US Top diplomat Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin visited Japan to extend America's Pacific outreach. In a stern message to China, Blinken said America would push back against Beijing's aggressive tactics if needed. WION's Palki Sharma gets you a full report.

Gravitas: Top US officials extend Pacific outreach in Japan

China on Wednesday slammed the United States and Japan, saying the two countries are working in "collusion to interfere in China's internal affairs".&nbsp;

The remarks came after Washington and Tokyo in a joint statement on Tuesday warned China against "coercion and destabilising behaviour" as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off Biden administration's first leg of a visit to the ally nations.

Watch |&nbsp;

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Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said that the joint statement "maliciously attacks China's foreign policy" and attempts to "harm China's interests". &nbsp;

He also said that the two nations had no "no right to unilaterally define international relations" or press their own standards.&nbsp;

"This is just another clear example of the US and Japan working in collusion to interfere in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-strengthens-deployments-in-south-china-sea-gets-us-submarine-parts-approval-371123">Taiwan strengthens deployments in South China Sea, gets US submarine parts approval</a>

Top US officials are currently in South Korea as Washington focuses on working with Asian allies, including India to counter China.&nbsp;

The US-China relations hit a new low during the term of last US president Donald Trump and Washington has continued to slam Beijing's policies on Uighurs, Tibet and Hong Kong.&nbsp;

Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will soon meet senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Alaska in a visit that will give a sense of the future of ties between both countries.&nbsp;

China on Wednesday slammed the United States and Japan, saying the two countries are working in "collusion to interfere in China's internal affairs". The remarks came after Washington and Tokyo in a joint statement on Tuesday warned China against "coercion and destabilising behaviour" as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off Biden administration's first leg of a visit to the ally nations.

China on Wednesday slammed the United States and Japan, saying the two countries are working in "collusion to interfere in China's internal affairs". The remarks came after Washington and Tokyo in a joint statement on Tuesday warned China against "coercion and destabilising behaviour" as Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicked off Biden administration's first leg of a visit to the ally nations. Watch | Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Wednesday said that the joint statement "maliciously attacks China's foreign policy" and attempts to "harm China's interests". He also said that the two nations had no "no right to unilaterally define international relations" or press their own standards. "This is just another clear example of the US and Japan working in collusion to interfere in China's internal affairs," the spokesperson said. Also read | Taiwan strengthens deployments in South China Sea, gets US submarine parts approval Top US officials are currently in South Korea as Washington focuses on working with Asian allies, including India to counter China. The US-China relations hit a new low during the term of last US president Donald Trump and Washington has continued to slam Beijing's policies on Uighurs, Tibet and Hong Kong. Blinken and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will soon meet senior Chinese official Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Alaska in a visit that will give a sense of the future of ties between both countries.

China lashes out at US, Japan, says both colluding 'to interfere in internal affairs'

As a part of a landmark judgement, Japan court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is “unconstitutional” because it breaches the right to equality.

Japan: Landmark judgement favours LGBTQ community

Japan`s government said on Wedneseday it would investigate messaging app Line, owned by SoftBank Corp`s Z Holdings Corp, after Japanese media reports that it let Chinese engineers at a Shanghai affiliate access Japanese users` data without informing them.

Under Japanese privacy regulations, companies have to let users know when their personal data is sent overseas, public broadcaster pubic broadcaster NHK and other local media reported earlier.

"We can`t say yet if Line breached regulations or not, and we are conducting an investigation to find out," a government official responsible for overseeing privacy regulations told Reuters. If Line is found to have acted improperly then the Cabinet Office can direct it to make improvements, he added.

"There hasn`t been anything that breached legal or regulatory boundaries," a spokesman for Line said." We will continue to respond to laws and regulations in all jurisdictions, including Japan."

In a statement posted later on its website, the company apologized for causing any concern and for not adequately explaining policies regarding data management to users.

No inappropriate access occurred, it added.

Four engineers at a company in China, who perform system maintenance for Line, were allowed to access servers in Japan from 2018 that contained the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of users, local media said.

The reports come as Japan tightens laws and regulation around the use and storage of personal data held by internet companies.

Line, which has 186 million users worldwide - of which just under half are in Japan - has since blocked access to user data at the Chinese affiliate, the company spokesman said.

Line this month became part of Z Holdings, formerly Yahoo Japan, creating a $30 billion domestic internet heavyweight to compete against local and U.S. rivals.

Messages sent via Line can only be read by the sender and receiver as the app, like other messaging apps, encrypts message content end to end.

Z Holdings is controlled by SoftBank Corp through holding company A Holdings, which is jointly owned by SoftBank Corp and South Korea`s Naver Corp, the former operator of Line.

Z Holdings, which plans to invest 500 billion yen ($4.58 billion) in technology over the next five years, announced the Line tie-up last year but was forced to delay the move from October because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Line has expanded its business into cashless payment and more recently telemedicine.

Shares of Z Holdings, which also controls fashion retailer Zozo Inc and office supplies firm Askul Corp, dipped 1.1% to 611 yen, compared with the Tokyo exchange`s TOPIX index which was flat.

Japan`s government said on Wedneseday it would investigate messaging app Line, owned by SoftBank Corp`s Z Holdings Corp, after Japanese media reports that it let Chinese engineers at a Shanghai affiliate access Japanese users` data without informing them.

Japan`s government said on Wedneseday it would investigate messaging app Line, owned by SoftBank Corp`s Z Holdings Corp, after Japanese media reports that it let Chinese engineers at a Shanghai affiliate access Japanese users` data without informing them. Under Japanese privacy regulations, companies have to let users know when their personal data is sent overseas, public broadcaster pubic broadcaster NHK and other local media reported earlier. "We can`t say yet if Line breached regulations or not, and we are conducting an investigation to find out," a government official responsible for overseeing privacy regulations told Reuters. If Line is found to have acted improperly then the Cabinet Office can direct it to make improvements, he added. "There hasn`t been anything that breached legal or regulatory boundaries," a spokesman for Line said." We will continue to respond to laws and regulations in all jurisdictions, including Japan." In a statement posted later on its website, the company apologized for causing any concern and for not adequately explaining policies regarding data management to users. No inappropriate access occurred, it added. Four engineers at a company in China, who perform system maintenance for Line, were allowed to access servers in Japan from 2018 that contained the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of users, local media said. The reports come as Japan tightens laws and regulation around the use and storage of personal data held by internet companies. Line, which has 186 million users worldwide - of which just under half are in Japan - has since blocked access to user data at the Chinese affiliate, the company spokesman said. Line this month became part of Z Holdings, formerly Yahoo Japan, creating a $30 billion domestic internet heavyweight to compete against local and U.S. rivals. Messages sent via Line can only be read by the sender and receiver as the app, like other messaging apps, encrypts message content end to end. Z Holdings is controlled by SoftBank Corp through holding company A Holdings, which is jointly owned by SoftBank Corp and South Korea`s Naver Corp, the former operator of Line. Z Holdings, which plans to invest 500 billion yen ($4.58 billion) in technology over the next five years, announced the Line tie-up last year but was forced to delay the move from October because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Line has expanded its business into cashless payment and more recently telemedicine. Shares of Z Holdings, which also controls fashion retailer Zozo Inc and office supplies firm Askul Corp, dipped 1.1% to 611 yen, compared with the Tokyo exchange`s TOPIX index which was flat.

Japan to probe Line let after reports it let Chinese engineers access user data

In Japan, for the first time in 3 months exports have fallen last month as US and China-bound shipments weakened.

World Business Watch: United States, China-bound shipments weaken

In a sign, the COVID-19 pandemic is putting an end to the benefits brought on by former PM Shinzo Abe’s stimulus policies. Japanese companies are offering the lowest wage increases in eight years as labour talks wrap up today.

World Business Watch: Japan Inc to offer lowest pay rises in eight years

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The leaders of the Quad countries -- India, Australia, Japan and the United States -- have pledged to work with other countries who share the same goals, and to ensure that Covid vaccines are administered throughout the region till 2022. They also reiterated their commitment to a free and secure Indo-Pacific region.

Biden, Modi, Morrison and Suga pen joint op-ed, say Quad offers 'spark of hope'

Quad leaders pen joint Op-Ed, say Quad offers ‘spark of hope'

Japan`s government is leaning towards ending a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding areas over COVID-19 as scheduled on March 21, the Sankei newspaper reported on Sunday.

The government is expected to make its decision at a meeting with advisers on March 18, Sankei reported. Calls to the prime minister`s office were not answered.

The number of hospital beds in use to treat COVID-19 patients is falling gradually, which is justification to end the state of emergency as scheduled, the Sankei said, citing an unnamed government official.

Restrictions such as shorter business hours for restaurants and bars have helped reduce new daily cases in Tokyo to roughly a tenth of a peak of 2,520 on Jan. 7, but the number of new infections in Tokyo has been creeping up in recent days, raising concerns that the state of emergency might be extended.

There is growing consensus among government officials and advisers, though, that even if the state of emergency is kept in place it would not lead to a further improvement in the number of infections, the Sankei said, citing an unnamed member of the government`s advisory panel.

The Japanese government extended the emergency declaration for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures on March 5 by 14 days, saying COVID-19 cases hadn`t fallen far enough and that new, more infectious coronavirus variants posed a threat.

Japan is trying to bring coronavirus cases under control and get vaccinations well under way as it prepares to host the delayed Summer Olympics, now scheduled to start on July 23.

Japan has so far recorded 446,923 coronavirus cases and 8,573 deaths.

Japan`s government is leaning towards ending a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding areas over COVID-19 as scheduled on March 21, the Sankei newspaper reported on Sunday.

Japan`s government is leaning towards ending a state of emergency for Tokyo and surrounding areas over COVID-19 as scheduled on March 21, the Sankei newspaper reported on Sunday. The government is expected to make its decision at a meeting with advisers on March 18, Sankei reported. Calls to the prime minister`s office were not answered. The number of hospital beds in use to treat COVID-19 patients is falling gradually, which is justification to end the state of emergency as scheduled, the Sankei said, citing an unnamed government official. Restrictions such as shorter business hours for restaurants and bars have helped reduce new daily cases in Tokyo to roughly a tenth of a peak of 2,520 on Jan. 7, but the number of new infections in Tokyo has been creeping up in recent days, raising concerns that the state of emergency might be extended. There is growing consensus among government officials and advisers, though, that even if the state of emergency is kept in place it would not lead to a further improvement in the number of infections, the Sankei said, citing an unnamed member of the government`s advisory panel. The Japanese government extended the emergency declaration for Tokyo and three neighbouring prefectures on March 5 by 14 days, saying COVID-19 cases hadn`t fallen far enough and that new, more infectious coronavirus variants posed a threat. Japan is trying to bring coronavirus cases under control and get vaccinations well under way as it prepares to host the delayed Summer Olympics, now scheduled to start on July 23. Japan has so far recorded 446,923 coronavirus cases and 8,573 deaths.

Japan leaning towards ending Tokyo state of emergency on March 21

Some 77,000 chickens will be culled in the Japanese prefecture of Tochigi due to a new outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu, Japanese media reported on Saturday.&nbsp;

According to the news, a quarantine zone was established within a three-kilometre (1.9 miles) radius from the affected farm and a ban on the export of eggs and poultry products was introduced within a 10-kilometre range.&nbsp;

In January, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that the new outbreak of avian influenza, which started in November, has broken all records in terms of the number of chickens culled in one season. &nbsp;

Seventeen out of Japan's 47 prefectures were affected by the outbreak. Bird flu outbreaks have also been detected in the prefectures of Chiba, Kagawa, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Miyazaki, Hiroshima, Nara, Oita, Wakayama, Okayama, Shiga, Kochi, Tokushima, Gifu, Kagoshima, Toyama and Ibaraki. &nbsp;

According to the Ministry for Agriculture, some 9.7 million domestic birds have already been exterminated to prevent the spread of the disease. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Some 77,000 chickens will be culled in the Japanese prefecture of Tochigi due to a new outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu, Japanese media reported on Saturday.

Some 77,000 chickens will be culled in the Japanese prefecture of Tochigi due to a new outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu, Japanese media reported on Saturday. According to the news, a quarantine zone was established within a three-kilometre (1.9 miles) radius from the affected farm and a ban on the export of eggs and poultry products was introduced within a 10-kilometre range. In January, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said that the new outbreak of avian influenza, which started in November, has broken all records in terms of the number of chickens culled in one season. Seventeen out of Japan's 47 prefectures were affected by the outbreak. Bird flu outbreaks have also been detected in the prefectures of Chiba, Kagawa, Fukuoka, Hyogo, Miyazaki, Hiroshima, Nara, Oita, Wakayama, Okayama, Shiga, Kochi, Tokushima, Gifu, Kagoshima, Toyama and Ibaraki. According to the Ministry for Agriculture, some 9.7 million domestic birds have already been exterminated to prevent the spread of the disease. (With inputs from agencies)

Japan to cull 77,000 chickens over new bird flu outbreak in Tochigi 

Myanmar’s first satellite is being held on board the International Space Station following the Myanmar coup, several reports have said.

Japan has close ties to Myanmar and is one of its biggest aid donors. While condemning the violence, it has not taken as hard a stance against the coup as the United States and some other Western countries which have applied sanctions.

The $15 million satellite was built by Japan’s Hokkaido University in a joint project with Myanmar’s government-funded Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University (MAEU). It is the first of a set of two 50 kg microsatellites equipped with cameras designed to monitor agriculture and fisheries.

Human rights activists and some officials in Japan worry that those cameras could be used for military purposes by the junta that seized power in Myanmar on February 1. That has put the deployment on hold, as Hokkaido University holds discussions with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the two Hokkaido University officials told Reuters.

The data from the spacecraft would be collected by the Japanese university and cannot be independently accessed by Myanmar officials.

The satellite was launched by NASA on Feb 20 as a small part of a large and varied payload of supplies to the International Space Station 400 km (250 miles) above the earth. It has since been kept by JAXA inside Japan’s Kibo experiment module. JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi is one of the seven crew members now on board the space station.

Myanmar’s first satellite is being held on board the International Space Station following the Myanmar coup, several reports have said. Japan has close ties to Myanmar and is one of its biggest aid donors.

Myanmar’s first satellite is being held on board the International Space Station following the Myanmar coup, several reports have said. Japan has close ties to Myanmar and is one of its biggest aid donors. While condemning the violence, it has not taken as hard a stance against the coup as the United States and some other Western countries which have applied sanctions. The $15 million satellite was built by Japan’s Hokkaido University in a joint project with Myanmar’s government-funded Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University (MAEU). It is the first of a set of two 50 kg microsatellites equipped with cameras designed to monitor agriculture and fisheries. Human rights activists and some officials in Japan worry that those cameras could be used for military purposes by the junta that seized power in Myanmar on February 1. That has put the deployment on hold, as Hokkaido University holds discussions with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the two Hokkaido University officials told Reuters. The data from the spacecraft would be collected by the Japanese university and cannot be independently accessed by Myanmar officials. The satellite was launched by NASA on Feb 20 as a small part of a large and varied payload of supplies to the International Space Station 400 km (250 miles) above the earth. It has since been kept by JAXA inside Japan’s Kibo experiment module. JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi is one of the seven crew members now on board the space station.

Myanmar's first satellite held by Japan on space station after coup, reports say

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021.&nbsp;

"At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;&nbsp;

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It also said that the senior officials and experts of Quad, which is an alliance of India, the US, Japan, and Australia will "continue to meet regularly".

"Our foreign ministers will converse often and meet at least once a year," it said.&nbsp;

The statement also said that the first-ever summit reaffirmed their "commitment to quadrilateral cooperation" between the four countries. &nbsp;

HIGHLIGHTS: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/highlights-quad-leaders-reaffirm-commitment-to-grouping-after-historic-first-summit-369981">Quad leaders reaffirm commitment to grouping after historic first summit</a>

"We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion."

It recalled that the Quad summit was a result of their joint efforts in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. &nbsp;

"Today, the global devastation wrought by Covid-19, the threat of climate change, and security challenges facing the region summon us with renewed purpose," the joint statement said.

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021. "At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday.

After the first-ever summit of Quad leaders, it was decided that an in-person meeting will be held by the end of 2021. "At the leader level, we will hold an in-person summit by the end of 2021," the joint statement released said on Friday. Watch | It also said that the senior officials and experts of Quad, which is an alliance of India, the US, Japan, and Australia will "continue to meet regularly". "Our foreign ministers will converse often and meet at least once a year," it said. The statement also said that the first-ever summit reaffirmed their "commitment to quadrilateral cooperation" between the four countries. HIGHLIGHTS: Quad leaders reaffirm commitment to grouping after historic first summit "We bring diverse perspectives and are united in a shared vision for the free and open Indo-Pacific. We strive for a region that is free, open, inclusive, healthy, anchored by democratic values, and unconstrained by coercion." It recalled that the Quad summit was a result of their joint efforts in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami. "Today, the global devastation wrought by Covid-19, the threat of climate change, and security challenges facing the region summon us with renewed purpose," the joint statement said.

Quad leaders agree for in-person meet in 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden met leaders of Australia, India and Japan on Friday (March 12), a group central to his efforts to counter China's growing military and economic power, and said a free and open Indo-Pacific region was essential to all of their futures.

Quad summit in the face of growing competition from China

A first-ever leaders' meeting of the Quad group of countries announced financing agreements to support an increase in manufacturing capacity for coronavirus vaccines in India.

Quad nations to expand COVID-19 vaccine production

Biden says free Indo-Pacific essential as he meets India, Japan, Australia leaders

An extremely significant geopolitical event, the first-ever quad leader summit has concluded the quad has 4 members, United States, Australia, Japan, and India. In the face of growing economic competition from China, US president Joe Biden's administration has been putting greater emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region. At the Quad summit, the leaders from all four countries have pledged to work to ensure a free and open indo-pacific region. According to a joint statement released by the white house after the virtual summit, an in-person meeting has also been decided between the four nations, which will be held by the end of 2021. Quad nations will expand vaccine production.

Quad Summit: Commitment to quadrilateral cooperation reaffirmed

&nbsp;A wall of flower petals bursts into a thousand fragments. A huge ball levitates in the air, turning from red to blue to purple. Hundreds of butterflies dart around a screen of tiny water particles. 
 
This is not a modern art museum, but the latest creation of Japan`s teamLab collective of engineers, artists and architects, anchored around a maze of seven saunas lit up in hues of red, green and yellow. 
 
The Tokyo-based digital art group took over an empty lot in the city`s glitzy Roppongi district and over the last year erected a gigantic tent housing the sauna rooms and three immersive art installations. 
 
"Art is traditionally exhibited in luxurious places like palaces or museums - we wanted to create a luxurious state of mind for people to experience it," said Takashi Kudo, a teamLab lab member at a demonstration on Saturday. 
 
"TikTok teamLab Reconnect" opens runs March 22 until the end of August. For $44 on weekdays and $53 on weekends, visitors can dip in and out of the hot rooms and cold showers, and walk inside the artworks sporting only swimming suits. 
 
The coronavirus means seating in the biggest saunas was cut from 24 to 12 and ventilation was adjusted to meet government standards for air circulation. 
 
Kudo stood under dozens of large, hand-blown glass lamps from Italy. The lamps slowly changed colours from burnt orange to magenta, illuminating dark corridors separating the rooms. 
 
The team said it wanted to affect all senses, including touch, sound and smell. Aromas such as roasted green tea waft through one of the saunas, and white birch in another. 
 
"Nobody goes to an art museum in this fashion because art is art and sauna is sauna," said Kudo, pointing to his swimming trunks. "What we wanted to try is to combine and offer a very different experience - and a very different experience of this art." 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

A wall of flower petals bursts into a thousand fragments. A huge ball levitates in the air, turning from red to blue to purple. Hundreds of butterflies dart around a screen of tiny water particles.

A wall of flower petals bursts into a thousand fragments. A huge ball levitates in the air, turning from red to blue to purple. Hundreds of butterflies dart around a screen of tiny water particles. This is not a modern art museum, but the latest creation of Japan`s teamLab collective of engineers, artists and architects, anchored around a maze of seven saunas lit up in hues of red, green and yellow. The Tokyo-based digital art group took over an empty lot in the city`s glitzy Roppongi district and over the last year erected a gigantic tent housing the sauna rooms and three immersive art installations. "Art is traditionally exhibited in luxurious places like palaces or museums - we wanted to create a luxurious state of mind for people to experience it," said Takashi Kudo, a teamLab lab member at a demonstration on Saturday. "TikTok teamLab Reconnect" opens runs March 22 until the end of August. For $44 on weekdays and $53 on weekends, visitors can dip in and out of the hot rooms and cold showers, and walk inside the artworks sporting only swimming suits. The coronavirus means seating in the biggest saunas was cut from 24 to 12 and ventilation was adjusted to meet government standards for air circulation. Kudo stood under dozens of large, hand-blown glass lamps from Italy. The lamps slowly changed colours from burnt orange to magenta, illuminating dark corridors separating the rooms. The team said it wanted to affect all senses, including touch, sound and smell. Aromas such as roasted green tea waft through one of the saunas, and white birch in another. "Nobody goes to an art museum in this fashion because art is art and sauna is sauna," said Kudo, pointing to his swimming trunks. "What we wanted to try is to combine and offer a very different experience - and a very different experience of this art."

Japan's teamLab melds museum and sauna in fresh digital art experience

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison joined with the leaders of the United States, Japan and India at a virtual summit on Saturday morning (March 13), pledging to work closely on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, climate issues and security.

'Quad' countries pledge cooperation on COVID, climate and security

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China.

Friday's four-way summit, while virtual, will mark the first time that leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia have met together following more than a decade of meetings at lower levels of the so-called "Quad."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM&nbsp;Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST.

India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security&nbsp;and climate change."

The summit comes at a time that all four democracies see relations deteriorate with China, which in the past year engaged in a deadly clash with Indian forces in the Himalayas, has stepped up activity near islands administered by Japan and has imposed sanctions on Australian products following a series of disputes.

The Biden administration, however, has been careful not to link the Quad explicitly to China -- a shift in rhetoric after former president Donald Trump's strident denunciations of Beijing.

In strategic guidance released earlier this month, the White House cast China as the top challenger and said the United States can help counter Beijing's "aggression" by "bolstering and defending our unparalleled network of allies and partners."

Blinken has said he will press concerns with Chinese officials on trade and human rights including sweeping new curbs on Hong Kong's elections and the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities, a policy that both Biden and Trump have described as genocide.

China's state-run Global Times newspaper criticised the Quad summit as a US plot against Beijing, saying in an opinion piece that India -- which has rapidly warming relations with the United States but is not a treaty-bound ally -- should have taken a distance.

"The Quad is not an alliance of like-minded countries as the US claims," the newspaper said, opining that the three other nations face "the embarrassment of being between the pressure from the US and their own interests with China."

But the three other nations have voiced enthusiasm over the summit and said they hoped to discuss Covid-19 and climate change, two key priorities for Biden.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the talks "an historic moment in our region" while India said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would promote "a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region."

Japan announced that Prime Minister&nbsp;Suga will become the first foreign leader to see Biden in person, a sign of the primacy the new US leader attaches to allies.

In Tokyo, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said that Suga will visit the White House "as early as the first half of April" if conditions allow.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-ever-quad-summit-to-focus-on-indo-pacific-covid-vaccines-369800">Also read |&nbsp;First-ever Quad summit to focus on Indo-Pacific, Covid vaccines</a>

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China.

US President Joe Biden on Friday will hold the first-ever four-way summit with the leaders of India, Australia, and Japan -- in order to cement alliances as concerns grow over a rising China. Friday's four-way summit, while virtual, will mark the first time that leaders of the United States, Japan, India and Australia have met together following more than a decade of meetings at lower levels of the so-called "Quad." Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian PM Scott Morrison, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga will meet virtually at 7 pm IST. India's Ministry of External Affairs said the summit "will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security and climate change." The summit comes at a time that all four democracies see relations deteriorate with China, which in the past year engaged in a deadly clash with Indian forces in the Himalayas, has stepped up activity near islands administered by Japan and has imposed sanctions on Australian products following a series of disputes. The Biden administration, however, has been careful not to link the Quad explicitly to China -- a shift in rhetoric after former president Donald Trump's strident denunciations of Beijing. In strategic guidance released earlier this month, the White House cast China as the top challenger and said the United States can help counter Beijing's "aggression" by "bolstering and defending our unparalleled network of allies and partners." Blinken has said he will press concerns with Chinese officials on trade and human rights including sweeping new curbs on Hong Kong's elections and the mass incarceration of Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities, a policy that both Biden and Trump have described as genocide. China's state-run Global Times newspaper criticised the Quad summit as a US plot against Beijing, saying in an opinion piece that India -- which has rapidly warming relations with the United States but is not a treaty-bound ally -- should have taken a distance. "The Quad is not an alliance of like-minded countries as the US claims," the newspaper said, opining that the three other nations face "the embarrassment of being between the pressure from the US and their own interests with China." But the three other nations have voiced enthusiasm over the summit and said they hoped to discuss Covid-19 and climate change, two key priorities for Biden. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the talks "an historic moment in our region" while India said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would promote "a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region." Japan announced that Prime Minister Suga will become the first foreign leader to see Biden in person, a sign of the primacy the new US leader attaches to allies. In Tokyo, top government spokesman Katsunobu Kato said that Suga will visit the White House "as early as the first half of April" if conditions allow. Also read | First-ever Quad summit to focus on Indo-Pacific, Covid vaccines (with inputs from agencies)

With an eye on China, Biden to hold first summit with India, Australia, Japan

10 years ago, the world witnessed the Fukushima Disaster, the worst nuclear tragedy since Chernobyl. 10 years on, we are still exploring nuclear energy options. How safe are nuclear plants? Can they withstand natural disasters?

Gravitas: The legacy of Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

Rina Tsugawa recalls a charmed childhood amid rice paddies in northern Japan, hopping on bicycles with her sister and roaming the streets of their village, where monkeys sometimes descended from the mountains and neighbors offered the girls sweets as they popped into their homes.

The sisters were the only children in their hamlet in Fukushima prefecture, living with their mother and grandparents in the house where their grandfather was born. On that terrible day a decade ago when Fukushima was struck by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, setting off a triple meltdown at a nuclear power plant, a 12-year-old Tsugawa was at school 90 miles inland. As the powerful shaking jolted her sixth-grade classroom, she and her classmates hid under their desks, crying in fear.

In the years since, many of her peers have left for jobs in Tokyo and other cities, an outflow common to rural Japan but accelerated by the disaster in Fukushima. Tsugawa has different plans. After graduating this month from nursing school, she ultimately wants to return to her hometown to care for the aging residents who helped raise her.

“They gave us so much when we were little,” said Tsugawa, now 22. “I want to help these elderly people stay healthy longer.”

Japan is still grappling with the unfinished business of recovery from its worst disaster in nearly a century, which killed more than 19,000 people after a magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, 2011, caused intensive damage across three prefectures, including Fukushima. To this day, parts of several towns near the nuclear plant remain uninhabitable.

In Fukushima, the ongoing nuclear cleanup and efforts to revive the prefecture have played out against the backdrop of another calamity: a rapidly aging and declining population, which has hollowed out towns across the country and compounds the region’s immense challenges.

Since 2011, Fukushima’s population has contracted by 10%, compared with a 2% decrease in Japan overall. Residents older than 65 represent nearly one-third of Fukushima’s population, compared with about 29% nationally.

With its remote, mountainous location, Nishiaizu, the town that encompasses Tsugawa’s village, is similar to many graying and shrinking communities, where jobs are sparse, the lifestyle is inconvenient and birthrates are low. The town’s population, which peaked at close to 20,000 in 1950, has fallen to 6,000. Aging residents are close to half of the population, and health care workers are in short supply.

The intractable burdens facing Fukushima are not just about Japan’s deep-rooted demographic problems or even the direct effects of the tsunami’s crashing waves and the nuclear meltdowns that followed. A decade after the disaster, the prefecture is battling an indefinite blow to its reputation — a stain on the entire region that can’t easily be scrubbed away or rebuilt over.

Like Chernobyl, the prefecture has become synonymous with nuclear blight, sullying even places like Nishiaizu that were unharmed by the quake and tsunami and received far lower doses of radiation than communities closer to the coast. This stigma has only hastened the region’s depopulation.

“These are invisible damages,” said Tomoki Usuki, 72, the mayor of Nishiaizu. “It’s huge and maybe bigger than the destruction of buildings.”

Despite rigorous radiation screening, local farmers who try to sell rice and vegetables from the region, Usuki said, “are all under the Fukushima brand,” which deters consumers wary of possible contamination. China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao still ban imports of produce and fish from the prefecture.

Japan’s central government has worked strenuously to project the image of a region that is recovering — including plans to showcase Fukushima during the Summer Olympics — and that it says has been tarred by misinformation.

“Abolition of bias and discrimination not based on science is indispensable,” Katsuei Hirasawa, the country’s 10th minister for reconstruction since the disaster, said in a news briefing. “We must communicate that there are no safety-related issues in produce from Fukushima.”

While background levels of radiation have fallen across the prefecture and scientists have deemed short-term risks minimal, they are divided about the long-term consequences for public health.

“We know relatively little about the long-term effects of exposure” to low doses of radiation, said Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina who has studied how radioactive contamination has affected animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima.

As the disaster unfolded, Tsugawa did not learn just how devastating it was until her grandparents turned on the television later that afternoon. Like a horror movie on an endless loop, they watched scenes from the tsunami as it devoured the coastline. The next day, they learned of an explosion at the nuclear plant. A wall of water had knocked out the reactors’ cooling systems.

Although the residents of Nishiaizu never evacuated, Tsugawa began to read news items and social media posts insinuating that Fukushima was tainted. “There were these rumors that everyone in Fukushima was dangerous,” she recalled. “And that if you got close to them, you might get radiation sickness from them.”

When her mother, Yuki Tsugawa, took a business trip outside the prefecture about a year after the nuclear accident, someone scrawled the word “baka” — “stupid” — on the side of the car she had been driving. Tsugawa, 47, said she wondered if her Fukushima license plate was the reason.

Her elder daughter said she had no qualms about the safety of her hometown, where she hopes someday to raise her own family. “Just because there are some areas that are not safe,” she said, “doesn’t mean that all of Fukushima is unsafe.”

With her decision to become a geriatric nurse, Rina Tsugawa is giving the prefecture exactly what it needs.

The demand for nursing care across Japan is so great that before the pandemic, the country began to relax its longtime insularity and allow more workers to be hired from other countries. In Fukushima, there is already a shortage of doctors and nurses. Kiyoshi Hanazumi, chief of the prefecture’s social welfare division, said that based on current trends, it will meet only about three-quarters of its needs for health care workers for older residents by 2025.

Tsugawa said she had wanted to become a nurse ever since she was 3 years old. Her grandfather had been hospitalized with lung cancer, and she observed the kindness of the medical staff who treated him.

Her interest in geriatric nursing developed over time. While their mother worked as a welfare coordinator in Nishiaizu, Tsugawa and her younger sister, Mana, 19, would accompany their grandmother, Haruko Tsugawa, 74, to visit neighbors.

“Everyone treated them as honorary grandchildren,” Haruko Tsugawa said.

A year after the 2011 disaster, Yoshihiro Yabe, 42, also wanted to reclaim this kind of community. Yabe, a landscape architect, decided to return to Nishiaizu, where he was born, and start a family.

At one time, Yabe had planned to escape. But now he wants to reverse the migration that is all too common from his hometown.

When the earthquake and tsunami struck, Yabe was training in Canada and hoping to find a job in the United States.

“I was watching media in Japan and all over the world, and I felt that Fukushima was labeled as a contaminated prefecture,” he said. “So who would come here to create new businesses or want to start agriculture or raise their babies?”

Yabe said he felt he had to return, and he moved into his ancestral home — it has been in the family for 19 generations — and renovated some old storage warehouses for miso and soy sauce, converting them into a small inn.

He took over a local arts center and established an artists’ residency. Over the past eight years, he said, he has recruited 60 people to live in Nishiaizu, some from Tokyo and others from different parts of Fukushima prefecture.

The town is far from resuscitated. Near Yabe’s home, half of the houses are abandoned. Aside from his 8- and 3-year-old daughters, he said, “I am the youngest guy” in the neighborhood.

Rina Tsugawa, who starts a residency at the hospital connected to Fukushima Medical University in April, is also likely to be the youngest person in Sugiyama — population 21 — which is the enclave of Nishiaizu in which she grew up.

Even her mother had not originally intended to raise Tsugawa and her sister in Nishiaizu. Yuki Tsugawa attended technical college in Koriyama, more than 50 miles away, married and gave birth to Rina and Mana. Only after divorcing did Yuki move back in with her parents in the 100-year-old wood and slate-roofed home where she had been raised.

“If I stayed married, I probably would have stayed out” of Nishiaizu like most of her childhood classmates, Yuki Tsugawa said. “I often think ‘wow, nobody ever came back,’” she said.

Rina Tsugawa, who said she wanted to specialize in caring for patients with dementia, knows her town may struggle to survive.

“Of course, I don’t want my little village to disappear,” she said. “But even if we do things to try to get new people to come, that isn’t really happening. It’s difficult to make progress.”

Rina Tsugawa recalls a charmed childhood amid rice paddies in northern Japan, hopping on bicycles with her sister and roaming the streets of their village, where monkeys sometimes descended from the mountains and neighbors offered the girls sweets as they popped into their homes.

Rina Tsugawa recalls a charmed childhood amid rice paddies in northern Japan, hopping on bicycles with her sister and roaming the streets of their village, where monkeys sometimes descended from the mountains and neighbors offered the girls sweets as they popped into their homes. The sisters were the only children in their hamlet in Fukushima prefecture, living with their mother and grandparents in the house where their grandfather was born. On that terrible day a decade ago when Fukushima was struck by a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami, setting off a triple meltdown at a nuclear power plant, a 12-year-old Tsugawa was at school 90 miles inland. As the powerful shaking jolted her sixth-grade classroom, she and her classmates hid under their desks, crying in fear. In the years since, many of her peers have left for jobs in Tokyo and other cities, an outflow common to rural Japan but accelerated by the disaster in Fukushima. Tsugawa has different plans. After graduating this month from nursing school, she ultimately wants to return to her hometown to care for the aging residents who helped raise her. “They gave us so much when we were little,” said Tsugawa, now 22. “I want to help these elderly people stay healthy longer.” Japan is still grappling with the unfinished business of recovery from its worst disaster in nearly a century, which killed more than 19,000 people after a magnitude-9 earthquake on March 11, 2011, caused intensive damage across three prefectures, including Fukushima. To this day, parts of several towns near the nuclear plant remain uninhabitable. In Fukushima, the ongoing nuclear cleanup and efforts to revive the prefecture have played out against the backdrop of another calamity: a rapidly aging and declining population, which has hollowed out towns across the country and compounds the region’s immense challenges. Since 2011, Fukushima’s population has contracted by 10%, compared with a 2% decrease in Japan overall. Residents older than 65 represent nearly one-third of Fukushima’s population, compared with about 29% nationally. With its remote, mountainous location, Nishiaizu, the town that encompasses Tsugawa’s village, is similar to many graying and shrinking communities, where jobs are sparse, the lifestyle is inconvenient and birthrates are low. The town’s population, which peaked at close to 20,000 in 1950, has fallen to 6,000. Aging residents are close to half of the population, and health care workers are in short supply. The intractable burdens facing Fukushima are not just about Japan’s deep-rooted demographic problems or even the direct effects of the tsunami’s crashing waves and the nuclear meltdowns that followed. A decade after the disaster, the prefecture is battling an indefinite blow to its reputation — a stain on the entire region that can’t easily be scrubbed away or rebuilt over. Like Chernobyl, the prefecture has become synonymous with nuclear blight, sullying even places like Nishiaizu that were unharmed by the quake and tsunami and received far lower doses of radiation than communities closer to the coast. This stigma has only hastened the region’s depopulation. “These are invisible damages,” said Tomoki Usuki, 72, the mayor of Nishiaizu. “It’s huge and maybe bigger than the destruction of buildings.” Despite rigorous radiation screening, local farmers who try to sell rice and vegetables from the region, Usuki said, “are all under the Fukushima brand,” which deters consumers wary of possible contamination. China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao still ban imports of produce and fish from the prefecture. Japan’s central government has worked strenuously to project the image of a region that is recovering — including plans to showcase Fukushima during the Summer Olympics — and that it says has been tarred by misinformation. “Abolition of bias and discrimination not based on science is indispensable,” Katsuei Hirasawa, the country’s 10th minister for reconstruction since the disaster, said in a news briefing. “We must communicate that there are no safety-related issues in produce from Fukushima.” While background levels of radiation have fallen across the prefecture and scientists have deemed short-term risks minimal, they are divided about the long-term consequences for public health. “We know relatively little about the long-term effects of exposure” to low doses of radiation, said Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina who has studied how radioactive contamination has affected animals and plants in Chernobyl and Fukushima. As the disaster unfolded, Tsugawa did not learn just how devastating it was until her grandparents turned on the television later that afternoon. Like a horror movie on an endless loop, they watched scenes from the tsunami as it devoured the coastline. The next day, they learned of an explosion at the nuclear plant. A wall of water had knocked out the reactors’ cooling systems. Although the residents of Nishiaizu never evacuated, Tsugawa began to read news items and social media posts insinuating that Fukushima was tainted. “There were these rumors that everyone in Fukushima was dangerous,” she recalled. “And that if you got close to them, you might get radiation sickness from them.” When her mother, Yuki Tsugawa, took a business trip outside the prefecture about a year after the nuclear accident, someone scrawled the word “baka” — “stupid” — on the side of the car she had been driving. Tsugawa, 47, said she wondered if her Fukushima license plate was the reason. Her elder daughter said she had no qualms about the safety of her hometown, where she hopes someday to raise her own family. “Just because there are some areas that are not safe,” she said, “doesn’t mean that all of Fukushima is unsafe.” With her decision to become a geriatric nurse, Rina Tsugawa is giving the prefecture exactly what it needs. The demand for nursing care across Japan is so great that before the pandemic, the country began to relax its longtime insularity and allow more workers to be hired from other countries. In Fukushima, there is already a shortage of doctors and nurses. Kiyoshi Hanazumi, chief of the prefecture’s social welfare division, said that based on current trends, it will meet only about three-quarters of its needs for health care workers for older residents by 2025. Tsugawa said she had wanted to become a nurse ever since she was 3 years old. Her grandfather had been hospitalized with lung cancer, and she observed the kindness of the medical staff who treated him. Her interest in geriatric nursing developed over time. While their mother worked as a welfare coordinator in Nishiaizu, Tsugawa and her younger sister, Mana, 19, would accompany their grandmother, Haruko Tsugawa, 74, to visit neighbors. “Everyone treated them as honorary grandchildren,” Haruko Tsugawa said. A year after the 2011 disaster, Yoshihiro Yabe, 42, also wanted to reclaim this kind of community. Yabe, a landscape architect, decided to return to Nishiaizu, where he was born, and start a family. At one time, Yabe had planned to escape. But now he wants to reverse the migration that is all too common from his hometown. When the earthquake and tsunami struck, Yabe was training in Canada and hoping to find a job in the United States. “I was watching media in Japan and all over the world, and I felt that Fukushima was labeled as a contaminated prefecture,” he said. “So who would come here to create new businesses or want to start agriculture or raise their babies?” Yabe said he felt he had to return, and he moved into his ancestral home — it has been in the family for 19 generations — and renovated some old storage warehouses for miso and soy sauce, converting them into a small inn. He took over a local arts center and established an artists’ residency. Over the past eight years, he said, he has recruited 60 people to live in Nishiaizu, some from Tokyo and others from different parts of Fukushima prefecture. The town is far from resuscitated. Near Yabe’s home, half of the houses are abandoned. Aside from his 8- and 3-year-old daughters, he said, “I am the youngest guy” in the neighborhood. Rina Tsugawa, who starts a residency at the hospital connected to Fukushima Medical University in April, is also likely to be the youngest person in Sugiyama — population 21 — which is the enclave of Nishiaizu in which she grew up. Even her mother had not originally intended to raise Tsugawa and her sister in Nishiaizu. Yuki Tsugawa attended technical college in Koriyama, more than 50 miles away, married and gave birth to Rina and Mana. Only after divorcing did Yuki move back in with her parents in the 100-year-old wood and slate-roofed home where she had been raised. “If I stayed married, I probably would have stayed out” of Nishiaizu like most of her childhood classmates, Yuki Tsugawa said. “I often think ‘wow, nobody ever came back,’” she said. Rina Tsugawa, who said she wanted to specialize in caring for patients with dementia, knows her town may struggle to survive. “Of course, I don’t want my little village to disappear,” she said. “But even if we do things to try to get new people to come, that isn’t really happening. It’s difficult to make progress.”

Ten years after Fukushima disaster, this nurse may be the region’s best hope

The event is set for today, where it is also the first time when the leaders have to meet. Agenda for the Australian PM, Scott Morison will remain climate change and Indo pacific region where this region also becomes the agenda for the entire meet between the quad.

Quad Summit 2021: 2 hours summit to discuss efforts to contain COVID-19

Earthquake, tsunami, meltdown: Japan marks decade since 2011 disaster

March 11th is a dreadful day in Japan's living memory. It has been 10 years since a powerful earthquake, deadly tsunami, and nuclear meltdown traumatized the nation.

Japan: Country honours victims of 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster

According to a report, Japan has said that it will not allow foreign fans to attend the Tokyo Olympics due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Report: Japan bars foreign fans from attending Tokyo Olympics

Indian Ministry of External Affairs has announced that the first-ever summit of the leaders of ‘Quadrilateral Security Dialogue’, also known as the Quad leaders' will take place virtually on March 12.

Top leaders of Quad nations to participate virtually on March 12

The first-ever Quad, India, Japan, Australia and US leaders' summit will take place virtually on March 12, the Friday marking a significant geopolitical moment. The summit will see participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga and US President Joseph R Biden.&nbsp;

India's ministry of external affairs, in a statement said, "The leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region".&nbsp;

It explained, "the Summit will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges, such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change."&nbsp;

Covid vaccines will be a key focus, with leaders discussing 'ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic' and 'explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region', the release mentioned.&nbsp;

So far, three foreign ministers' level conversations have taken place, two of them physical meetings--one in New York in 2019, another in Tokyo last year and one telephonic conversation just last month. Last month's telephonic conversation between the four foreign ministers, US State Secretary Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne and EAM Dr S Jaishankar saw key focus being on Myanmar.&nbsp;

Last week, Australian PM Scott Morrison confirming plans of the meet, said, "I am looking forward to that first gathering of quad leaders. It will be the first-ever gathering of quad leaders. I already had bilateral discussions with Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga, the PM of Japan and PM of India."&nbsp;

He pointed that such meets would become a 'feature of the Indo Pacific engagement' but it will "not have a big bureaucracy, with a big secretariat. it will be four leaders, four countries working together constructively for the peace, prosperity, and stability of the Indo pacific."&nbsp;

Quad is seen very suspiciously by China, which has termed it 'Asian Nato' something that has been dismissed by the grouping. The dialogue was first initiated in 2007 by the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe but lost support only to re-emerge in 2017 when leaders of the grouping had met. Last year, saw Australia being invited to Malabar exercises which saw all four Quad countries coming under one umbrella for naval exercises in the Indian ocean. Amid the covid pandemic, Quad plus meetings happened at the foreign secretary-level to exchange best practices.&nbsp;

The first-ever Quad, India, Japan, Australia and US leaders' summit will take place virtually on March 12, the Friday marking a significant geopolitical moment. The summit will see participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga and US President Joseph R Biden.

The first-ever Quad, India, Japan, Australia and US leaders' summit will take place virtually on March 12, the Friday marking a significant geopolitical moment. The summit will see participation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga and US President Joseph R Biden. India's ministry of external affairs, in a statement said, "The leaders will discuss regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchange views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region". It explained, "the Summit will provide an opportunity to exchange views on contemporary challenges, such as resilient supply chains, emerging and critical technologies, maritime security, and climate change." Covid vaccines will be a key focus, with leaders discussing 'ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic' and 'explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region', the release mentioned. So far, three foreign ministers' level conversations have taken place, two of them physical meetings--one in New York in 2019, another in Tokyo last year and one telephonic conversation just last month. Last month's telephonic conversation between the four foreign ministers, US State Secretary Blinken, Japan FM Motegi Toshimitsu, Australian FM Marise Payne and EAM Dr S Jaishankar saw key focus being on Myanmar. Last week, Australian PM Scott Morrison confirming plans of the meet, said, "I am looking forward to that first gathering of quad leaders. It will be the first-ever gathering of quad leaders. I already had bilateral discussions with Narendra Modi and Yoshihide Suga, the PM of Japan and PM of India." He pointed that such meets would become a 'feature of the Indo Pacific engagement' but it will "not have a big bureaucracy, with a big secretariat. it will be four leaders, four countries working together constructively for the peace, prosperity, and stability of the Indo pacific." Quad is seen very suspiciously by China, which has termed it 'Asian Nato' something that has been dismissed by the grouping. The dialogue was first initiated in 2007 by the then Japanese PM Shinzo Abe but lost support only to re-emerge in 2017 when leaders of the grouping had met. Last year, saw Australia being invited to Malabar exercises which saw all four Quad countries coming under one umbrella for naval exercises in the Indian ocean. Amid the covid pandemic, Quad plus meetings happened at the foreign secretary-level to exchange best practices.

First Quad leaders summit this Friday 

Japan`s economy expanded at a slower-than-initially-reported pace in October-December, with firms tightening spending on plant and equipment and sharply cutting inventories as the coronavirus pandemic hit demand. 
 
The slower growth was mainly due to a sharper contraction in private inventories and capital expenditure expanding less than previously thought in the fourth quarter, even as exports remained solid. 
 
Separate data showed household spending was hit by a bigger annual drop in January than in the prior month, a sign the COVID-19 pandemic was keeping consumers cautious about shopping. 
 
The economy grew an annualised 11.7% in October-December, weaker than the preliminary reading of 12.7% annualised growth to mark the second straight quarter of growth, Cabinet Office data showed Tuesday. 
 
The reading, which was weaker than economists` median forecast for a 12.8% gain, translates into a real quarter-on-quarter expansion of 2.8% from October-December, versus a preliminary 3.0% gain. 
 
Capital spending grew 4.3% from the previous quarter, lower than a preliminary 4.5% rise, but outpacing the median forecast for a 4.1% increase. 
 
Private inventories, including raw materials and manufactured products, subtracted 0.6 percentage point from revised growth domestic product growth (GDP), worse than a negative preliminary contribution of 0.4 percentage point. 
 
"Although vaccination started in Japan, it will take time to yield its impact, so the economy is forecast to go though some ups and downs," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. 
 
"We expect the economy will pick up from the second quarter but it will be difficult to regain soon what it will lose in the first quarter." 
 
Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of GDP, rose 2.2% from the previous three months, matching the preliminary reading. 
 
Net exports - or exports minus imports - added 1.1 percentage point to revised GDP growth, while domestic demand lifted it by 1.8 percentage point, weaker than a preliminary contribution of 2.0 percentage point. 
 
The worse-than-expected GDP revision comes after exports and factory output picked up in January, signalling a stronger recovery in global demand following last year`s deep coronavirus slump. 
 
Household spending, however, fell 6.1% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday, worse than the 2.1% drop expected by economists in a Reuters poll. 
 
Some analysts are worried that a cold spell in corporate investment and household spending could last longer than expected, boding ill for demand and threatening to leave the world`s third-largest economy without a domestic growth driver. 
 
The Bank of Japan will conduct a review of its policy tools next week to make them more "effective and sustainable" as the pandemic forces it to keep its radical stimulus programme in place longer than originally expected.

Japan`s economy expanded at a slower-than-initially-reported pace in October-December, with firms tightening spending on plant and equipment and sharply cutting inventories as the coronavirus pandemic hit demand.

Japan`s economy expanded at a slower-than-initially-reported pace in October-December, with firms tightening spending on plant and equipment and sharply cutting inventories as the coronavirus pandemic hit demand. The slower growth was mainly due to a sharper contraction in private inventories and capital expenditure expanding less than previously thought in the fourth quarter, even as exports remained solid. Separate data showed household spending was hit by a bigger annual drop in January than in the prior month, a sign the COVID-19 pandemic was keeping consumers cautious about shopping. The economy grew an annualised 11.7% in October-December, weaker than the preliminary reading of 12.7% annualised growth to mark the second straight quarter of growth, Cabinet Office data showed Tuesday. The reading, which was weaker than economists` median forecast for a 12.8% gain, translates into a real quarter-on-quarter expansion of 2.8% from October-December, versus a preliminary 3.0% gain. Capital spending grew 4.3% from the previous quarter, lower than a preliminary 4.5% rise, but outpacing the median forecast for a 4.1% increase. Private inventories, including raw materials and manufactured products, subtracted 0.6 percentage point from revised growth domestic product growth (GDP), worse than a negative preliminary contribution of 0.4 percentage point. "Although vaccination started in Japan, it will take time to yield its impact, so the economy is forecast to go though some ups and downs," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute. "We expect the economy will pick up from the second quarter but it will be difficult to regain soon what it will lose in the first quarter." Private consumption, which accounts for more than half of GDP, rose 2.2% from the previous three months, matching the preliminary reading. Net exports - or exports minus imports - added 1.1 percentage point to revised GDP growth, while domestic demand lifted it by 1.8 percentage point, weaker than a preliminary contribution of 2.0 percentage point. The worse-than-expected GDP revision comes after exports and factory output picked up in January, signalling a stronger recovery in global demand following last year`s deep coronavirus slump. Household spending, however, fell 6.1% in January compared with the same month a year earlier, official data showed on Tuesday, worse than the 2.1% drop expected by economists in a Reuters poll. Some analysts are worried that a cold spell in corporate investment and household spending could last longer than expected, boding ill for demand and threatening to leave the world`s third-largest economy without a domestic growth driver. The Bank of Japan will conduct a review of its policy tools next week to make them more "effective and sustainable" as the pandemic forces it to keep its radical stimulus programme in place longer than originally expected.

Japan downgrades fourth-quarter GDP as companies scale back spending

A huge earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011, which was followed by a tsunami that wreaked havoc across coastal towns and triggered nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima - dubbed the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. We tell you what happened, what went wrong, and how the region is recovering after 10 years.

10 years of Fukushima disaster: What really happened?

Japan's economy expanded at a slower-than-initially-reported pace in October-December as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic weighed on the economic outlook.

World Business Watch: Japan downgrades fourth-quarter GDP as pandemic hurts domestic demands

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