Japan has had no shortage of faceless prime ministers over the decades, a revolving door of leaders forgotten nearly as soon as they leave office. The most recent to hit the exit, who himself lasted only a year, was faulted for a communication style that often came across like a cure for insomnia.

Now comes Fumio Kishida, who was chosen as prime minister last month by the governing Liberal Democrats and led the party to victory Sunday in a closer-than-usual parliamentary election.

Still, it looked to be the party’s worst result since it lost to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan in 2009.

In anointing Kishida, 64, last month, the Liberal Democrats passed over both an outspoken maverick who was popular with the public and a far-right nationalist who would have been Japan’s first female leader.

The gamble most likely cost the party votes in tight races around the country. Facing public discontent over economic stagnation and the government’s initial handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Liberal Democrats eked out a majority but lost seats that included some held by prominent party leaders.

While slightly less stodgy than his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida is frequently described as “boring” by the Japanese media, and he still struggles to connect with the public, or even his supporters and friends.

“His speech sounds so serious that it doesn’t sound interesting even if he was meaning to say something interesting,” said Ikuzo Kubota, 67, chairman of a real estate management company in Hiroshima, who has known Kishida for more than 30 years. “Even now, I sometimes think that he should learn how to say things in an interesting way.”

The rise of Kishida, a former foreign minister, is a potent reflection of the Liberal Democrats’ entrenched power in Japan. He was selected precisely because of his milquetoast persona, political experts said, as it allows behind-the-scenes power brokers to project their agenda onto him. And the party made its choice confident that it could win the election despite his lack of charisma.

Hoping to emerge from the election less weakened than expected, Kishida crisscrossed the country on chartered flights during the two-week campaign period. At his final campaign stop Saturday night, before a packed square in front of a Tokyo train station, Kishida received a smattering of polite applause as he shouted a hearty “Good evening.”

His voice cracked repeatedly as he tried to project enthusiasm into his stump speech, stumbling over his pledges to build a new style of economics and protect Japan in the face of growing regional instability. He wrapped up with a warning that Japanese democracy would be threatened if the country’s Communist Party gained more seats in parliament.

Kishida’s rhetoric about a “new capitalism” that would narrow income inequality, a platform aimed at a disgruntled public battered by coronavirus-related restrictions on business, has grown vaguer over the course of the campaign.

He has ratcheted back a proposal to raise taxes on capital gains. Instead, he has returned to a familiar economic playbook for the Liberal Democrats, calling for more fiscal spending on projects backed by large industries such as construction, which typically support the party.

“He’s almost like a figurehead for other figures in the party to get their ideas through,” said James Brady, head Japan analyst at Teneo, a risk advisory consulting firm. “He’s not a strong leader. He’s not someone who’s coming up with a lot of ideas.”

Like many other Liberal Democratic lawmakers, Kishida was brought up in a political family. Both his grandfather and his father served in the House of Representatives, and Kishida started his political career as a secretary to his father.

Although Kishida represents a district in Hiroshima and his family is from the area, he was raised mostly in Tokyo. He spent three years in New York when his father was posted there during a stint at the trade ministry.

He often cites the formative experience of attending a public elementary school in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, describing an incident in 1965 when a white classmate refused to hold his hand as instructed by a teacher on a field trip. Kishida says the moment seeded in him a lifelong commitment to fairness and justice.

Back in Japan, Kishida was an ardent — although, by his own admission, middling — baseball player. He tried, and failed, three times to pass the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo, Japan’s most prestigious state university.

He finally enrolled at Waseda, a top private university in Tokyo. In “Kishida Vision,” a memoir published last year, he wrote that he was more interested in music and mahjong than academics during his undergraduate years.

Kishida started a career in banking, gaining empathy, he wrote, for people and small businesses struggling to repay loans.

When his father died of cancer at age 65, Kishida ran for the Hiroshima seat in 1993 and won. He has served in various Cabinet positions and was Japan’s longest-serving foreign minister, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

He did not leave much of an impression on his colleagues. “I have no memory of him even though I met him every week in Cabinet meetings,” said Yoichi Masuzoe, a former governor of Tokyo who served as health minister when Kishida was a minister in charge of Okinawa and a string of islands known as the Northern Territories.

Some civil servants in the foreign ministry gave him the nickname “Chihuahua,” referring to him behind his back as a “well-mannered type of dog,” said Gen Nakatani, a former defense minister who has known Kishida for 30 years.

One lawmaker whom Kishida met in college and described as one of his best friends went on to back a rival, Taro Kono, in the Liberal Democrats’ recent leadership election.

Kishida lacks the swagger or arrogance that characterizes other politicians. He “listens to people, is calm and never speaks ill of others,” Nakatani said. “He doesn’t behave in a selfish manner.”

He was foreign minister when President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, and when South Korea and Japan signed an agreement in 2015 to compensate so-called comfort women, the term for those taken as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II. But Kishida rarely gets credit for these accomplishments.

If he is remembered, it is as an abundant drinker who maintains his dignity and leaves the bar before midnight. In his memoir, he wrote of matching Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, drink for drink. Kishida once hosted a birthday party for his Russian counterpart and presented him with a bottle of Suntory Hibiki 21 whiskey, which retails for about $750.

When Caroline Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo, Kishida gave her T-shirts, aprons and mugs imprinted with photos or cartoons of her face.

His attempts to endear himself on social media have sometimes fallen flat or drawn outright jeering.

A post he shared on Twitter and Instagram, showing his wife standing in the kitchen doorway while he sat at the table eating a dinner she had prepared, was roundly mocked. Videos showing his wife, Yuko, 57, and his three sons cheering him on have been slightly more popular.

“He’s a little bit socially and culturally out of step with the majority of the population,” said Shihoko Goto, a senior northeast Asia associate at the Wilson Center in Washington.

His self-effacement undergirds a political pragmatism that allows him to pivot when certain ideas grow unpopular or he needs to cater to a particularly powerful constituency. More often than not, that constituency comes from within the party, not the public.

As a politician from Hiroshima, Kishida has opposed nuclear weapons and taken more dovish stances on foreign policy. But as a candidate for prime minister, he ramped up his hawkish views on China and championed the restart of nuclear power plants, the vast majority of which have been idled since the triple meltdown in Fukushima 10 years ago. Supporting nuclear power is a key agenda item for the right wing of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Because Kishida won the prime ministerial election backed by lawmakers “more geared toward pleasing organized interests and big businesses,” he now has to reward them, said Megumi Naoi, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego.

As for his proposals on economic inequality, Naoi said she could not tell how sincere he had been in the first place. “I don’t know how much of this is his belief,” she said, “or just campaign strategy or political survival strategy.”

Japan has had no shortage of faceless prime ministers over the decades, a revolving door of leaders forgotten nearly as soon as they leave office. The most recent to hit the exit, who himself lasted only a year, was faulted for a communication style that often came across like a cure for insomnia.

Japan has had no shortage of faceless prime ministers over the decades, a revolving door of leaders forgotten nearly as soon as they leave office. The most recent to hit the exit, who himself lasted only a year, was faulted for a communication style that often came across like a cure for insomnia. Now comes Fumio Kishida, who was chosen as prime minister last month by the governing Liberal Democrats and led the party to victory Sunday in a closer-than-usual parliamentary election. Still, it looked to be the party’s worst result since it lost to the opposition Democratic Party of Japan in 2009. In anointing Kishida, 64, last month, the Liberal Democrats passed over both an outspoken maverick who was popular with the public and a far-right nationalist who would have been Japan’s first female leader. The gamble most likely cost the party votes in tight races around the country. Facing public discontent over economic stagnation and the government’s initial handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Liberal Democrats eked out a majority but lost seats that included some held by prominent party leaders. While slightly less stodgy than his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida is frequently described as “boring” by the Japanese media, and he still struggles to connect with the public, or even his supporters and friends. “His speech sounds so serious that it doesn’t sound interesting even if he was meaning to say something interesting,” said Ikuzo Kubota, 67, chairman of a real estate management company in Hiroshima, who has known Kishida for more than 30 years. “Even now, I sometimes think that he should learn how to say things in an interesting way.” The rise of Kishida, a former foreign minister, is a potent reflection of the Liberal Democrats’ entrenched power in Japan. He was selected precisely because of his milquetoast persona, political experts said, as it allows behind-the-scenes power brokers to project their agenda onto him. And the party made its choice confident that it could win the election despite his lack of charisma. Hoping to emerge from the election less weakened than expected, Kishida crisscrossed the country on chartered flights during the two-week campaign period. At his final campaign stop Saturday night, before a packed square in front of a Tokyo train station, Kishida received a smattering of polite applause as he shouted a hearty “Good evening.” His voice cracked repeatedly as he tried to project enthusiasm into his stump speech, stumbling over his pledges to build a new style of economics and protect Japan in the face of growing regional instability. He wrapped up with a warning that Japanese democracy would be threatened if the country’s Communist Party gained more seats in parliament. Kishida’s rhetoric about a “new capitalism” that would narrow income inequality, a platform aimed at a disgruntled public battered by coronavirus-related restrictions on business, has grown vaguer over the course of the campaign. He has ratcheted back a proposal to raise taxes on capital gains. Instead, he has returned to a familiar economic playbook for the Liberal Democrats, calling for more fiscal spending on projects backed by large industries such as construction, which typically support the party. “He’s almost like a figurehead for other figures in the party to get their ideas through,” said James Brady, head Japan analyst at Teneo, a risk advisory consulting firm. “He’s not a strong leader. He’s not someone who’s coming up with a lot of ideas.” Like many other Liberal Democratic lawmakers, Kishida was brought up in a political family. Both his grandfather and his father served in the House of Representatives, and Kishida started his political career as a secretary to his father. Although Kishida represents a district in Hiroshima and his family is from the area, he was raised mostly in Tokyo. He spent three years in New York when his father was posted there during a stint at the trade ministry. He often cites the formative experience of attending a public elementary school in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, describing an incident in 1965 when a white classmate refused to hold his hand as instructed by a teacher on a field trip. Kishida says the moment seeded in him a lifelong commitment to fairness and justice. Back in Japan, Kishida was an ardent — although, by his own admission, middling — baseball player. He tried, and failed, three times to pass the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo, Japan’s most prestigious state university. He finally enrolled at Waseda, a top private university in Tokyo. In “Kishida Vision,” a memoir published last year, he wrote that he was more interested in music and mahjong than academics during his undergraduate years. Kishida started a career in banking, gaining empathy, he wrote, for people and small businesses struggling to repay loans. When his father died of cancer at age 65, Kishida ran for the Hiroshima seat in 1993 and won. He has served in various Cabinet positions and was Japan’s longest-serving foreign minister, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He did not leave much of an impression on his colleagues. “I have no memory of him even though I met him every week in Cabinet meetings,” said Yoichi Masuzoe, a former governor of Tokyo who served as health minister when Kishida was a minister in charge of Okinawa and a string of islands known as the Northern Territories. Some civil servants in the foreign ministry gave him the nickname “Chihuahua,” referring to him behind his back as a “well-mannered type of dog,” said Gen Nakatani, a former defense minister who has known Kishida for 30 years. One lawmaker whom Kishida met in college and described as one of his best friends went on to back a rival, Taro Kono, in the Liberal Democrats’ recent leadership election. Kishida lacks the swagger or arrogance that characterizes other politicians. He “listens to people, is calm and never speaks ill of others,” Nakatani said. “He doesn’t behave in a selfish manner.” He was foreign minister when President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, and when South Korea and Japan signed an agreement in 2015 to compensate so-called comfort women, the term for those taken as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II. But Kishida rarely gets credit for these accomplishments. If he is remembered, it is as an abundant drinker who maintains his dignity and leaves the bar before midnight. In his memoir, he wrote of matching Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, drink for drink. Kishida once hosted a birthday party for his Russian counterpart and presented him with a bottle of Suntory Hibiki 21 whiskey, which retails for about $750. When Caroline Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo, Kishida gave her T-shirts, aprons and mugs imprinted with photos or cartoons of her face. His attempts to endear himself on social media have sometimes fallen flat or drawn outright jeering. A post he shared on Twitter and Instagram, showing his wife standing in the kitchen doorway while he sat at the table eating a dinner she had prepared, was roundly mocked. Videos showing his wife, Yuko, 57, and his three sons cheering him on have been slightly more popular. “He’s a little bit socially and culturally out of step with the majority of the population,” said Shihoko Goto, a senior northeast Asia associate at the Wilson Center in Washington. His self-effacement undergirds a political pragmatism that allows him to pivot when certain ideas grow unpopular or he needs to cater to a particularly powerful constituency. More often than not, that constituency comes from within the party, not the public. As a politician from Hiroshima, Kishida has opposed nuclear weapons and taken more dovish stances on foreign policy. But as a candidate for prime minister, he ramped up his hawkish views on China and championed the restart of nuclear power plants, the vast majority of which have been idled since the triple meltdown in Fukushima 10 years ago. Supporting nuclear power is a key agenda item for the right wing of the Liberal Democratic Party. Because Kishida won the prime ministerial election backed by lawmakers “more geared toward pleasing organized interests and big businesses,” he now has to reward them, said Megumi Naoi, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego. As for his proposals on economic inequality, Naoi said she could not tell how sincere he had been in the first place. “I don’t know how much of this is his belief,” she said, “or just campaign strategy or political survival strategy.”

Japan’s election was closer than usual, even though party in power has hit snooze

Japan's ruling coalition is on track to retain power but lose seats in parliament, media predictions said after polls closed in Sunday's general election, the first major test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

The 64-year-old, who took office a month ago, said the forecasts based on exit polls showed the public has "trust" in his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito.

But as the votes were counted, analysts warned that a poor showing could raise questions within the LDP over the prime minister's popularity and leadership ability.

Public broadcaster NHK predicted the coalition would win 239-288 of the 465 seats in parliament's lower house.

TV Asahi said the coalition was expected to win 280 seats, down from its previous total of 305, weakening the dominance of the LDP, which has held power almost continuously since the 1950s.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japans-election-looks-closer-than-usual-but-party-in-power-has-hit-snooze-425565">Also read |&nbsp;Japan’s election looks closer than usual, but party in power has hit snooze</a>

"If the ruling coalition is given a majority, the government is given trust. It is a big deal," Kishida said in televised comments.

He added that he hoped to issue a fresh stimulus package by the end of the year to counter the impact of the pandemic on the world's third-largest economy.

"As far as economic measures, upon receiving the results of this election, I would like to draft them as soon as possible." He had previously said the package would be worth tens of trillions of yen.

'Economy is suffering'

Kishida was voted LDP leader after Yoshihide Suga resigned just a year into the job, partly due to public discontent over his response to the Covid-19 crisis.

He has not enjoyed a political honeymoon, however, with approval ratings around 50 percent, the lowest in two decades for a new administration in&nbsp;Japan.

Cases have dropped precipitously since a record wave this summer that pushed the Tokyo Olympics behind closed doors, and voters in the capital said the pandemic was a major factor in their decision.

"The economy is suffering because of the coronavirus, so I compared the politicians' responses," said Chihiro Sato, 38, a housewife and mother of a toddler.

But engineer Hiroyasu Onishi, 79, said he was more concerned by "the military threat from China".

Kishida has outlined plans to tackle inequality heightened by the pro-business policies of Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe.

He has vowed to distribute wealth more fairly under a so-called new capitalism, although the details remain vague.

Kishida had set a comfortable target of winning 233 lower-house seats, a simple majority including LDP and Komeito lawmakers.

The LDP previously boasted a commanding majority of 276 seats on its own.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-votes-in-test-for-new-pm-kishida-political-stability-425504">Also read |&nbsp;Japan votes in test for new PM Kishida, political stability</a>

NHK predicted the party would hang on to between 212-253 seats on Sunday, while TV Asahi said it would win 243, still a simple majority without Komeito.

'Key test' to come&nbsp;

In recent decades, votes against the LDP have been split between multiple major opposition parties, but this time five rival parties boosted cooperation in a bid to dent its stranglehold.

"It's a defeat for Kishida as his party loses seats, but he is still able to secure his premiership for now," Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor of political science at Meiji University in Tokyo, told AFP.

"He avoided the worst scenario in the election but he may lose his influence," Nishikawa said, adding that an upper house vote next summer will be a "key test" of Kishida's longevity as leader.

Tobias Harris, senior fellow for Asia at the Center for American Progress, said that at the lower end of the exit poll predictions, "there will be debates within the LDP about the vision for the party going forward".

"There are going to be questions about his leadership ability, his popularity", he told AFP.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pumice-pebbles-from-undersea-volcano-are-causing-damage-in-japan-425054">Also read |&nbsp;Pumice pebbles from undersea volcano are causing damage in Japan</a>

As well as vowing to tackle the pandemic and working to boost the middle class, the LDP has said it will aim to increase defence spending to counter threats from China and North Korea.

But Kishida has so far distanced himself from social causes such as same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to have different surnames.

Kishida said that if his win was confirmed, he wanted to attend the COP26 summit in Glasgow as his first overseas engagement after the election.

Japan's ruling coalition is on track to retain power but lose seats in parliament, media predictions said after polls closed in Sunday's general election, the first major test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan's ruling coalition is on track to retain power but lose seats in parliament, media predictions said after polls closed in Sunday's general election, the first major test for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The 64-year-old, who took office a month ago, said the forecasts based on exit polls showed the public has "trust" in his long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito. But as the votes were counted, analysts warned that a poor showing could raise questions within the LDP over the prime minister's popularity and leadership ability. Public broadcaster NHK predicted the coalition would win 239-288 of the 465 seats in parliament's lower house. TV Asahi said the coalition was expected to win 280 seats, down from its previous total of 305, weakening the dominance of the LDP, which has held power almost continuously since the 1950s. Also read | Japan’s election looks closer than usual, but party in power has hit snooze "If the ruling coalition is given a majority, the government is given trust. It is a big deal," Kishida said in televised comments. He added that he hoped to issue a fresh stimulus package by the end of the year to counter the impact of the pandemic on the world's third-largest economy. "As far as economic measures, upon receiving the results of this election, I would like to draft them as soon as possible." He had previously said the package would be worth tens of trillions of yen. 'Economy is suffering' Kishida was voted LDP leader after Yoshihide Suga resigned just a year into the job, partly due to public discontent over his response to the Covid-19 crisis. He has not enjoyed a political honeymoon, however, with approval ratings around 50 percent, the lowest in two decades for a new administration in Japan. Cases have dropped precipitously since a record wave this summer that pushed the Tokyo Olympics behind closed doors, and voters in the capital said the pandemic was a major factor in their decision. "The economy is suffering because of the coronavirus, so I compared the politicians' responses," said Chihiro Sato, 38, a housewife and mother of a toddler. But engineer Hiroyasu Onishi, 79, said he was more concerned by "the military threat from China". Kishida has outlined plans to tackle inequality heightened by the pro-business policies of Suga and his predecessor Shinzo Abe. He has vowed to distribute wealth more fairly under a so-called new capitalism, although the details remain vague. Kishida had set a comfortable target of winning 233 lower-house seats, a simple majority including LDP and Komeito lawmakers. The LDP previously boasted a commanding majority of 276 seats on its own. Also read | Japan votes in test for new PM Kishida, political stability NHK predicted the party would hang on to between 212-253 seats on Sunday, while TV Asahi said it would win 243, still a simple majority without Komeito. 'Key test' to come In recent decades, votes against the LDP have been split between multiple major opposition parties, but this time five rival parties boosted cooperation in a bid to dent its stranglehold. "It's a defeat for Kishida as his party loses seats, but he is still able to secure his premiership for now," Shinichi Nishikawa, a professor of political science at Meiji University in Tokyo, told AFP. "He avoided the worst scenario in the election but he may lose his influence," Nishikawa said, adding that an upper house vote next summer will be a "key test" of Kishida's longevity as leader. Tobias Harris, senior fellow for Asia at the Center for American Progress, said that at the lower end of the exit poll predictions, "there will be debates within the LDP about the vision for the party going forward". "There are going to be questions about his leadership ability, his popularity", he told AFP. Also read | Pumice pebbles from undersea volcano are causing damage in Japan As well as vowing to tackle the pandemic and working to boost the middle class, the LDP has said it will aim to increase defence spending to counter threats from China and North Korea. But Kishida has so far distanced himself from social causes such as same-sex marriage and allowing married couples to have different surnames. Kishida said that if his win was confirmed, he wanted to attend the COP26 summit in Glasgow as his first overseas engagement after the election.

Exit polls show Japan ruling coalition to retain power, lose seats

Japan has had no shortage of faceless prime ministers over the decades, a revolving door of leaders forgotten nearly as soon as they leave office. The most recent to hit the exit, who himself lasted only a year, was faulted for a communication style that often came across like a cure for insomnia.

Now comes Fumio Kishida, who was chosen as prime minister last month by the governing Liberal Democrats and is hoping to lead the party to victory Sunday in a closer-than-usual parliamentary election.

In anointing Kishida, 64, the Liberal Democrats passed over both an outspoken maverick who was popular with the public and a far-right nationalist who would have been Japan’s first female leader.

While slightly less stodgy than his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida is frequently described as “boring” by the Japanese media, and he still struggles to connect with the public, or even his supporters and friends.

“His speech sounds so serious that it doesn’t sound interesting even if he was meaning to say something interesting,” said Ikuzo Kubota, 67, chairman of a real estate management company in Hiroshima, who has known Kishida for more than 30 years. “Even now, I sometimes think that he should learn how to say things in an interesting way.”

The rise of Kishida, a former foreign minister, is a potent reflection of the Liberal Democrats’ entrenched power in Japan. He was selected precisely because of his milquetoast persona, political experts said, as it allows behind-the-scenes power brokers to project their agenda onto him. And the party made its choice confident that it could win the election despite his lack of charisma.

But the gamble is likely to have consequences. Facing public discontent over economic stagnation and the government’s initial handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Liberal Democrats are projected to lose seats and merely eke out a majority. Many voters are expected to stay home.

Hoping to emerge from the election less weakened than expected, Kishida crisscrossed the country on chartered flights during the two-week campaign period. At his final campaign stop Saturday night, before a packed square in front of a Tokyo train station, Kishida received a smattering of polite applause as he shouted a hearty “Good evening.”

His voice cracked repeatedly as he tried to project enthusiasm into his stump speech, stumbling over his pledges to build a new style of economics and protect Japan in the face of growing regional instability. He wrapped up with a warning that Japanese democracy would be threatened if the country’s Communist Party gained more seats in parliament.

Kishida’s rhetoric about a “new capitalism” that would narrow income inequality, a platform aimed at a disgruntled public battered by coronavirus-related restrictions on business, has grown vaguer over the course of the campaign.

He has ratcheted back a proposal to raise taxes on capital gains. Instead, he has returned to a familiar economic playbook for the Liberal Democrats, calling for more fiscal spending on projects backed by large industries such as construction, which typically support the party.

“He’s almost like a figurehead for other figures in the party to get their ideas through,” said James Brady, the head Japan analyst at Teneo, a risk advisory consulting firm. “He’s not a strong leader. He’s not someone who’s coming up with a lot of ideas.”

Like many other Liberal Democratic lawmakers, Kishida was brought up in a political family. Both his grandfather and his father served in the House of Representatives, and Kishida started his political career as a secretary to his father.

Although Kishida represents a district in Hiroshima and his family is from the area, he was raised mostly in Tokyo. He spent three years in New York when his father was posted there during a stint at the trade ministry.

He often cites the formative experience of attending a public elementary school in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, describing an incident in 1965 when a white classmate refused to hold his hand as instructed by a teacher on a field trip. Kishida says the moment seeded in him a lifelong commitment to fairness and justice.

Back in Japan, Kishida was an ardent — although, by his own admission, middling — baseball player. He tried, and failed, three times to pass the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo, Japan’s most prestigious state university.

He finally enrolled at Waseda, a top private university in Tokyo. In “Kishida Vision,” a memoir published last year, he wrote that he was more interested in music and mahjong than academics during his undergraduate years.

Kishida started a career in banking, gaining empathy, he wrote, for people and small businesses struggling to repay loans.

When his father died of cancer at age 65, Kishida ran for the Hiroshima seat in 1993 and won. He has served in various Cabinet positions and was Japan’s longest-serving foreign minister, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

He did not leave much of an impression on his colleagues. “I have no memory of him even though I met him every week in Cabinet meetings,” said Yoichi Masuzoe, a former governor of Tokyo who served as health minister when Kishida was a minister in charge of Okinawa and a string of islands known as the Northern Territories.

Some civil servants in the foreign ministry gave him the nickname “Chihuahua,” referring to him behind his back as a “well-mannered type of dog,” said Gen Nakatani, a former defense minister who has known Kishida for 30 years.

One lawmaker whom Kishida met in college and described as one of his best friends went on to back a rival, Taro Kono, in the Liberal Democrats’ recent leadership election.

Kishida lacks the swagger or arrogance that characterizes other politicians. He “listens to people, is calm and never speaks ill of others,” Nakatani said. “He doesn’t behave in a selfish manner.”

He was foreign minister when President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, and when South Korea and Japan signed an agreement in 2015 to compensate so-called comfort women, the term for those taken as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II. But Kishida rarely gets credit for these accomplishments.

If he is remembered, it is as an abundant drinker who maintains his dignity and leaves the bar before midnight. In his memoir, he wrote of matching Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, drink for drink. Kishida once hosted a birthday party for his Russian counterpart and presented him with a bottle of Suntory Hibiki 21 whiskey, which retails for about $750.

When Caroline Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo, Kishida gave her T-shirts, aprons and mugs imprinted with photos or cartoons of her face.

His attempts to endear himself on social media have sometimes fallen flat or drawn outright jeering.

A post he shared on Twitter and Instagram, showing his wife standing in the kitchen doorway while he sat at the table eating a dinner she had prepared, was roundly mocked. Videos showing his wife, Yuko, 57, and his three sons cheering him on have been slightly more popular.

“He’s a little bit socially and culturally out of step with the majority of the population,” said Shihoko Goto, a senior northeast Asia associate at the Wilson Center in Washington.

His self-effacement undergirds a political pragmatism that allows him to pivot when certain ideas grow unpopular or he needs to cater to a particularly powerful constituency. More often than not, that constituency comes from within the party, not the public.

As a politician from Hiroshima, Kishida has opposed nuclear weapons and taken more dovish stances on foreign policy. But as a candidate for prime minister, he ramped up his hawkish views on China and championed the restart of nuclear power plants, the vast majority of which have been idled since the triple meltdown in Fukushima 10 years ago. Supporting nuclear power is a key agenda item for the right wing of the Liberal Democratic Party.

Because Kishida won the prime ministerial election backed by lawmakers “more geared toward pleasing organized interests and big businesses,” he now has to reward them, said Megumi Naoi, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego.

As for his proposals on economic inequality, Naoi said she could not tell how sincere he had been in the first place. “I don’t know how much of this is his belief,” she said, “or just campaign strategy or political survival strategy.”

Japan has had no shortage of faceless prime ministers over the decades, a revolving door of leaders forgotten nearly as soon as they leave office. The most recent to hit the exit, who himself lasted only a year, was faulted for a communication style that often came across like a cure for insomnia. Now comes Fumio Kishida, who was chosen as prime minister last month by the governing Liberal Democrats and is hoping to lead the party to victory Sunday in a closer-than-usual parliamentary election. In anointing Kishida, 64, the Liberal Democrats passed over both an outspoken maverick who was popular with the public and a far-right nationalist who would have been Japan’s first female leader. While slightly less stodgy than his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, Kishida is frequently described as “boring” by the Japanese media, and he still struggles to connect with the public, or even his supporters and friends. “His speech sounds so serious that it doesn’t sound interesting even if he was meaning to say something interesting,” said Ikuzo Kubota, 67, chairman of a real estate management company in Hiroshima, who has known Kishida for more than 30 years. “Even now, I sometimes think that he should learn how to say things in an interesting way.” The rise of Kishida, a former foreign minister, is a potent reflection of the Liberal Democrats’ entrenched power in Japan. He was selected precisely because of his milquetoast persona, political experts said, as it allows behind-the-scenes power brokers to project their agenda onto him. And the party made its choice confident that it could win the election despite his lack of charisma. But the gamble is likely to have consequences. Facing public discontent over economic stagnation and the government’s initial handling of the coronavirus crisis, the Liberal Democrats are projected to lose seats and merely eke out a majority. Many voters are expected to stay home. Hoping to emerge from the election less weakened than expected, Kishida crisscrossed the country on chartered flights during the two-week campaign period. At his final campaign stop Saturday night, before a packed square in front of a Tokyo train station, Kishida received a smattering of polite applause as he shouted a hearty “Good evening.” His voice cracked repeatedly as he tried to project enthusiasm into his stump speech, stumbling over his pledges to build a new style of economics and protect Japan in the face of growing regional instability. He wrapped up with a warning that Japanese democracy would be threatened if the country’s Communist Party gained more seats in parliament. Kishida’s rhetoric about a “new capitalism” that would narrow income inequality, a platform aimed at a disgruntled public battered by coronavirus-related restrictions on business, has grown vaguer over the course of the campaign. He has ratcheted back a proposal to raise taxes on capital gains. Instead, he has returned to a familiar economic playbook for the Liberal Democrats, calling for more fiscal spending on projects backed by large industries such as construction, which typically support the party. “He’s almost like a figurehead for other figures in the party to get their ideas through,” said James Brady, the head Japan analyst at Teneo, a risk advisory consulting firm. “He’s not a strong leader. He’s not someone who’s coming up with a lot of ideas.” Like many other Liberal Democratic lawmakers, Kishida was brought up in a political family. Both his grandfather and his father served in the House of Representatives, and Kishida started his political career as a secretary to his father. Although Kishida represents a district in Hiroshima and his family is from the area, he was raised mostly in Tokyo. He spent three years in New York when his father was posted there during a stint at the trade ministry. He often cites the formative experience of attending a public elementary school in the Elmhurst section of Queens, New York, describing an incident in 1965 when a white classmate refused to hold his hand as instructed by a teacher on a field trip. Kishida says the moment seeded in him a lifelong commitment to fairness and justice. Back in Japan, Kishida was an ardent — although, by his own admission, middling — baseball player. He tried, and failed, three times to pass the entrance exam for the University of Tokyo, Japan’s most prestigious state university. He finally enrolled at Waseda, a top private university in Tokyo. In “Kishida Vision,” a memoir published last year, he wrote that he was more interested in music and mahjong than academics during his undergraduate years. Kishida started a career in banking, gaining empathy, he wrote, for people and small businesses struggling to repay loans. When his father died of cancer at age 65, Kishida ran for the Hiroshima seat in 1993 and won. He has served in various Cabinet positions and was Japan’s longest-serving foreign minister, under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He did not leave much of an impression on his colleagues. “I have no memory of him even though I met him every week in Cabinet meetings,” said Yoichi Masuzoe, a former governor of Tokyo who served as health minister when Kishida was a minister in charge of Okinawa and a string of islands known as the Northern Territories. Some civil servants in the foreign ministry gave him the nickname “Chihuahua,” referring to him behind his back as a “well-mannered type of dog,” said Gen Nakatani, a former defense minister who has known Kishida for 30 years. One lawmaker whom Kishida met in college and described as one of his best friends went on to back a rival, Taro Kono, in the Liberal Democrats’ recent leadership election. Kishida lacks the swagger or arrogance that characterizes other politicians. He “listens to people, is calm and never speaks ill of others,” Nakatani said. “He doesn’t behave in a selfish manner.” He was foreign minister when President Barack Obama visited Hiroshima in 2016, and when South Korea and Japan signed an agreement in 2015 to compensate so-called comfort women, the term for those taken as sex slaves by Japanese soldiers during World War II. But Kishida rarely gets credit for these accomplishments. If he is remembered, it is as an abundant drinker who maintains his dignity and leaves the bar before midnight. In his memoir, he wrote of matching Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, drink for drink. Kishida once hosted a birthday party for his Russian counterpart and presented him with a bottle of Suntory Hibiki 21 whiskey, which retails for about $750. When Caroline Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador in Tokyo, Kishida gave her T-shirts, aprons and mugs imprinted with photos or cartoons of her face. His attempts to endear himself on social media have sometimes fallen flat or drawn outright jeering. A post he shared on Twitter and Instagram, showing his wife standing in the kitchen doorway while he sat at the table eating a dinner she had prepared, was roundly mocked. Videos showing his wife, Yuko, 57, and his three sons cheering him on have been slightly more popular. “He’s a little bit socially and culturally out of step with the majority of the population,” said Shihoko Goto, a senior northeast Asia associate at the Wilson Center in Washington. His self-effacement undergirds a political pragmatism that allows him to pivot when certain ideas grow unpopular or he needs to cater to a particularly powerful constituency. More often than not, that constituency comes from within the party, not the public. As a politician from Hiroshima, Kishida has opposed nuclear weapons and taken more dovish stances on foreign policy. But as a candidate for prime minister, he ramped up his hawkish views on China and championed the restart of nuclear power plants, the vast majority of which have been idled since the triple meltdown in Fukushima 10 years ago. Supporting nuclear power is a key agenda item for the right wing of the Liberal Democratic Party. Because Kishida won the prime ministerial election backed by lawmakers “more geared toward pleasing organized interests and big businesses,” he now has to reward them, said Megumi Naoi, an associate professor of political science at University of California, San Diego. As for his proposals on economic inequality, Naoi said she could not tell how sincere he had been in the first place. “I don’t know how much of this is his belief,” she said, “or just campaign strategy or political survival strategy.”

Japan’s election looks closer than usual, but party in power has hit snooze

Japanese voters are casting ballots in national elections Sunday. This elections will determine whether Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will remain in office amid sluggish economic growth and lingering COVID concerns.

Japan Elections 2021: Voting starts, key test for Kishida

Polls suggests that Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could lose its majority in 2021 general election, potentially turning new leader Fumio Kishida into another short-term prime minister and triggering a return to political uncertainty.

Survey: Kishida, LDP set to lose majority in Japan election 2021

The Japan Communist Party is the oldest political party in the country. It’s the largest nonruling Communist party in the world. It’s harshly critical of China. And the Japanese authorities list it, along with the Islamic State group and North Korea, as a threat to national security.

To many in Japan, that comparison seems exaggerated. The party, which long ago abandoned Marx and Lenin and never really had time for Stalin or Mao, is about as radical as a beige cardigan: anti-war, pro-democracy, pro-economic equality.

But that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a primary target of Japan’s dominant political force, the Liberal Democratic Party, before parliamentary elections Sunday that will help set the country’s path out of the pandemic.

Though clocking in at only 3% support in the polls, the Communists have become a handy boogeyman after teaming up with Japan’s leading opposition parties for the first time in an effort to dethrone the LDP. The Communists agreed to withdraw their candidates from several districts to avoid splitting the liberal vote.

The conservative Liberal Democrats, who have governed almost continuously since the end of World War II, face little risk of losing power. But with their popularity sagging amid a weak economy and lingering questions over their handling of the coronavirus, they have tried to change the subject by painting the vote as a choice between democratic rule and Communist infiltration.

“The Communist Party’s strategy is to get one foot in the door,” Taro Kono, the LDP’s public affairs chief, told voters during a campaign stop. “Then they wrench it open and take over the house,” he added.

The Japan Communist Party, founded in 1922, has long provoked government animosity. It vigorously opposed Japan’s military aggression before and during World War II, and the Japanese secret police persecuted and imprisoned Communists through the conflict’s end.

In the 1950s and ’60s, the Liberal Democrats — aided by the CIA — carried out heavy-handed crackdowns on the group, which briefly flirted with political violence and became a rallying point for anti-American student protests.

Despite its name, the JCP has largely abandoned its roots in favor of its own homegrown ideology. It broke with the Soviet Union and China in the 1960s and has recently become one of Beijing’s most vocal Japanese critics, denouncing its neighbor for following the path of “hegemony” and violating human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. When the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, the JCP was the only major Japanese party not to send congratulations.

Still, Japan’s National Police Agency has continued to treat the group as a menace. In its annual report on threats to the nation, it lumps the JCP in with the Islamic State group, North Korea and Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that killed 13 and injured thousands during a 1995 nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

The Japan Communists, the police note, are rapidly aging, losing their financial resources — mostly generated by subscriptions to their newspaper, Akahata, or Red Flag — and are having difficulty attracting new members.

The agency is not clear about what actual threat the group poses. It does note that the Communists were planning to join other opposition parties to challenge the LDP, and that they had “added ‘gender equality’ and ‘a nuclear-power-free Japan’ ” to their platform. (The JCP runs more female candidates than nearly any other Japanese party.)

Both of those initiatives are opposed to some extent by the Liberal Democrats — who, for example, have rejected legislation to allow women to keep their last names after marriage — even though they are popular with the general public.

But those are not among the top issues for voters in the coming election. Their priorities are clear: keeping the coronavirus in check and putting the pandemic-ravaged economy back on track. Neither of these are necessarily winning issues for the LDP, which, though unlikely to lose, faces a strong risk of emerging from the election seriously weakened.

Japan is reporting just a few hundred COVID-19 cases each day, and vaccination numbers have surpassed those of most other countries, despite a slow start. Nevertheless, there is a sense that the governing party mismanaged the crisis, fumbling the national vaccine rollout and delaying the country’s recovery. Stories of coronavirus patients dying at home despite ample supplies of hospital beds have further hardened public opinion.

Current economic policies, which have failed to lift the country out of stagnation, are also unpopular — so much so that Fumio Kishida, who became prime minister this month after winning an LDP leadership election, ran against them. Kishida promised that he would confront growing inequality through a (very socialist-sounding) program of wealth redistribution.

He has since walked back those promises and looks set to continue his predecessors’ policies largely unchanged.

The threat that the Japan Communist Party poses to the LDP may come not from its size — the Communists have never gained more than 13% of the vote in a lower house election — but from its members’ dedication. The JCP, which has a highly organized base, could play a big role in drawing votes to the opposition, said Tomoaki Iwai, a professor of political science at Nihon University.

“It’s an organization that has the power to gather ballots” he said.

In focusing attention on the Japan Communists, the LDP and its governing partner, Komeito, are betting that voters’ distaste for big “C” communism and fear of a rising China will drive them away from the opposition coalition, said Taku Sugawara, an independent political scientist.

“Until recently, as far as the LDP was concerned, the Communists were just a group that got in the way of the other opposition parties,” he said. “But now that they’re clearly a threat, they’ve become a prominent target of criticism.”

Although there is widespread consensus in Japan that Beijing’s growing power poses a threat to regional stability, the LDP and JCP are split over how to deal with it.

The Liberal Democrats have called for doubling military spending, increasing defense cooperation with the United States, and changing Japan’s pacifist constitution to give it, among other things, the ability to carry out first strikes against adversaries that threaten national security.

The Japan Communists, however, prefer a diplomatic approach and are strongly opposed to the substantial U.S. military presence in Japan, a position that makes it an outlier among Japanese political parties.

During a recent rally in front of the bustling Shinjuku station in central Tokyo, candidates for Komeito warned a small group of potential voters that the differing views of the LDP and its political partners on national defense would make it impossible for them to govern competently.

(The hawkish LDP and its dovish coalition partner have themselves long been at odds over whether to increase military spending or alter Japan’s constitution to remove its prohibition against waging war. And Komeito is notorious for its reluctance to criticize Beijing.)

The Japan Communists have said that their differences with other opposition parties would have no bearing on a new government. The Communists say they won’t seek any role if the opposition topples the LDP.

But it’s hard to say what would actually happen if the opposition somehow won power, said Iwai, the political science professor.

None of the coalition members “actually think they’re going to win,” he said. So when it comes to discussions of what’s next, “No one’s thought that far.”

The Japan Communist Party is the oldest political party in the country. It’s the largest nonruling Communist party in the world. It’s harshly critical of China. And the Japanese authorities list it, along with the Islamic State group and North Korea, as a threat to national security.

The Japan Communist Party is the oldest political party in the country. It’s the largest nonruling Communist party in the world. It’s harshly critical of China. And the Japanese authorities list it, along with the Islamic State group and North Korea, as a threat to national security. To many in Japan, that comparison seems exaggerated. The party, which long ago abandoned Marx and Lenin and never really had time for Stalin or Mao, is about as radical as a beige cardigan: anti-war, pro-democracy, pro-economic equality. But that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a primary target of Japan’s dominant political force, the Liberal Democratic Party, before parliamentary elections Sunday that will help set the country’s path out of the pandemic. Though clocking in at only 3% support in the polls, the Communists have become a handy boogeyman after teaming up with Japan’s leading opposition parties for the first time in an effort to dethrone the LDP. The Communists agreed to withdraw their candidates from several districts to avoid splitting the liberal vote. The conservative Liberal Democrats, who have governed almost continuously since the end of World War II, face little risk of losing power. But with their popularity sagging amid a weak economy and lingering questions over their handling of the coronavirus, they have tried to change the subject by painting the vote as a choice between democratic rule and Communist infiltration. “The Communist Party’s strategy is to get one foot in the door,” Taro Kono, the LDP’s public affairs chief, told voters during a campaign stop. “Then they wrench it open and take over the house,” he added. The Japan Communist Party, founded in 1922, has long provoked government animosity. It vigorously opposed Japan’s military aggression before and during World War II, and the Japanese secret police persecuted and imprisoned Communists through the conflict’s end. In the 1950s and ’60s, the Liberal Democrats — aided by the CIA — carried out heavy-handed crackdowns on the group, which briefly flirted with political violence and became a rallying point for anti-American student protests. Despite its name, the JCP has largely abandoned its roots in favor of its own homegrown ideology. It broke with the Soviet Union and China in the 1960s and has recently become one of Beijing’s most vocal Japanese critics, denouncing its neighbor for following the path of “hegemony” and violating human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang. When the Chinese Communist Party celebrated its 100th anniversary this year, the JCP was the only major Japanese party not to send congratulations. Still, Japan’s National Police Agency has continued to treat the group as a menace. In its annual report on threats to the nation, it lumps the JCP in with the Islamic State group, North Korea and Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese cult that killed 13 and injured thousands during a 1995 nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway. The Japan Communists, the police note, are rapidly aging, losing their financial resources — mostly generated by subscriptions to their newspaper, Akahata, or Red Flag — and are having difficulty attracting new members. The agency is not clear about what actual threat the group poses. It does note that the Communists were planning to join other opposition parties to challenge the LDP, and that they had “added ‘gender equality’ and ‘a nuclear-power-free Japan’ ” to their platform. (The JCP runs more female candidates than nearly any other Japanese party.) Both of those initiatives are opposed to some extent by the Liberal Democrats — who, for example, have rejected legislation to allow women to keep their last names after marriage — even though they are popular with the general public. But those are not among the top issues for voters in the coming election. Their priorities are clear: keeping the coronavirus in check and putting the pandemic-ravaged economy back on track. Neither of these are necessarily winning issues for the LDP, which, though unlikely to lose, faces a strong risk of emerging from the election seriously weakened. Japan is reporting just a few hundred COVID-19 cases each day, and vaccination numbers have surpassed those of most other countries, despite a slow start. Nevertheless, there is a sense that the governing party mismanaged the crisis, fumbling the national vaccine rollout and delaying the country’s recovery. Stories of coronavirus patients dying at home despite ample supplies of hospital beds have further hardened public opinion. Current economic policies, which have failed to lift the country out of stagnation, are also unpopular — so much so that Fumio Kishida, who became prime minister this month after winning an LDP leadership election, ran against them. Kishida promised that he would confront growing inequality through a (very socialist-sounding) program of wealth redistribution. He has since walked back those promises and looks set to continue his predecessors’ policies largely unchanged. The threat that the Japan Communist Party poses to the LDP may come not from its size — the Communists have never gained more than 13% of the vote in a lower house election — but from its members’ dedication. The JCP, which has a highly organized base, could play a big role in drawing votes to the opposition, said Tomoaki Iwai, a professor of political science at Nihon University. “It’s an organization that has the power to gather ballots” he said. In focusing attention on the Japan Communists, the LDP and its governing partner, Komeito, are betting that voters’ distaste for big “C” communism and fear of a rising China will drive them away from the opposition coalition, said Taku Sugawara, an independent political scientist. “Until recently, as far as the LDP was concerned, the Communists were just a group that got in the way of the other opposition parties,” he said. “But now that they’re clearly a threat, they’ve become a prominent target of criticism.” Although there is widespread consensus in Japan that Beijing’s growing power poses a threat to regional stability, the LDP and JCP are split over how to deal with it. The Liberal Democrats have called for doubling military spending, increasing defense cooperation with the United States, and changing Japan’s pacifist constitution to give it, among other things, the ability to carry out first strikes against adversaries that threaten national security. The Japan Communists, however, prefer a diplomatic approach and are strongly opposed to the substantial U.S. military presence in Japan, a position that makes it an outlier among Japanese political parties. During a recent rally in front of the bustling Shinjuku station in central Tokyo, candidates for Komeito warned a small group of potential voters that the differing views of the LDP and its political partners on national defense would make it impossible for them to govern competently. (The hawkish LDP and its dovish coalition partner have themselves long been at odds over whether to increase military spending or alter Japan’s constitution to remove its prohibition against waging war. And Komeito is notorious for its reluctance to criticize Beijing.) The Japan Communists have said that their differences with other opposition parties would have no bearing on a new government. The Communists say they won’t seek any role if the opposition topples the LDP. But it’s hard to say what would actually happen if the opposition somehow won power, said Iwai, the political science professor. None of the coalition members “actually think they’re going to win,” he said. So when it comes to discussions of what’s next, “No one’s thought that far.”

Japan’s communists are hardly radical, but make a handy election target

He's an aspiring lawyer, She's a real-life princess. The wedding of Japan's Princess Mako to 'commoner' Kei Komuro has the hallmarks of a Royal fairytale. But Japanese society says the union is 'cursed'. Palki Sharma tells you why.

Gravitas: Why Japanese Society doesn't approve of this Royal Wedding

Japan has successfully launched a new navigation satellite into orbit that will be replacing the country's decade-old navigation satellite.

According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the satellite, QZS-1R, was launched onboard an H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Monday night at 10.19 pm.

The QZS-1R satellite will join other satellites that are part of the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, or QZSS, which is Japan's satellite navigation system.&nbsp;It is a replacement for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System 1 satellite which was launched in 2010.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-launches-landsat-9-satellite-to-monitor-earths-surface-416604">NASA launches Landsat 9 satellite to monitor Earth's surface</a>

The company Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) builds and operates H-2A rockets.&nbsp;"It was really beautiful launch," the company said in a tweet after a successful lift-off.

"H-IIA F44 flight proceeded nominally. Approximately 28 minutes 6 seconds after launch, as planned, the payload separated from the launch vehicle," the statement said.

According to the official QZSS website, there are four satellites in the constellation: QZS-1, QZS-2, QZS-3, and QZS-4.

As per JAXA, QZSS constellation will eventually consist of a total of seven satellites in an orbit passing through a near-zenith (or directly overhead) above Japan. QZS-R1 is meant to share nearly the same transmission signals as recent GPS satellites.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/nasa-isro-earth-observation-satellite-launch-on-gslv-mk-ii-by-jan-2023-369143">NASA-ISRO Earth observation satellite launch on GSLV Mk II by Jan 2023</a>

It is specifically designed for mountainous and urban areas in Japan, according to JAXA.

A Mitsubishi rocket launch system has been in use since 2003. Satellites have been launched to Mars (Emirates Mars Mission) and Venus (Akatsuki) using the H-2A 202 rocket launch system.

This is the first launch of the H2-A rocket since Japan launched a relay satellite with laser communications technology into orbit on Nov. 29, 2020.

(With inputs from agencies)

Japan has successfully launched a new navigation satellite into orbit that will be replacing the country's decade-old navigation satellite. According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the satellite, QZS-1R, was launched onboard an H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Monday night at 10.

Japan has successfully launched a new navigation satellite into orbit that will be replacing the country's decade-old navigation satellite. According to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the satellite, QZS-1R, was launched onboard an H-2A rocket from Tanegashima Space Center on Monday night at 10.19 pm. The QZS-1R satellite will join other satellites that are part of the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System, or QZSS, which is Japan's satellite navigation system. It is a replacement for Quasi-Zenith Satellite System 1 satellite which was launched in 2010. Also read | NASA launches Landsat 9 satellite to monitor Earth's surface The company Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) builds and operates H-2A rockets. "It was really beautiful launch," the company said in a tweet after a successful lift-off. "H-IIA F44 flight proceeded nominally. Approximately 28 minutes 6 seconds after launch, as planned, the payload separated from the launch vehicle," the statement said. According to the official QZSS website, there are four satellites in the constellation: QZS-1, QZS-2, QZS-3, and QZS-4. As per JAXA, QZSS constellation will eventually consist of a total of seven satellites in an orbit passing through a near-zenith (or directly overhead) above Japan. QZS-R1 is meant to share nearly the same transmission signals as recent GPS satellites. Also read | NASA-ISRO Earth observation satellite launch on GSLV Mk II by Jan 2023 It is specifically designed for mountainous and urban areas in Japan, according to JAXA. A Mitsubishi rocket launch system has been in use since 2003. Satellites have been launched to Mars (Emirates Mars Mission) and Venus (Akatsuki) using the H-2A 202 rocket launch system. This is the first launch of the H2-A rocket since Japan launched a relay satellite with laser communications technology into orbit on Nov. 29, 2020. (With inputs from agencies)

Replacing decade-old system, Japan launches advanced GPS satellite into orbit

Japan's Princess Mako married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro. The couple submitted documents to register marriage after a long engagement, which was marred by intense media scrutiny and opposition. The two will now move to New York. Let’s take a look at their infamous tale of love.

Finally, Japan's Princess Mako marries commoner, gives up royal title

Japan's Princess Mako, who is the emperor's niece, married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro on Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The couple submitted documents to register marriage after a long engagement, which was marred by intense media scrutiny and opposition. &nbsp;

The two will move to New York, where Komuro works with a law office. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/myths-marriages-and-mako-japans-imperial-family-424047" hreflang="en">Myths, marriages and Mako: Japan's imperial family</a>

Let’s take a relook at their tale of love. &nbsp;

2012 - The two meet at Tokyo's International Christian University as students. &nbsp; &nbsp;

September 2017 - The Imperial Household Agency announces their engagement. The two later hold a news conference, with their marriage set for November 2018. &nbsp;

<img alt="Brief 2" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3b0c004f-ebbb-47ad-afab-165f61d782df" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Protest.jpg" />

December 2017 - Weekly magazines report a money dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance. The man claimed mother and son had failed to repay a debt of about $35,000. Komuro later said the money had been a gift, not a loan. &nbsp;

February 2018 - The marriage is postponed, with the official explanation that the couple needs more time to arrange their ceremony. &nbsp;

<img alt="Brief 4" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="74fafbd1-5d5e-4573-a2ad-a2cc22e4a8d4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/People.jpg" />

August 2018 - Komuro leaves for the United States to study at Fordham University law school. He returns in September 2021. &nbsp;

November 2018 - Mako's father Prince Akishino says it will be impossible to hold an engagement ceremony until the dispute is resolved. &nbsp;&nbsp;

April 2021 - Komuro issues a 24-page statement saying he will pay a settlement to his mother's former fiance. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/south-korea-court-fines-samsung-chief-lee-jae-yong-for-unlawful-sedative-use-424012" hreflang="en">South Korea court fines Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong for unlawful sedative use</a>

May 2021 - Komuro graduates from law school and starts working with a New York law firm. &nbsp; &nbsp;

September 2021 - Komuro returns to Japan after an absence of three years, sporting a ponytail that sets off a frenzy in the tabloids, because it is deemed "disrespectful." &nbsp;&nbsp;

<img alt="Brief 4" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1500d09d-8180-4cd5-8aad-e6af9d9011a5" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Family_0.jpg" />

October 1, 2021 - The Imperial Household Agency announces that the two will be married on October 26. &nbsp; &nbsp;

October 26, 2021 - Mako and Komuro are married.

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Japan's Princess Mako, who is the emperor's niece, married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro on Tuesday. The couple submitted documents to register marriage after a long engagement, which was marred by intense media scrutiny and opposition.

Japan's Princess Mako, who is the emperor's niece, married her college sweetheart Kei Komuro on Tuesday. The couple submitted documents to register marriage after a long engagement, which was marred by intense media scrutiny and opposition. The two will move to New York, where Komuro works with a law office. Also Read: Myths, marriages and Mako: Japan's imperial family Let’s take a relook at their tale of love. 2012 - The two meet at Tokyo's International Christian University as students. September 2017 - The Imperial Household Agency announces their engagement. The two later hold a news conference, with their marriage set for November 2018. December 2017 - Weekly magazines report a money dispute between Komuro's mother and her former fiance. The man claimed mother and son had failed to repay a debt of about $35,000. Komuro later said the money had been a gift, not a loan. February 2018 - The marriage is postponed, with the official explanation that the couple needs more time to arrange their ceremony. August 2018 - Komuro leaves for the United States to study at Fordham University law school. He returns in September 2021. November 2018 - Mako's father Prince Akishino says it will be impossible to hold an engagement ceremony until the dispute is resolved. April 2021 - Komuro issues a 24-page statement saying he will pay a settlement to his mother's former fiance. Also Read: South Korea court fines Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong for unlawful sedative use May 2021 - Komuro graduates from law school and starts working with a New York law firm. September 2021 - Komuro returns to Japan after an absence of three years, sporting a ponytail that sets off a frenzy in the tabloids, because it is deemed "disrespectful." October 1, 2021 - The Imperial Household Agency announces that the two will be married on October 26. October 26, 2021 - Mako and Komuro are married. (With inputs from agencies)

The long wait ends: Revisit Japan Princess Mako’s eternal love story

North Korea launched one ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

Earlier, the South Korean military stated that North Korea launched an unidentified missile into the Sea of Japan, but provided no additional details. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-fired-ballistic-missiles-from-train-for-the-first-time-ever-413670">Also read | North Korea fired ballistic missiles from train for the first time ever</a> 
 
The Japanese government cautioned that the projectile shot by North Korea may be a ballistic missile, and the Japanese Coast Guard issued cautions to ships in conjunction with the probable test.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | North Korean envoy defends missile test in UNGA

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The Japanese coast guard issued a marine safety alert to ships, although it was unclear where the weapon landed.

The South Korean presidential office planned to conduct a meeting of the national security council later in the day to discuss the launch.

After a months-long calm, North Korea resumed its nuclear tests while making conditional peace overtures to Seoul, resuming a pattern of pushing South Korea to achieve what it wants from the US.

Sung Kim, President Joe Biden's special envoy for North Korea, is scheduled to meet with US allies in Seoul in the coming days to discuss the chances of resuming negotiations with North Korea.&nbsp;

Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been deadlocked for more than two years due to differences about trading the lifting of crushing US-led sanctions on North Korea in exchange for the North's disarmament measures.

His government has so far refused the Biden administration's overtures to begin a conversation without preconditions, claiming that Washington must first renounce its "hostile policy," which the North mostly refers to sanctions and joint military drills between the US and South Korea.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

North Korea launched one ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).

North Korea launched one ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap, citing the Republic of Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Earlier, the South Korean military stated that North Korea launched an unidentified missile into the Sea of Japan, but provided no additional details. Also read | North Korea fired ballistic missiles from train for the first time ever The Japanese government cautioned that the projectile shot by North Korea may be a ballistic missile, and the Japanese Coast Guard issued cautions to ships in conjunction with the probable test. Watch | North Korean envoy defends missile test in UNGA The Japanese coast guard issued a marine safety alert to ships, although it was unclear where the weapon landed. The South Korean presidential office planned to conduct a meeting of the national security council later in the day to discuss the launch. After a months-long calm, North Korea resumed its nuclear tests while making conditional peace overtures to Seoul, resuming a pattern of pushing South Korea to achieve what it wants from the US. Sung Kim, President Joe Biden's special envoy for North Korea, is scheduled to meet with US allies in Seoul in the coming days to discuss the chances of resuming negotiations with North Korea. Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been deadlocked for more than two years due to differences about trading the lifting of crushing US-led sanctions on North Korea in exchange for the North's disarmament measures. His government has so far refused the Biden administration's overtures to begin a conversation without preconditions, claiming that Washington must first renounce its "hostile policy," which the North mostly refers to sanctions and joint military drills between the US and South Korea. (With inputs from agencies)

North Korea fired one ballistic missile towards the sea of Japan: Reports

North Korea's missile launch on Tuesday (October 19) drew stern reactions from countries in the region and the United States. The UN condemned North Korea and called on it to "refrain from any further destabilizing acts."

"We are aware of the North Korean ballistic missile launch this morning into the Sea of Japan and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan," the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement, adding that "this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory, or that of our allies."

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Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles earlier in the day, and called that country's continued missile launches since last month "very regrettable."

The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.

"I'd rather not predict North Korea's intentions (of firing the missiles) from my point of view. But I think we must continue making efforts on grasping the situation and collecting information," Kishida told reporters at Fukushima station during a business trip.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/north-korea-fired-one-ballistic-missile-towards-the-sea-of-japan-reports-421918">North Korea fired one ballistic missile towards the sea of Japan: Reports</a>

China meanwhile has appealed for restraint

"All parties concerned should focus on the overall situation, exercise restraint, commit to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and carry on in the right direction of dialogue and consultation," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin.

South Korea, the bitter rival of North Korea, said that it was monitoring the situation.

"Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

North Korea's missile launch on Tuesday (October 19) drew stern reactions from countries in the region and the United States. The UN condemned North Korea and called on it to "refrain from any further destabilizing acts.

North Korea's missile launch on Tuesday (October 19) drew stern reactions from countries in the region and the United States. The UN condemned North Korea and called on it to "refrain from any further destabilizing acts." "We are aware of the North Korean ballistic missile launch this morning into the Sea of Japan and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan," the US Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement, adding that "this event does not pose an immediate threat to US personnel, territory, or that of our allies." × Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday said North Korea fired two ballistic missiles earlier in the day, and called that country's continued missile launches since last month "very regrettable." The North Korean launch would be the latest weapons test by the country, which has pressed ahead with military development in the face of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons and missile programmes. "I'd rather not predict North Korea's intentions (of firing the missiles) from my point of view. But I think we must continue making efforts on grasping the situation and collecting information," Kishida told reporters at Fukushima station during a business trip. Also Read | North Korea fired one ballistic missile towards the sea of Japan: Reports China meanwhile has appealed for restraint "All parties concerned should focus on the overall situation, exercise restraint, commit to maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and carry on in the right direction of dialogue and consultation," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. South Korea, the bitter rival of North Korea, said that it was monitoring the situation. "Our military is closely monitoring the situation and maintaining readiness posture in close cooperation with the United States, to prepare for possible additional launches," South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. (With inputs from agencies)

North Korea missile launch: US issues warning, China calls for restraint

Across the globe, COVID-19 has brought to their knees many industries crucial to the survival of people, countries, and economies.

The aviation industry was among the hardest hit, as the virus gripped the travel and tourism industries. While the world is recovering from the deadly virus, this industry is also working to rebuild itself.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/durian-fruit-triggers-gas-leak-alert-in-canberra-421755" hreflang="en">Durian fruit triggers 'gas leak' alert in Canberra</a>

Airlines are using a variety of methods to get back on track, with discounts, cheap fares remaining to be the most widespread and well-known way of attracting customers.

However, a budget airline located in Japan, Osaka has taken the most creative and unconventional approach in the aviation industry. Observing the popularity of 'Gachapon' or 'Gashapon,' a vending machine that dispenses capsule toys, Peach Aviation Limited developed a vending machine that holds the potential of getting the airlines its much-needed boost.

In Japan, gachapon machines are extremely popular. Random capsules with cute Japanese collectables are dispensed by these machines. Japanese people are enthralled by the thrill of not knowing what they will receive each time.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/facebook-plans-on-hiring-10000-people-in-eu-to-work-on-metaverse-421830" hreflang="en">Facebook plans on hiring 10,000 people in EU to work on metaverse</a>

Peach Aviation Limited has incorporated this very thrill. The airlines have modified these popular vending machines and adjusted the dispenser so that instead of toys and collectables, capsules containing a variety of destinations are given out.

In essence, this out of the box marketing move involves giving travellers a capsule, which will contain a surprise travel destination.

One go at the machine costs 5,000 Japanese yen or $44, and customers receive 6,000 &nbsp;Japanese yen i.e., $53&nbsp;worth of mileage points. These points can only be used towards the destination they won. The airline has arranged tours for areas such as Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Naha through its domestic flights.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/with-230-billion-net-worth-musk-is-now-richer-than-gates-and-buffett-combined-421742" hreflang="en">With $230 billion net worth, Musk is now richer than Gates and Buffett combined</a>

These points can then be exchanged for airfare using the code printed on a piece of paper inside the capsule. In addition, they get a miniature badge and a mission for when they reach their destination.&nbsp;

Although some employees thought the promotion idea wouldn't work, the vending machine idea proved to be a success in Japan. The airline has already sold around 3,000 capsules in the past few months, with sales averaging 150 a day, according to official data.&nbsp;

Across the globe, COVID-19 has brought to their knees many industries crucial to the survival of people, countries, and economies. The aviation industry was among the hardest hit, as the virus gripped the travel and tourism industries.

Across the globe, COVID-19 has brought to their knees many industries crucial to the survival of people, countries, and economies. The aviation industry was among the hardest hit, as the virus gripped the travel and tourism industries. While the world is recovering from the deadly virus, this industry is also working to rebuild itself. Also read | Durian fruit triggers 'gas leak' alert in Canberra Airlines are using a variety of methods to get back on track, with discounts, cheap fares remaining to be the most widespread and well-known way of attracting customers. However, a budget airline located in Japan, Osaka has taken the most creative and unconventional approach in the aviation industry. Observing the popularity of 'Gachapon' or 'Gashapon,' a vending machine that dispenses capsule toys, Peach Aviation Limited developed a vending machine that holds the potential of getting the airlines its much-needed boost. In Japan, gachapon machines are extremely popular. Random capsules with cute Japanese collectables are dispensed by these machines. Japanese people are enthralled by the thrill of not knowing what they will receive each time. Also read | Facebook plans on hiring 10,000 people in EU to work on metaverse Peach Aviation Limited has incorporated this very thrill. The airlines have modified these popular vending machines and adjusted the dispenser so that instead of toys and collectables, capsules containing a variety of destinations are given out. In essence, this out of the box marketing move involves giving travellers a capsule, which will contain a surprise travel destination. One go at the machine costs 5,000 Japanese yen or $44, and customers receive 6,000 Japanese yen i.e., $53 worth of mileage points. These points can only be used towards the destination they won. The airline has arranged tours for areas such as Sapporo, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Naha through its domestic flights. Also read | With $230 billion net worth, Musk is now richer than Gates and Buffett combined These points can then be exchanged for airfare using the code printed on a piece of paper inside the capsule. In addition, they get a miniature badge and a mission for when they reach their destination. Although some employees thought the promotion idea wouldn't work, the vending machine idea proved to be a success in Japan. The airline has already sold around 3,000 capsules in the past few months, with sales averaging 150 a day, according to official data.

Japan airlines' surprise ticket gapachon machine helps boost sales

Japan's new Prime Minister has said that the planned mass disposal of waste water stored at Fukushima nuclear plant cannot be delayed. This is despite growing concerns from local residents.

Planned disposal of waste water stored at Fukushima nuclear plant can't be delayed: Japan's new PM

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that the proposed mass disposal of wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean cannot be delayed, despite concerns raised by local residents.

Speaking at his first visit to the facility since taking office, Kishida said his government would work to reassure residents nearby the plant about the technical safety of the wastewater disposal plan.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a triple meltdown in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami. Around 1.25 million tonnes of water have accumulated in tanks at the nuclear plant.

Japan's government argues that the release is safe because the water is processed to remove almost all radioactive elements and will be diluted.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ten-years-after-fukushima-disaster-this-nurse-may-be-the-regions-best-hope-369916">Ten years after Fukushima disaster, this nurse may be the region’s best hope</a>

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also endorsed the release, which it says is similar to the disposal of wastewater at nuclear plants elsewhere in the world.

“I felt strongly that the water issue is a crucial one that should not be pushed back,” Kishida told reporters after the tour.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fukushima-operators-to-build-undersea-tunnel-to-release-treated-water-408550">Fukushima operators to build undersea tunnel to release treated water</a>

In April, the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings announced plans to start releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023 over the span of decades.

The plan has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbours, including China and South Korea.

Kishida said the government will do its utmost to address concerns the water disposal will hurt local fishing and other industries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/water-leaks-indicate-new-damage-at-fukushima-nuclear-plant-364890">Water leaks indicate new damage at Fukushima nuclear plant</a>

“We will provide explanation about the safety (of the disposal) from a scientific viewpoint and transparency in order to dispel various concerns,” Kishida said.

Japan has requested assistance by the IAEA to ensure the discharge meets global safety standards.

(With inputs from agencies)

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that the proposed mass disposal of wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean cannot be delayed, despite concerns raised by local residents.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said that the proposed mass disposal of wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant into the Pacific Ocean cannot be delayed, despite concerns raised by local residents. Speaking at his first visit to the facility since taking office, Kishida said his government would work to reassure residents nearby the plant about the technical safety of the wastewater disposal plan. The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a triple meltdown in 2011 following a massive earthquake and tsunami. Around 1.25 million tonnes of water have accumulated in tanks at the nuclear plant. Japan's government argues that the release is safe because the water is processed to remove almost all radioactive elements and will be diluted. Also read | Ten years after Fukushima disaster, this nurse may be the region’s best hope The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has also endorsed the release, which it says is similar to the disposal of wastewater at nuclear plants elsewhere in the world. “I felt strongly that the water issue is a crucial one that should not be pushed back,” Kishida told reporters after the tour. Also read | Fukushima operators to build undersea tunnel to release treated water In April, the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings announced plans to start releasing the water into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023 over the span of decades. The plan has been fiercely opposed by fishermen, residents and Japan’s neighbours, including China and South Korea. Kishida said the government will do its utmost to address concerns the water disposal will hurt local fishing and other industries. Also read | Water leaks indicate new damage at Fukushima nuclear plant “We will provide explanation about the safety (of the disposal) from a scientific viewpoint and transparency in order to dispel various concerns,” Kishida said. Japan has requested assistance by the IAEA to ensure the discharge meets global safety standards. (With inputs from agencies)

Fukushima wastewater release can’t be delayed, says Japan PM Kishida

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida donated ritual offerings Sunday to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person.

Kishida donated masakaki&nbsp;religious ornaments to mark Yasukuni Shrine's autumn festival. It was the first such observance by Kishida since he took office on October 4.

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Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially Chinese and Koreans, see the shrine as a symbol of Japan's militarism because it honours convicted World War II criminals among about 2.5 million war dead.

Such observances are seen by critics as a sign of a lack of remorse over the country's wartime atrocities.

Kishida was visiting the 2011 tsunami-hit areas in northern Japan over the weekend and stayed away from the shrine.

His predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, also only made offerings during his one-year leadership. He stepped down in September and visited the shrine on Sunday, dressed in a formal morning coat.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/analysis-with-an-eye-on-china-japans-ruling-party-makes-unprecedented-defence-spending-pledge-420812">Analysis: With an eye on China, Japan's ruling party makes unprecedented defence spending pledge</a>

Suga told reporters that he visited as a former prime minister to offer my respect to the sacred spirits of those who sacrificed their precious lives for the country and to pray that their souls may rest in peace.

After China and the Koreas reacted with outrage to a visit to Yasukuni by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2013, Japanese leaders have avoided visiting the shrine while in office.

Many South Koreans deeply resent Japan for its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula.

Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have soured in recent years amid disputes over compensation for Korean wartime labourers and over the systematic abuses of comfort women&nbsp;used for sex by the Japanese military before its World War II defeat in 1945.

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida donated ritual offerings Sunday to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person.

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida donated ritual offerings Sunday to a Tokyo shrine viewed by Chinese and Koreans as a symbol of Japanese wartime aggression, though he did not make a visit in person. Kishida donated masakaki religious ornaments to mark Yasukuni Shrine's autumn festival. It was the first such observance by Kishida since he took office on October 4. Also Read | Japan's new PM defends pro-nuclear stance in parliamentary debut Victims of Japanese aggression during the first half of the 20th century, especially Chinese and Koreans, see the shrine as a symbol of Japan's militarism because it honours convicted World War II criminals among about 2.5 million war dead. Such observances are seen by critics as a sign of a lack of remorse over the country's wartime atrocities. Kishida was visiting the 2011 tsunami-hit areas in northern Japan over the weekend and stayed away from the shrine. His predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, also only made offerings during his one-year leadership. He stepped down in September and visited the shrine on Sunday, dressed in a formal morning coat. Also Read | Analysis: With an eye on China, Japan's ruling party makes unprecedented defence spending pledge Suga told reporters that he visited as a former prime minister to offer my respect to the sacred spirits of those who sacrificed their precious lives for the country and to pray that their souls may rest in peace. After China and the Koreas reacted with outrage to a visit to Yasukuni by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2013, Japanese leaders have avoided visiting the shrine while in office. Many South Koreans deeply resent Japan for its 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo have soured in recent years amid disputes over compensation for Korean wartime labourers and over the systematic abuses of comfort women used for sex by the Japanese military before its World War II defeat in 1945.

Japan's Kishida sends offering to controversial Tokyo shrine

There was a tense faceoff between warships from the United States & Russia. A U.S navy destroyer & a Russian anti-submarine warship came within 60 metres of each other. The incident occurred during Russian - Chinese war games in the sea of Japan.

Tense faceoff during Russian-Chinese war games in sea of Japan

An unprecedented election pledge by Japan's ruling party to double defence spending underscores the nation's haste to acquire missiles, stealth fighters, drones and other weapons to deter China's military in the disputed East China Sea.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) included a goal of spending 2% of GDP - about $100 billion - or more on the military for the first time in its policy platform ahead of a national election this month.

Experts don't expect new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to double spending anytime soon, given Japan's debt-saddled public finances and a pandemic-stricken economy. But it is a sign that the pacifist nation could over time abandon a commitment to keep military budgets within 1% of GDP - a number that for decades has eased concern at home and abroad about any revival of the militarism that led Japan into World War Two.

"LDP conservative leaders want the party to give it up," said Yoichiro Sato, an international relations professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, referring to the de facto spending cap, which he called "sacrosanct for Japanese liberals."

"They are setting the direction, that is what conservatives want to do," he added.

The United States has been pushing key allies to spend more on defence; an increase to 2% of GDP would put Japan in line with pledges by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members.

The hawkish notes from the LDP come as Japanese public sentiment shifts away from concerns about rearming to growing alarm over China's military assertiveness in Asia, particularly toward Taiwan.

In a survey of 1,696 people conducted by the Nikkei business daily at the end of last year, 86% of respondents said China posed a threat to Japan, more than the 82% who expressed concern about nuclear-armed North Korea.

"Putting this in the manifesto is a recognition of the need to garner public support for required defence policy changes," said Robert Ward, a London-based researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The direction of travel is now set."

SOUTHWEST THEATRE

Japan's military strategy is focused on defending territory along the edge of the East China Sea, where Tokyo is locked in a dispute with Beijing over a group of uninhabited islands.

The Okinawan chain, Taiwan, and islands stretching down through the Philippines form what military planners dub the First Island Chain, a natural barrier to Chinese operations in the Western Pacific.

With an additional $50 billion a year, Japan could buy more American equipment, including F-35 stealth fighters, Osprey tilt-rotor utility aircraft and surveillance drones, as well as domestically made equipment such as amphibious landing craft, compact warships, aircraft carriers, submarines, satellites and communications gear to fight a protracted war.

"The Self Defence Force is well trained and well equipped, but its sustainability and resilience is one of the most serious problems," former Maritime Self Defense Force admiral and fleet commander Yoji Koda told Reuters.

Japan's defence ministry also wants money for an indigenous stealth fighter, and missiles that can strike enemy ships and land bases more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away. The country is also building up cyber, space and electromagnetic warfare capabilities.

"Japan wants to acquire very sophisticated capabilities in a variety of areas," Thomas Reich, the country manager for BAE Systems PLC, said during a briefing on Tuesday. "What's in the budget and where it's going are the things that really attract us."

Britain's biggest defence company is part of the consortium led by Lockheed Martin Corp that builds the F-35 fighter.

CARRYING ABE'S TORCH

The speed at which once-dovish Kishida has fallen in line with the national security agenda of conservatives has surprised some observers. But he is carrying on policies pursued by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and supported by conservative lawmakers who helped him https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-shadow-shogun-abe-assured-clout-over-next-pm-kishida-2021-09-30 win the party leadership election last month.

By pursuing a policy of similar small steps, Abe enacted security laws to allow Japanese troops to fight on foreign soil, ended a ban on military exports and reinterpreted the country's war-renouncing constitution to allow missile strikes on enemy territory.

For now, however, the LDP defence spending pledge does not say how any extra money would be spent or indicate when the 2% goal would be reached.

"The real question is whether Japan can absorb another $50 billion in a way that measurably improves Japan's defence," said Chuck Jones, a former defence industry executive familiar with Japan's military policy. "The concern is that large sums will be wasted on programs and projects doomed to failure or irrelevance."

The lack of detail gives the ruling group room to alter course, analysts say.

"There is opposition even inside the LDP," said Tetsuo Kotani, a senior research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. "We are going to have an election and we will see if the general public supports the LDP's proposal."

An unprecedented election pledge by Japan's ruling party to double defence spending underscores the nation's haste to acquire missiles, stealth fighters, drones and other weapons to deter China's military in the disputed East China Sea.

An unprecedented election pledge by Japan's ruling party to double defence spending underscores the nation's haste to acquire missiles, stealth fighters, drones and other weapons to deter China's military in the disputed East China Sea. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) included a goal of spending 2% of GDP - about $100 billion - or more on the military for the first time in its policy platform ahead of a national election this month. Experts don't expect new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to double spending anytime soon, given Japan's debt-saddled public finances and a pandemic-stricken economy. But it is a sign that the pacifist nation could over time abandon a commitment to keep military budgets within 1% of GDP - a number that for decades has eased concern at home and abroad about any revival of the militarism that led Japan into World War Two. "LDP conservative leaders want the party to give it up," said Yoichiro Sato, an international relations professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, referring to the de facto spending cap, which he called "sacrosanct for Japanese liberals." "They are setting the direction, that is what conservatives want to do," he added. The United States has been pushing key allies to spend more on defence; an increase to 2% of GDP would put Japan in line with pledges by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members. The hawkish notes from the LDP come as Japanese public sentiment shifts away from concerns about rearming to growing alarm over China's military assertiveness in Asia, particularly toward Taiwan. In a survey of 1,696 people conducted by the Nikkei business daily at the end of last year, 86% of respondents said China posed a threat to Japan, more than the 82% who expressed concern about nuclear-armed North Korea. "Putting this in the manifesto is a recognition of the need to garner public support for required defence policy changes," said Robert Ward, a London-based researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The direction of travel is now set." SOUTHWEST THEATRE Japan's military strategy is focused on defending territory along the edge of the East China Sea, where Tokyo is locked in a dispute with Beijing over a group of uninhabited islands. The Okinawan chain, Taiwan, and islands stretching down through the Philippines form what military planners dub the First Island Chain, a natural barrier to Chinese operations in the Western Pacific. With an additional $50 billion a year, Japan could buy more American equipment, including F-35 stealth fighters, Osprey tilt-rotor utility aircraft and surveillance drones, as well as domestically made equipment such as amphibious landing craft, compact warships, aircraft carriers, submarines, satellites and communications gear to fight a protracted war. "The Self Defence Force is well trained and well equipped, but its sustainability and resilience is one of the most serious problems," former Maritime Self Defense Force admiral and fleet commander Yoji Koda told Reuters. Japan's defence ministry also wants money for an indigenous stealth fighter, and missiles that can strike enemy ships and land bases more than 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) away. The country is also building up cyber, space and electromagnetic warfare capabilities. "Japan wants to acquire very sophisticated capabilities in a variety of areas," Thomas Reich, the country manager for BAE Systems PLC, said during a briefing on Tuesday. "What's in the budget and where it's going are the things that really attract us." Britain's biggest defence company is part of the consortium led by Lockheed Martin Corp that builds the F-35 fighter. CARRYING ABE'S TORCH The speed at which once-dovish Kishida has fallen in line with the national security agenda of conservatives has surprised some observers. But he is carrying on policies pursued by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and supported by conservative lawmakers who helped him https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-shadow-shogun-abe-assured-clout-over-next-pm-kishida-2021-09-30 win the party leadership election last month. By pursuing a policy of similar small steps, Abe enacted security laws to allow Japanese troops to fight on foreign soil, ended a ban on military exports and reinterpreted the country's war-renouncing constitution to allow missile strikes on enemy territory. For now, however, the LDP defence spending pledge does not say how any extra money would be spent or indicate when the 2% goal would be reached. "The real question is whether Japan can absorb another $50 billion in a way that measurably improves Japan's defence," said Chuck Jones, a former defence industry executive familiar with Japan's military policy. "The concern is that large sums will be wasted on programs and projects doomed to failure or irrelevance." The lack of detail gives the ruling group room to alter course, analysts say. "There is opposition even inside the LDP," said Tetsuo Kotani, a senior research fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs. "We are going to have an election and we will see if the general public supports the LDP's proposal."

Analysis: With an eye on China, Japan's ruling party makes unprecedented defence spending pledge

The 78-year-old, who owns Heckeln, an old-school coffee shop in Tokyo's Toranomon business district. the wholesale cost of his main product has surged 5% in the last three months.

From beef bowls to coffee, cost surge squeezes Tokyo's salaryman staples

The second phase of the Malabar Exercise has now begun in the Bay of Bengal. This time the maritime exercise features all four of the Quad Countries i.e India, US, Australia, Japan.

Malabar Naval Exercise: U.S navy chief hosts Indian counterpart

Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than four decades, local media have reported, citing the country's education ministry.

As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closings and disrupted classrooms last year, 415 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken their own lives, according to the education ministry's survey.

The number is up by nearly 100 from last year, the highest since record-keeping began in 1974, the Asahi newspaper reported on Thursday.

Suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding perceived shame or dishonour, and its suicide rate has long been the highest in the Group of Seven nations, but a national effort has reduced numbers by roughly 40% over 15 years, including ten years of decline beginning in 2009.

Amid the pandemic, suicides increased in 2020 after a decade of declines, with the number of women committing suicide surging amid the emotional and financial stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic, although fewer men took their own lives.

The education ministry said a record high of more than 196,127 school children were absent for 30 days or more, media reported.

The results showed that changes in school and household environments due to the pandemic have had a huge impact on children's behaviour, NHK quoted an education ministry official as saying.

Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than four decades, local media have reported, citing the country's education ministry. As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closings and disrupted classrooms last year, 415 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken their own lives, according to the education ministry's survey.

Child suicides in Japan are the highest they have been in more than four decades, local media have reported, citing the country's education ministry. As the COVID-19 pandemic prompted school closings and disrupted classrooms last year, 415 children from elementary to high school age were recorded as having taken their own lives, according to the education ministry's survey. The number is up by nearly 100 from last year, the highest since record-keeping began in 1974, the Asahi newspaper reported on Thursday. Suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding perceived shame or dishonour, and its suicide rate has long been the highest in the Group of Seven nations, but a national effort has reduced numbers by roughly 40% over 15 years, including ten years of decline beginning in 2009. Amid the pandemic, suicides increased in 2020 after a decade of declines, with the number of women committing suicide surging amid the emotional and financial stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic, although fewer men took their own lives. The education ministry said a record high of more than 196,127 school children were absent for 30 days or more, media reported. The results showed that changes in school and household environments due to the pandemic have had a huge impact on children's behaviour, NHK quoted an education ministry official as saying.

Suicides among children in Japan at record high during pandemic: Report

Japan has dissolved its parliament, this sets the stage for the general election at the end of the month. This will pit the newly elected prime minister Fumio Kishida against the unpopular opposition.

Japan dissolves lower house ahead of election

Ahead of a national election this month, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, the LDP has pledged to double the country's defence expenditure to measure up against Chinese threats on the disputed East China Sea. This is the first time any political party in post-imperial Japan has underlined prioritising the country's defences by doubling its military spend.

Japan's Liberal Democratic Party pledges to double country's defence expenditure

We've seen people fight over less but when it comes to international disputes, smallest of actions can have huge ramifications.

So what's the issue?

Japan and the Koreas claim an island equidistant from both shores. The islands are called Takeshima Islands by Japan and Dokdo by the Koreas. Japan, North and South Korea claim the islands.

What's the latest fuss?

The Korean media is fuming at an image of a Japanese curry that has two rice portions tossed in. The rice apparently resembles the disputed islands. Sight of a tiny Japanese flag has seemingly sent the Koreans fuming.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-plate-of-curry-triggers-a-fight-between-japan-and-south-korea-420260">Watch | Gravitas: A plate of curry triggers a fight between Japan and South Korea</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-a-plate-of-curry-triggers-a-fight-between-japan-and-south-korea-420260/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The dish was reportedly served in a restaurant on Japanese island of Okinoshima.&nbsp;

Relation between Japan and Korea have been strained over Takeshima/ Dokdo islands. Both countries even have separate names for part of the sea in which the islands are located. Japan calls it the Japan Sea while as per Korean nations, this is East Sea.

The islands are currently administered by South Korea.

Media in both Korean nations has been fuming. A news report in a South Korean news outlet described the photo a 'cheap trick' of Japan. While a North Korean news outlet said that such a representation betrayed Japanese intention to "capture" the islands.

We've seen people fight over less but when it comes to international disputes, smallest of actions can have huge ramifications. So what's the issue? Japan and the Koreas claim an island equidistant from both shores.

We've seen people fight over less but when it comes to international disputes, smallest of actions can have huge ramifications. So what's the issue? Japan and the Koreas claim an island equidistant from both shores. The islands are called Takeshima Islands by Japan and Dokdo by the Koreas. Japan, North and South Korea claim the islands. What's the latest fuss? The Korean media is fuming at an image of a Japanese curry that has two rice portions tossed in. The rice apparently resembles the disputed islands. Sight of a tiny Japanese flag has seemingly sent the Koreans fuming. Watch | Gravitas: A plate of curry triggers a fight between Japan and South Korea The dish was reportedly served in a restaurant on Japanese island of Okinoshima. Relation between Japan and Korea have been strained over Takeshima/ Dokdo islands. Both countries even have separate names for part of the sea in which the islands are located. Japan calls it the Japan Sea while as per Korean nations, this is East Sea. The islands are currently administered by South Korea. Media in both Korean nations has been fuming. A news report in a South Korean news outlet described the photo a 'cheap trick' of Japan. While a North Korean news outlet said that such a representation betrayed Japanese intention to "capture" the islands.

Not storm in a teacup: Korea, Japan fight over 'islands' in curry

Japan's new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, defended his pro-nuclear energy policies on Wednesday, saying that re-starting nuclear power plants mothballed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster was vital.

Energy became a key issue during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) recent leadership race, during which Kishida beat Taro Kono, a former vaccine minister who had spoken out against nuclear energy, to become prime minister.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japans-ruling-party-unveils-manifesto-with-focus-on-coronavirus-defence-420125">Japan's ruling party unveils manifesto with focus on coronavirus, defence</a>

"It's crucial that we re-start nuclear power plants," Kishida said as he faced opposition questions in parliament for the first time since becoming prime minister last week.

Kishida was responding to questions from Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), on the government's policy for sustainable energy and if nuclear power would be part of the plan.

Nuclear energy has been contentious in Japan, especially since a 2011 earthquake off the coast triggered a tsunami that smashed into a nuclear power plant in the Fukushima region north of Tokyo, causing one of the world's worst nuclear accidents.

All of Japan's nuclear power plants were shut down after the disaster, which highlighted failings in regulation and oversight. While some reactors have been coming back on stream, most remain shut.

Kishida is leading the LDP into a general election on October&nbsp;31 when priorities for many voters will likely be bringing an end to the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding a weak economy.

Many of Japan's hospitals have struggled during a fifth and most fatal wave of the coronavirus, though infections rates have begun to come down in recent days.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-to-compile-big-extra-budget-after-polls-says-ldp-heavyweight-417867">Japan to compile big extra budget after polls, says LDP heavyweight</a>

Kishida acknowledged there was room for improvement in health care after criticism from Edano who said: "It is the fault of the LDP that so many people died in their homes."

But Kishida was vague on specifics, saying that he would "order to have the overall structure of our coronavirus policies drawn up soon".

Kishida also had to fend off criticism over an apparent U-turn on an earlier pledge to review taxes on capital gains and dividends as a way to redistribute wealth. read more

He said he would prioritise boosting wages through tax incentives rather than imposing higher levies on capital gains and dividends to address the income gap.

"It's among options to create a virtuous cycle of growth and redistribution," Kishida told parliament, when Edano asked him about his earlier idea to raise capital gains tax.

"But there are other things we should do first such as reforming the tax system to achieve wage increases."

Japan's new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, defended his pro-nuclear energy policies on Wednesday, saying that re-starting nuclear power plants mothballed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster was vital.

Japan's new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, defended his pro-nuclear energy policies on Wednesday, saying that re-starting nuclear power plants mothballed since the 2011 Fukushima disaster was vital. Energy became a key issue during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) recent leadership race, during which Kishida beat Taro Kono, a former vaccine minister who had spoken out against nuclear energy, to become prime minister. Also Read | Japan's ruling party unveils manifesto with focus on coronavirus, defence "It's crucial that we re-start nuclear power plants," Kishida said as he faced opposition questions in parliament for the first time since becoming prime minister last week. Kishida was responding to questions from Yukio Edano, leader of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), on the government's policy for sustainable energy and if nuclear power would be part of the plan. Nuclear energy has been contentious in Japan, especially since a 2011 earthquake off the coast triggered a tsunami that smashed into a nuclear power plant in the Fukushima region north of Tokyo, causing one of the world's worst nuclear accidents. All of Japan's nuclear power plants were shut down after the disaster, which highlighted failings in regulation and oversight. While some reactors have been coming back on stream, most remain shut. Kishida is leading the LDP into a general election on October 31 when priorities for many voters will likely be bringing an end to the coronavirus pandemic and rebuilding a weak economy. Many of Japan's hospitals have struggled during a fifth and most fatal wave of the coronavirus, though infections rates have begun to come down in recent days. Also Read | Japan to compile big extra budget after polls, says LDP heavyweight Kishida acknowledged there was room for improvement in health care after criticism from Edano who said: "It is the fault of the LDP that so many people died in their homes." But Kishida was vague on specifics, saying that he would "order to have the overall structure of our coronavirus policies drawn up soon". Kishida also had to fend off criticism over an apparent U-turn on an earlier pledge to review taxes on capital gains and dividends as a way to redistribute wealth. read more He said he would prioritise boosting wages through tax incentives rather than imposing higher levies on capital gains and dividends to address the income gap. "It's among options to create a virtuous cycle of growth and redistribution," Kishida told parliament, when Edano asked him about his earlier idea to raise capital gains tax. "But there are other things we should do first such as reforming the tax system to achieve wage increases."

Japan's new PM defends pro-nuclear stance in parliamentary debut

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) unveiled on Tuesday its manifesto for an October&nbsp;31 election with a focus on ending the coronavirus pandemic, promises to rebuild the middle class and defend against an increasingly assertive China.

The party's leader, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, enjoys a reasonable level of public support a week into the job, polls show, boding well for his goal of maintaining a lower house&nbsp;majority for the LDP and its Komeito party coalition partner.

"We would like to show solid measures and appeal to the people, first, how to confront the coronavirus&nbsp;and to bring peace of mind and hope to the people," LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi told a news conference.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-pm-kishida-vows-to-devote-himself-to-ending-covid-19-crisis-419051">Japan PM Kishida vows to devote himself to ending COVID-19 crisis</a>

Voters will want to see a government with plans for decisive action to bring an end to the pandemic and rebuild a weak economy.

A recent Sankei newspaper poll showed that about 48 per cent&nbsp;say they want the Kishida administration to work on coronavirus most, followed by economic recovery and employment.

The manifesto highlighted coronavirus measures including supplying oral antiviral medication this year, as well as Kishida's vision of realising a "new capitalism" that focuses on economic growth and redistribution of wealth.

The LDP said in its manifesto it would expand support for small and medium businesses hit by the pandemic and offer subsidies for enterprises if they move into new industries.

Fortunately for Kishida, the coronavirus situation has improved, with the smallest number of new cases on Monday since the middle of last year.

But Kishida is taking nothing for granted and told parliament earlier on Tuesday the government would plan for a worst-case coronavirus scenario by securing more health resources and preparing to start giving booster shots in December.

Asked about how the government would respond to excessive yen declines, Kishida said he would closely watch the impact of currency moves, noting that a weak yen increases costs for companies by pushing up import prices.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-to-gauge-timing-for-restarting-subsidised-travel-programme-418299">Japan to gauge timing for restarting subsidised travel programme</a>

&nbsp;More on defence

On security, the LDP said it would "reconsider" its response to an increase in China's military activity around the Taiwan strait and islets in the western Pacific controlled by Japan but also claimed by China. 
The government would aim to raise its defence budget "with an eye to bringing it even above two percent" of gross domestic product (GDP), the party said.

Japan's defence spending has stayed around one per cent&nbsp;of GDP in recent decades. 
Kishida, a former foreign minister seen as a safe if lacklustre pair of hands, has a 49 per cent&nbsp; approval rating, according to poll published by state-run broadcaster NHK late on Monday.

That is lower than the approval enjoyed by some predecessors at the beginning of their tenures but support for Kishida's government was higher than the most recent ratings for that of his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-to-compile-big-extra-budget-after-polls-says-ldp-heavyweight-417867">Japan to compile big extra budget after polls, says LDP heavyweight</a>

Suga grew deeply unpopular as he struggled to contain a fifth wave of coronavirus infections and stepped down last month after only a year in office.

Kishida can take more cheer from the Sankey survey published on Monday that showed 63 per cent&nbsp; of respondents supported his administration, with many voters saying there was no better person than him for the job of prime minister.

The poll showed a solid 45 per cent&nbsp; rate of voter support for the LDP, with backing for opposition parties hovering around the single digits.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) unveiled on Tuesday its manifesto for an October 31 election with a focus on ending the coronavirus pandemic, promises to rebuild the middle class and defend against an increasingly assertive China.

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) unveiled on Tuesday its manifesto for an October 31 election with a focus on ending the coronavirus pandemic, promises to rebuild the middle class and defend against an increasingly assertive China. The party's leader, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, enjoys a reasonable level of public support a week into the job, polls show, boding well for his goal of maintaining a lower house majority for the LDP and its Komeito party coalition partner. "We would like to show solid measures and appeal to the people, first, how to confront the coronavirus and to bring peace of mind and hope to the people," LDP policy chief Sanae Takaichi told a news conference. Also Read | Japan PM Kishida vows to devote himself to ending COVID-19 crisis Voters will want to see a government with plans for decisive action to bring an end to the pandemic and rebuild a weak economy. A recent Sankei newspaper poll showed that about 48 per cent say they want the Kishida administration to work on coronavirus most, followed by economic recovery and employment. The manifesto highlighted coronavirus measures including supplying oral antiviral medication this year, as well as Kishida's vision of realising a "new capitalism" that focuses on economic growth and redistribution of wealth. The LDP said in its manifesto it would expand support for small and medium businesses hit by the pandemic and offer subsidies for enterprises if they move into new industries. Fortunately for Kishida, the coronavirus situation has improved, with the smallest number of new cases on Monday since the middle of last year. But Kishida is taking nothing for granted and told parliament earlier on Tuesday the government would plan for a worst-case coronavirus scenario by securing more health resources and preparing to start giving booster shots in December. Asked about how the government would respond to excessive yen declines, Kishida said he would closely watch the impact of currency moves, noting that a weak yen increases costs for companies by pushing up import prices. Also Read | Japan to gauge timing for restarting subsidised travel programme More on defence On security, the LDP said it would "reconsider" its response to an increase in China's military activity around the Taiwan strait and islets in the western Pacific controlled by Japan but also claimed by China. The government would aim to raise its defence budget "with an eye to bringing it even above two percent" of gross domestic product (GDP), the party said. Japan's defence spending has stayed around one per cent of GDP in recent decades. Kishida, a former foreign minister seen as a safe if lacklustre pair of hands, has a 49 per cent approval rating, according to poll published by state-run broadcaster NHK late on Monday. That is lower than the approval enjoyed by some predecessors at the beginning of their tenures but support for Kishida's government was higher than the most recent ratings for that of his predecessor, Yoshihide Suga. Also Read | Japan to compile big extra budget after polls, says LDP heavyweight Suga grew deeply unpopular as he struggled to contain a fifth wave of coronavirus infections and stepped down last month after only a year in office. Kishida can take more cheer from the Sankey survey published on Monday that showed 63 per cent of respondents supported his administration, with many voters saying there was no better person than him for the job of prime minister. The poll showed a solid 45 per cent rate of voter support for the LDP, with backing for opposition parties hovering around the single digits.

Japan's ruling party unveils manifesto with focus on coronavirus, defence

On the global level, cases of deadly coronavirus are slows for the sixth week. Japan has witnessed 48% decrease in cases of COVID-19. Watch this report for more details.

Japan: 48% decrease in cases of COVID-19

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he would do his utmost to lead Japan out of the COVID-19 crisis, while protecting its territory and people in an increasingly tough security environment.

Kishida took the top job in the world's third-largest economy on Monday, replacing Yoshihide Suga, who had seen his support undermined by surging COVID-19 infections. Daily cases have recently fallen and a long state of emergency was lifted this month.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/with-love-japans-new-pm-kishida-fumio-wins-over-internet-with-a-picture-of-japanese-pancake-417131">'With love': Japan's new PM Kishida Fumio wins over internet with a picture of Japanese pancake</a>

"I'm determined to devote body-and-soul to overcome this national crisis with the people, carve out a new era and pass on to the next generation a country whose citizens are rich at heart," Kishida said in his first policy speech to parliament.

A big early test for him will be leading his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into a general election on October 31.

The 64-year-old former foreign minister, who has a reputation as a low-key consensus builder, said the government would quickly put together a stimulus package to support those hit hard by the pandemic and take legislative steps to secure medical resources.

He did not specify the size of the stimulus package in his speech but last month he suggested a sum of 30 trillion yen ($268 billion).

Earlier, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said he hoped to compile an extra budget to fund the stimulus immediately after the elections and have it approved by parliament by year-end.

Kishida underscored the need to support those in need to win public cooperation and he called for cash payouts to companies hit hard by the pandemic.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fumio-kishida-elected-as-new-leader-of-japans-ruling-ldp-set-to-be-next-pm-416736">Fumio Kishida elected as new leader of Japan's ruling LDP, set to be next PM</a>

He also pledged to give cash payouts to so-called non-regular workers, families with children, and those struggling to make ends meet because of the pandemic.

Kishida reiterated his resolve to overcome deflation and said he would press on with bold monetary easing, expeditious fiscal spending and a strategy for growth.

"We will conduct fiscal spending without hesitation to respond to crises and make sure all possible measures are taken," he said.

On national security and foreign affairs, Kishida said he would protect Japan's peace and stability.

"With the security environment surrounding the country getting tougher, I will resolutely protect our territory, territorial waters, air space and the people's lives and property," he told parliament.

Japan faces China's rapid military buildup and aggressive maritime expansion, as the threat from North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

Kishida said he planned to update national security strategy and aimed to bolster the coast guard and missile defence capabilities.

On ties with giant neighbour China, Kishida said building stable relations and maintaining dialogue were important but Japan would not mince words when necessary.

"While working with countries with which we share universal values, we say what needs to be said to China and demand firmly that it behave responsibly. We also maintain dialogue and continue cooperating with them in tackling common issues," he said.

China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, where it has established military outposts on artificial islands. It also claims a group of Japanese-administered islets in the East China Sea.

Calling Japan's security alliance with the United States the "cornerstone of world peace and prosperity,"&nbsp;Kishida said he intended to build on that alliance.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he would do his utmost to lead Japan out of the COVID-19 crisis, while protecting its territory and people in an increasingly tough security environment.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday he would do his utmost to lead Japan out of the COVID-19 crisis, while protecting its territory and people in an increasingly tough security environment. Kishida took the top job in the world's third-largest economy on Monday, replacing Yoshihide Suga, who had seen his support undermined by surging COVID-19 infections. Daily cases have recently fallen and a long state of emergency was lifted this month. Also Read | 'With love': Japan's new PM Kishida Fumio wins over internet with a picture of Japanese pancake "I'm determined to devote body-and-soul to overcome this national crisis with the people, carve out a new era and pass on to the next generation a country whose citizens are rich at heart," Kishida said in his first policy speech to parliament. A big early test for him will be leading his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) into a general election on October 31. The 64-year-old former foreign minister, who has a reputation as a low-key consensus builder, said the government would quickly put together a stimulus package to support those hit hard by the pandemic and take legislative steps to secure medical resources. He did not specify the size of the stimulus package in his speech but last month he suggested a sum of 30 trillion yen ($268 billion). Earlier, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki said he hoped to compile an extra budget to fund the stimulus immediately after the elections and have it approved by parliament by year-end. Kishida underscored the need to support those in need to win public cooperation and he called for cash payouts to companies hit hard by the pandemic. Also Read | Fumio Kishida elected as new leader of Japan's ruling LDP, set to be next PM He also pledged to give cash payouts to so-called non-regular workers, families with children, and those struggling to make ends meet because of the pandemic. Kishida reiterated his resolve to overcome deflation and said he would press on with bold monetary easing, expeditious fiscal spending and a strategy for growth. "We will conduct fiscal spending without hesitation to respond to crises and make sure all possible measures are taken," he said. On national security and foreign affairs, Kishida said he would protect Japan's peace and stability. "With the security environment surrounding the country getting tougher, I will resolutely protect our territory, territorial waters, air space and the people's lives and property," he told parliament. Japan faces China's rapid military buildup and aggressive maritime expansion, as the threat from North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. Kishida said he planned to update national security strategy and aimed to bolster the coast guard and missile defence capabilities. On ties with giant neighbour China, Kishida said building stable relations and maintaining dialogue were important but Japan would not mince words when necessary. "While working with countries with which we share universal values, we say what needs to be said to China and demand firmly that it behave responsibly. We also maintain dialogue and continue cooperating with them in tackling common issues," he said. China claims almost all of the energy-rich waters of the South China Sea, where it has established military outposts on artificial islands. It also claims a group of Japanese-administered islets in the East China Sea. Calling Japan's security alliance with the United States the "cornerstone of world peace and prosperity," Kishida said he intended to build on that alliance.

Japan PM Kishida vows to devote himself to ending COVID-19 crisis

On Thursday night, a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 rocked the Tokyo region, but officials claimed there was no threat of a tsunami.

The quake struck at a depth of 80 kilometres in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, according to the Meteorological Agency (48 miles).

Buildings swayed, but there were no reports of damage or injuries at the time.

A sign swinging wildly from the roof of NHK public television's workplace was shown.

In Tokyo's Suginami neighbourhood, power lines trembled.

According to NHK, "Shinkansen" super fast trains in and out of Tokyo have been momentarily suspended.

Cars were moving and people were walking down the streets as normal in the popular downtown areas of Shibuya and Shinjuku.

Fumio Kishida, the next Prime Minister of Japan, sent a tweet asking people to "examine the latest information and take measures to safeguard your life."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

On Thursday night, a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 rocked the Tokyo region, but officials claimed there was no threat of a tsunami. The quake struck at a depth of 80 kilometres in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, according to the Meteorological Agency (48 miles).

On Thursday night, a strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.1 rocked the Tokyo region, but officials claimed there was no threat of a tsunami. The quake struck at a depth of 80 kilometres in Chiba prefecture, just east of Tokyo, according to the Meteorological Agency (48 miles). Buildings swayed, but there were no reports of damage or injuries at the time. A sign swinging wildly from the roof of NHK public television's workplace was shown. In Tokyo's Suginami neighbourhood, power lines trembled. According to NHK, "Shinkansen" super fast trains in and out of Tokyo have been momentarily suspended. Cars were moving and people were walking down the streets as normal in the popular downtown areas of Shibuya and Shinjuku. Fumio Kishida, the next Prime Minister of Japan, sent a tweet asking people to "examine the latest information and take measures to safeguard your life." (With inputs from agencies)

6.1-magnitude earthquake shakes Tokyo area; no tsunami danger

The Japanese government will look into the right timing to restart a popular subsidised travel programme that was suspended late last year as coronavirus infections spread, broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday, citing tourism minister Tetsuo Saito.

Saito, the newly appointed minister for land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, also said at his inaugural news conference that the government would stand by its goal of reaching 60 million inbound tourists by 2030 as a key source of economic growth, NHK said.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida`s new cabinet, which formed on Monday, is looking to revitalise an economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the service industry as tourism dried up under state-of-emergency restrictions and closed borders.

The "Go To Travel" programme that began in July last year helped boost domestic travel but was put on hold by the end of the year amid fears it would help the virus spread&nbsp; "It is important to balance the prevention of contagion and the promotion of tourism," Saito said, according to NHK.

A ministry official said he could not immediately confirm the minister`s reported comments. 
The subsidised programme offered various travel-related discounts and vouchers to prop up regional economies.

Japan as a whole emerged from a state of emergency on October&nbsp;1 for the first time in about six months, although some governors are lifting restrictions in stages to prevent a rebound.

Data showed on Tuesday that Japan`s services sector activity shrank for a 20th straight month in September because of the pandemic.

The Japanese government will look into the right timing to restart a popular subsidised travel programme that was suspended late last year as coronavirus infections spread, broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday, citing tourism minister Tetsuo Saito.

The Japanese government will look into the right timing to restart a popular subsidised travel programme that was suspended late last year as coronavirus infections spread, broadcaster NHK reported on Tuesday, citing tourism minister Tetsuo Saito. Saito, the newly appointed minister for land, infrastructure, transport and tourism, also said at his inaugural news conference that the government would stand by its goal of reaching 60 million inbound tourists by 2030 as a key source of economic growth, NHK said. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida`s new cabinet, which formed on Monday, is looking to revitalise an economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the service industry as tourism dried up under state-of-emergency restrictions and closed borders. The "Go To Travel" programme that began in July last year helped boost domestic travel but was put on hold by the end of the year amid fears it would help the virus spread "It is important to balance the prevention of contagion and the promotion of tourism," Saito said, according to NHK. A ministry official said he could not immediately confirm the minister`s reported comments. The subsidised programme offered various travel-related discounts and vouchers to prop up regional economies. Japan as a whole emerged from a state of emergency on October 1 for the first time in about six months, although some governors are lifting restrictions in stages to prevent a rebound. Data showed on Tuesday that Japan`s services sector activity shrank for a 20th straight month in September because of the pandemic.

Japan to gauge timing for restarting subsidised travel programme

US President Joe Biden on Monday (US time) spoke with new Japenese PM Fumio Kishida. Both leaders expressed their commitment for the US-Japan alliance and a free Indo-Pacific. After the call, Kishida said that he received "strong" message from President Joe Biden about the United States' commitment to defending the disputed East China Sea islets known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan The phone call lasted for about 20 minutes.

Kishida was voted in by Japanese lawmakers on Monday as Japan's new prime minister.

Kishida's conversation with Biden came a day after he called parliamentary elections for October 31 and vowed to bolster the country's response to Covid&nbsp;pandemic. He was voted in by lawmakers on Monday as the nation's new prime minister.

"We confirmed that we would work together toward the strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida said. "We also confirmed we would work closely on issues related to China and North Korea."

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-sends-56-warplanes-into-taiwans-defence-zone-in-largest-ever-air-incursion-418264">China sends 56 warplanes into Taiwan's defence zone in largest-ever air incursion</a>

"Especially, the president made a strong comment on the US&nbsp;commitment to defend Japan, including the Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty," Kishida added, referring to US&nbsp;defence obligations to Japan, which cover the uninhabited island.

Japan has become increasingly concerned about Chinese activity in the East China Sea, including incursions into waters around the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyus in China.

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Monday (US time) spoke with new Japenese PM Fumio Kishida. Both leaders expressed their commitment for the US-Japan alliance and a free Indo-Pacific.

US President Joe Biden on Monday (US time) spoke with new Japenese PM Fumio Kishida. Both leaders expressed their commitment for the US-Japan alliance and a free Indo-Pacific. After the call, Kishida said that he received "strong" message from President Joe Biden about the United States' commitment to defending the disputed East China Sea islets known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan The phone call lasted for about 20 minutes. Kishida was voted in by Japanese lawmakers on Monday as Japan's new prime minister. Kishida's conversation with Biden came a day after he called parliamentary elections for October 31 and vowed to bolster the country's response to Covid pandemic. He was voted in by lawmakers on Monday as the nation's new prime minister. "We confirmed that we would work together toward the strengthening of the Japan-US alliance and free and open Indo-Pacific," Kishida said. "We also confirmed we would work closely on issues related to China and North Korea." Also Read | China sends 56 warplanes into Taiwan's defence zone in largest-ever air incursion "Especially, the president made a strong comment on the US commitment to defend Japan, including the Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan security treaty," Kishida added, referring to US defence obligations to Japan, which cover the uninhabited island. Japan has become increasingly concerned about Chinese activity in the East China Sea, including incursions into waters around the disputed islands, known as the Diaoyus in China. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden congratulates Japan's new PM Kishida on phone call, both confirm strong alliance

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