A crack has been found in a Japanese &quot;bullet train&quot; that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever &quot;serious incident&quot; for the iconic mode of transport.

Crew aboard a &quot;shinkansen&quot; bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday.

The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak.

If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said.

About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains.

&quot;We recognise it as a &#39;serious incident&#39; as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident,&quot; said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board.

It is the first such &quot;serious incident&quot; since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said.

&quot;We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence,&quot; said the official, who declined to be named.

Japanese shinkansens have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.

If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said

A crack has been found in a Japanese "bullet train" that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever "serious incident" for the iconic mode of transport. Crew aboard a "shinkansen" bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday. The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak. If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said. About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains. "We recognise it as a 'serious incident' as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident," said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board. It is the first such "serious incident" since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said. "We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence," said the official, who declined to be named. Japanese shinkansens have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.

First 'serious incident' for Japan bullet train as crack found

A crack has been found in a Japanese &quot;bullet train&quot; that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever &quot;serious incident&quot; for the iconic mode of transport.&nbsp;The crew aboard a &quot;Shinkansen&quot; bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday.

The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak.&nbsp;If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said.

About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains.&nbsp;&quot;We recognise it as a &#39;serious incident&#39; as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident&quot;, said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board.

It is the first such &quot;serious incident&quot; since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said.&nbsp;&quot;We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence&quot;, said the official, who declined to be named.

Japanese shinkansen have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.

Japan recognise its first-ever 'serious incident' since the Japan Transport Safety Board was created in 2001

A crack has been found in a Japanese "bullet train" that could have caused a derailment, officials said today, in the first-ever "serious incident" for the iconic mode of transport. The crew aboard a "Shinkansen" bullet train reported a burning smell and strange noises when it pulled out of a station in southern Japan on Monday. The train stopped for checks at Nagoya station in central Japan and inspectors discovered a crack in the chassis under one carriage as well as an oil leak. If the train had continued to run, the crack could have caused it to derail in the worst-case scenario, transport officials said. About 1,000 passengers aboard were unhurt and they continued their journey on fresh trains. "We recognise it as a 'serious incident' as it was an extraordinary case... It could have led to an accident", said an official at the Japan Transport Safety Board. It is the first such "serious incident" since the predecessor to the safety board was created in 2001, she said. "We have sent three inspectors (to Nagoya) to find out the cause. Their report will include measures to prevent a recurrence", said the official, who declined to be named. Japanese shinkansen have been derailed before due to earthquakes but no-one has been hurt.

Japan is to acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking North Korea, a controversial purchase of what will become the longest-range munitions of a country that has renounced the right to wage war.

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases.

&quot;We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as &#39;stand-off&#39;&nbsp;missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats,&quot; Onodera told a news conference.&nbsp;

Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin Corp&#39;s extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters, he said.

The JSM, designed by Norway&#39;s Kongsberg Defence &amp; Aerospace, has a range of 500 km (310 miles). The JASSM-ER can hit targets 1,000 km away.

The purchase plan is likely to face criticism from opposition parties in parliament, especially from politicians wary of the watering down of Japan&#39;s renunciation of the right to wage war enshrined in its post-World War Two constitution.

But the growing threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles has spurred calls from politicians, including Onodera, for a more robust military that could deter North Korea from launching an attack. 
Japan&#39;s missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km (186 miles).&nbsp;

The change suggests the growing threat posed by North Korea has given proponents of a strike capability the upper hand in military planning.

North Korea has recently test-fired ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that climbed to an altitude of more than 4,000 km before splashing into the sea within Japan`s exclusive economic zone.&nbsp;

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases

Japan is to acquire medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles, capable of striking North Korea, a controversial purchase of what will become the longest-range munitions of a country that has renounced the right to wage war. Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera did not refer to North Korea when announcing the planned acquisition and said the new missiles would be for defence, with Japan still relying on the United States to strike any enemy bases. "We are planning to introduce the JSM (Joint Strike Missile) that will be mounted on the F-35A (stealth fighter) as 'stand-off' missiles that can be fired beyond the range of enemy threats," Onodera told a news conference. Japan is also looking to mount Lockheed Martin Corp's extended-range Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM-ER) on its F-15 fighters, he said. The JSM, designed by Norway's Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, has a range of 500 km (310 miles). The JASSM-ER can hit targets 1,000 km away. The purchase plan is likely to face criticism from opposition parties in parliament, especially from politicians wary of the watering down of Japan's renunciation of the right to wage war enshrined in its post-World War Two constitution. But the growing threat posed by North Korean ballistic missiles has spurred calls from politicians, including Onodera, for a more robust military that could deter North Korea from launching an attack. Japan's missile force has been limited to anti-aircraft and anti-ship munitions with ranges of less than 300 km (186 miles). The change suggests the growing threat posed by North Korea has given proponents of a strike capability the upper hand in military planning. North Korea has recently test-fired ballistic missiles over Japan and last week tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that climbed to an altitude of more than 4,000 km before splashing into the sea within Japan`s exclusive economic zone.

Japan to acquire air-launched missiles able to strike North Korea

Born and raised in Japan, three North Korean soccer players are expecting to face boos from the home crowd in a match that comes less than two weeks after the latest North Korean test missile splashed into the Sea of Japan.

An Byong Jun, Kim Song Gi and Lee Yong Jick, who play their club soccer for J League division 2 sides, will represent North Korea when they take on Japan in Tokyo on Saturday in the final round of the East Asian Football Championship.

The sporting contest is being held with the world still on edge after the North heightened alarm in South Korea, Japan and the United States by test firing an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29 that appeared to demonstrate increasing range.

North Korea has test-fired missiles over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido twice earlier this year and has threatened to sink Japan into the sea with a nuclear bomb.

Unsurprisingly, Kim, a 29-year-old central defender, who hails from Hyogo prefecture in western Japan and plays his club soccer for Machida Zelvia in Tokyo, expects a hostile reception from Japanese supporters.

&quot;Bring on the booing,&quot; said Kim. &quot;Being booed actually gets me fired up. I was brought up that way and it doesn&#39;t really bother me.&quot;

He is eager to avenge a one-nil loss when he first played against Japan for North Korea six years ago.

Kim, An and Lee all took up soccer when they were children attending Pyongyang-affiliated schools in Japan and saw playing as a North Korean international as the path to the highest level.

&quot;Soccer was all I thought about when I was a kid and it was my dream to play for North Korea,&quot; Kim said. &quot;My biggest goal now is to go to the World Cup.&quot;

Japanese nationality is inherited through parents, not place of birth, meaning the three players of North Korean descent are considered foreigners and ineligible to play for Japan&#39;s national team.

The players&#39; status as permanent residents in Japan is a throwback to the complex and conflicted relationship between the countries.

Many Koreans were forced to move to Japan during its occupation of the Korean peninsula before and during World War II&nbsp;and suffered discrimination.

They and their descendants are now eligible to become naturalised Japanese citizens, but many are loath to do so because that would involve giving up their Korean nationality and suffering a perceived loss of cultural identity.

There were about 339,000 people with special permanent resident status - mostly those with Korean or Taiwanese ancestry - living in Japan last year, government data shows.

&quot;I&#39;ve never thought of taking Japanese citizenship,&quot; said Kim. &quot;My soul is 100 percent North Korean.&quot;

Lee, a 26-year-old Osaka native playing his first match against Japan, said he wasn&#39;t sure how the fans would react, noting that the team had expected boos when they played in South Korea but received applause instead.

&quot;It&#39;s complicated,&quot; said the Kamatamare Sanuki defender, who switches to midfield for North Korea.

&quot;I hope we&#39;re treated the same as other teams that play against Japan. To be honest I hope we don&#39;t get booed.&quot;

Regarding political tensions, he said that things might seem bad looking only at the news in Japan but that he and his teammates had also seen a good side to North Korea on their trips to Pyongyang, on school trips and for training camp.

An, who will also be playing his first match against Japan, said he was looking forward to playing in his hometown Tokyo and expected a good turnout from ethnic Korean fans.

He said he had a lot of J League friends on the Japanese squad with whom he exchanges text messages and he was looking forward to a good match regardless of international tensions.

&quot;Soccer&#39;s great because teams can play fair and square and those kind of politics don&#39;t matter,&quot; said the 27-year-old Roasso Kumamoto forward.

&quot;All I want to do is go out and represent my country as a soccer player.&quot;

Japan and North Korea last met in 2015, at the East Asia Football Championship in China, where North Korea prevailed 2-1.

This year&#39;s men&#39;s tournament, which also features China and South Korea, runs Dec. 9-16. The women&#39;s tournament, comprising the same countries, is being held Dec. 8-15.

The three players will take on Japan in the final round of East Asian Football Championship in Tokyo on Saturday

Born and raised in Japan, three North Korean soccer players are expecting to face boos from the home crowd in a match that comes less than two weeks after the latest North Korean test missile splashed into the Sea of Japan. An Byong Jun, Kim Song Gi and Lee Yong Jick, who play their club soccer for J League division 2 sides, will represent North Korea when they take on Japan in Tokyo on Saturday in the final round of the East Asian Football Championship. The sporting contest is being held with the world still on edge after the North heightened alarm in South Korea, Japan and the United States by test firing an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 29 that appeared to demonstrate increasing range. North Korea has test-fired missiles over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido twice earlier this year and has threatened to sink Japan into the sea with a nuclear bomb. Unsurprisingly, Kim, a 29-year-old central defender, who hails from Hyogo prefecture in western Japan and plays his club soccer for Machida Zelvia in Tokyo, expects a hostile reception from Japanese supporters. "Bring on the booing," said Kim. "Being booed actually gets me fired up. I was brought up that way and it doesn't really bother me." He is eager to avenge a one-nil loss when he first played against Japan for North Korea six years ago. Kim, An and Lee all took up soccer when they were children attending Pyongyang-affiliated schools in Japan and saw playing as a North Korean international as the path to the highest level. "Soccer was all I thought about when I was a kid and it was my dream to play for North Korea," Kim said. "My biggest goal now is to go to the World Cup." Japanese nationality is inherited through parents, not place of birth, meaning the three players of North Korean descent are considered foreigners and ineligible to play for Japan's national team. The players' status as permanent residents in Japan is a throwback to the complex and conflicted relationship between the countries. Many Koreans were forced to move to Japan during its occupation of the Korean peninsula before and during World War II and suffered discrimination. They and their descendants are now eligible to become naturalised Japanese citizens, but many are loath to do so because that would involve giving up their Korean nationality and suffering a perceived loss of cultural identity. There were about 339,000 people with special permanent resident status - mostly those with Korean or Taiwanese ancestry - living in Japan last year, government data shows. "I've never thought of taking Japanese citizenship," said Kim. "My soul is 100 percent North Korean." Lee, a 26-year-old Osaka native playing his first match against Japan, said he wasn't sure how the fans would react, noting that the team had expected boos when they played in South Korea but received applause instead. "It's complicated," said the Kamatamare Sanuki defender, who switches to midfield for North Korea. "I hope we're treated the same as other teams that play against Japan. To be honest I hope we don't get booed." Regarding political tensions, he said that things might seem bad looking only at the news in Japan but that he and his teammates had also seen a good side to North Korea on their trips to Pyongyang, on school trips and for training camp. An, who will also be playing his first match against Japan, said he was looking forward to playing in his hometown Tokyo and expected a good turnout from ethnic Korean fans. He said he had a lot of J League friends on the Japanese squad with whom he exchanges text messages and he was looking forward to a good match regardless of international tensions. "Soccer's great because teams can play fair and square and those kind of politics don't matter," said the 27-year-old Roasso Kumamoto forward. "All I want to do is go out and represent my country as a soccer player." Japan and North Korea last met in 2015, at the East Asia Football Championship in China, where North Korea prevailed 2-1. This year's men's tournament, which also features China and South Korea, runs Dec. 9-16. The women's tournament, comprising the same countries, is being held Dec. 8-15.

Born in Japan, playing for North Korea under shadow of missile crisis

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years.

Japan&#39;s UN&nbsp;Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11.

China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes.

This year&#39;s meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.

Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses.

A landmark 2014 UN&nbsp;report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities.

Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN&nbsp;Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. &quot;Some of them are strikingly similar,&quot; he told Reuters.

North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN&nbsp;sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs.

&quot;Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US&nbsp;and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people&#39;s livelihood and providing them with a better future,&quot; the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years

United Nations Security Council ministers will meet on Dec. 15 to discuss North Korea's nuclear and missiles programs and the body will also meet separately this month to discuss human rights abuses in the North Asian country, an annual meeting that its ally China has tried to prevent for the past three years. Japan's UN Ambassador Koro Bessho, president of the 15-member council for December, said several ministers were confirmed to attend the Dec. 15 meeting. He also said the meeting on human rights in North Korea could be held on Dec. 11. China has unsuccessfully tried to stop three previous human rights meetings by calling a procedural vote. A minimum of nine votes are needed to win such a vote and China, Russia, the United States, Britain and France cannot wield their vetoes. This year's meeting has the backing of nine members - the United States, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Senegal, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay. Last year, the United States angered North Korea by blacklisting its leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses. A landmark 2014 UN report on North Korean human rights concluded that North Korean security chiefs - and possibly Kim himself - should face justice for overseeing a state-controlled system of Nazi-style atrocities. Michael Kirby, chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry that drew up the report, said at the time that the crimes the team had catalogued were reminiscent of those committed by the Nazis during World War Two. "Some of them are strikingly similar," he told Reuters. North Korea has repeatedly rejected accusations of human rights abuses and blames sanctions for a dire humanitarian situation. Pyongyang has been under UN sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missiles and nuclear programs. "Despite persistent sanctions and pressure by the US and other hostile forces, my government concentrates all its efforts on improving people's livelihood and providing them with a better future," the North Korean Permanent Mission to the United Nations said in a statement on Nov. 14.

UN council to meet in December on North Korea rights abuses, nuclear programme

Japan&#39;s prime minister said&nbsp;Wednesday&nbsp;that the latest North Korean missile launch was a &quot;violent act&quot; that &quot;can never be tolerated&quot; after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

&quot;We will never yield to any provocative act. We will maximise our pressure&quot; on Pyongyang, Shinzo Abe told reporters.

The defence minister said earlier the missile was thought to have landed within Japan&#39;s EEZ. The Pentagon said it flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan.

Japan had &quot;completely tracked&quot; the missile, Abe told reporters.

&quot;We have made a strong complaint,&quot; he added.

By launching the missile, North Korea has ignored the international community&#39;s &quot;united, strong will toward a peaceful solution,&quot; the prime minister said.

&quot;The international community needs to perfectly implement sanctions, in unison.&quot;

Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera later told reporters that the missile had flown for 53 minutes &quot;at an altitude far above 4,000 kilometres.&quot;

&quot;We have not received any reports of damage to airplanes or vessels operating near the area,&quot; said the minister, adding that the missile was fired &quot;at a lofted trajectory.&quot;

Speaking later in parliament, Abe said he had reaffirmed the importance of China in the crisis during a call with US President Donald Trump and praised Beijing for upholding sanctions on North Korea.

&quot;The government welcomes the fact that China is taking concrete steps such as an embargo on imports of North Korea&#39;s coal, marine products, textile products, among others,&quot; Abe told a parliamentary committee.

&quot;Frankly speaking, I feel that China is playing its role&quot; over the UN-agreed sanctions, he said.&nbsp;

UN chief strongly condemns North Korea missile launch

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres&nbsp;on Tuesday&nbsp;strongly condemned North Korea&#39;s latest missile test and urged Pyongyang to &quot;desist taking any further destabilizing steps.&quot;

&quot;This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community,&quot; Guterres said in a statement.

North Korea earlier fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that the Japanese defense ministry said landed in Japan&#39;s exclusive economic zone.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;to discuss the latest launch and calls from the United States for more sanctions to be imposed on North Korea over its rogue behavior.

Guterres said he was ready to work with all parties to reduce tensions.

'This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community,' the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said

Japan's prime minister said Wednesday that the latest North Korean missile launch was a "violent act" that "can never be tolerated" after the ICBM splashed down in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). "We will never yield to any provocative act. We will maximise our pressure" on Pyongyang, Shinzo Abe told reporters. The defence minister said earlier the missile was thought to have landed within Japan's EEZ. The Pentagon said it flew about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) before splashing down in the Sea of Japan. Japan had "completely tracked" the missile, Abe told reporters. "We have made a strong complaint," he added. By launching the missile, North Korea has ignored the international community's "united, strong will toward a peaceful solution," the prime minister said. "The international community needs to perfectly implement sanctions, in unison." Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera later told reporters that the missile had flown for 53 minutes "at an altitude far above 4,000 kilometres." "We have not received any reports of damage to airplanes or vessels operating near the area," said the minister, adding that the missile was fired "at a lofted trajectory." Speaking later in parliament, Abe said he had reaffirmed the importance of China in the crisis during a call with US President Donald Trump and praised Beijing for upholding sanctions on North Korea. "The government welcomes the fact that China is taking concrete steps such as an embargo on imports of North Korea's coal, marine products, textile products, among others," Abe told a parliamentary committee. "Frankly speaking, I feel that China is playing its role" over the UN-agreed sanctions, he said. UN chief strongly condemns North Korea missile launch UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea's latest missile test and urged Pyongyang to "desist taking any further destabilizing steps." "This is a clear violation of Security Council resolutions and shows complete disregard for the united view of the international community," Guterres said in a statement. North Korea earlier fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that the Japanese defense ministry said landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss the latest launch and calls from the United States for more sanctions to be imposed on North Korea over its rogue behavior. Guterres said he was ready to work with all parties to reduce tensions.

North Korea launch 'violent act' that can't be tolerated: Japan

As <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-tests-icbm-in-fresh-challenge-to-trump-25388">North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic </a>missile on Wednesday, US President Trump said his administration will impose major sanctions against Kim Jong-un&#39;s regime.

Earlier in the day, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nkorea-launch-a-grave-threat-to-entire-world-trump-moon-25386">North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic</a> missile as the Korean peninsula slipped into a major crisis mode on Wednesday morning with South Korea and Japan terming the missile tests as a &quot;violent&quot; and &quot;reckless&quot; act.

President Trump tweeted saying he spoke to Chinese President Xi on North Korea&#39;s &quot;provocative actions&quot;, adding that &quot;major sanctions will be imposed on the country&quot;.

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Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea. Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/935881037254725632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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&quot;This situation will be handled!,&quot; the US&nbsp;president added in his tweet.

Trump during his call with Xi asked the Chinese leader to use &quot;all available levers&quot; to press North Korea.

The White House said that Trump and Xi discussed North Korea&#39;s latest ballistic missile test, with Trump again pressing China to take a tougher line against Kim.

&nbsp;

President Trump tweeted saying he spoke to Chinese President Xi on North Korea's "provocative actions", adding that "major sanctions will be imposed on the country".

As North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday, US President Trump said his administration will impose major sanctions against Kim Jong-un's regime. Earlier in the day, North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile as the Korean peninsula slipped into a major crisis mode on Wednesday morning with South Korea and Japan terming the missile tests as a "violent" and "reckless" act. President Trump tweeted saying he spoke to Chinese President Xi on North Korea's "provocative actions", adding that "major sanctions will be imposed on the country". Just spoke to President XI JINPING of China concerning the provocative actions of North Korea. Additional major sanctions will be imposed on North Korea today. This situation will be handled! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2017 × "This situation will be handled!," the US president added in his tweet. Trump during his call with Xi asked the Chinese leader to use "all available levers" to press North Korea. The White House said that Trump and Xi discussed North Korea's latest ballistic missile test, with Trump again pressing China to take a tougher line against Kim.

Major sanctions coming against North Korea, China must 'press all levers' to influence Kim: Trump

President Donald Trump&rsquo;s &nbsp;first official trip to Asia covering Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines concluded on a note that sent mixed messages to his allies and partners. During the trip, he participated in several meetings including the APEC, ASEAN &ndash; US summit and the East Asia Summit.

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<h5>In his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was a great expectation that he would make a categorical commitment to his allies and partners against China&rsquo;s constructing and militarising artificial islands in the disputed region.</h5>
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Carefully avoiding to touch on controversial issues, like Senkaku Islands and the&nbsp;South China Sea, Trump reiterated American preference for bilateralism and made a public declaration on his &lsquo;America first&rsquo; policies as against globalisation. His first so-called vision statement on Asia did not adequately reassure the Asian allies and partners on Washington&rsquo;s commitment to the security of the region. It fell far short of their expectations.

For instance, in his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was a great expectation that he would make a categorical commitment to his allies and partners against China&rsquo;s constructing and militarising artificial islands in the disputed region. As widely reported in the media, in his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was no specific reference either to the UN arbitral court&rsquo;s verdict or to China&rsquo;s illegal construction of artificial islands. During his visit to Vietnam, Trump&rsquo;s offer to &ldquo;mediate&rdquo; in the South China Sea dispute deeply disappointed the Vietnamese hosts.

The ASEAN-China summit held in Manila also witnessed a similar scene. China is reported to have dominated the discussions which were centered on the drawing up of a code of conduct in the disputed waters. Though there was a provisional agreement to start the negotiations sometime during early 2018, participants could not come to an agreement on whether to make the code of conduct binding legally as claimed by countries like Vietnam.

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<h5>China&rsquo;s increasing economic clout due to its bulging trade and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has sharply divided the ASEAN and brought about a basic change in the attitudes of countries like the Philippines.</h5>
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On the other hand, the Philippines and Malaysia were inclined to pursue a more pro-China stance. China&rsquo;s increasing economic clout due to its bulging trade and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has sharply divided the ASEAN and brought about a basic change in the attitudes of countries like the Philippines. The Philippines, the present ASEAN chair, took a soft position on the South China Sea issue and thereby weakened the ASEAN cause. President Rodrigo Duterte showed great inclination to build &ldquo;friendship&rdquo; with China and &ldquo;toned down&rdquo; the South China Sea issue.

It is against this backdrop, one has to examine the meeting that took place between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the top two Chinese leaders in quick succession. The meeting between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jing pin on the sidelines of the APEC conference surprisingly generated a great deal of hope for better relations between the two.

Similar such meetings on the sidelines of international gatherings in the past were marked by a lack of warmth on the part of President Xi. But this time, the bilateral dynamics had somewhat changed. Both Abe and Xi had emerged stronger politically in their respective countries - the former having won the lower house election with a massive majority and the latter having emerged more powerful following the 19th Party Congress. When Xi expressed a desire to make &ldquo; a new start&rdquo; in the bilateral relations, it came as a pleasant surprise to Abe.

Abe&rsquo;s next meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Manila on 13 November, within a couple of days after the Abe-Xi meeting, reinforced the optimism for improved relations. Li told Abe that both countries &ldquo;must work together to make the momentum of improvement of bilateral relations into something solid.&rdquo; Both Li and Abe agreed to make arrangements for holding a trilateral summit with South Korean President in Tokyo soon. Since the advent of Abe as prime minister, neither Li nor Xi has made an official visit to Japan. In 2018 both countries are set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bilateral peace treaty, and Abe would look forward to Xi &lsquo;s visit to Japan on the occasion.

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<h5>Trump&#39;s insistence that Tokyo purchases &ldquo;massive amounts of military equipment&rdquo; from the US to reduce its trade surplus dismayed the Japanese leaders.</h5>
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As many analysts point out, the unpredictable style of President Trump has also created some new space for possible cooperation between Japan and China. The need to keep North Korea under control is a strong binding factor between the US, China and Japan. In his talks with Abe, Trump did not seriously discuss Japan&rsquo;s post-election constitutional and defence policies. His insistence that Tokyo purchases &ldquo;massive amounts of military equipment&rdquo; from the US to reduce its trade surplus dismayed the Japanese leaders.

From the Japanese side, it was pointed out that Japan was already spending a great deal on purchasing US weapons and equipment. But what disappointed Tokyo most was that at a time when Abe is trying to create a favourable climate for constitutional amendments, it was hardly the time for Trump even to appear to be forcing huge military expenditures on Japan.

Trump&rsquo;s &ldquo;toned down&rdquo; stance on the South China Sea issue, his emphasis on &ldquo;America first&rdquo; policy and his soft attitude towards China have made many Japanese leaders suspect that the US is retreating from Asia. They are also worried that given the warmth that Trump showed to Xi during his visit, both the US and China could develop a stronger rapport to the exclusion of Japan. From the Chinese viewpoint, if the US retreats, it would be an advantage for Beijing to exert its influence with Japan as less of the hostile power.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Japanese leaders are worried because of the warmth that Trump showed to Xi during his visit. It is suspected that US and China could develop a stronger bond that may harm Japan

President Donald Trump’s first official trip to Asia covering Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines concluded on a note that sent mixed messages to his allies and partners. During the trip, he participated in several meetings including the APEC, ASEAN – US summit and the East Asia Summit. In his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was a great expectation that he would make a categorical commitment to his allies and partners against China’s constructing and militarising artificial islands in the disputed region. × Carefully avoiding to touch on controversial issues, like Senkaku Islands and the South China Sea, Trump reiterated American preference for bilateralism and made a public declaration on his ‘America first’ policies as against globalisation. His first so-called vision statement on Asia did not adequately reassure the Asian allies and partners on Washington’s commitment to the security of the region. It fell far short of their expectations. For instance, in his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was a great expectation that he would make a categorical commitment to his allies and partners against China’s constructing and militarising artificial islands in the disputed region. As widely reported in the media, in his summit meeting with the ASEAN countries, there was no specific reference either to the UN arbitral court’s verdict or to China’s illegal construction of artificial islands. During his visit to Vietnam, Trump’s offer to “mediate” in the South China Sea dispute deeply disappointed the Vietnamese hosts. The ASEAN-China summit held in Manila also witnessed a similar scene. China is reported to have dominated the discussions which were centered on the drawing up of a code of conduct in the disputed waters. Though there was a provisional agreement to start the negotiations sometime during early 2018, participants could not come to an agreement on whether to make the code of conduct binding legally as claimed by countries like Vietnam. China’s increasing economic clout due to its bulging trade and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has sharply divided the ASEAN and brought about a basic change in the attitudes of countries like the Philippines. × On the other hand, the Philippines and Malaysia were inclined to pursue a more pro-China stance. China’s increasing economic clout due to its bulging trade and its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has sharply divided the ASEAN and brought about a basic change in the attitudes of countries like the Philippines. The Philippines, the present ASEAN chair, took a soft position on the South China Sea issue and thereby weakened the ASEAN cause. President Rodrigo Duterte showed great inclination to build “friendship” with China and “toned down” the South China Sea issue. It is against this backdrop, one has to examine the meeting that took place between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the top two Chinese leaders in quick succession. The meeting between Abe and Chinese President Xi Jing pin on the sidelines of the APEC conference surprisingly generated a great deal of hope for better relations between the two. Similar such meetings on the sidelines of international gatherings in the past were marked by a lack of warmth on the part of President Xi. But this time, the bilateral dynamics had somewhat changed. Both Abe and Xi had emerged stronger politically in their respective countries - the former having won the lower house election with a massive majority and the latter having emerged more powerful following the 19th Party Congress. When Xi expressed a desire to make “ a new start” in the bilateral relations, it came as a pleasant surprise to Abe. Abe’s next meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Manila on 13 November, within a couple of days after the Abe-Xi meeting, reinforced the optimism for improved relations. Li told Abe that both countries “must work together to make the momentum of improvement of bilateral relations into something solid.” Both Li and Abe agreed to make arrangements for holding a trilateral summit with South Korean President in Tokyo soon. Since the advent of Abe as prime minister, neither Li nor Xi has made an official visit to Japan. In 2018 both countries are set to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bilateral peace treaty, and Abe would look forward to Xi ‘s visit to Japan on the occasion. Trump's insistence that Tokyo purchases “massive amounts of military equipment” from the US to reduce its trade surplus dismayed the Japanese leaders. × As many analysts point out, the unpredictable style of President Trump has also created some new space for possible cooperation between Japan and China. The need to keep North Korea under control is a strong binding factor between the US, China and Japan. In his talks with Abe, Trump did not seriously discuss Japan’s post-election constitutional and defence policies. His insistence that Tokyo purchases “massive amounts of military equipment” from the US to reduce its trade surplus dismayed the Japanese leaders. From the Japanese side, it was pointed out that Japan was already spending a great deal on purchasing US weapons and equipment. But what disappointed Tokyo most was that at a time when Abe is trying to create a favourable climate for constitutional amendments, it was hardly the time for Trump even to appear to be forcing huge military expenditures on Japan. Trump’s “toned down” stance on the South China Sea issue, his emphasis on “America first” policy and his soft attitude towards China have made many Japanese leaders suspect that the US is retreating from Asia. They are also worried that given the warmth that Trump showed to Xi during his visit, both the US and China could develop a stronger rapport to the exclusion of Japan. From the Chinese viewpoint, if the US retreats, it would be an advantage for Beijing to exert its influence with Japan as less of the hostile power. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Is the US retreating from Asia, giving way to China?

A shocking report was released&nbsp;on Thursday, enlisting Kim Jong-un&#39;s nuclear hit-list and identified 15 cities and landmarks around the world that it believes North Korea is targeting.&nbsp;

A think tank drew up the hit-list after viewing announcements in Pyongyang&#39;s state media threatening&nbsp;death and destruction&nbsp;on the nation&#39;s numerous enemies, UK-based&nbsp;Express reported.

According to the list &#39;US mainland, major cities like New York, Manhattan, The White House, The Pentagon and US military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific&#39; are some of the top targets.

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The hit-list also mention The White House as one of its targets. (Others)
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Other than that, prominent government landmarks like Guam, Kyoto, and Tokyo have made the list.&nbsp;

A robust report, published on Thursday, states that &ldquo;North Korea lacks a clear distinction between the use of nuclear weapons against military targets and their use against civilian targets.&rdquo;

&quot;Without certainty that its arsenal could survive the first strike by its enemies, Pyongyang&rsquo;s deterrence relies on the threat of launching the first strike itself,&quot; the report states.

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New: North Korea&#39;s nuclear targets, according to official sources <a href="https://t.co/2pqB86FGMm">https://t.co/2pqB86FGMm</a> <a href="https://t.co/4GRYHq4Ku0">pic.twitter.com/4GRYHq4Ku0</a>
&mdash; ECFR (@ecfr) <a href="https://twitter.com/ecfr/status/933424353328488448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Further, it aims to &quot;predict Pyongyang&rsquo;s response to different scenarios, and to avoid war, the international community needs to understand how the regime sees its nuclear weapons, and when it would use them.&quot;

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Major American cities like New York, Manhattan top the list (Others)
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The report&nbsp;also said that &#39;Pyongyang repeatedly threatens both US bases in the Asia-Pacific and cities on the US mainland, while the media repeats the threat that North Korean &ldquo;strategic forces&rdquo; are ready at any time to strike the US mainland, their stronghold, their military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea.&#39;

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The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense is one of the top targets (Others)
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Cities in Japan and South Korea such ad Yokosuka, Misawa, Okinawa and Pyeongtaek, Jungwon, Degu, and Gyeryongdae have also made the list respectively.&nbsp;

North Korea carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test in early September and has marked a record of 15 missile tests, Daily Mirror reports.&nbsp;

In July, it successfully tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time, declaring that the US mainland was now within reach.

Trump and the North&#39;s leader Kim have exchanged a number of threats in the past, creating concerns another conflict on the peninsula where the 1950-53 Korean War left millions dead.

The European Commission of Foreign Relations has identified 15 cities and landmarks around the world that it believes North Korea is targeting.

A shocking report was released on Thursday, enlisting Kim Jong-un's nuclear hit-list and identified 15 cities and landmarks around the world that it believes North Korea is targeting. A think tank drew up the hit-list after viewing announcements in Pyongyang's state media threatening death and destruction on the nation's numerous enemies, UK-based Express reported. According to the list 'US mainland, major cities like New York, Manhattan, The White House, The Pentagon and US military bases in the operational theaters in the Pacific' are some of the top targets. The hit-list also mention The White House as one of its targets. (Others) × Other than that, prominent government landmarks like Guam, Kyoto, and Tokyo have made the list. A robust report, published on Thursday, states that “North Korea lacks a clear distinction between the use of nuclear weapons against military targets and their use against civilian targets.” "Without certainty that its arsenal could survive the first strike by its enemies, Pyongyang’s deterrence relies on the threat of launching the first strike itself," the report states. New: North Korea's nuclear targets, according to official sources https://t.co/2pqB86FGMm pic.twitter.com/4GRYHq4Ku0 — ECFR (@ecfr) November 22, 2017 × Further, it aims to "predict Pyongyang’s response to different scenarios, and to avoid war, the international community needs to understand how the regime sees its nuclear weapons, and when it would use them." Major American cities like New York, Manhattan top the list (Others) × The report also said that 'Pyongyang repeatedly threatens both US bases in the Asia-Pacific and cities on the US mainland, while the media repeats the threat that North Korean “strategic forces” are ready at any time to strike the US mainland, their stronghold, their military bases in the operational theatres in the Pacific, including Hawaii and Guam, and those in South Korea.' The Pentagon, headquarters of the United States Department of Defense is one of the top targets (Others) × Cities in Japan and South Korea such ad Yokosuka, Misawa, Okinawa and Pyeongtaek, Jungwon, Degu, and Gyeryongdae have also made the list respectively. North Korea carried out its sixth and most powerful nuclear test in early September and has marked a record of 15 missile tests, Daily Mirror reports. In July, it successfully tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time, declaring that the US mainland was now within reach. Trump and the North's leader Kim have exchanged a number of threats in the past, creating concerns another conflict on the peninsula where the 1950-53 Korean War left millions dead.

US, Japan, and South Korea in North Korea's nuclear hit-list: Think tank

The timing of Emperor Akihito&rsquo;s abdication, Japan&rsquo;s first in nearly two centuries, is to be discussed by a special panel that will meet from Dec. 1, the top government spokesman said on Wednesday.

Akihito, who turns 84 on Dec. 23 and has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare remarks last year that he feared age might make it hard to fulfill his duties.

A law adopted in June that allows him to step down and be succeeded by Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, left details, such as timing, to be worked out.

News the Imperial Household Council - whose 10 members include Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the chief justice of the Supreme Court along with two royals - would convene grabbed domestic headlines after Abe called on Akihito on Tuesday, apparently to inform the emperor of the meeting.

Once considered divine, Japan&rsquo;s emperor is defined in the post-war constitution as a &ldquo;symbol of the state and of the unity of the people&rdquo;, and he has no political power.

But Akihito, who has spent much of his time on the throne seeking to soothe the wounds of a war fought in his father Hirohito&rsquo;s name, and consoling people suffering from disasters or other woes, is widely respected by many average Japanese.

At a special news conference to announce the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga did not comment on media reports that two options were being considered - March 31, 2019, or April 30 that year.

&ldquo;After hearing (the panel&lsquo;s) opinion, based on that, we would like to decide the date promptly,&rdquo; he said.

The government had proposed the emperor retire at the end of 2018 but Imperial Household Agency officials demurred, media have said, citing a cluster of rituals and other events around that time.

Some in government, however, now worry an alternate proposal of March 31, 2019, would be complicated by nationwide local elections set for that spring, media said.

Once Akihito steps down, a new &ldquo;imperial era&rdquo; will begin, replacing the current &ldquo;Heisei&rdquo;, or &ldquo;achieving peace&rdquo; period, which began on Jan. 8, 1989, the day he took the throne.

Japan uses the Western-style Gregorian calendar but has also preserved the ancient custom in which the reign of a new emperor ushers in a new era.

A law adopted in June that allows Emperor Akihito to step down and be succeeded by Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, left details, such as timing, to be worked out

The timing of Emperor Akihito’s abdication, Japan’s first in nearly two centuries, is to be discussed by a special panel that will meet from Dec. 1, the top government spokesman said on Wednesday. Akihito, who turns 84 on Dec. 23 and has had heart surgery and treatment for prostate cancer, said in rare remarks last year that he feared age might make it hard to fulfill his duties. A law adopted in June that allows him to step down and be succeeded by Crown Prince Naruhito, 57, left details, such as timing, to be worked out. News the Imperial Household Council - whose 10 members include Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the chief justice of the Supreme Court along with two royals - would convene grabbed domestic headlines after Abe called on Akihito on Tuesday, apparently to inform the emperor of the meeting. Once considered divine, Japan’s emperor is defined in the post-war constitution as a “symbol of the state and of the unity of the people”, and he has no political power. But Akihito, who has spent much of his time on the throne seeking to soothe the wounds of a war fought in his father Hirohito’s name, and consoling people suffering from disasters or other woes, is widely respected by many average Japanese. At a special news conference to announce the meeting, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga did not comment on media reports that two options were being considered - March 31, 2019, or April 30 that year. “After hearing (the panel‘s) opinion, based on that, we would like to decide the date promptly,” he said. The government had proposed the emperor retire at the end of 2018 but Imperial Household Agency officials demurred, media have said, citing a cluster of rituals and other events around that time. Some in government, however, now worry an alternate proposal of March 31, 2019, would be complicated by nationwide local elections set for that spring, media said. Once Akihito steps down, a new “imperial era” will begin, replacing the current “Heisei”, or “achieving peace” period, which began on Jan. 8, 1989, the day he took the throne. Japan uses the Western-style Gregorian calendar but has also preserved the ancient custom in which the reign of a new emperor ushers in a new era.

Japan special panel to weigh timing of emperor's abdication

The Trump administration is pushing security ties between the United States, India, Japan and Australia, but the revival of the Asian &quot;Quad&quot; must overcome lingering mistrust in New Delhi towards its allies that hampers genuine military cooperation.

Joint naval drills have been at the heart of a relationship that analysts saw as a move to counterbalance China&#39;s rising power by binding the region&#39;s leading democracies more closely together.

But while the navies of the United States, Japan, and Australia can easily operate together -- based on common US&nbsp;designed combat systems and data links -- India is the outlier.

Not only are most of its ships and warplanes Russian-made, its government and military remain deeply reluctant to share data and open up sensitive military communications systems.

The United States has carried out more naval exercises with India than any other nation. But naval sources and experts say these are more about &quot;cultural familiarisation&quot; than drills for joint combat.

Because India will not sign an agreement on sharing data, naval exercises are conducted through voice and text commands with rudimentary SMS-style data exchange, Indian and Japanese military sources said.

&quot;Think of it as directing your friend to your house in the 1980s. Your left may be his right, neither of you have situational awareness,&quot; said Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, a senior fellow at New Delhi&#39;s Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies who has tracked the military exercises.

&quot;What the Americans want is 2017 - drop a pin on Google maps and hit share. You know where your friend is and he knows where your house is and how to get to it.&quot;

The Indian defense ministry did not respond to a request for a comment. 
&nbsp;

Annual drills

The so-called Quad to discuss and cooperate on security emerged briefly as an initiative a decade ago - much to the annoyance of China - and was revived recently, with an officials-level meeting this month on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Manila.

The Trump administration has talked up cooperation with India as part of efforts for a &quot;free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific&quot;.

Describing the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a &quot;single strategic arena&quot;, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described India and the United States as regional &quot;bookends&quot;.

&quot;In concrete terms, it will lead to great coordination between the Indian, Japanese and American militaries including maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, amphibious warfare, and humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and search and rescue,&quot; he said.

To be sure, India and the United States have steadily been bringing more powerful ships into their annual &quot;Malabar&quot; drills that have been expanded to include Japan in recent years.

This year the USS Nimitz carrier group was deployed for the maneuvers off India&#39;s eastern coast, along with an aircraft carrier from India and a helicopter carrier from Japan.

But a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces official said when Japan conducts drills with the Indian navy, communication is done mostly through voice transmission. There is no satellite link that would allow the two navies to access information and share monitor displays in onboard command centers.

Communication is usually the most difficult aspect of any joint drill, he said.

Building Blocks

The exercises are meant to lay the ground for joint patrols that the U.S. eventually wants to conduct with India and its allies across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific.

U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, said better interoperability was a goal of the exercises and noted that India&#39;s enhanced role as a major U.S. defense partner would help boost the relationship.

&quot;The designation of India as a major defense partner is significant and is intended to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of our closest allies and partners,&quot; he said.

&quot;As this relationship matures so will the level of interoperability.&quot;

Last year, India signed a military logistics pact with the United States after a decade of wrangling, but two other agreements are stuck.

The United States says the Communication and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) would allow it to supply India with encrypted communications equipment and systems. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement is the other pact that would set a framework through which the United States could share sensitive data to aid targeting and navigation with India.

India is concerned that agreeing to the CISMOA would open up its military communications to the United States, and even allow it to listen in on operations where Indian and U.S. interests may not coincide - such as against arch-rival Pakistan, military officials in New Delhi say.

&nbsp;Radars Turned Off

Captain Gurpreet Khurana, executive director at the government-funded National Maritime Foundation, said India&#39;s underlying concern was having its autonomy constrained by binding its military into U.S. codes and operating procedures.

Once, the Americans proposed a portable &quot;suitcase&quot; communications system called the CENTRIXS which could transmit full situational awareness data to Indian ships while the two navies practiced together. India refused to allow it to be plugged in for the duration of the exercise, citing operational security, according to an Indian source briefed on the planning of the exercises.

Even the joint air exercises that the two countries are conducting as a follow-on to Malabar are severely restricted, the source said.

India sends its Russian-acquired Sukhoi jets to the drills, but their radars and jammers are turned off.

David Shear, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia under President Barack Obama, said U.S. forces, particularly the Navy, were well aware of the interoperability constraints to interacting with India.

&quot;They understand what the obstacles are and that this is going to be a long-term project,&quot; he said.

The Trump administration is pushing security ties between the United States, India, Japan and Australia

The Trump administration is pushing security ties between the United States, India, Japan and Australia, but the revival of the Asian "Quad" must overcome lingering mistrust in New Delhi towards its allies that hampers genuine military cooperation. Joint naval drills have been at the heart of a relationship that analysts saw as a move to counterbalance China's rising power by binding the region's leading democracies more closely together. But while the navies of the United States, Japan, and Australia can easily operate together -- based on common US designed combat systems and data links -- India is the outlier. Not only are most of its ships and warplanes Russian-made, its government and military remain deeply reluctant to share data and open up sensitive military communications systems. The United States has carried out more naval exercises with India than any other nation. But naval sources and experts say these are more about "cultural familiarisation" than drills for joint combat. Because India will not sign an agreement on sharing data, naval exercises are conducted through voice and text commands with rudimentary SMS-style data exchange, Indian and Japanese military sources said. "Think of it as directing your friend to your house in the 1980s. Your left may be his right, neither of you have situational awareness," said Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, a senior fellow at New Delhi's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies who has tracked the military exercises. "What the Americans want is 2017 - drop a pin on Google maps and hit share. You know where your friend is and he knows where your house is and how to get to it." The Indian defense ministry did not respond to a request for a comment. Annual drills The so-called Quad to discuss and cooperate on security emerged briefly as an initiative a decade ago - much to the annoyance of China - and was revived recently, with an officials-level meeting this month on the sidelines of a regional gathering in Manila. The Trump administration has talked up cooperation with India as part of efforts for a "free, open and thriving Indo-Pacific". Describing the Indian and Pacific Oceans as a "single strategic arena", U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described India and the United States as regional "bookends". "In concrete terms, it will lead to great coordination between the Indian, Japanese and American militaries including maritime domain awareness, anti-submarine warfare, amphibious warfare, and humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and search and rescue," he said. To be sure, India and the United States have steadily been bringing more powerful ships into their annual "Malabar" drills that have been expanded to include Japan in recent years. This year the USS Nimitz carrier group was deployed for the maneuvers off India's eastern coast, along with an aircraft carrier from India and a helicopter carrier from Japan. But a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Forces official said when Japan conducts drills with the Indian navy, communication is done mostly through voice transmission. There is no satellite link that would allow the two navies to access information and share monitor displays in onboard command centers. Communication is usually the most difficult aspect of any joint drill, he said. Building Blocks The exercises are meant to lay the ground for joint patrols that the U.S. eventually wants to conduct with India and its allies across the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan, a Pentagon spokesman, said better interoperability was a goal of the exercises and noted that India's enhanced role as a major U.S. defense partner would help boost the relationship. "The designation of India as a major defense partner is significant and is intended to elevate defense trade and technology sharing with India to a level commensurate with that of our closest allies and partners," he said. "As this relationship matures so will the level of interoperability." Last year, India signed a military logistics pact with the United States after a decade of wrangling, but two other agreements are stuck. The United States says the Communication and Information Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) would allow it to supply India with encrypted communications equipment and systems. The Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement is the other pact that would set a framework through which the United States could share sensitive data to aid targeting and navigation with India. India is concerned that agreeing to the CISMOA would open up its military communications to the United States, and even allow it to listen in on operations where Indian and U.S. interests may not coincide - such as against arch-rival Pakistan, military officials in New Delhi say. Radars Turned Off Captain Gurpreet Khurana, executive director at the government-funded National Maritime Foundation, said India's underlying concern was having its autonomy constrained by binding its military into U.S. codes and operating procedures. Once, the Americans proposed a portable "suitcase" communications system called the CENTRIXS which could transmit full situational awareness data to Indian ships while the two navies practiced together. India refused to allow it to be plugged in for the duration of the exercise, citing operational security, according to an Indian source briefed on the planning of the exercises. Even the joint air exercises that the two countries are conducting as a follow-on to Malabar are severely restricted, the source said. India sends its Russian-acquired Sukhoi jets to the drills, but their radars and jammers are turned off. David Shear, who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia under President Barack Obama, said U.S. forces, particularly the Navy, were well aware of the interoperability constraints to interacting with India. "They understand what the obstacles are and that this is going to be a long-term project," he said.

Indian navy the odd man out in Asia's 'Quad' alliance

A Japanese man was killed in a truck collision involving a 21-year-old US&nbsp;marine who was well over the legal alcohol limit for driving, police said of a case that was likely to stoke resentment over the US&nbsp;military presence on the southern island of Okinawa.

In response to the Sunday&#39;s fatal accident, US&nbsp;forces in Japan banned, until further notice, all personnel in the country from drinking alcohol.

&quot;The Defence and Foreign Ministries have lodged a stern representation to the US&nbsp;forces in Japan and the US&nbsp;embassy in Japan, asking for the enforcement of discipline, prevention of recurrence and sincere response to the bereaved,&quot; Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference on Monday.

US&nbsp;Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty expressed his condolences and offered an apology, Suga said.

The accident occurred at an intersection in the city of Naha early Sunday morning. The marine was driving a military truck, and the 61-year-old crash victim was in a light truck.

The Japanese man was later pronounced dead, while the US&nbsp;serviceman, who was arrested for the fatal accident and driving under the influence of alcohol, suffered scratches, a police official in Naha said.

The official said a breath test showed the marine was as much as three times over the legal limit for alcohol.

&quot;When our service members fail to live up to the high standards we set for them, it damages the bonds between bases and local communities and makes it harder for us to accomplish our mission,&quot; a statement from the U.S. forces in Japan said.

Last year, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/japan-shinzo-abe-re-elected-prime-minister-after-big-election-win-23273">Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe</a> protested to then-US&nbsp;President Barack Obama about the killing of a young woman in Okinawa, for which a US&nbsp;base worker had been charged.

Obama, who was visiting Japan for a Group of Seven summit, expressed &quot;deepest regrets.&quot;

The case is under trial.

Residents in Okinawa, a reluctant host to the bulk of US&nbsp;bases in Japan, believe that they shoulder an unfair burden in supporting the US&nbsp;military presence in Japan.

A Japanese man was killed in a truck collision involving a 21-year-old US?marine who was well over the legal alcohol limit for driving

A Japanese man was killed in a truck collision involving a 21-year-old US marine who was well over the legal alcohol limit for driving, police said of a case that was likely to stoke resentment over the US military presence on the southern island of Okinawa. In response to the Sunday's fatal accident, US forces in Japan banned, until further notice, all personnel in the country from drinking alcohol. "The Defence and Foreign Ministries have lodged a stern representation to the US forces in Japan and the US embassy in Japan, asking for the enforcement of discipline, prevention of recurrence and sincere response to the bereaved," Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular news conference on Monday. US Ambassador to Japan William Hagerty expressed his condolences and offered an apology, Suga said. The accident occurred at an intersection in the city of Naha early Sunday morning. The marine was driving a military truck, and the 61-year-old crash victim was in a light truck. The Japanese man was later pronounced dead, while the US serviceman, who was arrested for the fatal accident and driving under the influence of alcohol, suffered scratches, a police official in Naha said. The official said a breath test showed the marine was as much as three times over the legal limit for alcohol. "When our service members fail to live up to the high standards we set for them, it damages the bonds between bases and local communities and makes it harder for us to accomplish our mission," a statement from the U.S. forces in Japan said. Last year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe protested to then-US President Barack Obama about the killing of a young woman in Okinawa, for which a US base worker had been charged. Obama, who was visiting Japan for a Group of Seven summit, expressed "deepest regrets." The case is under trial. Residents in Okinawa, a reluctant host to the bulk of US bases in Japan, believe that they shoulder an unfair burden in supporting the US military presence in Japan.

Japanese man dies in truck collision with US marine in drink driving case

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/china-south-korea-vow-strong-measures-to-prevent-norths-nuclear-test-14389">The nuclear envoys of South Korea</a> and<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/pm-modi-trump-to-hold-bilateral-talks-in-manila-24052"> the United States held bilateral talks</a> on Friday and addressed measures to resolve <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/why-north-koreas-nuclear-threat-must-be-taken-more-seriously-than-ever-22933">the North Korean nuclear issue</a> peacefully and diplomatically, the South&#39;s foreign ministry said.

South Korea&#39;s Lee Do-hoon and his US&nbsp;counterpart, Joseph Yun, held &quot;deep discussions&quot; aimed at finding a way to bring <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/dual-suspension-proposal-most-feasible-plan-on-north-korea-china-24400">North Korea</a> to &quot;meaningful talks&quot;, the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details.

The two agreed to hold more talks on the issue, the ministry said.

South Korea's Lee Do-hoon and his US?counterpart, Joseph Yun, held "deep discussions" aimed at finding a way to bring North Korea to "meaningful talks", the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details

The nuclear envoys of South Korea and the United States held bilateral talks on Friday and addressed measures to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue peacefully and diplomatically, the South's foreign ministry said. South Korea's Lee Do-hoon and his US counterpart, Joseph Yun, held "deep discussions" aimed at finding a way to bring North Korea to "meaningful talks", the foreign ministry said in a statement without providing further details. The two agreed to hold more talks on the issue, the ministry said.

North Korea crisis: South Korea, US reaffirm need for peaceful resolution

Japan&rsquo;s economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter due to strong exports, posting the longest period of uninterrupted growth in more than a decade.

The economy expanded at a 1.4 per cent annualized rate in July-September, slightly above the median estimate for annualized growth of 1.3 per cent, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday.

That followed the revised annualized growth of 2.6 per cent in April-June.

Consumer spending fell for the first time in seven quarters but this is expected to be temporary because the economy is near full employment, which should bolster domestic consumption in the future. Rising capital expenditure and exports are also expected to keep the economy growing, which should ease some concerns about sluggish inflation.

&ldquo;Japan&rsquo;s potential growth rate is around 1 per cent, so the results for the third quarter show the actual rate of growth is quite high,&rdquo; said Hidenobu Tokuda, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute.

&ldquo;The jobs market is doing so well that consumer spending is sure to pick up in the future. Capital expenditure still looks healthy. The economy is doing well.&rdquo;

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 per cent compared to the previous quarter, which matched the median estimate and followed a 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter expansion in April-June, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday.

The results show that Japan&rsquo;s economy has grown for the seventh straight quarter, the longest period of expansion since an eight-quarter run from April-June 1999 to January-March 2001.

External demand - or exports minus imports - was the biggest reason for expansion, adding 0.5 percent to growth.Shipments of cars and electronic parts to the United States and Asia were strong in the third quarter, reflecting improving global demand, a Cabinet Office official told reporters.

In comparison, negative external demand subtracted a revised 0.2 percentage point from GDP growth in April-June.

Private consumption, which accounts for about two-thirds of GDP, fell 0.5 per cent from the previous quarter, more than the median estimate of a 0.3 per cent contraction to mark the first decline since October-December 2015.

The decline was driven by lower spending at restaurants and hotels, as well as reduced spending on cars and mobile phones, the official said. Bad weather during the quarter may have hurt spending, the official said.

&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no change to our view the economy is recovering moderately as a trend,&rdquo; Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters.

&ldquo;We need to make the recovery a durable one, so we&rsquo;ll proceed with reforms to boost Japan&rsquo;s productivity.&rdquo;

Capital expenditure rose 0.2 per cent in July-September from the previous quarter, less than the median estimate for a 0.3 per cent increase but still up for the fourth straight quarter.

Capital Economics&rsquo; Senior Japan Economist Marcel Thielant said available data suggested that economic activity continued to expand in the current quarter, noting household incomes maintained solid growth and external demand was holding up.

&ldquo;However, the economy is running into capacity constraints which suggests that growth will start to slow next year. We reiterate our forecast that growth will moderate from 1.5 percent this year to 1 percent in 2019,&rdquo; he said.

Japan&rsquo;s government is due to announce a package of economic measures by year-end aimed at increasing investment in skills training and raising productivity.

This long run of growth should encourage the Bank of Japan to stick with the current monetary easing framework, given its argument that inflationary pressure will percolate through the economy as long as growth is on track.

The economy expanded at a 1.4 percent annualized rate in July-September, slightly above the median estimate for annualized growth of 1.3 percent, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday

Japan’s economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter due to strong exports, posting the longest period of uninterrupted growth in more than a decade. The economy expanded at a 1.4 per cent annualized rate in July-September, slightly above the median estimate for annualized growth of 1.3 per cent, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday. That followed the revised annualized growth of 2.6 per cent in April-June. Consumer spending fell for the first time in seven quarters but this is expected to be temporary because the economy is near full employment, which should bolster domestic consumption in the future. Rising capital expenditure and exports are also expected to keep the economy growing, which should ease some concerns about sluggish inflation. “Japan’s potential growth rate is around 1 per cent, so the results for the third quarter show the actual rate of growth is quite high,” said Hidenobu Tokuda, senior economist at Mizuho Research Institute. “The jobs market is doing so well that consumer spending is sure to pick up in the future. Capital expenditure still looks healthy. The economy is doing well.” Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.3 per cent compared to the previous quarter, which matched the median estimate and followed a 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter expansion in April-June, Cabinet Office data showed on Wednesday. The results show that Japan’s economy has grown for the seventh straight quarter, the longest period of expansion since an eight-quarter run from April-June 1999 to January-March 2001. External demand - or exports minus imports - was the biggest reason for expansion, adding 0.5 percent to growth.Shipments of cars and electronic parts to the United States and Asia were strong in the third quarter, reflecting improving global demand, a Cabinet Office official told reporters. In comparison, negative external demand subtracted a revised 0.2 percentage point from GDP growth in April-June. Private consumption, which accounts for about two-thirds of GDP, fell 0.5 per cent from the previous quarter, more than the median estimate of a 0.3 per cent contraction to mark the first decline since October-December 2015. The decline was driven by lower spending at restaurants and hotels, as well as reduced spending on cars and mobile phones, the official said. Bad weather during the quarter may have hurt spending, the official said. “There’s no change to our view the economy is recovering moderately as a trend,” Japanese Economy Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters. “We need to make the recovery a durable one, so we’ll proceed with reforms to boost Japan’s productivity.” Capital expenditure rose 0.2 per cent in July-September from the previous quarter, less than the median estimate for a 0.3 per cent increase but still up for the fourth straight quarter. Capital Economics’ Senior Japan Economist Marcel Thielant said available data suggested that economic activity continued to expand in the current quarter, noting household incomes maintained solid growth and external demand was holding up. “However, the economy is running into capacity constraints which suggests that growth will start to slow next year. We reiterate our forecast that growth will moderate from 1.5 percent this year to 1 percent in 2019,” he said. Japan’s government is due to announce a package of economic measures by year-end aimed at increasing investment in skills training and raising productivity. This long run of growth should encourage the Bank of Japan to stick with the current monetary easing framework, given its argument that inflationary pressure will percolate through the economy as long as growth is on track.

Japan's GDP grows for seven straight quarters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Trump had a meeting on November 13, 2017, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit held in Manila. This was days after India attended a meeting with Japanese, Australians and the US (this grouping has been dubbed as the Quad). Off late, the US has also spoken about a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific, first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did so, and during his visit to Asia, the US President Trump has referred to the Asia-Pacific as the Indo-Pacific much to the chagrin of the Chinese.

The Indian prime minister&rsquo;s emphasis on the need for New Delhi-Washington ties moving beyond the bilateral context was a clear reference to a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific and greater cooperation between New Delhi and Washington DC.

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<h5>The US President while highlighting India&rsquo;s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The US President while highlighting India?s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Indian Prime Minister said, &quot;The cooperation between India and US can rise beyond bilateral cooperation and both countries can work for the future of Asia and the world. We are moving ahead together on many issues,&quot; Modi told Trump in his opening remarks&rsquo; Modi also expressed gratitude to Trump for expressing optimism with regard to the India growth story and stated that India would live up to US expectations.

Trump had lavished praise on India while addressing a gathering of CEO&#39;s on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Vietnam. The US President while highlighting India&rsquo;s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. Said Trump: &ldquo;Since India opened its economy, it has achieved astounding growth and a new world of opportunities for its expanding middle class&rsquo;.

While there is a clear synergy, a few questions need to be kept in mind. The US President is transactional and unpredictable. While New Delhi should be happy with the current administration&rsquo;s repeated calls for granting a larger role to India in the Indo-Pacific, New Delhi should not forget that Trump himself has given mixed signals with regard to the US role in the Indo-Pacific. Initially, the US President had backed a more isolationist role for the US, confusing its allies like Japan and South Korea. Only on the issue of North Korea, Trump has taken an unequivocally harsh stance. 
&nbsp; 
Secondly, while Trump may at times make belligerent statements against China. Beijing has read him very well and understood that business deals work as a sweetener for the US President. This was clearly evident from Trump&rsquo;s recent China visit where the Chinese apart from laying out a red carpet, also signed business deals to the tune of 250 billion USD (the sceptics believe that many of these are MOU&#39;s).

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<h5>While the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Post the meeting between&nbsp;Trump and Xi, the US President&rsquo;s tone totally changed. While Washington having good ties with Beijing is not bad news for India, Trump&#39;s flip-flops certainly send a clear message that New Delhi should not solely depend upon Trump for its Indo-Pacific strategy, and neither should it&#39;s China policy be an extension of Washington&#39;s. Given their economic clout, the Chinese are in a good position to outmanoeuvre Trump. 
&nbsp; 
Third, while the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Old hands in the state department will not let go so easily, and even on Afghanistan, Washington&rsquo;s policy will not echo India&rsquo;s though the synergies may increase. PM Modi&rsquo;s mention of India&rsquo;s recent decision to send a consignment of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar (Iran) sent an important message that just as Washington has its own priorities, so does New Delhi. 
&nbsp; 
What are India&rsquo;s options

While the scepticism with regard to being part of a US-led alliance is over the top, the Quad in itself is not an answer to India&rsquo;s strategic challenges &ndash; especially with the rise of China. India&rsquo;s most reliable partner is Japan and Australia, which of&nbsp;late has witnessed significant strains in the relationship, and should be given high top priority. 
&nbsp; 
Second, New Delhi should continue to explore synergies with China, but New Delhi should draw some red lines. China&rsquo;s approach of turning a blind eye towards the activities of Pakistani terror groups targeting India, especially its recent decision to block the UN ban on Azhar Masood should not go unnoticed. New Delhi should look at reducing economic dependence upon Chinese goods, and look at other alternatives. This can not happen overnight but should be an incremental process.

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<h5>While New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases&nbsp;and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles.</h5>
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<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=While New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases?and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles." target="_blank">&nbsp;</a></div>
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Third, India has understood the importance of personalised diplomacy with Trump, and the importance he gives to business in bilateral relationships. This is useful, though not enough given the US President&#39;s flip-flops. Apart from this, a lot also depends upon the US President&#39;s domestic political capital. A vulnerable Trump could be even more isolationist and this does not help India&#39;s cause in any way. 
&nbsp; 
In conclusion, while New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases&nbsp;and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. China&rsquo;s increasing leverage clearly shows that robust economic growth enhances diplomatic clout. Western democracies which pontificate about Human Rights and Democracy, have had to meekly surrender vis-&agrave;-vis Beijing on more than one occasion.

India needs to develop business bilateral ties in order to fight its own battle.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Trump had a meeting on November 13, 2017, on the sidelines of the ASEAN and East Asia Summit held in Manila. This was days after India attended a meeting with Japanese, Australians and the US (this grouping has been dubbed as the Quad). Off late, the US has also spoken about a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific, first Secretary of State Rex Tillerson did so, and during his visit to Asia, the US President Trump has referred to the Asia-Pacific as the Indo-Pacific much to the chagrin of the Chinese. The Indian prime minister’s emphasis on the need for New Delhi-Washington ties moving beyond the bilateral context was a clear reference to a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific and greater cooperation between New Delhi and Washington DC. The US President while highlighting India’s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. × Indian Prime Minister said, "The cooperation between India and US can rise beyond bilateral cooperation and both countries can work for the future of Asia and the world. We are moving ahead together on many issues," Modi told Trump in his opening remarks’ Modi also expressed gratitude to Trump for expressing optimism with regard to the India growth story and stated that India would live up to US expectations. Trump had lavished praise on India while addressing a gathering of CEO's on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Vietnam. The US President while highlighting India’s democratic credentials and diversity, laid special emphasis on the stellar economic progress made by India. Said Trump: “Since India opened its economy, it has achieved astounding growth and a new world of opportunities for its expanding middle class’. While there is a clear synergy, a few questions need to be kept in mind. The US President is transactional and unpredictable. While New Delhi should be happy with the current administration’s repeated calls for granting a larger role to India in the Indo-Pacific, New Delhi should not forget that Trump himself has given mixed signals with regard to the US role in the Indo-Pacific. Initially, the US President had backed a more isolationist role for the US, confusing its allies like Japan and South Korea. Only on the issue of North Korea, Trump has taken an unequivocally harsh stance. Secondly, while Trump may at times make belligerent statements against China. Beijing has read him very well and understood that business deals work as a sweetener for the US President. This was clearly evident from Trump’s recent China visit where the Chinese apart from laying out a red carpet, also signed business deals to the tune of 250 billion USD (the sceptics believe that many of these are MOU's). While the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. × Post the meeting between Trump and Xi, the US President’s tone totally changed. While Washington having good ties with Beijing is not bad news for India, Trump's flip-flops certainly send a clear message that New Delhi should not solely depend upon Trump for its Indo-Pacific strategy, and neither should it's China policy be an extension of Washington's. Given their economic clout, the Chinese are in a good position to outmanoeuvre Trump. Third, while the Trump administration has made the right noises on Pakistan, New Delhi should not expect Washington to dump Islamabad or Rawalpindi. Old hands in the state department will not let go so easily, and even on Afghanistan, Washington’s policy will not echo India’s though the synergies may increase. PM Modi’s mention of India’s recent decision to send a consignment of wheat to Afghanistan via Chabahar (Iran) sent an important message that just as Washington has its own priorities, so does New Delhi. What are India’s options While the scepticism with regard to being part of a US-led alliance is over the top, the Quad in itself is not an answer to India’s strategic challenges – especially with the rise of China. India’s most reliable partner is Japan and Australia, which of late has witnessed significant strains in the relationship, and should be given high top priority. Second, New Delhi should continue to explore synergies with China, but New Delhi should draw some red lines. China’s approach of turning a blind eye towards the activities of Pakistani terror groups targeting India, especially its recent decision to block the UN ban on Azhar Masood should not go unnoticed. New Delhi should look at reducing economic dependence upon Chinese goods, and look at other alternatives. This can not happen overnight but should be an incremental process. While New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. × Third, India has understood the importance of personalised diplomacy with Trump, and the importance he gives to business in bilateral relationships. This is useful, though not enough given the US President's flip-flops. Apart from this, a lot also depends upon the US President's domestic political capital. A vulnerable Trump could be even more isolationist and this does not help India's cause in any way. In conclusion, while New Delhi needs to get out of embedded biases and suspicion of the US, it also needs to realise, that it will have to fight its own battles. China’s increasing leverage clearly shows that robust economic growth enhances diplomatic clout. Western democracies which pontificate about Human Rights and Democracy, have had to meekly surrender vis-à-vis Beijing on more than one occasion.

Trump unreliable; India needs robust economy to counter China

There&rsquo;s been precious little good news from Asia these days. Washington and Pyongyang continue to trade threats of war. Right-wing nationalist Shinzo Abe won re-election as prime minister in Japan last month. Major storms have hammered several countries in the region, most recently Typhoon Damrey in Vietnam.

And now, in the wake of those typhoons comes a mighty wind from the United States. Donald Trump, in the longest foreign trip of his presidency, is currently visiting South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The silver lining on this Ugly American Tour: Trump probably won&rsquo;t start a war in a region where he&rsquo;s currently travelling.

Lost among all this bad news has been some very good news out of Asia. It hasn&rsquo;t received much media attention here, probably because it only peripherally involves the United States. Last week, South Korea and China ended a yearlong spat over the deployment of a US missile defence system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). China, believing the system to be designed to eliminate its nuclear deterrent, punished South Korea economically for welcoming THAAD. Now a new government in Seoul, led by liberal president Moon Jae-in, has announced that it would not add to the existing THAAD system or participate in the proposed regional missile defence that Washington wants to set up. That was enough for China to re-engage economically.

It&rsquo;s a delicate balance for South Korea, to maintain its alliance with the United States and yet repair relations with China. The Trump administration is much happier with the passive-aggressive attitude of Tokyo - passively accepting US hegemony while aggressively pursuing an offensive military posture - than with Seoul&rsquo;s somewhat more independent position. Witness the time Trump lavished on Abe on this current trip including a round of golf. South Korea, meanwhile, had to make due with a brief stopover and a strident lecture by the president before the national assembly.

Here&rsquo;s a radical idea for China and South Korea: Forget Donald Trump, forget the United States and forget the Cold War divide in Northeast Asia. The two countries ought to build on their newly repaired relationship. They can make like Germany and France after World War II. But instead of a new regional order based on coal and steel, Beijing and Seoul should establish something completely new: An Asian Environmental Community that promotes renewable energy and sustainable growth.

A new geopolitical moment

Much has been made of Trump&rsquo;s reeling in of American influence around the world, at least on the soft-power side of things, and China&rsquo;s eager efforts to capitalise on the new global opportunities. Perhaps future historians will look back at this moment as the time when China began to replace the United States as the anchor of the international community. Or perhaps they will identify this era as the moment when everything began to unravel, from the EU to the UN.

But let&rsquo;s imagine a different scenario in which the threat of climate change plays the same integrative function as alien invaders in Hollywood films. The planet is at risk: Let&rsquo;s all fight the common enemy together!

True, the world so far hasn&rsquo;t gotten the message. This week the latest round of meetings began in Germany to discuss the commitments made in the Paris Climate Agreement two years ago. The Trump administration, aside from a few token representatives, has been conspicuously absent. Also, absent was any real hope that the agreement would achieve its goal of keeping the rise in global temperature from hitting a 2 degrees Celsius increase above pre-industrial levels.

Reports The New York Times: &ldquo;No major industrialised country is currently on track to fulfil its pledge, according to new data from the Climate Action Tracker. Not the European Union. Not Canada. Not Japan.&rdquo; Even if they do meet their commitments, it still won&rsquo;t be enough. According to a recent Nature study, even if humans stopped all use of fossil fuels immediately, the planet would still register a 2 C degrees increase by 2100.

Not even the announcements that both Syria and Nicaragua will join the Paris Agreement, leaving Trump&rsquo;s America as the only outlier, can alleviate this grim news. The Maldives, Mumbai and Miami are sinking: It&rsquo;s time to make plans to move to Mongolia.

Room for improvement

Enter South Korea and Japan. Here are two economic powerhouses - in the most economically dynamic region of the world - with great PR on climate change.

&ldquo;Tackling climate change is a shared mission for mankind,&rdquo; Chinese Premier Xi Jinping said at the launch of the Paris Agreement. &ldquo;Let us join hands to contribute to the establishment of an equitable and effective global mechanism on climate change, work for global sustainable development at a high level, and bring about new international relations featuring win-win cooperation.&rdquo;

Sounds good. And China has pushed forward with impressive investments into renewable energy - $360 billion by the end of the decade - along with stopping the construction of over 100 new coal-fired power plants. Although China is set to reach peak emissions a decade or more before its 2030 goal, the country remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, having surpassed the United States in 2007. In 2015, it released nearly twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as did the United States, and coal still supplies two-thirds of its energy needs. In other words, China has a long way to go before it can claim substantive leadership in stopping global warming.

South Korea has also talked a good game. Former president Lee Myung Bak created the Global Green Growth Initiative, now a multilateral body based in Seoul, to promote sustainability. In 2009, Lee told the UN: &ldquo;To proactively respond to climate change, Korea adopted &lsquo;Low Carbon Green Growth&rsquo; as a guiding vision for our nation and a strategy for further development. We are currently working to enact a Framework Law on Green Growth and establish a Five-Year Plan for Green Growth. Thereby, we will not only transform our economic and industrial structures but also change our very lifestyles to become more future-oriented.&rdquo;

In reality, however, South Korea backtracked from the pledges made during the Lee era. Under his successor Park Geun-hye, now awaiting trial on charges of corruption, Korea made a U-turn on greenhouse gas emissions and decided to rely even more heavily on coal for energy generation. As a result of this change of policy, the Institute for Climate Change Action declared South Korea one of four global &ldquo;climate villains&rdquo; at the end of 2016.

In other words, both China and South Korea have made impressive commitments to lower the global thermometer even as they continue to be a big part of the problem. But let&rsquo;s focus on the future. There&rsquo;s a new government in Seoul and China has a chance to replace the United States as the global leader on this issue. So, let&rsquo;s take it to the next level.

Asian environmental community

When France and Germany formed a new partnership in 1950, the architects had much grander ambitions than simply coordinating the production of coal and steel. They wanted to ensure a peaceful Europe. In his famous declaration that year, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman made the case for cooperation with former enemy Germany:

<q><cite>Five years, almost to the day, after the unconditional surrender of Germany, France is accomplishing the first decisive act for European construction and is associating Germany with this. Conditions in Europe are going to be entirely changed because of it. This transformation will facilitate other action which has been impossible until this day.</cite></q>

There are good arguments for including Japan in a new Asian Environmental Community from the very beginning. Particularly, at the municipal level, Japan has made great strides in reducing its carbon footprint. However, there&rsquo;s considerable resistance in Korea to greater foreign policy coordination with Japan. Japan has outstanding territorial disputes with both China and South Korea. And the Abe administration is focused on breaking out of its constitutional restraints on fielding an offensive military. For all those reasons, it would be best to focus first on achieving consensus between Seoul and Beijing.

So, what would this new Asian Environmental Community do? Both South Korea and China set rather unambitious targets under the Paris Agreement. Their first task would be to establish a more ambitious agenda for cuts in carbon emissions. There&rsquo;s no reason why both countries can&rsquo;t follow the example of Uruguay, which has managed to wean itself almost entirely from oil imports over the last two decades. The economic benefits should be attractive to both Seoul and Beijing: The cost of electricity has dropped considerably in Uruguay, the sustainable energy sector generates more jobs than the oil sector and the country now exports its (clean) energy to its neighbours. Both China and South Korea have traditionally relied on imported oil and gas; this kind of import substitution should appeal to both liberals and conservatives.

Next, the two countries could partner on a much more thoroughgoing greening of OBOR, not just incorporating some sustainable elements but ensuring that the new transportation lines, ports and power plants are carbon neutral. Yes, the massive undertaking has already started, with nearly 1,700 projects over the last three years. But it&rsquo;s still at the beginning stages, with plenty of future investment to green. But a new Asian Environmental Community could be more ambitious still.

Just as Robert Schuman imagined that the coal and steel agreement between France and Germany would bring a broken Europe back together, at least the western half of it, the partnership of China and South Korea could offer a way for Asia to sidestep its myriad disagreements and come together around the one thing that all countries can support. As with early European cooperation, the environmental partnership would be mutually beneficial. Coordinated production of renewable energy - solar panels, wind turbines - could take advantage of economies of scale to bring down prices even more. Generation of clean energy for export could help energy-poor countries go beyond their Paris commitments.

And all this cooperation might just spill over into other realms, making resolution of territorial disputes, economic disagreements, and even North Korea&rsquo;s nuclear program that much more likely. Never has Northeast Asia been more in need of a virtuous circle of engagement.

Asia set the standard for electronics, internet connectivity and formind-blowingly telescoped economic development. Now it&rsquo;s time for China and South Korea to establish a new global green benchmark. The world is desperate for mind-blowingly telescoped environmental development. Let Asia lead the way again.

This&nbsp;<a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/asia_pacific/china-south-korea-climate-change-paris-agreement-news-01990/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">article</a>&nbsp;has been originally published in Fair Observer.

Image Credit: testing / Shutterstock

China and South Korea could be game changers on climate, creating a more peaceful region in the process by establishing a new global green benchmark

There’s been precious little good news from Asia these days. Washington and Pyongyang continue to trade threats of war. Right-wing nationalist Shinzo Abe won re-election as prime minister in Japan last month. Major storms have hammered several countries in the region, most recently Typhoon Damrey in Vietnam. And now, in the wake of those typhoons comes a mighty wind from the United States. Donald Trump, in the longest foreign trip of his presidency, is currently visiting South Korea, Japan, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. The silver lining on this Ugly American Tour: Trump probably won’t start a war in a region where he’s currently travelling. Lost among all this bad news has been some very good news out of Asia. It hasn’t received much media attention here, probably because it only peripherally involves the United States. Last week, South Korea and China ended a yearlong spat over the deployment of a US missile defence system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). China, believing the system to be designed to eliminate its nuclear deterrent, punished South Korea economically for welcoming THAAD. Now a new government in Seoul, led by liberal president Moon Jae-in, has announced that it would not add to the existing THAAD system or participate in the proposed regional missile defence that Washington wants to set up. That was enough for China to re-engage economically. It’s a delicate balance for South Korea, to maintain its alliance with the United States and yet repair relations with China. The Trump administration is much happier with the passive-aggressive attitude of Tokyo - passively accepting US hegemony while aggressively pursuing an offensive military posture - than with Seoul’s somewhat more independent position. Witness the time Trump lavished on Abe on this current trip including a round of golf. South Korea, meanwhile, had to make due with a brief stopover and a strident lecture by the president before the national assembly. Here’s a radical idea for China and South Korea: Forget Donald Trump, forget the United States and forget the Cold War divide in Northeast Asia. The two countries ought to build on their newly repaired relationship. They can make like Germany and France after World War II. But instead of a new regional order based on coal and steel, Beijing and Seoul should establish something completely new: An Asian Environmental Community that promotes renewable energy and sustainable growth. A new geopolitical moment Much has been made of Trump’s reeling in of American influence around the world, at least on the soft-power side of things, and China’s eager efforts to capitalise on the new global opportunities. Perhaps future historians will look back at this moment as the time when China began to replace the United States as the anchor of the international community. Or perhaps they will identify this era as the moment when everything began to unravel, from the EU to the UN. But let’s imagine a different scenario in which the threat of climate change plays the same integrative function as alien invaders in Hollywood films. The planet is at risk: Let’s all fight the common enemy together! True, the world so far hasn’t gotten the message. This week the latest round of meetings began in Germany to discuss the commitments made in the Paris Climate Agreement two years ago. The Trump administration, aside from a few token representatives, has been conspicuously absent. Also, absent was any real hope that the agreement would achieve its goal of keeping the rise in global temperature from hitting a 2 degrees Celsius increase above pre-industrial levels. Reports The New York Times: “No major industrialised country is currently on track to fulfil its pledge, according to new data from the Climate Action Tracker. Not the European Union. Not Canada. Not Japan.” Even if they do meet their commitments, it still won’t be enough. According to a recent Nature study, even if humans stopped all use of fossil fuels immediately, the planet would still register a 2 C degrees increase by 2100. Not even the announcements that both Syria and Nicaragua will join the Paris Agreement, leaving Trump’s America as the only outlier, can alleviate this grim news. The Maldives, Mumbai and Miami are sinking: It’s time to make plans to move to Mongolia. Room for improvement Enter South Korea and Japan. Here are two economic powerhouses - in the most economically dynamic region of the world - with great PR on climate change. “Tackling climate change is a shared mission for mankind,” Chinese Premier Xi Jinping said at the launch of the Paris Agreement. “Let us join hands to contribute to the establishment of an equitable and effective global mechanism on climate change, work for global sustainable development at a high level, and bring about new international relations featuring win-win cooperation.” Sounds good. And China has pushed forward with impressive investments into renewable energy - $360 billion by the end of the decade - along with stopping the construction of over 100 new coal-fired power plants. Although China is set to reach peak emissions a decade or more before its 2030 goal, the country remains the largest emitter of greenhouse gasses, having surpassed the United States in 2007. In 2015, it released nearly twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as did the United States, and coal still supplies two-thirds of its energy needs. In other words, China has a long way to go before it can claim substantive leadership in stopping global warming. South Korea has also talked a good game. Former president Lee Myung Bak created the Global Green Growth Initiative, now a multilateral body based in Seoul, to promote sustainability. In 2009, Lee told the UN: “To proactively respond to climate change, Korea adopted ‘Low Carbon Green Growth’ as a guiding vision for our nation and a strategy for further development. We are currently working to enact a Framework Law on Green Growth and establish a Five-Year Plan for Green Growth. Thereby, we will not only transform our economic and industrial structures but also change our very lifestyles to become more future-oriented.” In reality, however, South Korea backtracked from the pledges made during the Lee era. Under his successor Park Geun-hye, now awaiting trial on charges of corruption, Korea made a U-turn on greenhouse gas emissions and decided to rely even more heavily on coal for energy generation. As a result of this change of policy, the Institute for Climate Change Action declared South Korea one of four global “climate villains” at the end of 2016. In other words, both China and South Korea have made impressive commitments to lower the global thermometer even as they continue to be a big part of the problem. But let’s focus on the future. There’s a new government in Seoul and China has a chance to replace the United States as the global leader on this issue. So, let’s take it to the next level. Asian environmental community When France and Germany formed a new partnership in 1950, the architects had much grander ambitions than simply coordinating the production of coal and steel. They wanted to ensure a peaceful Europe. In his famous declaration that year, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman made the case for cooperation with former enemy Germany: Five years, almost to the day, after the unconditional surrender of Germany, France is accomplishing the first decisive act for European construction and is associating Germany with this. Conditions in Europe are going to be entirely changed because of it. This transformation will facilitate other action which has been impossible until this day. There are good arguments for including Japan in a new Asian Environmental Community from the very beginning. Particularly, at the municipal level, Japan has made great strides in reducing its carbon footprint. However, there’s considerable resistance in Korea to greater foreign policy coordination with Japan. Japan has outstanding territorial disputes with both China and South Korea. And the Abe administration is focused on breaking out of its constitutional restraints on fielding an offensive military. For all those reasons, it would be best to focus first on achieving consensus between Seoul and Beijing. So, what would this new Asian Environmental Community do? Both South Korea and China set rather unambitious targets under the Paris Agreement. Their first task would be to establish a more ambitious agenda for cuts in carbon emissions. There’s no reason why both countries can’t follow the example of Uruguay, which has managed to wean itself almost entirely from oil imports over the last two decades. The economic benefits should be attractive to both Seoul and Beijing: The cost of electricity has dropped considerably in Uruguay, the sustainable energy sector generates more jobs than the oil sector and the country now exports its (clean) energy to its neighbours. Both China and South Korea have traditionally relied on imported oil and gas; this kind of import substitution should appeal to both liberals and conservatives. Next, the two countries could partner on a much more thoroughgoing greening of OBOR, not just incorporating some sustainable elements but ensuring that the new transportation lines, ports and power plants are carbon neutral. Yes, the massive undertaking has already started, with nearly 1,700 projects over the last three years. But it’s still at the beginning stages, with plenty of future investment to green. But a new Asian Environmental Community could be more ambitious still. Just as Robert Schuman imagined that the coal and steel agreement between France and Germany would bring a broken Europe back together, at least the western half of it, the partnership of China and South Korea could offer a way for Asia to sidestep its myriad disagreements and come together around the one thing that all countries can support. As with early European cooperation, the environmental partnership would be mutually beneficial. Coordinated production of renewable energy - solar panels, wind turbines - could take advantage of economies of scale to bring down prices even more. Generation of clean energy for export could help energy-poor countries go beyond their Paris commitments. And all this cooperation might just spill over into other realms, making resolution of territorial disputes, economic disagreements, and even North Korea’s nuclear program that much more likely. Never has Northeast Asia been more in need of a virtuous circle of engagement. Asia set the standard for electronics, internet connectivity and formind-blowingly telescoped economic development. Now it’s time for China and South Korea to establish a new global green benchmark. The world is desperate for mind-blowingly telescoped environmental development. Let Asia lead the way again. This article has been originally published in Fair Observer. Image Credit: testing / Shutterstock

Let Asia lead the way on climate change

India is likely to achieve strong growth over the next decade and will overtake Japan in nominal GDP by 2028, to emerge as the world&#39;s third-largest economy, says a foreign brokerage report.

The country has already overtaken Brazil and Russia to emerge as the second largest BRIC economy after China and is well on track to cross France and Britain to emerge as the world&#39;s fifth largest economy after Germany by 2019.

&quot;We see India crossing Germany and Japan in nominal GDP in dollar term by 2028. This assumes that the Indian economy grows at 10 per cent (in nominal US GDP) in the next decade, well ahead of Japan&#39;s 1.6 per cent,&quot; a Bank of America Merrill Lynch a report said today.

The American brokerage has conservatively projected the country&#39;s real GDP growth at 7 per cent potential.

Last year the economy closed at USD 2.26 trillion. But the report did not quantify the size of the economy by 2028 when it would be the third largest after China and the US.

The report titled, &#39;India 2028: The last BRICK in the Wall&#39;, said falling dependency ratios, financial maturity and increasing incomes and affordability are the three key drivers for the country to stand among the large emerging economies.

&quot;First, falling dependency ratios should raise savings and investment rates. Second, financial maturity, due to financial liberalisation and inclusion, should continue to lower lending rates structurally.

&quot;Finally, increasing incomes and affordability will likely underpin the emergence of mass markets, supporting an expected 7 per cent real GDP growth,&quot; the report said.

It said the dependency ratio (unproductive population in the o-14 and over-65 age group) is slated to fall to 46.2 per cent in 2028 from 52.2 per cent now and 71.7 per cent in 1990. This should sustain the savings rate at 32 per cent of GDP, at the least, in 2028, comparable to 31.4 per cent during 2000-17, up from 20.5 per cent in the 1980s and the 1990s.

A rising savings rate should push the investment rate up to 35 per cent of GDP in 2028 from 32.4 per cent in 2017 and 22.1 per cent in the 1980s and the 1990s. This assumes a sustainable current account deficit of 2-2.5 per cent of GDP.

&quot;This, in turn, should lift growth to 10 per cent from 7.1 per cent last fiscal holding the incremental capital output ratio at current 4.8 levels,&quot; the report said.

The credit to GDP ratio, a proxy for financial maturity, will likely climb to 83 per cent of GDP from 44 per cent (2001-17) and 25 per cent during the 1980s and the 1990s driven by financial extension and inclusion, emergence of financial products and financial market development.

The report expects the country&#39;s growth to be driven by services.

It further said RBI will recoup forex reserves compared to falling import cover. &quot;We continue to expect RBI to recoup forex reserves to guard against contagion, in contrast, to import cover almost halving since 2008. This should contain depreciation to 3 per cent a year over the next 10 years,&quot; the report said.

The brokerage said the country is witnessing the emergence of mass markets powered by rising incomes, on the demand side, as well as economies of scale, on the supply side.

The country has already overtaken Brazil and Russia to emerge as the second largest BRICS economy after China and is well on track to cross France and Britain to emerge as the world's fifth largest economy after Germany by 2019

India is likely to achieve strong growth over the next decade and will overtake Japan in nominal GDP by 2028, to emerge as the world's third-largest economy, says a foreign brokerage report. The country has already overtaken Brazil and Russia to emerge as the second largest BRIC economy after China and is well on track to cross France and Britain to emerge as the world's fifth largest economy after Germany by 2019. "We see India crossing Germany and Japan in nominal GDP in dollar term by 2028. This assumes that the Indian economy grows at 10 per cent (in nominal US GDP) in the next decade, well ahead of Japan's 1.6 per cent," a Bank of America Merrill Lynch a report said today. The American brokerage has conservatively projected the country's real GDP growth at 7 per cent potential. Last year the economy closed at USD 2.26 trillion. But the report did not quantify the size of the economy by 2028 when it would be the third largest after China and the US. The report titled, 'India 2028: The last BRICK in the Wall', said falling dependency ratios, financial maturity and increasing incomes and affordability are the three key drivers for the country to stand among the large emerging economies. "First, falling dependency ratios should raise savings and investment rates. Second, financial maturity, due to financial liberalisation and inclusion, should continue to lower lending rates structurally. "Finally, increasing incomes and affordability will likely underpin the emergence of mass markets, supporting an expected 7 per cent real GDP growth," the report said. It said the dependency ratio (unproductive population in the o-14 and over-65 age group) is slated to fall to 46.2 per cent in 2028 from 52.2 per cent now and 71.7 per cent in 1990. This should sustain the savings rate at 32 per cent of GDP, at the least, in 2028, comparable to 31.4 per cent during 2000-17, up from 20.5 per cent in the 1980s and the 1990s. A rising savings rate should push the investment rate up to 35 per cent of GDP in 2028 from 32.4 per cent in 2017 and 22.1 per cent in the 1980s and the 1990s. This assumes a sustainable current account deficit of 2-2.5 per cent of GDP. "This, in turn, should lift growth to 10 per cent from 7.1 per cent last fiscal holding the incremental capital output ratio at current 4.8 levels," the report said. The credit to GDP ratio, a proxy for financial maturity, will likely climb to 83 per cent of GDP from 44 per cent (2001-17) and 25 per cent during the 1980s and the 1990s driven by financial extension and inclusion, emergence of financial products and financial market development. The report expects the country's growth to be driven by services. It further said RBI will recoup forex reserves compared to falling import cover. "We continue to expect RBI to recoup forex reserves to guard against contagion, in contrast, to import cover almost halving since 2008. This should contain depreciation to 3 per cent a year over the next 10 years," the report said. The brokerage said the country is witnessing the emergence of mass markets powered by rising incomes, on the demand side, as well as economies of scale, on the supply side.

India to overtake Japan, become third-largest economy by 2028

U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his tough rhetoric against North Korea when he arrived in Japan on Sunday, saying that the United States and its allies are prepared to defend freedom and that &#39;no dictator&#39;&nbsp;should underestimate US&nbsp;resolve.

Trump kicked off a 12-day Asian trip and is looking to present a united front with Japan against North Korea through meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang&rsquo;s nuclear and missile tests.

He told reporters on Air Force One en route to Asia that North Korea would figure prominently in discussions during the trip. He also singled out trade, which he said had been &#39;badly handled&#39;&nbsp;in the region for years.

Trump has rattled some allies with his vow to &#39;totally destroy&#39;&nbsp;North Korea if it threatens the United States and his dismissal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a &#39;rocket man&#39;&nbsp;on a suicide mission.

&ldquo;No dictator, no regime, no nation should ever underestimate American resolve,&rdquo; Trump told hundreds of cheering US&nbsp;and Japanese troops in camouflage uniforms gathered at Yokota Air Base, just west of Tokyo, soon after he arrived.

&ldquo;Every once in a while, in the past, they underestimated us. It was not pleasant for them, was it?&rdquo; said Trump, who wore a leather bomber jacket as he addressed the troops.

North Korea&rsquo;s recent actions, including several missiles that overflew Japan and Pyongyang&rsquo;s sixth and largest nuclear test, have raised the stakes in the most critical international challenge of Trump&rsquo;s presidency.

<iframe data-integralas-id-9156c4a1-f918-a000-8681-5266851aa6d7="" frameborder="0" height="2" id="google_ads_iframe_/4735792/us.reuters/world/article_2" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/4735792/us.reuters/world/article_2" scrolling="no" srcdoc="" title="3rd party ad content" width="2"></iframe>Recent drills over South Korea by two US&nbsp;strategic bombers have further raised tensions.

&ldquo;We will never yield, never waver and never falter in defense of our freedom,&rdquo; Trump said.

He told reporters earlier on Air Force One that a decision would be made soon on whether to add reclusive North Korea to a list of state sponsors of terrorism.

His administration also planned to take a different approach to dealing with the issue after years of what he termed &#39;total weakness&#39;, although he did not give any details.

&ldquo;We want to get it solved. It&rsquo;s a big problem for our country and the world, and we want to get it solved,&rdquo; he said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters before Trump&rsquo;s arrival that he welcomed the visit as a chance to deepen bilateral ties by building upon the &ldquo;friendship and trust&rdquo; between the two leaders, fostered by several meetings that included a round of golf in Florida earlier this year.

&ldquo;I hope we will be able to have thorough discussions about international issues, including North Korea,&rdquo; he said.

Trump and Abe were to play golf on Sunday afternoon at a course to be used during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, followed by dinner. More discussions were set for Monday.

Trump also said he planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip, the longest Asian tour by any US&nbsp;leader since George H.W. Bush in 1992.

&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s expected that we will meet,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We want Putin&rsquo;s help on North Korea.&rdquo;

Trump wants a united front with the leaders of Japan and South Korea against North Korea before he visits Beijing to make the case to Chinese President Xi Jinping that he should do more to rein in Pyongyang.

Trade will factor heavily during Trump&rsquo;s trip as he tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to policies more favorable to the United States, a point Trump emphasized.

A centerpiece of the trip will be a visit to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, where he will deliver a speech in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is seen as offering a bulwark in response to expansionist Chinese policies.

&ldquo;One of the things we&rsquo;re going to be very focused on is trade because trade has not been done well for 25 years by the United States with this part of the world, with any part of the world,&rdquo; he said on Air Force One.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to be discussing reciprocal trade. Fair, free but reciprocal,&rdquo; he said.

Trump kicked off a 12-day Asian trip and is looking to present a united front with Japan against North Korea through meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang?s nuclear and missile tests.

U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up his tough rhetoric against North Korea when he arrived in Japan on Sunday, saying that the United States and its allies are prepared to defend freedom and that 'no dictator' should underestimate US resolve. Trump kicked off a 12-day Asian trip and is looking to present a united front with Japan against North Korea through meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests. He told reporters on Air Force One en route to Asia that North Korea would figure prominently in discussions during the trip. He also singled out trade, which he said had been 'badly handled' in the region for years. Trump has rattled some allies with his vow to 'totally destroy' North Korea if it threatens the United States and his dismissal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a 'rocket man' on a suicide mission. “No dictator, no regime, no nation should ever underestimate American resolve,” Trump told hundreds of cheering US and Japanese troops in camouflage uniforms gathered at Yokota Air Base, just west of Tokyo, soon after he arrived. “Every once in a while, in the past, they underestimated us. It was not pleasant for them, was it?” said Trump, who wore a leather bomber jacket as he addressed the troops. North Korea’s recent actions, including several missiles that overflew Japan and Pyongyang’s sixth and largest nuclear test, have raised the stakes in the most critical international challenge of Trump’s presidency. Recent drills over South Korea by two US strategic bombers have further raised tensions. “We will never yield, never waver and never falter in defense of our freedom,” Trump said. He told reporters earlier on Air Force One that a decision would be made soon on whether to add reclusive North Korea to a list of state sponsors of terrorism. His administration also planned to take a different approach to dealing with the issue after years of what he termed 'total weakness', although he did not give any details. “We want to get it solved. It’s a big problem for our country and the world, and we want to get it solved,” he said. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters before Trump’s arrival that he welcomed the visit as a chance to deepen bilateral ties by building upon the “friendship and trust” between the two leaders, fostered by several meetings that included a round of golf in Florida earlier this year. “I hope we will be able to have thorough discussions about international issues, including North Korea,” he said. Trump and Abe were to play golf on Sunday afternoon at a course to be used during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, followed by dinner. More discussions were set for Monday. Trump also said he planned to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during his trip, the longest Asian tour by any US leader since George H.W. Bush in 1992. “I think it’s expected that we will meet,” he said. “We want Putin’s help on North Korea.” Trump wants a united front with the leaders of Japan and South Korea against North Korea before he visits Beijing to make the case to Chinese President Xi Jinping that he should do more to rein in Pyongyang. Trade will factor heavily during Trump’s trip as he tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to policies more favorable to the United States, a point Trump emphasized. A centerpiece of the trip will be a visit to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, where he will deliver a speech in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is seen as offering a bulwark in response to expansionist Chinese policies. “One of the things we’re going to be very focused on is trade because trade has not been done well for 25 years by the United States with this part of the world, with any part of the world,” he said on Air Force One. “We’re going to be discussing reciprocal trade. Fair, free but reciprocal,” he said.

Trump lands in Japan, says US and allies are prepared to defend freedom

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-extend-asia-trip-attend-east-asia-summit-white-house-23477" target="_blank">US President Donald Trump</a> paid a somber visit to Pearl Harbor ahead of his first official trip to Asia, also meeting with military officials overseeing US operations in the Pacific region.

Trump and his wife Melania tossed white pikake flower petals into the waters at the USS Arizona Memorial, where hundreds of US service members died when Japan launched a surprise attack in 1941, triggering the US entry into World War II.

The Trumps also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony during the stopover on Friday, watching as two sailors placed the flower arrangement before a white marble wall bearing the names of the fallen.

Before his some 20-minute visit to the shrine, Trump met with leaders of the US Pacific Command, amid growing concerns over security in the region.&nbsp;

In brief comments to reporters, Trump said it was &quot;very special being in Hawaii.&quot;

He voiced enthusiasm over his trip to Pearl Harbor, &quot;which I&#39;ve read about, spoken about, heard about, studied, but I haven&#39;t seen.

&quot;And that is going to be very exciting for me.&quot;

Trump stopped in Hawaii ahead of a tour of Asia lasting nearly <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-heads-to-japan-with-north-korea-on-his-mind-23489" target="_blank">two weeks which will include visits to Japan</a>, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-leaves-for-asia-with-heavy-domestic-baggage-23482" target="_blank">He left Washington with heavy domestic baggage</a>, including new developments in the high-stakes <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/two-former-trump-aides-charged-in-russia-probe-third-pleads-guilty-23166" target="_blank">probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election</a>, that risks dogging efforts at top-level diplomacy.

The trip itself poses its own set of challenges, with efforts to contain or roll back North Korea&#39;s ballistic and nuclear missile programs topping the diplomatic agenda.

Trump stopped in Hawaii ahead of a tour of Asia lasting nearly two weeks which will include visits to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines

US President Donald Trump paid a somber visit to Pearl Harbor ahead of his first official trip to Asia, also meeting with military officials overseeing US operations in the Pacific region. Trump and his wife Melania tossed white pikake flower petals into the waters at the USS Arizona Memorial, where hundreds of US service members died when Japan launched a surprise attack in 1941, triggering the US entry into World War II. The Trumps also took part in a wreath-laying ceremony during the stopover on Friday, watching as two sailors placed the flower arrangement before a white marble wall bearing the names of the fallen. Before his some 20-minute visit to the shrine, Trump met with leaders of the US Pacific Command, amid growing concerns over security in the region. In brief comments to reporters, Trump said it was "very special being in Hawaii." He voiced enthusiasm over his trip to Pearl Harbor, "which I've read about, spoken about, heard about, studied, but I haven't seen. "And that is going to be very exciting for me." Trump stopped in Hawaii ahead of a tour of Asia lasting nearly two weeks which will include visits to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. He left Washington with heavy domestic baggage, including new developments in the high-stakes probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, that risks dogging efforts at top-level diplomacy. The trip itself poses its own set of challenges, with efforts to contain or roll back North Korea's ballistic and nuclear missile programs topping the diplomatic agenda.

Trump makes Pearl Harbour stop en route to Asia

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump heads to Japan on the first stop of his <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-leaves-for-asia-with-heavy-domestic-baggage-23482">five-nation tour of Asia </a>on Saturday, looking to present a united front with the Japanese against North Korea as tensions run high over Pyongyang&#39;s nuclear and missile tests.

Trump, who is on a 12-day trip, is to speak to US&nbsp;and Japanese forces at Yokota air base shortly after arriving in Japan on Sunday and looked to stress the importance of the alliance to regional security.

Ballistic missile tests by North Korea and its sixth and largest nuclear test, in defiance of UN&nbsp;Security Council resolutions, have exacerbated the most critical international challenge of Trump&#39;s presidency.

Aerial drills conducted over South Korea by two US&nbsp;strategic bombers have raised tensions in recent days.

In a display of golf diplomacy, Trump is to play a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two leaders also played together in Florida earlier this year.

Trump will also have a state call with the Imperial Family at Akasaka Palace during his visit. Abe and Trump will meet families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea.

Joined by his wife Melania on part of the trip, Trump&#39;s tour of Asia is the longest by an American president since George H.W. Bush in 1992. Besides Japan, he will visit South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Trump extended the trip by a day on Friday when he agreed to participate in a summit of East Asian nations in Manila.

His trip got off to a colorful start in Hawaii. He was taken by boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, where lies the World War Two ship that was sunk by the Japanese during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941.

The Trumps tossed white flower petals into the waters at the memorial in honor of those who died at Pearl Harbor.

Trade, North Korea

Trump&#39;s trip is to be dominated by trade and how to muster more international pressure on North Korea to give up nuclear weapons.

&quot;We&#39;ll be talking about trade,&quot; Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. &quot;We&#39;ll be talking about obviously North Korea. We&#39;ll be enlisting the help of a lot of people and countries and we&#39;ll see what happens. But I think we&#39;re going to have a very successful trip. There is a lot of good will.&quot;

Trump has rattled some allies with his vow to &quot;totally destroy&quot; North Korea if it threatens the United States and his dismissal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a &quot;rocket man&quot; on a suicide mission.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, briefing reporters on Friday, defended Trump&#39;s colorful language.

&quot;What&#39;s inflammatory is the North Korean regime and what they&#39;re doing to threaten the world,&quot; McMaster said.

Trump will seek a united front with the leaders of Japan and South Korea against North Korea before visiting Beijing to make the case to Chinese President Xi Jinping that he should do more to rein in Pyongyang.

Trade will factor heavily during Trump&#39;s trip as he tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to trade policies more favorable to the United States.

A centerpiece of the trip will be a visit to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, where he will deliver a speech in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is seen as offering a bulwark in response to expansionist Chinese policies.

US?President Donald Trump heads to Japan on the first stop of his five-nation tour of Asia on Saturday, looking to present a united front with the Japanese against North Korea as tensions run high over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests.

US President Donald Trump heads to Japan on the first stop of his five-nation tour of Asia on Saturday, looking to present a united front with the Japanese against North Korea as tensions run high over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests. Trump, who is on a 12-day trip, is to speak to US and Japanese forces at Yokota air base shortly after arriving in Japan on Sunday and looked to stress the importance of the alliance to regional security. Ballistic missile tests by North Korea and its sixth and largest nuclear test, in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions, have exacerbated the most critical international challenge of Trump's presidency. Aerial drills conducted over South Korea by two US strategic bombers have raised tensions in recent days. In a display of golf diplomacy, Trump is to play a round of golf with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The two leaders also played together in Florida earlier this year. Trump will also have a state call with the Imperial Family at Akasaka Palace during his visit. Abe and Trump will meet families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. Joined by his wife Melania on part of the trip, Trump's tour of Asia is the longest by an American president since George H.W. Bush in 1992. Besides Japan, he will visit South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Trump extended the trip by a day on Friday when he agreed to participate in a summit of East Asian nations in Manila. His trip got off to a colorful start in Hawaii. He was taken by boat out to the USS Arizona Memorial, where lies the World War Two ship that was sunk by the Japanese during the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. The Trumps tossed white flower petals into the waters at the memorial in honor of those who died at Pearl Harbor. Trade, North Korea Trump's trip is to be dominated by trade and how to muster more international pressure on North Korea to give up nuclear weapons. "We'll be talking about trade," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. "We'll be talking about obviously North Korea. We'll be enlisting the help of a lot of people and countries and we'll see what happens. But I think we're going to have a very successful trip. There is a lot of good will." Trump has rattled some allies with his vow to "totally destroy" North Korea if it threatens the United States and his dismissal of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a "rocket man" on a suicide mission. White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster, briefing reporters on Friday, defended Trump's colorful language. "What's inflammatory is the North Korean regime and what they're doing to threaten the world," McMaster said. Trump will seek a united front with the leaders of Japan and South Korea against North Korea before visiting Beijing to make the case to Chinese President Xi Jinping that he should do more to rein in Pyongyang. Trade will factor heavily during Trump's trip as he tries to persuade Asian allies to agree to trade policies more favorable to the United States. A centerpiece of the trip will be a visit to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Danang, Vietnam, where he will deliver a speech in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is seen as offering a bulwark in response to expansionist Chinese policies.

Trump heads to Japan with North Korea on his mind

Nana, a female bottlenose dolphin, was found dead at the Shizuoka Prefecture aquarium in Japan on Tuesday, said official Kiyoshi Sakamoto.&nbsp;

Dolphin Nana died just weeks after breaking a national record of staying captive at the aquarium for 15,666 days, or 42 years and 11 months.&nbsp;

&quot;Nana was a symbol of our aquarium and had attracted a lot of fans with her cute behaviour,&rdquo; Sakamoto said.&nbsp;

&ldquo;We miss her so much,&rdquo; he said, adding that the facility is considering holding a ceremony in the dolphin&rsquo;s memory.

Officials at the Shizuoka Prefecture aquarium organised the&nbsp;ceremony in her honour on Wednesday, where Shimoda Mayor Yusuke Fukui gave a special residence certificate in Nana&#39;s name, reports said.&nbsp;

Nana was captured off the coast of Ito in 1974 and had lived at the aquarium ever since.

She gave birth to eight calves while also taking part in dolphin shows, the official said.

(with inputs from AFP)

Dolphin Nana died just weeks after breaking a national record of staying captive at the aquarium for 15,666 days, or 42 years and 11 months.?

Nana, a female bottlenose dolphin, was found dead at the Shizuoka Prefecture aquarium in Japan on Tuesday, said official Kiyoshi Sakamoto. Dolphin Nana died just weeks after breaking a national record of staying captive at the aquarium for 15,666 days, or 42 years and 11 months. "Nana was a symbol of our aquarium and had attracted a lot of fans with her cute behaviour,” Sakamoto said. “We miss her so much,” he said, adding that the facility is considering holding a ceremony in the dolphin’s memory. Officials at the Shizuoka Prefecture aquarium organised the ceremony in her honour on Wednesday, where Shimoda Mayor Yusuke Fukui gave a special residence certificate in Nana's name, reports said. Nana was captured off the coast of Ito in 1974 and had lived at the aquarium ever since. She gave birth to eight calves while also taking part in dolphin shows, the official said. (with inputs from AFP)

'Longest living' dolphin in captivity dies in Japan

A Japanese man was arrested on Tuesday after the severed parts of nine bodies, some of them stored in picnic coolers, were found in his apartment, Japanese media said.

Police made the grisly find in the apartment in Zama, a city just outside Tokyo, after investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who went missing earlier this month and was seen walking with the man near the apartment on security camera footage, multiple media reported.

A number of coolers were found in the house, each containing body parts, and led to the arrest of a 27-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning a body. Police are investigating further, media added.

A spokesman for the National Police Agency declined to confirm the reports, saying nothing had been officially announced.

A Japanese man was arrested on Tuesday after the severed parts of nine bodies, some of them stored in picnic coolers, were found in his apartment, Japanese media said.

A Japanese man was arrested on Tuesday after the severed parts of nine bodies, some of them stored in picnic coolers, were found in his apartment, Japanese media said. Police made the grisly find in the apartment in Zama, a city just outside Tokyo, after investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman who went missing earlier this month and was seen walking with the man near the apartment on security camera footage, multiple media reported. A number of coolers were found in the house, each containing body parts, and led to the arrest of a 27-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning a body. Police are investigating further, media added. A spokesman for the National Police Agency declined to confirm the reports, saying nothing had been officially announced.

Japanese man arrested after parts of nine bodies found in apartment

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gambled by calling a snap election &ndash; and he has won big.

Voters handed Abe&rsquo;s Liberal Democratic Party a sweeping victory in the Oct. 22 balloting for Japan&rsquo;s House of Representatives.

The call for the election came in late September after North Korea had just fired another test missile, with its longest delivery system yet. Over the past months, North Korea has tested six missiles, with each test either falling into the Japan Sea or passing over Japan to land in the Pacific. This latest missile flew over Japan&rsquo;s northernmost island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea&rsquo;s leader, Kim Jung Un, used strong threats after this missile test, saying that he hoped to see Japan sink into the sea. Abe and his hawkish, conservative coalition have been attempting to rebuild Japan&rsquo;s military capabilities and to scrap its WWII-era constitution that prohibits aggression.

Based on my research in Japanese politics, I believe the party&rsquo;s electoral victory spells trouble for peace in Asia.

Re-arming the military

Abe&rsquo;s agenda has taken shape in a number of ways. In August, his minister of defence submitted a historic budget request that violates a decades-old unwritten principle. The principle is for Japan&rsquo;s defence budget to never be larger than 1 per cent of GDP. This principle was part of the commitment made after WWII to forever renounce military aggression.

The new budget request is a whopping 5,255 billion yen in military spending (US$48.1 billion) or 2.5 per cent of Japan&rsquo;s GDP for the fiscal year 2018. The request includes new land-based missile defence systems to monitor space and provides auto-warnings for missile launches. This technology would assist in detecting potential missile launches from North Korea, and could theoretically intercept them.

In September, the Japanese Navy launched the ship &ldquo;Myoko&rdquo; that will patrol the Japan Sea between Japan and Korea. It will guard against potential missile fires by North Korea with anti-missile defence capabilities, identical to those of the U.S. Navy. At the launch, Abe said that the &ldquo;increasingly severe security environment&rdquo; posed by North Korea and China must be &ldquo;squarely faced&rdquo; by Japan. He referred to the environment awaiting the Myoko&rsquo;s crew as a &quot;raging sea&quot;.

Many in Japan anticipate the role of Japan&rsquo;s military will soon change to respond to North Korea. Increasing military spending in the budget now may lead to future increases and spending on more offensive weapons. For example, two years ago, Japan and the U.S. renegotiated their security alliance. Japan agreed to come to the aid of its most important ally if the U.S. or one of its allies were to come under attack. A discussion on changing the Japanese Constitution&rsquo;s WWII prohibition of aggression is likely to be revived.

Destabilising the region

The requested increase in military spending in August had an immediate effect on the region and possibilities for peaceful relations.

A spokesperson for China&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted China&rsquo;s concern over the new plan and accused Japan of inflating the threat posed by China in order to take a more offensive stance in Asia.

The relationship between China and Japan is already tense. The two nations are engaged in a dispute over the Senkaku Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea. This disagreement flared up last summer when China stepped up military activity near the islands. Then in February, President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to come to Japan&rsquo;s aid with conventional and nuclear weapons in a statement signed by both leaders.

Abe&rsquo;s victory confirms that Japanese people take these threats seriously. Their fears may play into a developing brinksmanship between Japan and North Korea that could, in my opinion, implicate the United States.

Trump will visit Asia in November, and his stay in Japan includes a visit with Japanese who were abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and &lsquo;80s. Doing so may open old wounds with North Korea &ndash; the stories of abduction provoke strong feelings for the Japanese people who will be reminded of North Korea&rsquo;s past offences. Prospects for a peaceful resolution with North Korea are becoming more slim, strengthening Abe&rsquo;s case for building out Japan&rsquo;s offensive capabilities.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/japans-vote-for-abe-could-worsen-prospects-for-peace-with-north-korea-china-86173" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

The USA's aid for Japan's military might narrow the prospect of solving Japan's issues with China and North Korea

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe gambled by calling a snap election – and he has won big. Voters handed Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party a sweeping victory in the Oct. 22 balloting for Japan’s House of Representatives. The call for the election came in late September after North Korea had just fired another test missile, with its longest delivery system yet. Over the past months, North Korea has tested six missiles, with each test either falling into the Japan Sea or passing over Japan to land in the Pacific. This latest missile flew over Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jung Un, used strong threats after this missile test, saying that he hoped to see Japan sink into the sea. Abe and his hawkish, conservative coalition have been attempting to rebuild Japan’s military capabilities and to scrap its WWII-era constitution that prohibits aggression. Based on my research in Japanese politics, I believe the party’s electoral victory spells trouble for peace in Asia. Re-arming the military Abe’s agenda has taken shape in a number of ways. In August, his minister of defence submitted a historic budget request that violates a decades-old unwritten principle. The principle is for Japan’s defence budget to never be larger than 1 per cent of GDP. This principle was part of the commitment made after WWII to forever renounce military aggression. The new budget request is a whopping 5,255 billion yen in military spending (US$48.1 billion) or 2.5 per cent of Japan’s GDP for the fiscal year 2018. The request includes new land-based missile defence systems to monitor space and provides auto-warnings for missile launches. This technology would assist in detecting potential missile launches from North Korea, and could theoretically intercept them. In September, the Japanese Navy launched the ship “Myoko” that will patrol the Japan Sea between Japan and Korea. It will guard against potential missile fires by North Korea with anti-missile defence capabilities, identical to those of the U.S. Navy. At the launch, Abe said that the “increasingly severe security environment” posed by North Korea and China must be “squarely faced” by Japan. He referred to the environment awaiting the Myoko’s crew as a "raging sea". Many in Japan anticipate the role of Japan’s military will soon change to respond to North Korea. Increasing military spending in the budget now may lead to future increases and spending on more offensive weapons. For example, two years ago, Japan and the U.S. renegotiated their security alliance. Japan agreed to come to the aid of its most important ally if the U.S. or one of its allies were to come under attack. A discussion on changing the Japanese Constitution’s WWII prohibition of aggression is likely to be revived. Destabilising the region The requested increase in military spending in August had an immediate effect on the region and possibilities for peaceful relations. A spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted China’s concern over the new plan and accused Japan of inflating the threat posed by China in order to take a more offensive stance in Asia. The relationship between China and Japan is already tense. The two nations are engaged in a dispute over the Senkaku Diaoyutai islands in the East China Sea. This disagreement flared up last summer when China stepped up military activity near the islands. Then in February, President Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to come to Japan’s aid with conventional and nuclear weapons in a statement signed by both leaders. Abe’s victory confirms that Japanese people take these threats seriously. Their fears may play into a developing brinksmanship between Japan and North Korea that could, in my opinion, implicate the United States. Trump will visit Asia in November, and his stay in Japan includes a visit with Japanese who were abducted by North Korea during the 1970s and ‘80s. Doing so may open old wounds with North Korea – the stories of abduction provoke strong feelings for the Japanese people who will be reminded of North Korea’s past offences. Prospects for a peaceful resolution with North Korea are becoming more slim, strengthening Abe’s case for building out Japan’s offensive capabilities. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Japan's vote for Abe could worsen prospects for peace with North Korea, China

A Japanese firm has created what it claims is a world-first &quot;noise-cancelling&quot; fork to mask the sound made by slurping down noodles, dubbed &quot;noodle harassment&quot; on social media.

Foreign visitors to Japanese noodle bars are often startled to hear the locals -- normally so polite and restrained cut -- noisily slurping down their noodles with lip-smacking gusto.

The tradition is supposed to show the diner&#39;s appreciation for the food but some people are becoming bothered by the noise.

Now an instant noodle producer claims to have found a solution to the problem.

Inspired by Japanese toilets, which can be programmed to play an artificial flushing noise to cover embarrassing sounds, Nissin Food Products looked at creating something similar for noodles.

The result was a giant fork 4.4 centimeters (1.73 inches) wide and 15.2 centimeters long&nbsp;with a sensitive microphone to detect offending slurps.

&quot;We developed a system in which any subtle slurping sound can be detected,&quot; said the company.&nbsp;

A Japanese firm has created a world-first "noise-cancelling" fork to mask the sound made by slurping down noodles

A Japanese firm has created what it claims is a world-first "noise-cancelling" fork to mask the sound made by slurping down noodles, dubbed "noodle harassment" on social media. Foreign visitors to Japanese noodle bars are often startled to hear the locals -- normally so polite and restrained cut -- noisily slurping down their noodles with lip-smacking gusto. The tradition is supposed to show the diner's appreciation for the food but some people are becoming bothered by the noise. Now an instant noodle producer claims to have found a solution to the problem. Inspired by Japanese toilets, which can be programmed to play an artificial flushing noise to cover embarrassing sounds, Nissin Food Products looked at creating something similar for noodles. The result was a giant fork 4.4 centimeters (1.73 inches) wide and 15.2 centimeters long with a sensitive microphone to detect offending slurps. "We developed a system in which any subtle slurping sound can be detected," said the company.

Slurp alert: Japanese fork masks noodle-sucking noise

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has once again proved that he is a shrewd political strategist who understands Japanese politics better than his rivals. His latest controversial decision to hold snap elections to the House of Representatives one full year earlier than required raised many eyebrows in Japan and many analysts called it a risky gamble.

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<h5>Mr Abe&rsquo;s ruling Liberal Democratic Party- Komeito coalition scored a dramatic victory capturing more than two-thirds majority seats in the Lower House.</h5>
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Already enjoying more than two-thirds majority in the House, it was doubted whether he could even retain the existing strength leave alone the question of bettering it. When Abe took the decision to call the snap elections, he thought that it would be the usual &ldquo;rubber stamp elections&rdquo; which he could easily win as he had done in 2014. Though subsequently many developments like the rise of Ms Yuriko Koike as a challenger seemingly created some hiccups. Finally,&nbsp;Mr Abe&rsquo;s ruling Liberal Democratic Party- Komeito coalition scored a dramatic victory capturing more than two-thirds majority seats in the Lower House.

This victory, fifth successive win in national elections since 2012, will strengthen Mr Abe&rsquo;s position within his own party and even ensure his re-election as party president for the third term in September 2018 and his continuance as the Prime Minister until 2021. Some of his detractors within the party who could have challenged him now look very much weakened by&nbsp;Mr Abe&rsquo;s victory.

He is likely to be the longest-serving post-war prime minister of Japan. It is to be noted that the next major national election he will face will be in the summer of 2019 which will elect&nbsp;half the members of the House Councilors. It means that he will have ample time to initiate and implement some of his long-cherished goals like amending the Constitution, denuclearisation of North Korea, and enhancing the consumption tax from 8 per cent to 10 per cent by 2019.

In particular, Mr Abe will show utmost circumspection while dealing with the constitutional amendment which has posed the greatest challenge to successive governments in the past. He knows that since the issue can fuel a great deal of heat within the country, he has to move carefully to work out a national consensus before taking any hasty step. Winning 310 odd seats in the elections is not the same as winning the hearts of the people. In fact, many public opinion surveys taken after the election results conveyed the message that about 45-50 per cent of the people surveyed expressed their disagreement with Mr Abe&rsquo;s policies.

The Japanese Constitution lays down that any amendment to the Constitution needs to be approved by the two-thirds majority of both Houses and that it has to be endorsed by the people in a national referendum. Mr Abe knows that post-war Japanese pacifism has been centered on this Article and large segments of Japanese people strongly believe that this provision has given considerable stability to the reemergence of Japan as a strong peace-loving democratic state since 1952.

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<h5>Mr Abe is likely to remain in power for four more years augurs well for the rapidly advancing India-Japan partnership.</h5>
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Mr Abe will respect the strength of the people&rsquo;s sentiments and explore all possibilities to mould a national consensus on the issue. It will take time, but it would need careful handling.&nbsp;For instance, there are many elements in his own party who are not fully convinced about changing the Constitution. Further, his own political ally the Komeito Party has long expressed its reservations to the constitutional amendment. To what extent it is going to cooperate with Mr Abe will remain to be seen. In addition, while seeking to amend the Constitution, he has to give careful considerations to how other Asian neighbouring countries would respond to it.

Finally, the fact that Mr Abe is likely to remain in power for four more years augurs well for the rapidly advancing India-Japan partnership. He has been one of the strongest pillars of the bilateral ties since 2006. In particular, his close relations with Mr Narendra Modi have contributed to the deepening of the bilateral partnership since 2014. Mr Abe&rsquo;s recent summit meeting with Mr Modi at Ahmedabad in September 2017 marked a major milestone in their relations.

With Shinzo Abe in power, India-Japan relations will prosper and that will benefit India

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has once again proved that he is a shrewd political strategist who understands Japanese politics better than his rivals. His latest controversial decision to hold snap elections to the House of Representatives one full year earlier than required raised many eyebrows in Japan and many analysts called it a risky gamble. Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party- Komeito coalition scored a dramatic victory capturing more than two-thirds majority seats in the Lower House. × Already enjoying more than two-thirds majority in the House, it was doubted whether he could even retain the existing strength leave alone the question of bettering it. When Abe took the decision to call the snap elections, he thought that it would be the usual “rubber stamp elections” which he could easily win as he had done in 2014. Though subsequently many developments like the rise of Ms Yuriko Koike as a challenger seemingly created some hiccups. Finally, Mr Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party- Komeito coalition scored a dramatic victory capturing more than two-thirds majority seats in the Lower House. This victory, fifth successive win in national elections since 2012, will strengthen Mr Abe’s position within his own party and even ensure his re-election as party president for the third term in September 2018 and his continuance as the Prime Minister until 2021. Some of his detractors within the party who could have challenged him now look very much weakened by Mr Abe’s victory. He is likely to be the longest-serving post-war prime minister of Japan. It is to be noted that the next major national election he will face will be in the summer of 2019 which will elect half the members of the House Councilors. It means that he will have ample time to initiate and implement some of his long-cherished goals like amending the Constitution, denuclearisation of North Korea, and enhancing the consumption tax from 8 per cent to 10 per cent by 2019. In particular, Mr Abe will show utmost circumspection while dealing with the constitutional amendment which has posed the greatest challenge to successive governments in the past. He knows that since the issue can fuel a great deal of heat within the country, he has to move carefully to work out a national consensus before taking any hasty step. Winning 310 odd seats in the elections is not the same as winning the hearts of the people. In fact, many public opinion surveys taken after the election results conveyed the message that about 45-50 per cent of the people surveyed expressed their disagreement with Mr Abe’s policies. The Japanese Constitution lays down that any amendment to the Constitution needs to be approved by the two-thirds majority of both Houses and that it has to be endorsed by the people in a national referendum. Mr Abe knows that post-war Japanese pacifism has been centered on this Article and large segments of Japanese people strongly believe that this provision has given considerable stability to the reemergence of Japan as a strong peace-loving democratic state since 1952. Mr Abe is likely to remain in power for four more years augurs well for the rapidly advancing India-Japan partnership. × Mr Abe will respect the strength of the people’s sentiments and explore all possibilities to mould a national consensus on the issue. It will take time, but it would need careful handling. For instance, there are many elements in his own party who are not fully convinced about changing the Constitution. Further, his own political ally the Komeito Party has long expressed its reservations to the constitutional amendment. To what extent it is going to cooperate with Mr Abe will remain to be seen. In addition, while seeking to amend the Constitution, he has to give careful considerations to how other Asian neighbouring countries would respond to it. Finally, the fact that Mr Abe is likely to remain in power for four more years augurs well for the rapidly advancing India-Japan partnership. He has been one of the strongest pillars of the bilateral ties since 2006. In particular, his close relations with Mr Narendra Modi have contributed to the deepening of the bilateral partnership since 2014. Mr Abe’s recent summit meeting with Mr Modi at Ahmedabad in September 2017 marked a major milestone in their relations.

What Japan & India stand to gain from Shinzo Abe's victory

Fresh off a decisive election victory, Japan&#39;s leader pledged today to tackle what he called Japan&#39;s two national crises, the military threat from North Korea and an aging and shrinking population.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference that he is committed to protecting the Japanese people&#39;s prosperity and peace from any contingency. He also referred to the Japanese kidnapped years ago and believed still held by North Korea.

&quot;I will pursue decisive and strong diplomacy to tackle North Korea&#39;s missile, nuclear and abduction issues and put further pressure to get it to change its policy,&quot; he said.

His ruling coalition was returned to power in elections yesterday for Japan&#39;s more powerful lower house. Abe said the result showed &quot;strong support&quot; and thanked the people for backing stability and his government&#39;s policies.

He promised a comprehensive package by the end of the year to deal with Japan&#39;s demographic challenges, including investments in education, productivity improvements, and pension system reform.

Abe called them Japan's two national crises

Fresh off a decisive election victory, Japan's leader pledged today to tackle what he called Japan's two national crises, the military threat from North Korea and an aging and shrinking population. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at a news conference that he is committed to protecting the Japanese people's prosperity and peace from any contingency. He also referred to the Japanese kidnapped years ago and believed still held by North Korea. "I will pursue decisive and strong diplomacy to tackle North Korea's missile, nuclear and abduction issues and put further pressure to get it to change its policy," he said. His ruling coalition was returned to power in elections yesterday for Japan's more powerful lower house. Abe said the result showed "strong support" and thanked the people for backing stability and his government's policies. He promised a comprehensive package by the end of the year to deal with Japan's demographic challenges, including investments in education, productivity improvements, and pension system reform.

After election win, Shinzo Abe says his priorities are North Korea and ageing Japan

A powerful typhoon left five dead, two missing and dozens injured in Japan today, moving northward off the Pacific coast after millions struggled to the polls for a national election.

Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters before Typhoon Lan, described as &quot;very large and very strong&quot;, hit Tokyo and surrounding regions early Monday morning.

The typhoon left the Japanese archipelago by about 9:00 am after making landfall in Shizuoka southwest of Tokyo six hours before, the weather agency said.

The storm, which had already dumped torrential rain over much of the country during the weekend, packed gusts up to 162 kilometres per hour, the meteorological agency said.

Train operators suspended some commuter trains in Tokyo suburbs early today and cancelled some &quot;Shinkansen&quot; bullet trains in northern Japan after a blackout left passengers stranded overnight in the country&#39;s central region.

Nearly 300 flights scheduled for Monday have already been cancelled, public broadcaster NHK said, after strong winds forced 500 flights to be grounded Sunday.

Some ferry services in western Japan were also cancelled as the weather agency warned of high waves, landslides, and floods across the Japanese archipelago.

The typhoon claimed its first victims Sunday as a male passer-by died when scaffolding collapsed on him at a construction site in Fukuoka in western Japan.

A 70-year-old man was found dead after he dived into the sea to grab a rope from another vessel as he attempted to escape from his troubled boat, a coastguard told AFP.

Two more people were missing after landslides in Osaka and Wakayama prefectures, private broadcasters FNN and TBS reported.

At least 89 people were injured across the nation, while an 85-year-old man was unaccounted for after his house was hit by landslides, NHK said, while the government confirmed 17 injuries.

Television footage showed rescuers tugging a rubber boat carrying an elderly woman in a residential area in Chiba southeast of Tokyo as a flooded river engulfed the area.

Toyota Motor said it would suspend operations at all domestic plants today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered his minister in charge of disasters to be ready to mobilise rescue and evacuation forces, including troops.

&quot;In order to protect people&#39;s lives, the Abe cabinet will unite and do its best to provide an emergency response to a disaster,&quot; he told reporters.

Voters in the capital braved torrential rain and driving wind on election day, but turnout across the country was expected to be only a fraction higher than the all-time low, boosted largely by people voting early to avoid the typhoon.

Near complete projections, Monday showed Abe&#39;s ruling conservative coalition was on track to win a two-thirds &quot;super-majority&quot;.

The foul weather did affect the election, with ferries to a remote island in the west cancelled due to high waves, forcing officials to suspend the counting of votes there.

On Saturday, voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm cast their ballots early, heeding a call from Abe.

At least 89 people were injured across the nation

A powerful typhoon left five dead, two missing and dozens injured in Japan today, moving northward off the Pacific coast after millions struggled to the polls for a national election. Authorities advised thousands living in coastal areas or near rivers to evacuate to shelters before Typhoon Lan, described as "very large and very strong", hit Tokyo and surrounding regions early Monday morning. The typhoon left the Japanese archipelago by about 9:00 am after making landfall in Shizuoka southwest of Tokyo six hours before, the weather agency said. The storm, which had already dumped torrential rain over much of the country during the weekend, packed gusts up to 162 kilometres per hour, the meteorological agency said. Train operators suspended some commuter trains in Tokyo suburbs early today and cancelled some "Shinkansen" bullet trains in northern Japan after a blackout left passengers stranded overnight in the country's central region. Nearly 300 flights scheduled for Monday have already been cancelled, public broadcaster NHK said, after strong winds forced 500 flights to be grounded Sunday. Some ferry services in western Japan were also cancelled as the weather agency warned of high waves, landslides, and floods across the Japanese archipelago. The typhoon claimed its first victims Sunday as a male passer-by died when scaffolding collapsed on him at a construction site in Fukuoka in western Japan. A 70-year-old man was found dead after he dived into the sea to grab a rope from another vessel as he attempted to escape from his troubled boat, a coastguard told AFP. Two more people were missing after landslides in Osaka and Wakayama prefectures, private broadcasters FNN and TBS reported. At least 89 people were injured across the nation, while an 85-year-old man was unaccounted for after his house was hit by landslides, NHK said, while the government confirmed 17 injuries. Television footage showed rescuers tugging a rubber boat carrying an elderly woman in a residential area in Chiba southeast of Tokyo as a flooded river engulfed the area. Toyota Motor said it would suspend operations at all domestic plants today. Yesterday, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ordered his minister in charge of disasters to be ready to mobilise rescue and evacuation forces, including troops. "In order to protect people's lives, the Abe cabinet will unite and do its best to provide an emergency response to a disaster," he told reporters. Voters in the capital braved torrential rain and driving wind on election day, but turnout across the country was expected to be only a fraction higher than the all-time low, boosted largely by people voting early to avoid the typhoon. Near complete projections, Monday showed Abe's ruling conservative coalition was on track to win a two-thirds "super-majority". The foul weather did affect the election, with ferries to a remote island in the west cancelled due to high waves, forcing officials to suspend the counting of votes there. On Saturday, voters on remote southern islands in the path of the storm cast their ballots early, heeding a call from Abe.

Typhoon leaves five dead after lashing Japan on election day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on his re-election and said he looked forward to further strengthening the relations between the two countries.

Abe got a resounding victory in the snap polls held yesterday, with his LDF-led coalition winning a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament.

&quot;Heartiest greetings to my dear friend @AbeShinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India- Japan relations with him,&quot; Modi tweeted.

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Heartiest greetings to my dear friend <a href="https://twitter.com/AbeShinzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AbeShinzo</a> on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India-Japan relations with him.
&mdash; Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) <a href="https://twitter.com/narendramodi/status/922300769432494081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Modi and Abe share a great relationship and have met several times over the last three years.

Abe was in India recently for the annual summit meeting with Modi.

PM Modi said he looked forward to further strengthening the relations between the two countries

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today congratulated his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on his re-election and said he looked forward to further strengthening the relations between the two countries. Abe got a resounding victory in the snap polls held yesterday, with his LDF-led coalition winning a two-thirds majority in the lower house of Parliament. "Heartiest greetings to my dear friend @AbeShinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India- Japan relations with him," Modi tweeted. Heartiest greetings to my dear friend @AbeShinzo on his big election win. Look forward to further strengthen India-Japan relations with him. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 23, 2017 × Modi and Abe share a great relationship and have met several times over the last three years. Abe was in India recently for the annual summit meeting with Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulates Shinzo Abe on re-election

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election Sunday and immediately vowed to &quot;deal firmly&quot; with threats from North Korea that dominated the campaign.

Abe&#39;s ruling conservative coalition was on track to win more than 310 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from public broadcaster NHK, handing the premier a two-thirds &quot;super-majority.&quot;

This allows nationalist Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan&#39;s US-imposed constitution, which forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role.

Abe said the comfortable election win had stiffened his resolve to tackle North Korea&#39;s nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to step up pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month.

&quot;As I promised in the election, my imminent task is to firmly deal with North Korea,&quot; said Abe, who is now on course to become the country&#39;s longest-serving leader.

&quot;For that, strong diplomacy is required,&quot; stressed the 63 year-old, who has courted both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Abe said he would &quot;deepen&quot; debate on the divisive constitution issue in parliament but stressed: &quot;I don&#39;t plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone. We&#39;ll make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible.&quot;

As results came in, television images showed jubilant victorious lawmakers bowing deeply before punching the air with cries of &quot;Banzai&quot;, the Japanese equivalent of three cheers.

&#39;Very severe result&#39;&nbsp;

Millions of Japanese braved torrential rain and driving winds to vote as a typhoon lashed the country, with many heeding warnings to cast their ballots early.

&quot;I support Abe&#39;s stance not to give in to North Korea&#39;s pressure,&quot; said Yoshihisa Iemori as he cast his ballot in a rainswept Tokyo.

Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago.

Support for the Party of Hope founded by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fizzled after an initial blaze of publicity and was on track to win around 50 seats, according to the NHK projection with a handful still to call.

Speaking from Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the world&#39;s biggest city, a sullen-faced Koike said it was a &quot;very severe result.&quot;

&quot;As the person who launched the party, I will take responsibility,&quot; pledged Koike.

The new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party fared slightly better than expected but still trailed far behind Abe with a projected 50 seats.

&quot;The LDP&#39;s victory is simply because the opposition couldn&#39;t form a united front,&quot; political scientist Mikitaka Masuyama from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, told AFP.

&nbsp;&#39;Sink&#39; Japan&nbsp;

The short 12-day campaign was dominated by the economy and the global crisis over North Korea, which has threatened to &quot;sink&quot; Japan into the sea and engaged in a war of words with Trump.

Hawkish Abe stuck to a hardline stance throughout, stressing that Japan &quot;would not waver&quot; in the face of an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang.

But many voters said reviving the once-mighty Japanese economy was the top priority, with Abe&#39;s trademark &quot;Abenomics&quot; growth policy failing to trickle down to the general public.

&quot;Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don&#39;t feel the economy is recovering at all,&quot; said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki.

Although voters turned out in their millions to back Abe, he enjoys only lukewarm support and surveys showed his decision to call a snap election a year earlier than expected was unpopular.

&quot;I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I&#39;m afraid this country will be broken,&quot; said 84-year-old voter Etsuko Nakajima.

&#39;I&#39;m quite disappointed&#39;&nbsp;

Koike briefly promised to shake up Japan&#39;s sleepy political scene with her new party but she declined to run herself for a seat, sparking confusion over who would be prime minister if she won.

In the end the 65-year-old former TV presenter was not even in Japan on election day.

&quot;I thought that I would vote for the Party of Hope if it&#39;s strong enough to beat the Abe administration. But the party has been in confusion ... I&#39;m quite disappointed,&quot; said 80-year-old pensioner Kumiko Fujimori.

The campaign was marked by a near-constant drizzle in large parts of the country and rallies frequently took place under shelter and a sea of umbrellas.&nbsp;

But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibusses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

Abe's ruling conservative coalition was on track to win more than 310 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from public broadcaster NHK, handing the premier a two-thirds 'super-majority'.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe swept to a resounding victory in a snap election Sunday and immediately vowed to "deal firmly" with threats from North Korea that dominated the campaign. Abe's ruling conservative coalition was on track to win more than 310 seats in the 465-seat parliament, according to a projection from public broadcaster NHK, handing the premier a two-thirds "super-majority." This allows nationalist Abe to propose changes to pacifist Japan's US-imposed constitution, which forces it to renounce war and effectively limits its military to a self-defence role. Abe said the comfortable election win had stiffened his resolve to tackle North Korea's nuclear threat, as the key US regional ally seeks to step up pressure on Pyongyang after it fired two missiles over Japan in the space of a month. "As I promised in the election, my imminent task is to firmly deal with North Korea," said Abe, who is now on course to become the country's longest-serving leader. "For that, strong diplomacy is required," stressed the 63 year-old, who has courted both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Abe said he would "deepen" debate on the divisive constitution issue in parliament but stressed: "I don't plan to propose (changes) via the ruling bloc alone. We'll make efforts to gain support from as many people as possible." As results came in, television images showed jubilant victorious lawmakers bowing deeply before punching the air with cries of "Banzai", the Japanese equivalent of three cheers. 'Very severe result' Millions of Japanese braved torrential rain and driving winds to vote as a typhoon lashed the country, with many heeding warnings to cast their ballots early. "I support Abe's stance not to give in to North Korea's pressure," said Yoshihisa Iemori as he cast his ballot in a rainswept Tokyo. Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) benefited from a weak and splintered opposition, with the two main parties facing him created only a matter of weeks ago. Support for the Party of Hope founded by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike fizzled after an initial blaze of publicity and was on track to win around 50 seats, according to the NHK projection with a handful still to call. Speaking from Paris where she was attending an event in her capacity as leader of the world's biggest city, a sullen-faced Koike said it was a "very severe result." "As the person who launched the party, I will take responsibility," pledged Koike. The new centre-left Constitutional Democratic Party fared slightly better than expected but still trailed far behind Abe with a projected 50 seats. "The LDP's victory is simply because the opposition couldn't form a united front," political scientist Mikitaka Masuyama from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, told AFP. 'Sink' Japan The short 12-day campaign was dominated by the economy and the global crisis over North Korea, which has threatened to "sink" Japan into the sea and engaged in a war of words with Trump. Hawkish Abe stuck to a hardline stance throughout, stressing that Japan "would not waver" in the face of an increasingly belligerent regime in Pyongyang. But many voters said reviving the once-mighty Japanese economy was the top priority, with Abe's trademark "Abenomics" growth policy failing to trickle down to the general public. "Neither pensions nor wages are getting better... I don't feel the economy is recovering at all," said 67-year-old pensioner Hideki Kawasaki. Although voters turned out in their millions to back Abe, he enjoys only lukewarm support and surveys showed his decision to call a snap election a year earlier than expected was unpopular. "I totally oppose the current government. Morals collapsed. I'm afraid this country will be broken," said 84-year-old voter Etsuko Nakajima. 'I'm quite disappointed' Koike briefly promised to shake up Japan's sleepy political scene with her new party but she declined to run herself for a seat, sparking confusion over who would be prime minister if she won. In the end the 65-year-old former TV presenter was not even in Japan on election day. "I thought that I would vote for the Party of Hope if it's strong enough to beat the Abe administration. But the party has been in confusion ... I'm quite disappointed," said 80-year-old pensioner Kumiko Fujimori. The campaign was marked by a near-constant drizzle in large parts of the country and rallies frequently took place under shelter and a sea of umbrellas. But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of hundreds of doughty, sash-wearing parliamentary hopefuls, who have driven around in minibusses pleading for votes via loudspeaker and bowing deeply to every potential voter.

Shinzo Abe cruises to 'super-majority' win in Japan vote

Typhoon Lan with heavy rains and destructive winds is expected to hit southern Japan on Sunday when the nation holds a national election, forcing officials in Okinawa to stage voting a day early on some remote islands.

The Category 1 typhoon, located east of the Philippines on Friday morning and moving north, is expected to gain strength as it comes some 200 km (125 miles) east of Japan&#39;s southern island of Okinawa by Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

&quot;It will likely rain very heavily in the Nansei island chain (in southern Japan), in the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan from the 21st to 23rd. There is a chance it will rain violently in some regions,&quot; the agency said in a statement.

According to the Tropical Storm Risk website, the typhoon will likely strengthen to category 3, but weaken again by the time it brushes past Tokyo on Monday.

Local authorities in Okinawa have decided to move the voting date to Saturday for some remote islands.

Tomoaki Iwai, a political science professor at Nihon University, said the adverse weather is likely to hurt the standing of a new party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the Party of Hope.

&quot;Voters with no party affiliation tend not to go and vote (under the bad weather). So, parties that are dependent on the general mood of the voters at a given time, like the Party of Hope, are set to suffer,&quot; Iwai said.

He said some supporters of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe&#39;s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may opt not to brave the weather and vote as well, believing, based on recent media polls, the ruling party has got the election in the bag.

The LDP-led coalition is on track to roughly match the two-thirds &quot;super majority&quot; it held in parliament&#39;s lower house before dissolution, helped by divisions in the opposition camp and jitters over North Korea&#39;s nuclear and missile programmes, media forecasts have said.

The Category 1 typhoon, located east of the Philippines on Friday morning is expected to gain strength as it comes some 200 km (125 miles) east of Japan's southern island of Okinawa by Sunday

Typhoon Lan with heavy rains and destructive winds is expected to hit southern Japan on Sunday when the nation holds a national election, forcing officials in Okinawa to stage voting a day early on some remote islands. The Category 1 typhoon, located east of the Philippines on Friday morning and moving north, is expected to gain strength as it comes some 200 km (125 miles) east of Japan's southern island of Okinawa by Sunday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. "It will likely rain very heavily in the Nansei island chain (in southern Japan), in the Pacific side of western and eastern Japan from the 21st to 23rd. There is a chance it will rain violently in some regions," the agency said in a statement. According to the Tropical Storm Risk website, the typhoon will likely strengthen to category 3, but weaken again by the time it brushes past Tokyo on Monday. Local authorities in Okinawa have decided to move the voting date to Saturday for some remote islands. Tomoaki Iwai, a political science professor at Nihon University, said the adverse weather is likely to hurt the standing of a new party led by popular Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, the Party of Hope. "Voters with no party affiliation tend not to go and vote (under the bad weather). So, parties that are dependent on the general mood of the voters at a given time, like the Party of Hope, are set to suffer," Iwai said. He said some supporters of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may opt not to brave the weather and vote as well, believing, based on recent media polls, the ruling party has got the election in the bag. The LDP-led coalition is on track to roughly match the two-thirds "super majority" it held in parliament's lower house before dissolution, helped by divisions in the opposition camp and jitters over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, media forecasts have said.

Typhoon bears down on Japan, will hinder voting in national election

A&nbsp;Japanese sports official promised on Friday to work with the builder of a showpiece stadium for the 2020&nbsp;Olympics to stamp out &quot;death by&nbsp;overwork&quot;, a designation authorities applied last week to the suicide of a stadium worker.

The parents of the 23-year-old petitioned the government this year to recognise his suicide as &quot;karoshi&quot; - or &quot;death by&nbsp;overwork&quot;, with media saying he had worked 200 hours of overtime a month before his death.

&quot;To our regret, illegal overtime was recognised as a result of inspection by the labour ministry,&quot; said Tadashi Mochizuki, director of stadium manager the&nbsp;Japan&nbsp;Sport Council (JSC), which is part of a joint venture with construction firm Taisei Corp.

&quot;We, JSC and Taisei, took it sincerely and we&#39;ll do the utmost (to comply with the law) in proceeding with construction.&quot;

Authorities unveiled a model of the new stadium in the&nbsp;Japanese capital, which is set to be completed in November 2019, after construction begun in December 2016.

Japan&#39;s fast-ageing society has left employers grappling with an acute labour shortage. It officially recognises two types of &quot;karoshi&quot;: cardiovascular illness linked to&nbsp;overwork, and suicide following mental stress related to work.

Employers face few curbs on overtime and pay so that&nbsp;more&nbsp;than a fifth of company staff exceeded a government overtime threshold of 80 hours a month, a white paper showed in 2016.

The trend was spotlighted by a high-profile death&nbsp;from&nbsp;overwork&nbsp;in 2015 at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. Last week, public broadcaster NHK said a 31-year-old reporter died four years ago of overwork.

To tackle the problem, the government plans sweeping reforms of job practices, including overtime caps and better pay for part-time and contract workers.

&nbsp;

The parents of the 23-year-old petitioned the government this year to recognise his suicide as "karoshi" - or "death by?overwork", with media saying he had worked 200 hours of overtime a month before his death

A Japanese sports official promised on Friday to work with the builder of a showpiece stadium for the 2020 Olympics to stamp out "death by overwork", a designation authorities applied last week to the suicide of a stadium worker. The parents of the 23-year-old petitioned the government this year to recognise his suicide as "karoshi" - or "death by overwork", with media saying he had worked 200 hours of overtime a month before his death. "To our regret, illegal overtime was recognised as a result of inspection by the labour ministry," said Tadashi Mochizuki, director of stadium manager the Japan Sport Council (JSC), which is part of a joint venture with construction firm Taisei Corp. "We, JSC and Taisei, took it sincerely and we'll do the utmost (to comply with the law) in proceeding with construction." Authorities unveiled a model of the new stadium in the Japanese capital, which is set to be completed in November 2019, after construction begun in December 2016. Japan's fast-ageing society has left employers grappling with an acute labour shortage. It officially recognises two types of "karoshi": cardiovascular illness linked to overwork, and suicide following mental stress related to work. Employers face few curbs on overtime and pay so that more than a fifth of company staff exceeded a government overtime threshold of 80 hours a month, a white paper showed in 2016. The trend was spotlighted by a high-profile death from overwork in 2015 at advertising giant Dentsu Inc. Last week, public broadcaster NHK said a 31-year-old reporter died four years ago of overwork. To tackle the problem, the government plans sweeping reforms of job practices, including overtime caps and better pay for part-time and contract workers.

Japan vows no more deaths from overwork while building Olympic arena

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