to come out of this saying they stood strong, and they in-effect got a win."

One way for China to avoid the appearance of giving in to US demands is to take some legal steps on key issues before the deal is agreed. That way they can say they’re doing it on their terms, she added.

The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed.

The United States and China are set to relaunch trade talks this week after a two-month hiatus, but a year after their trade war began there is little sign their differences have narrowed. After meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Japan just in late June, US President Donald Trump agreed to suspend a new round of tariffs on $300 billion worth of imported Chinese consumer goods while the two sides resumed negotiations. Trump said then that China would restart large purchases of US agricultural commodities, and the United States would ease some export restrictions on Chinese telecom equipment giant Huawei Technologies. But sources familiar with the talks and China trade watchers in Washington say the summit did little to clear the path for top negotiators to resolve an impasse that caused trade deal talks to break down in early May. A US official said last week the discussions were expected to resume with a phone call between US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. A USTR spokesman said the call was expected this week, but gave no further details. The United States is demanding that China make sweeping policy changes to better protect American intellectual property, end the forced transfer and theft of trade secrets and curb massive state industrial subsidies. At stake, US officials say, is the dominance of the high-tech industries of the future, from artificial intelligence to aerospace. "We've had a change in atmospherics," said Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a business-oriented Washington think tank. "While this is great for markets, the administration has not said one specific thing about how we're unstuck." Scissors, who has at times consulted with Trump administration officials, said that both sides got what they wanted out of the summit -- a lowering of the temperature and the avoidance of new tariffs that would have been painful for both sides. Watch: US-China trade friction hurting world economic chain: Chinese scholars × "The pressure for one side to give in to the other is diffused right now. I expect this to drag out for months," Scissors added. No firm commitments Washington and Beijing appear to have different ideas of what the two leaders agreed in Osaka. Three sources familiar with the state of negotiations say that the Chinese side did not make firm commitments to immediately purchase agricultural commodities. In pics: Why China is afraid of US Abrams tanks to be delivered to Taiwan One of the sources said Trump raised the issue of agricultural purchases twice during the meeting, but Xi only agreed to consider purchases in the context of a broader final agreement. Other than a small purchase of American rice by a private Chinese firm, no purchases have materialized. Chinese officials and state media accounts in the past week have emphasized that any deal, including agricultural purchases, is dependent on the removal of US tariffs. "The Chinese have been clear they didn't promise anything," said one source familiar with the talks. "The idea they would give up their main leverage before getting anything doesn’t make sense. I could see them buying some pork and buying some soybeans, but it's still going to be pennies." Trump administration officials have also downplayed the extent of pledges to allow Huawei to purchase US technology products, with White House trade adviser Peter Navarro saying that only "lower-tech" US semiconductors could be made available for sale to the company. [nL2N243133]. Reuters reported last week that the Commerce Department's export control enforcement staff was told to continue to treat Huawei as a blacklisted entity as the department considers requests for licenses to US firms to sell products and services to Huawei [nL2N24402Y] Chinese officials point out that they only got the United States to concede on Huawei at the Osaka talks, rather than on their other demand, which was removing the existing tariffs. So the focus on the upcoming talks will be the scrapping on the tariffs, they say. A second source said that US tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and Chinese tariffs on $160 billion worth of US goods could wind up being "the new normal." One Chinese official familiar with the situation said that trade talks would be re-started very quickly, but that there was a "fairly large gap" in the core demands of both countries and it would be a challenge to reach consensus on the toughest issues. "The negotiating environment is even more severe," the official said. Another official said China remained concerned about the presence of hawks in the US team, such as Trump advisor Peter Navarro. "There are bullies there," the official said. The officials spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. China's foreign ministry cited Xi as telling Trump at Osaka that "on issues concerning China's sovereignty and dignity, China must safeguard its core interests". A senior Beijing-based Asia diplomat said there would be pressure on China's leadership not to give in to the United States and for any outcomes to seen as equal and balanced. "A trade deal cannot be portrayed as a victory for the United States," the diplomat said, citing conversations with Chinese officials. Which text? There has been no indication the two sides will resume negotiations using a text that had been largely agreed before China backtracked on commitments in early May, prompting Trump to proceed with a long-threatened tariff hike to 25 per cent on a $200 billion list of Chinese imports. Beijing had cut out of that text commitments to make changes to its laws reflecting reform pledges, arguing that this would violate its national sovereignty. Lighthizer has insisted on legal changes to make it more likely that Chinese reform pledges will be carried out. Finding a way around this issue is paramount for talks. Beyond that, there are many other difficult issues to resolve, including the structure of an enforcement mechanism designed to hold the two sides to their pledges. US demands for curbs to provincial and local subsidies for Chinese state companies, access to China's cloud computing market, agricultural biotech approvals and the ultimate size of China's purchases of agricultural products are all divisive issues for the two sides. Claire Reade, a former China trade negotiator at USTR who is now a Washington-based trade lawyer with the firm Arnold and Porter, said there was room on both sides to get a deal. "It's a question of political will and there are ways to manoeuvre around the current red flags that have been put in the ground," Reade said. "Both President Xi and President Trump have to come out of this saying they stood strong, and they in-effect got a win." One way for China to avoid the appearance of giving in to US demands is to take some legal steps on key issues before the deal is agreed. That way they can say they’re doing it on their terms, she added.

United States, China to relaunch talks with little changed since deal fell apart

Iran has said it increased Uranium enrichment. Japan concerned over Iran Nuclear Move and said to return immediately to commitment.

Return Immediately to commitment; Japan on Iran Nuclear move

Japan concerned over Iran Nuclear Move

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-prime-minister-shinzo-abe-offers-saudi-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-help-in-reducing-oil-dependency-231692">Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe</a>'s coalition is on track to win a solid majority in a July 21 upper house election, and his dream of revising the pacifist constitution could still be alive if enough allies also win, a survey showed on Saturday.

Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito are expected to win more than 63 seats, a majority of the 124 seats contested, the poll taken by the Kyodo news agency on Thursday and Friday showed. They could win as many as 77 seats, it said.

Other surveys, including those taken by the Asahi and Sankei newspapers, also showed Abe's coalition parties with a good chance of winning a majority of the seats up for re-election.

However, many voters are still undecided and the outcome could change.

Upper house elections are held every three years, with members' terms running for six years. The LDP won a landslide victory in 2013 but fared less well in 2016.

Reforms last year increased the number of seats in the upper house by three to 245.

Attention will also focus on whether the ruling bloc, along with the smaller Japan Innovation Party and independents, retains a two-thirds "super majority" needed to revise the post-war pacifist constitution, a long-held goal for Abe.

Abe is highlighting his call to revise the post-war constitution to further legitimise Japan's Self-Defense Forces, as its military is known.

Media reports said pro-revision forces needed to win 85 of the seats being contested to have a two-thirds majority.

A constitutional revision requires approval by two-thirds of both chambers of parliament and a majority in a public referendum.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coalition is on track to win a solid majority in a July 21 upper house election, and his dream of revising the pacifist constitution could still be alive if enough allies also win, a survey showed on Saturday.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's coalition is on track to win a solid majority in a July 21 upper house election, and his dream of revising the pacifist constitution could still be alive if enough allies also win, a survey showed on Saturday. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito are expected to win more than 63 seats, a majority of the 124 seats contested, the poll taken by the Kyodo news agency on Thursday and Friday showed. They could win as many as 77 seats, it said. Other surveys, including those taken by the Asahi and Sankei newspapers, also showed Abe's coalition parties with a good chance of winning a majority of the seats up for re-election. However, many voters are still undecided and the outcome could change. Upper house elections are held every three years, with members' terms running for six years. The LDP won a landslide victory in 2013 but fared less well in 2016. Reforms last year increased the number of seats in the upper house by three to 245. Attention will also focus on whether the ruling bloc, along with the smaller Japan Innovation Party and independents, retains a two-thirds "super majority" needed to revise the post-war pacifist constitution, a long-held goal for Abe. Abe is highlighting his call to revise the post-war constitution to further legitimise Japan's Self-Defense Forces, as its military is known. Media reports said pro-revision forces needed to win 85 of the seats being contested to have a two-thirds majority. A constitutional revision requires approval by two-thirds of both chambers of parliament and a majority in a public referendum.

Japan PM Abe's coalition on track to win majority in July 21 election: Media

Japan's ambassador to Colombia said on Thursday (July 04) that his country would provide approximately 4,500,000 dollars to two United Nations agencies to help deal with the influx of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia. Ambassador Keiichiro Morishita signed an agreement in Bogota on Thursday that would provide the funding to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Japan To Help Migrant Crisis In Colombia

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-hit-by-torrential-rains-orders-800000-to-evacuate-232715">Heavy rains in southern Japan</a> let up by Thursday, but authorities maintained evacuation orders for more than a million people, warning against the risk of more landslides, which have killed one person, with another missing.

Since Friday, some areas of the southernmost main island of Kyushu have received as much as 1,000 mm of rain or more than double the usual volume for all of July, public broadcaster NHK said.

As the rains shifted towards central and eastern Japan, NHK warned Kyushu residents not to rush home as the landslide danger persists. The Yomiuri daily newspaper said 11,353 people had flocked to evacuation centres.

The resident of a home razed in a landslide on Thursday morning, a woman in her 80s, could not be reached, NHK said. A woman in the prefecture of Kagoshima in southern Kyushu was killed this week in another landslide.

The government was criticised for its slow response last July when heavy rains in Kyushu triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 200 people in Japan's worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Heavy rains in southern Japan let up by Thursday, but authorities maintained evacuation orders for more than a million people, warning against the risk of more landslides, which have killed one person, with another missing.

Heavy rains in southern Japan let up by Thursday, but authorities maintained evacuation orders for more than a million people, warning against the risk of more landslides, which have killed one person, with another missing. Since Friday, some areas of the southernmost main island of Kyushu have received as much as 1,000 mm of rain or more than double the usual volume for all of July, public broadcaster NHK said. As the rains shifted towards central and eastern Japan, NHK warned Kyushu residents not to rush home as the landslide danger persists. The Yomiuri daily newspaper said 11,353 people had flocked to evacuation centres. The resident of a home razed in a landslide on Thursday morning, a woman in her 80s, could not be reached, NHK said. A woman in the prefecture of Kagoshima in southern Kyushu was killed this week in another landslide. The government was criticised for its slow response last July when heavy rains in Kyushu triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 200 people in Japan's worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Rains ease in southern Japan; landslide risks persist

Tokyo Olympic stadium 90 per cent complete; opening set for December

Japan ordered nearly 800,000 people on the southern island of Kyushu to take shelter in evacuation centres and other safe areas on Wednesday as heavy rains threatened to trigger landslides and cause other damage.

Some parts of southern Kyushu have received up to 1,000 mm (39.4 inches) of rain since Friday, and forecasters expect as much as 350 mm to fall in some areas by midday on Thursday, NHK said.

Evacuation orders were issued for nearly 600,000 residents of Kagoshima city and two smaller cities in the same prefecture, the broadcaster said.

Another 310,000 residents of the island were advised to find shelter, Kyodo News reported.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said residents should "take steps to protect their lives, including early evacuation" and he ordered the military to prepare for rescue operations if needed.

Abe was criticised for the government's slow response last July when heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 200 people in Japan's worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Japan ordered nearly 800,000 people on the southern island of Kyushu to take shelter in evacuation centres and other safe areas on Wednesday as heavy rains threatened to trigger landslides and cause other damage.

Japan ordered nearly 800,000 people on the southern island of Kyushu to take shelter in evacuation centres and other safe areas on Wednesday as heavy rains threatened to trigger landslides and cause other damage. Some parts of southern Kyushu have received up to 1,000 mm (39.4 inches) of rain since Friday, and forecasters expect as much as 350 mm to fall in some areas by midday on Thursday, NHK said. Evacuation orders were issued for nearly 600,000 residents of Kagoshima city and two smaller cities in the same prefecture, the broadcaster said. Another 310,000 residents of the island were advised to find shelter, Kyodo News reported. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said residents should "take steps to protect their lives, including early evacuation" and he ordered the military to prepare for rescue operations if needed. Abe was criticised for the government's slow response last July when heavy rains triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 200 people in Japan's worst weather disaster in 36 years.

Japan, hit by torrential rains, orders 800,000 to evacuate

Japan Withdraws From The International Whaling Commission & Has Resumed Commercial Whaling, Starting Today (01 July 2019)

Gravitas: Japan resumes commercial Whaling

A small Japanese fleet caught their first whales on Monday in Japan's first commercial hunt in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-decades-japan-resumes-commercial-whaling-amid-protests-231866">more than three decades</a>, a move that has aroused global condemnation and fears for the fate of whales.

Japan has long said few whale species are endangered and announced in December it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting after years of campaigns by industry supporters and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose constituency includes a city that has long whaled.

"If we had more whale available, we'd eat it more," said Sachiko Sakai, a 66-year-old taxi driver in Kushiro, a gritty port city on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where five whaling ships were waved out of harbour in a brief ceremony early on Monday.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-japan-resumes-commercial-whaling-232167/embed" width="560" height="350" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" autoplay=1 allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

"It's part of Japan's food culture," said Sakai, adding that she ate a lot of whale as a child. "The world opposes killing whales, but you can say the same thing about many of the animals bred on land and killed for food."

The ships, which are set to be joined by vessels from the southern port of Shimonoseki, will spend much of the summer hunting for minke and Baird's beaked whales.

Crew in orange life vests took positions on the decks as the blue-hulled ships sailed out of Kushiro, some with red banners fluttering from their masts.

By Monday afternoon, one ship returned with a roughly 8 metre-long minke whale. It was winched up from the vessel and taken off to be weighed and butchered.

Another ship caught a whale, but the vessel had not returned by evening and no further details were available.

"This is a great day. I'm really happy with the resumption of commercial whaling," said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association.

"We were able to take a splendid whale."

Japan began whaling for scientific research a year after a 1986 ban on commercial whaling, aiming to gather what it called crucial population data, but it abandoned commercial whaling in 1988.

Critics said the programme was simply commercial whaling in disguise, after the meat of animals taken in scientific whaling ended up on store shelves and in restaurants.

This year's quota for commercial whaling, including minkes, sei whales and Bryde's whales, is 227, the Fisheries Agency said. The quota, to be set annually, is less than the 330 whales Japan harvested in the Antarctic until recently.

"We're not at all embarrased by what we do, it's only natural," Kai said, adding that the amount of whales Japan planned to hunt would not pose a threat to their population.

Environmentalists said the launch was delayed until after a summit of leaders of G20 major economies that Japan hosted, but whaling proponents have denied this.

"This is a sad day for whale protection globally," said Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International.

"The word 'research' may have been removed from the side of the factory ship, finally ending Japan's charade of harpooning whales under the guise of science, but these magnificent creatures will still be slaughtered for no legitimate reason," Beynon, based in Australia, said in a statement.

Whaling is a tiny industry in Japan. Whale makes up about 0.1 percent of all meat eaten in a year, with about 300 people directly linked to whaling.

Japan's annual supplies of about 4,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes amount to 40 gm to 50 gm for each citizen, or about the weight of half an apple. Even whaling supporters say building demand will take time.

Patrick Ramage, head of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, called the move a face-saving solution that could eventually lead Japan to abandon whaling.

"It's a good decision for whales, it's a good decision for Japan, and it's a good decision for international marine conservation," he said.

A small Japanese fleet caught their first whales on Monday in Japan's first commercial hunt in more than three decades, a move that has aroused global condemnation and fears for the fate of whales.

A small Japanese fleet caught their first whales on Monday in Japan's first commercial hunt in more than three decades, a move that has aroused global condemnation and fears for the fate of whales. Japan has long said few whale species are endangered and announced in December it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting after years of campaigns by industry supporters and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose constituency includes a city that has long whaled. "If we had more whale available, we'd eat it more," said Sachiko Sakai, a 66-year-old taxi driver in Kushiro, a gritty port city on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where five whaling ships were waved out of harbour in a brief ceremony early on Monday. "It's part of Japan's food culture," said Sakai, adding that she ate a lot of whale as a child. "The world opposes killing whales, but you can say the same thing about many of the animals bred on land and killed for food." The ships, which are set to be joined by vessels from the southern port of Shimonoseki, will spend much of the summer hunting for minke and Baird's beaked whales. Crew in orange life vests took positions on the decks as the blue-hulled ships sailed out of Kushiro, some with red banners fluttering from their masts. By Monday afternoon, one ship returned with a roughly 8 metre-long minke whale. It was winched up from the vessel and taken off to be weighed and butchered. Another ship caught a whale, but the vessel had not returned by evening and no further details were available. "This is a great day. I'm really happy with the resumption of commercial whaling," said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association. "We were able to take a splendid whale." Japan began whaling for scientific research a year after a 1986 ban on commercial whaling, aiming to gather what it called crucial population data, but it abandoned commercial whaling in 1988. Critics said the programme was simply commercial whaling in disguise, after the meat of animals taken in scientific whaling ended up on store shelves and in restaurants. This year's quota for commercial whaling, including minkes, sei whales and Bryde's whales, is 227, the Fisheries Agency said. The quota, to be set annually, is less than the 330 whales Japan harvested in the Antarctic until recently. "We're not at all embarrased by what we do, it's only natural," Kai said, adding that the amount of whales Japan planned to hunt would not pose a threat to their population. Environmentalists said the launch was delayed until after a summit of leaders of G20 major economies that Japan hosted, but whaling proponents have denied this. "This is a sad day for whale protection globally," said Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International. "The word 'research' may have been removed from the side of the factory ship, finally ending Japan's charade of harpooning whales under the guise of science, but these magnificent creatures will still be slaughtered for no legitimate reason," Beynon, based in Australia, said in a statement. Whaling is a tiny industry in Japan. Whale makes up about 0.1 percent of all meat eaten in a year, with about 300 people directly linked to whaling. Japan's annual supplies of about 4,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes amount to 40 gm to 50 gm for each citizen, or about the weight of half an apple. Even whaling supporters say building demand will take time. Patrick Ramage, head of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, called the move a face-saving solution that could eventually lead Japan to abandon whaling. "It's a good decision for whales, it's a good decision for Japan, and it's a good decision for international marine conservation," he said.

First whales caught as Japan resumes commercial hunt after 30 years

More happens on the sidelines of a summit like G20 than the actual summit itself. This 14th G20 summit hasn't disappointed either, from Trump's request to Putin to not interfere in U.S. polls to Putin's statement on Salisbury attacks, Palki brings the best statements from the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Gravitas: G20: All the action on the sidelines

20 members, 19 countries plus the European Union, the G20 summit represents two-thirds of the total population of the world. Palki gets a quick summary of the summit and its significance.

Gravitas: G20 Summit kicks of in Japan: Here's why it matters

Japan said Monday it will tighten regulations on the export to South Korea of several chemicals used in chip and smartphone production amid a row with Seoul on wartime forced labour.

The move, which takes effect from July 4, comes after South Korean courts ordered Japanese firms to compensate people forced into wartime labour, an issue Tokyo says was resolved when the countries resumed diplomatic relations decades ago.

"The export control system is built based on international relations of trust," Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said in announcing the move.

"After reviews by relevant ministries, it must be said that the relations of trust between Japan and South Korea have been significantly harmed," METI added.

The new restrictions affect chemicals including fluorinated polyimide and hydrogen fluoride, as well as transfer of manufacturing technologies, removing them from a list that effectively allowed expedited export.

It means that exporters will now have to apply for permission for each batch they wish to export to South Korea, a process that takes around 90 days each time, local media reported.

METI said it would also begin soliciting public comment on the removal of South Korea from a list of "white" countries that face minimal restrictions on technology transfer with national security implications.

Japan and South Korea are both democracies, market economies and US allies, but their relationship has been strained for decades as a result of Tokyo's brutal 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

And tensions have grown after a series of rulings from South Korean courts ordering Japanese firms that used wartime forced labour to compensate victims.

Last month, Tokyo proposed the issue be put to arbitration under the terms of an agreement signed by the two countries in 1965, when ties were normalised.

South Korea countered with a proposal for local and Japanese firms to set up a voluntary compensation fund, which Tokyo flatly rejected as "unacceptable".

When relations were normalised, Tokyo agreed a reparations package that included grants and cheap loans intended to cover victims of various wartime policies.

Japan argues that package should have permanently resolved the issue.

Analysts said the measure could harm Japanese producers, noting shares in some of the firms that make the affected chemicals were falling on Monday despite a rally in the market overall.

"It could have a short-term negative impact on Japanese manufacturers... whose sales to major South Korean producers constitute 10 to 20 per cent of their overall sales," said Kazuyoshi Saito, a chip analyst at IwaiCosmo Securities.

He pointed out that the measures do not amount to an export ban, but would make exports more complicated.

"At this point, the expected impact is a slowing of export procedures, which may temporarily affect both South Korean makers and Japanese suppliers," he told AFP

Japan said Monday it will tighten regulations on the export to South Korea of several chemicals used in chip and smartphone production amid a row with Seoul on wartime forced labour.

Japan said Monday it will tighten regulations on the export to South Korea of several chemicals used in chip and smartphone production amid a row with Seoul on wartime forced labour. The move, which takes effect from July 4, comes after South Korean courts ordered Japanese firms to compensate people forced into wartime labour, an issue Tokyo says was resolved when the countries resumed diplomatic relations decades ago. "The export control system is built based on international relations of trust," Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said in announcing the move. "After reviews by relevant ministries, it must be said that the relations of trust between Japan and South Korea have been significantly harmed," METI added. The new restrictions affect chemicals including fluorinated polyimide and hydrogen fluoride, as well as transfer of manufacturing technologies, removing them from a list that effectively allowed expedited export. It means that exporters will now have to apply for permission for each batch they wish to export to South Korea, a process that takes around 90 days each time, local media reported. METI said it would also begin soliciting public comment on the removal of South Korea from a list of "white" countries that face minimal restrictions on technology transfer with national security implications. Japan and South Korea are both democracies, market economies and US allies, but their relationship has been strained for decades as a result of Tokyo's brutal 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula. And tensions have grown after a series of rulings from South Korean courts ordering Japanese firms that used wartime forced labour to compensate victims. Last month, Tokyo proposed the issue be put to arbitration under the terms of an agreement signed by the two countries in 1965, when ties were normalised. South Korea countered with a proposal for local and Japanese firms to set up a voluntary compensation fund, which Tokyo flatly rejected as "unacceptable". When relations were normalised, Tokyo agreed a reparations package that included grants and cheap loans intended to cover victims of various wartime policies. Japan argues that package should have permanently resolved the issue. Analysts said the measure could harm Japanese producers, noting shares in some of the firms that make the affected chemicals were falling on Monday despite a rally in the market overall. "It could have a short-term negative impact on Japanese manufacturers... whose sales to major South Korean producers constitute 10 to 20 per cent of their overall sales," said Kazuyoshi Saito, a chip analyst at IwaiCosmo Securities. He pointed out that the measures do not amount to an export ban, but would make exports more complicated. "At this point, the expected impact is a slowing of export procedures, which may temporarily affect both South Korean makers and Japanese suppliers," he told AFP

Japan restricts chip, smartphone materials exports to South Korea

Japanese <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beluga-whale-with-russian-harness-raises-alarm-in-norway-214660">whaling ships prepared on</a> Sunday to set to sea, with crews gathering on decks in a northern port a day ahead of Japan's first commercial whaling hunt in more than 30 years.

Japan announced last year it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and would resume commercial whaling on July 1, sparking global condemnation and<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/whales-die-after-mass-stranding-in-australia-36896"> fears for the world’s whales</a>.

Japan has long maintained that eating whale is an important part of its culture and that most species are not endangered.

A global whaling moratorium was imposed in 1986, but Japan then began what it called scientific research whaling in the North Pacific and Antarctic. Critics said the it was simply commercial whaling in disguise.

"I used to eat whale when I was young, but it's been too expensive recently,” said Sachiko Sakai, 66, a taxi driver waiting for fares in Kushiro, a port town on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido.

"Maybe now that commercial whaling is going to restart, it’ll be cheaper and we can get our hands on it more easily.”

The hunt will be confined to Japan’s exclusive economic zone.

The five small whaling ships due to set off early on Monday were moored at a wharf in a quiet corner of Kushiro port.

On their decks were what appeared to be harpoon guns covered in tarpaulins.&nbsp;The vessels come from whaling ports around Japan, including one from Taiji, the town made notorious for its dolphin drive-hunts featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove”.

Some vessels were decorated with good luck flags, flapping in a cold wind.

Some crew members carried groceries while others held towels and shampoo, apparently headed to a public bath. One wore brightly coloured shorts decorated with images of whales and other animals.

All declined to talk.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose district includes the old whaling centre of Shimonoseki, has long campaigned to restart commercial whaling, but the industry’s future is far from clear.

Only about 300 people around Japan are directly connected to whaling, and the annual supply of whale – about 5,000 tonnes – amounts to roughly 40-50 grams per Japanese person a year.

"To resume this so we can eat it – well, that’s good,” said Yuya Kusakari, 37, who was fishing for flounder with his 8-year-old son not far from where the whaling ships were docked.

Kusakari said he ate whale maybe once or twice a year.

"It’s really not all that available now, and it’s expensive,” he said.

Japanese whaling ships prepared on Sunday to set to sea, with crews gathering on decks in a northern port a day ahead of Japan's first commercial whaling hunt in more than 30 years.

Japanese whaling ships prepared on Sunday to set to sea, with crews gathering on decks in a northern port a day ahead of Japan's first commercial whaling hunt in more than 30 years. Japan announced last year it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and would resume commercial whaling on July 1, sparking global condemnation and fears for the world’s whales. Japan has long maintained that eating whale is an important part of its culture and that most species are not endangered. A global whaling moratorium was imposed in 1986, but Japan then began what it called scientific research whaling in the North Pacific and Antarctic. Critics said the it was simply commercial whaling in disguise. "I used to eat whale when I was young, but it's been too expensive recently,” said Sachiko Sakai, 66, a taxi driver waiting for fares in Kushiro, a port town on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. "Maybe now that commercial whaling is going to restart, it’ll be cheaper and we can get our hands on it more easily.” The hunt will be confined to Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The five small whaling ships due to set off early on Monday were moored at a wharf in a quiet corner of Kushiro port. On their decks were what appeared to be harpoon guns covered in tarpaulins. The vessels come from whaling ports around Japan, including one from Taiji, the town made notorious for its dolphin drive-hunts featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove”. Some vessels were decorated with good luck flags, flapping in a cold wind. Some crew members carried groceries while others held towels and shampoo, apparently headed to a public bath. One wore brightly coloured shorts decorated with images of whales and other animals. All declined to talk. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose district includes the old whaling centre of Shimonoseki, has long campaigned to restart commercial whaling, but the industry’s future is far from clear. Only about 300 people around Japan are directly connected to whaling, and the annual supply of whale – about 5,000 tonnes – amounts to roughly 40-50 grams per Japanese person a year. "To resume this so we can eat it – well, that’s good,” said Yuya Kusakari, 37, who was fishing for flounder with his 8-year-old son not far from where the whaling ships were docked. Kusakari said he ate whale maybe once or twice a year. "It’s really not all that available now, and it’s expensive,” he said.

After decades, Japan resumes commercial whaling amid protests

Japan will resume whaling after a 30-year break despite the international backlash. Watch this video to know more.

Japan to hunt whales again from July

External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of the G20 held Strategic Dialogue and discussed Iran and the upcoming 2+2 dialogue.&nbsp;

Discussions on Iran was focussed on American wavier for import of Iranian oil and the ongoing US-Iran tensions impact both the countries.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, Shinzo Abe was in Iran and sought to mediate between the US and Iran as both countries head towards a confrontation that impacts energy security of both the countries.

India has already raised concerns of Tehran-Washington tensions escalates could impact its large diaspora in West Asia and energy security.&nbsp;

The talks lasted for 80 minutes during which Japanese Foreign Minister mentioned about the upcoming 2+2 India Japan Defence and foreign minister meet later this year, ahead of the visit of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to India for the annual summit between the 2 countries.&nbsp;

A Japan foreign ministry statement said "Minister Kono stated that an agreed “2+2” Ministerial Meeting is important in advancing security and defence cooperation between the two countries and demonstrating the roles that Japan and India can play for the peace and stability of the region."&nbsp;

This is the second 2+2 format meet India will be having with any country, after the US, with which India had maiden 2+2 talks in Delhi last year.

The two Ministers shared the view to "continue cooperation toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific". Japan, India along with the US and Australia are already having discussions under quad format. Japan FM, " welcomed the progress of Japan-India-U.S.-Australia cooperation, expressing his hope to further deepen its cooperation", the release said.&nbsp;

Last week PM Modi met Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, first for a bilateral and then during the JAI—Japan, America and India trilateral on the sidelines of the 14th G20 Summit. Both countries are now looking to develop infrastructure in 3rd countries and agreed to build a cancer hospital in Kenya and develop part of Colombo port in Sri Lanka.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of the G20 held Strategic Dialogue and discussed Iran and the upcoming 2+2 dialogue.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on the sidelines of the G20 held Strategic Dialogue and discussed Iran and the upcoming 2+2 dialogue. Discussions on Iran was focussed on American wavier for import of Iranian oil and the ongoing US-Iran tensions impact both the countries. Earlier this month, Shinzo Abe was in Iran and sought to mediate between the US and Iran as both countries head towards a confrontation that impacts energy security of both the countries. India has already raised concerns of Tehran-Washington tensions escalates could impact its large diaspora in West Asia and energy security. The talks lasted for 80 minutes during which Japanese Foreign Minister mentioned about the upcoming 2+2 India Japan Defence and foreign minister meet later this year, ahead of the visit of Japanese PM Shinzo Abe to India for the annual summit between the 2 countries. A Japan foreign ministry statement said "Minister Kono stated that an agreed “2+2” Ministerial Meeting is important in advancing security and defence cooperation between the two countries and demonstrating the roles that Japan and India can play for the peace and stability of the region." This is the second 2+2 format meet India will be having with any country, after the US, with which India had maiden 2+2 talks in Delhi last year. The two Ministers shared the view to "continue cooperation toward the realization of a free and open Indo-Pacific". Japan, India along with the US and Australia are already having discussions under quad format. Japan FM, " welcomed the progress of Japan-India-U.S.-Australia cooperation, expressing his hope to further deepen its cooperation", the release said. Last week PM Modi met Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, first for a bilateral and then during the JAI—Japan, America and India trilateral on the sidelines of the 14th G20 Summit. Both countries are now looking to develop infrastructure in 3rd countries and agreed to build a cancer hospital in Kenya and develop part of Colombo port in Sri Lanka.

India, Japan hold strategic dialogue on sidelines of  G20 summit

China's state planning agency on Sunday said it has cut the number of sectors subject to foreign investment restrictions, as <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-report-progress-in-beijing-trade-talks-206635">Beijing</a> moved to fulfil its promise to open major industries.

The loosening in curbs, though widely anticipated, comes after the United States and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/us-recession-risk-rises-as-us-china-trade-tensions-heat-up-report-219279">China</a> agreed on the weekend to restart trade talks with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/us-china-trade-war-points-to-the-real-crisis-that-global-leaders-must-confront-at-g20-summit-231112">US President Donald Trump</a> offering concessions on tariffs and an easing of restrictions on tech company Huawei.

The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it has eased foreign investment curbs on sectors including petroleum and gas exploration and widened access to agriculture, mining and manufacturing.

NDRC published on its website the new, shorter so-called negative list that sets out industries where foreign investment is limited or prohibited.

The number of sectors and subsectors on the negative list was cut to 40 from 48 in the previous version, which was published in June last year. The new list takes effect on July 30.

The NDRC document said domestic shipping agencies, gas and heat pipelines in cities with more than 500,000 people, cinemas and performance agencies no longer needed to be controlled by Chinese entities. It also widened access to petroleum and gas exploration, agriculture and some metals resources exploration.

China has repeatedly promised to further open its markets to foreign investment but has stressed such decisions would be based on the economy's own needs and not due to external pressure.

It shortened the negative list last year, easing curbs on sectors including banking, the automotive and heavy industries, while also allowing 100% foreign ownership in some industries where ownership caps previously applied.

Foreign investment in China was previously assessed on a case-by-case basis with approval granted by the local branch of the commerce ministry. Under the negative list system, only investments in industries specified in the list are prohibited or subject to review.

Despite the reforms of recent years, foreign businesses say progress has been slow with foreign investment in many industries still restricted while fresh promises of greater access do little more than repeat earlier pledges.

China's state planning agency on Sunday said it has cut the number of sectors subject to foreign investment restrictions, as Beijing moved to fulfil its promise to open major industries.

China's state planning agency on Sunday said it has cut the number of sectors subject to foreign investment restrictions, as Beijing moved to fulfil its promise to open major industries. The loosening in curbs, though widely anticipated, comes after the United States and China agreed on the weekend to restart trade talks with US President Donald Trump offering concessions on tariffs and an easing of restrictions on tech company Huawei. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it has eased foreign investment curbs on sectors including petroleum and gas exploration and widened access to agriculture, mining and manufacturing. NDRC published on its website the new, shorter so-called negative list that sets out industries where foreign investment is limited or prohibited. The number of sectors and subsectors on the negative list was cut to 40 from 48 in the previous version, which was published in June last year. The new list takes effect on July 30. The NDRC document said domestic shipping agencies, gas and heat pipelines in cities with more than 500,000 people, cinemas and performance agencies no longer needed to be controlled by Chinese entities. It also widened access to petroleum and gas exploration, agriculture and some metals resources exploration. China has repeatedly promised to further open its markets to foreign investment but has stressed such decisions would be based on the economy's own needs and not due to external pressure. It shortened the negative list last year, easing curbs on sectors including banking, the automotive and heavy industries, while also allowing 100% foreign ownership in some industries where ownership caps previously applied. Foreign investment in China was previously assessed on a case-by-case basis with approval granted by the local branch of the commerce ministry. Under the negative list system, only investments in industries specified in the list are prohibited or subject to review. Despite the reforms of recent years, foreign businesses say progress has been slow with foreign investment in many industries still restricted while fresh promises of greater access do little more than repeat earlier pledges.

China eases foreign investment curbs amid cooling trade tensions

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