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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rains ease in southern Japan; landslide risks persist

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday praised <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-meets-saudi-crown-prince-salman-at-g20-summit-in-japans-osaka-discusses-counter-terrorism-231041">Saudi Arabia</a>'s efforts to reduce its dependence on oil and promised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Japan will help the kingdom with a sweeping reform plan.

"Saudi Arabia's 'Vision 2030' is an unprecedented major reform aimed at shifting away from dependence on oil and at diversifying industry, under your majesty's initiative," Abe told the crown prince at the beginning of a bilateral meeting after a summit of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/g20-summit-officially-opens-in-japans-osaka-with-trade-tensions-looming-231047">Group of 20 leaders in the city of Osaka</a>.

"Japan will continue its utmost efforts by government and the private sector to help achieve its success," Abe said.

Riyadh announced the reform plan in 2016, with goals ranging from overhauling its state-owned Public Investment Fund to increasing visits of Muslim pilgrims and encouraging more Saudis to play sports.

Despite last October's murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, big investors are pushing ahead with deals and pouring money back into its stock market as well as Vision 2030 projects that aim to diversify the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and create jobs.

"Saudi wants to do the utmost to continue our old but a new strong partnership with Japan," the crown prince told Abe through an interpreter.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday praised Saudi Arabia's efforts to reduce its dependence on oil and promised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Japan will help the kingdom with a sweeping reform plan.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday praised Saudi Arabia's efforts to reduce its dependence on oil and promised Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that Japan will help the kingdom with a sweeping reform plan. "Saudi Arabia's 'Vision 2030' is an unprecedented major reform aimed at shifting away from dependence on oil and at diversifying industry, under your majesty's initiative," Abe told the crown prince at the beginning of a bilateral meeting after a summit of Group of 20 leaders in the city of Osaka. "Japan will continue its utmost efforts by government and the private sector to help achieve its success," Abe said. Riyadh announced the reform plan in 2016, with goals ranging from overhauling its state-owned Public Investment Fund to increasing visits of Muslim pilgrims and encouraging more Saudis to play sports. Despite last October's murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents, big investors are pushing ahead with deals and pouring money back into its stock market as well as Vision 2030 projects that aim to diversify the economy of the world’s top oil exporter and create jobs. "Saudi wants to do the utmost to continue our old but a new strong partnership with Japan," the crown prince told Abe through an interpreter.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe offers Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman help in reducing oil dependency

Opening Address By PM Shinzo Abe in G20 Summit 2019. Listen in!

Opening Address By PM Shinzo Abe.

US President Donald Trump met <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-meets-german-chancellor-angela-merkel-at-g20-summit-discusses-ways-to-deepen-indo-german-ties-231118">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a> on day one of the G20 summit and agreed to resolve trade issues which have been bone of contention between New Delhi-Washington ties. Both leaders directed that trade issues need to be discussed and trade ministers of both countries will be meeting soon to resolve issues, the date of which is being decided.

While PM Modi said, "we are committed to India-US ties", Trump congratulated PM Modi for his re-election and said, "you deserve it. You have done a great job".

Trump added, "We have become great friends and our countries have never been closer...We'll work together in many ways including military."

US President Donald Trump had a bilateral meeting with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after which both together came to the room in which<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-holds-bilateral-talks-with-south-korean-president-moon-jae-in-at-g20-summit-in-japans-osaka-231099"> PM Modi was present</a>. At around 9.15am (Japan time), the JAI -Japan, America, India trilateral began which was followed by the Modi-Trump bilateral.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/modi-trump-bilateral-on-sidelines-of-g20-summit-231272/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"India has reduced oil imports from Iran", foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said in a press conference, "despite its impact on the Indian economy, we have been able to sustain the position". This is the first public acknowledgement by India that it is reducing import of oil from Iran, which supplies 11 per cent of India's energy needs.

PM Modi, outlined India's energy concerns and large diaspora in the regions which can be impacted due to US-Iran tensions.

On Huawei 5G issue, "the main issue was to bring in focus on how we can work to leverage our markets, our capabilities, and our desire to make in India" said, India's foreign secretary.

India is the second largest market of mobiles and India's discussion on to use or not to use allow China's Huawei for 5G will have a major global impact.

No discussions happened on the Indo-Russia S-400 missile defence deal, on which Washington has been raising concerns to India.

During the JAI trilateral between Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, US President Donal Trump and Indian PM Modi the focus was on Indo-Pacific.

PM Modi said, "JAI means victory.. we have a common interest on Indo-Pacific"

This is the second meet of JAI, the first happened in Argentina in 2018 on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

All three leaders were seen sharing personal rapport. In the evening, all three leaders were seen sitting together at the dinner hosted by Japan PM for all at the heads of state. &nbsp;

US President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on day one of the G20 summit and agreed to resolve trade issues which have been bone of contention between New Delhi-Washington ties.

US President Donald Trump met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on day one of the G20 summit and agreed to resolve trade issues which have been bone of contention between New Delhi-Washington ties. Both leaders directed that trade issues need to be discussed and trade ministers of both countries will be meeting soon to resolve issues, the date of which is being decided. While PM Modi said, "we are committed to India-US ties", Trump congratulated PM Modi for his re-election and said, "you deserve it. You have done a great job". Trump added, "We have become great friends and our countries have never been closer...We'll work together in many ways including military." US President Donald Trump had a bilateral meeting with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, after which both together came to the room in which PM Modi was present. At around 9.15am (Japan time), the JAI -Japan, America, India trilateral began which was followed by the Modi-Trump bilateral. "India has reduced oil imports from Iran", foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale said in a press conference, "despite its impact on the Indian economy, we have been able to sustain the position". This is the first public acknowledgement by India that it is reducing import of oil from Iran, which supplies 11 per cent of India's energy needs. PM Modi, outlined India's energy concerns and large diaspora in the regions which can be impacted due to US-Iran tensions. On Huawei 5G issue, "the main issue was to bring in focus on how we can work to leverage our markets, our capabilities, and our desire to make in India" said, India's foreign secretary. India is the second largest market of mobiles and India's discussion on to use or not to use allow China's Huawei for 5G will have a major global impact. No discussions happened on the Indo-Russia S-400 missile defence deal, on which Washington has been raising concerns to India. During the JAI trilateral between Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, US President Donal Trump and Indian PM Modi the focus was on Indo-Pacific. PM Modi said, "JAI means victory.. we have a common interest on Indo-Pacific" This is the second meet of JAI, the first happened in Argentina in 2018 on the sidelines of the G20 summit. All three leaders were seen sharing personal rapport. In the evening, all three leaders were seen sitting together at the dinner hosted by Japan PM for all at the heads of state.

We have become great friends, we'll work together in many ways including military: Trump to PM Modi at G20

Prime Minister <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/g20-summit-our-countries-have-never-been-closer-trump-on-us-india-ties-231018">Narendra Modi held "productive"&nbsp;trilateral talks</a> with US President Donald Trump and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe in Osaka, Japan on Friday ahead of the formal opening of the G-20 Summit and extensively discussed issues of the Indo-Pacific region, connectivity and infrastructure development .

The discussion focused on how the three countries can together work together towards an open, stable and rule-based Indo-Pacific region. 
During the Japan-America-India trilateral meeting, Modi highlighted "the importance India attaches to" the grouping.

The main topic of discussion was Indo-Pacific, how the three countries can work together in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, ensuring peace and security, and working together to build upon this new concept, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said.

"Committed to a better future. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/trade-in-focus-as-pm-modi-holds-bilateral-talks-with-us-president-trump-231014">Meeting of JAI (Japan-America-India)Trilateral takes place</a> in Osaka. PM @AbeShinzo welcomes the leaders. @POTUS congratulates Prime Ministers Modi and Abe for their electoral victories. PM Modi highlights the importance India attaches to JAI," the prime minister's office tweeted.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Committed to a better future. 
 
Meeting of JAI (Japan-America-India)Trilateral takes place in Osaka. 
 
PM <a href="https://twitter.com/AbeShinzo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AbeShinzo</a> welcomes the leaders. <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> congratulates Prime Ministers Modi and Abe for their electoral victories. 
 
PM Modi highlights the importance India attaches to JAI. <a href="https://t.co/IBjkzFuTKY">pic.twitter.com/IBjkzFuTKY</a>
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/PMOIndia/status/1144403564590010368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2019</a></blockquote>
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"Today's meeting of the JAI Trilateral was a productive one. We had extensive discussions on the Indo-Pacific region, improving connectivity and infrastructure development. Grateful to PM @AbeShinzo and President @realDonaldTrump for sharing their views as well," Modi tweeted later.

"2nd 'JAI' - Japan-America-India Trilateral Meeting between PM @narendramodi, Japanese PM @AbeShinzo &amp; POTUS @realDonaldTrump on margins of #G20 Summit. Discussion focused on how the 3 countries can together work together towards an open, stable &amp; rule-based Indo-Pacific region," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Twitter.

On Thursday, Modi held wide-ranging talks with Abe on the global economy, issues of fugitive economic offenders and disaster management.

Prime Minister Modi will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Putin and other leaders during the June 28-29 summit.

This is be Modi's sixth G-20 Summit.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held "productive" trilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe in Osaka, Japan on Friday ahead of the formal opening of the G-20 Summit and extensively discussed issues of the Indo-Pacific region, connectivity and infrastructure development .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held "productive" trilateral talks with US President Donald Trump and Japanese premier Shinzo Abe in Osaka, Japan on Friday ahead of the formal opening of the G-20 Summit and extensively discussed issues of the Indo-Pacific region, connectivity and infrastructure development . The discussion focused on how the three countries can together work together towards an open, stable and rule-based Indo-Pacific region. During the Japan-America-India trilateral meeting, Modi highlighted "the importance India attaches to" the grouping. The main topic of discussion was Indo-Pacific, how the three countries can work together in terms of connectivity, infrastructure, ensuring peace and security, and working together to build upon this new concept, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said. "Committed to a better future. Meeting of JAI (Japan-America-India)Trilateral takes place in Osaka. PM @AbeShinzo welcomes the leaders. @POTUS congratulates Prime Ministers Modi and Abe for their electoral victories. PM Modi highlights the importance India attaches to JAI," the prime minister's office tweeted. Committed to a better future. Meeting of JAI (Japan-America-India)Trilateral takes place in Osaka. PM @AbeShinzo welcomes the leaders. @POTUS congratulates Prime Ministers Modi and Abe for their electoral victories. PM Modi highlights the importance India attaches to JAI. pic.twitter.com/IBjkzFuTKY — PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 28, 2019 × "Today's meeting of the JAI Trilateral was a productive one. We had extensive discussions on the Indo-Pacific region, improving connectivity and infrastructure development. Grateful to PM @AbeShinzo and President @realDonaldTrump for sharing their views as well," Modi tweeted later. "2nd 'JAI' - Japan-America-India Trilateral Meeting between PM @narendramodi, Japanese PM @AbeShinzo & POTUS @realDonaldTrump on margins of #G20 Summit. Discussion focused on how the 3 countries can together work together towards an open, stable & rule-based Indo-Pacific region," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Twitter. On Thursday, Modi held wide-ranging talks with Abe on the global economy, issues of fugitive economic offenders and disaster management. Prime Minister Modi will also meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Putin and other leaders during the June 28-29 summit. This is be Modi's sixth G-20 Summit.

G20 Summit: PM Modi, Trump, Abe hold trilateral meeting; discuss Indo-Pacific, connectivity

PM Modi's fist bump with Trump, Abe steals the show at G20

G20 leaders expected to wrangle over Climate Change.

G20 Summit: Big Focus on Climate Change

Shinzo Abe said that Japan-U.S ties the key to building a better society

G20 Summit: Trump-Abe bilateral on G20 Summit sidelines

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka Prefecture in Japan on Thursday.

G20 Summit: PM Modi meets Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

PM Narendra Modi was given a rousing welcome by the Indian community in Osaka. PM Modi arrived here for the G-20 summit and is slated to meet Japan's PM Shinzo Abe today.

Indian community welcomes PM Modi in Osaka

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trade-beef-aside-trump-and-abe-bond-over-burgers-sumo-and-golf-221840">US President Donald Trump</a> renewed his criticism of the US-Japan security alliance, the linchpin of Tokyo's security policies, ahead of talks with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-pm-abe-to-meet-irans-supreme-leader-khamenei-to-mediate-with-us-report-223544">Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe</a> on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summits in Osaka this week.

Trump was responding to a question in a Fox television interview in Washington on Wednesday about what <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-begins-his-japan-visit-to-burnish-ties-with-shinzo-abe-over-golf-sumo-and-steak-221444">bilateral deals</a> he would like to see with various countries including Japan. Tokyo and Washington are engaged in difficult trade talks as Trump's administration seeks to lower the US trade deficit.

"Almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage of the United States ... Like even Japan on the treaty, we have a treaty with Japan. If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War Three," Trump said.

"We will go in and we will protect them and we will fight with our lives and with our treasure. We will fight at all costs, right? But if we’re attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us at all. They can watch it on a Sony television, the attack."

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, asked about the remarks, said the two governments had not discussed revising the treaty and dismissed the notion that the pact was unfair.

"The obligations of the United States and Japan ... are balanced between both countries," he told a news conference.

Under the decades-old US-Japan security treaty, the United States has committed to defending Japan, which renounced the right to wage war after its defeat in World War Two.

Japan in return provides military bases that Washington uses to project power deep into Asia, including the biggest concentration of US Marines outside the United States on Okinawa, and the forward deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo.

Trump is scheduled to hold nine bilateral meetings, with nations such as Japan, China and Russia, at the June 28-29 G20 summit.

A deterioration in US-Japan ties that resulted in an end to the security pact, which puts Japan under the US nuclear umbrella, could force Washington to withdraw a major portion of its military forces from Asia at a time when China’s military power is growing.

It would also force Japan to seek new alliances in the region and bolster its own defences, raising concern about nuclear proliferation in the tense region.

On a visit to Japan in May, Trump said he expected Japan’s military to reinforce US forces throughout Asia and elsewhere as Tokyo bolsters the ability of its forces to operate further from its shores.

Abe, who has cultivated warm ties with Trump since the US leader took office, has pledged to strengthen Japan's defences. He also wants to revise the nation's post-war, pacifist constitution to clarify the ambiguous status of its military.

US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of the US-Japan security alliance, the linchpin of Tokyo's security policies, ahead of talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summits in Osaka this week.

US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of the US-Japan security alliance, the linchpin of Tokyo's security policies, ahead of talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of a Group of 20 summits in Osaka this week. Trump was responding to a question in a Fox television interview in Washington on Wednesday about what bilateral deals he would like to see with various countries including Japan. Tokyo and Washington are engaged in difficult trade talks as Trump's administration seeks to lower the US trade deficit. "Almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage of the United States ... Like even Japan on the treaty, we have a treaty with Japan. If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War Three," Trump said. "We will go in and we will protect them and we will fight with our lives and with our treasure. We will fight at all costs, right? But if we’re attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us at all. They can watch it on a Sony television, the attack." Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, asked about the remarks, said the two governments had not discussed revising the treaty and dismissed the notion that the pact was unfair. "The obligations of the United States and Japan ... are balanced between both countries," he told a news conference. Under the decades-old US-Japan security treaty, the United States has committed to defending Japan, which renounced the right to wage war after its defeat in World War Two. Japan in return provides military bases that Washington uses to project power deep into Asia, including the biggest concentration of US Marines outside the United States on Okinawa, and the forward deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group at the Yokosuka naval base near Tokyo. Trump is scheduled to hold nine bilateral meetings, with nations such as Japan, China and Russia, at the June 28-29 G20 summit. A deterioration in US-Japan ties that resulted in an end to the security pact, which puts Japan under the US nuclear umbrella, could force Washington to withdraw a major portion of its military forces from Asia at a time when China’s military power is growing. It would also force Japan to seek new alliances in the region and bolster its own defences, raising concern about nuclear proliferation in the tense region. On a visit to Japan in May, Trump said he expected Japan’s military to reinforce US forces throughout Asia and elsewhere as Tokyo bolsters the ability of its forces to operate further from its shores. Abe, who has cultivated warm ties with Trump since the US leader took office, has pledged to strengthen Japan's defences. He also wants to revise the nation's post-war, pacifist constitution to clarify the ambiguous status of its military.

If US is attacked, Japan can watch it on Sony television, says Trump as he heads to Osaka for G20

India's PM Narendra Modi will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in Osaka on the sidelines of the G20 Summit. WION correspondent Siddhant Sibal talks about what's on the agenda.

Here is what could be on the agenda during PM Modi's meeting with Shinzo Abe

WION correspondent Siddhant Sibal talks about what to expect from the upcoming meeting between PM Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe.

G20 Summit: WION's ground report from Osaka

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe and discussed several matters of mutual interest. This is the first meeting between the two leaders since the beginning of Japan’s Reiwa era.

PM Modi, Japan PM discuss global trade and climate change ahead of G20 Summit

WION correpsondent Siddhant Sibal reports on the key takeaways from the bilateral meeting between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Japan PM Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

Here are the key takeaways from PM Modi-Shinzo Abe meeting in Osaka

Iran will ask Japan to mediate between <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-prime-minister-abe-set-for-mediation-mission-to-iran-224969">Tehran and Washington</a> to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials said on Wednesday, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the country for a two-day visit.

Abe, the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-pm-abe-to-meet-irans-supreme-leader-khamenei-to-mediate-with-us-report-223544">first Japanese leader to visit Iran</a> since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, landed in Tehran as a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States stokes fear of another military conflict in the crisis-ridden Middle East.

"Japan can help in easing the ongoing tension between Iran and America... As a goodwill gesture, America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them," a senior Iranian official told Reuters.

Iranian state TV broadcast live footage of Abe's arrival, saying he will later hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani and on Thursday will meet the Islamic Republic's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On a four-day visit to Japan last month, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trade-beef-aside-trump-and-abe-bond-over-burgers-sumo-and-golf-221840">US President Donald Trump welcomed Abe's help in dealing with Iran</a>, highlighting what he called the "very good relationship" between Tokyo and Tehran.

As a US ally that also has good diplomatic relations with Iran, Japan could be in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the United States.

"Mr. Abe can be a great mediator to facilitate that (easing of oil sanctions)... Japan has always respected Iran, and Mr. Abe can play a very constructive role to calm the ongoing tension that can harm the (Middle East) region," said another Iranian official, who asked not to be named.

Strains between Washington and Tehran have sharply increased in recent weeks, a year after the United States abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

Trump cranks up pressure on Iran

Washington, calling the nuclear deal flawed and seeking to push Iran into new negotiations, intensified sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and firms to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.

It has also dispatched extra armed forces to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats.

Iran threatened in May that in 60 days it would resume enrichment of uranium beyond the low fissile purity - suitable for civilian nuclear power generation - allowed under the deal, unless other powers signed up to it found a way to protect Iran's oil and banking industries from US sanctions.

European parties of the deal have promised to help Iran find other ways to trade, although with no success so far. All major European companies that had announced plans to invest in Iran have since called them off for fear of US punishment.

"Japan wants to do as much as possible towards peace and stability in the Middle East," Abe said in Tokyo ahead of his departure, according to Iranian TV.

Rouhani said on Wednesday that Tehran will focus on defending its interests, according to state TV.

"During the talks with foreign leaders, Iran's interests and preserving these rights will be our priority," it quoted Rouhani as saying.

To achieve his aim of slashing Iran's oil exports to zero, the Trump administration has revoked waivers since May that had allowed some countries, including Japan, to continue buying Iranian crude and has effectively ordered countries to stop purchasing Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own.

Despite pushing for imports to continue, Japan has stopped importing oil from Iran for now to avoid US sanctions.

Iran will ask Japan to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials said on Wednesday, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the country for a two-day visit.

Iran will ask Japan to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials said on Wednesday, as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the country for a two-day visit. Abe, the first Japanese leader to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, landed in Tehran as a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States stokes fear of another military conflict in the crisis-ridden Middle East. "Japan can help in easing the ongoing tension between Iran and America... As a goodwill gesture, America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them," a senior Iranian official told Reuters. Iranian state TV broadcast live footage of Abe's arrival, saying he will later hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani and on Thursday will meet the Islamic Republic's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. On a four-day visit to Japan last month, US President Donald Trump welcomed Abe's help in dealing with Iran, highlighting what he called the "very good relationship" between Tokyo and Tehran. As a US ally that also has good diplomatic relations with Iran, Japan could be in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the United States. "Mr. Abe can be a great mediator to facilitate that (easing of oil sanctions)... Japan has always respected Iran, and Mr. Abe can play a very constructive role to calm the ongoing tension that can harm the (Middle East) region," said another Iranian official, who asked not to be named. Strains between Washington and Tehran have sharply increased in recent weeks, a year after the United States abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Trump cranks up pressure on Iran Washington, calling the nuclear deal flawed and seeking to push Iran into new negotiations, intensified sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and firms to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system. It has also dispatched extra armed forces to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats. Iran threatened in May that in 60 days it would resume enrichment of uranium beyond the low fissile purity - suitable for civilian nuclear power generation - allowed under the deal, unless other powers signed up to it found a way to protect Iran's oil and banking industries from US sanctions. European parties of the deal have promised to help Iran find other ways to trade, although with no success so far. All major European companies that had announced plans to invest in Iran have since called them off for fear of US punishment. "Japan wants to do as much as possible towards peace and stability in the Middle East," Abe said in Tokyo ahead of his departure, according to Iranian TV. Rouhani said on Wednesday that Tehran will focus on defending its interests, according to state TV. "During the talks with foreign leaders, Iran's interests and preserving these rights will be our priority," it quoted Rouhani as saying. To achieve his aim of slashing Iran's oil exports to zero, the Trump administration has revoked waivers since May that had allowed some countries, including Japan, to continue buying Iranian crude and has effectively ordered countries to stop purchasing Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own. Despite pushing for imports to continue, Japan has stopped importing oil from Iran for now to avoid US sanctions.

Iran to ask Japan's Abe to mediate over US oil sanctions: Officials

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 22nd, 2019

The wife of ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on Monday reached out to US President Donald Trump, asking him to press Japan at upcoming talks about "fair trial conditions".

Carlos Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan over charges of under-reporting his salary for years while at Nissan and using company funds for personal expenses. The 65-year-old denies the accusations.

"World leaders are going to be meeting at the G20 at the end of the month," Carole Ghosn told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday.

"I'd like President Trump to speak to Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe about fair conditions, fair trial conditions, and to let me speak to my husband -- and also to respect this presumption of innocence until proven guilty."

She added that the last time she saw her husband was on April 4 when prosecutors stormed their apartment in the early hours.

Carlos Ghosn, who is a French citizen, was freed in Japan on $4.5 million bail in April after being detained on fresh charges but is living under strict conditions including restrictions on seeing his wife.

Under those bail conditions, Ghosn must stay in Japan and live in a court-appointed residence with cameras to monitor his movements.

"I think all of this could have been dealt with internally within the company. This didn't need to go this far," Carole Ghosn added on Monday.

"On top of this, my husband is innocent and time will prove the truth."

This year's G20 summit will be held in the Japanese city of Osaka from June 28-29.

The wife of ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on Monday reached out to US President Donald Trump, asking him to press Japan at upcoming talks about "fair trial conditions".

The wife of ex-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn on Monday reached out to US President Donald Trump, asking him to press Japan at upcoming talks about "fair trial conditions". Carlos Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan over charges of under-reporting his salary for years while at Nissan and using company funds for personal expenses. The 65-year-old denies the accusations. "World leaders are going to be meeting at the G20 at the end of the month," Carole Ghosn told the BBC in an interview broadcast on Monday. "I'd like President Trump to speak to Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe about fair conditions, fair trial conditions, and to let me speak to my husband -- and also to respect this presumption of innocence until proven guilty." She added that the last time she saw her husband was on April 4 when prosecutors stormed their apartment in the early hours. Carlos Ghosn, who is a French citizen, was freed in Japan on $4.5 million bail in April after being detained on fresh charges but is living under strict conditions including restrictions on seeing his wife. Under those bail conditions, Ghosn must stay in Japan and live in a court-appointed residence with cameras to monitor his movements. "I think all of this could have been dealt with internally within the company. This didn't need to go this far," Carole Ghosn added on Monday. "On top of this, my husband is innocent and time will prove the truth." This year's G20 summit will be held in the Japanese city of Osaka from June 28-29.

Wife of Nissan's former boss Carlos Ghosn seeks Donald Trump help

Iran's parliament speaker hinted Sunday that Washington could be behind the "suspicious" <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/iran-behind-tanker-attack-in-gulf-of-oman-us-acting-ambassador-jonathan-cohen-226968">tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman </a>to pile pressure on Tehran, official news agency IRNA reported.

"The suspicious actions against the tankers... seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them," Ali Larijani told MPs.

He backed his claim by saying there had been a precedent "during World War II when Americans targeted their own ships near Japan to create an excuse for hostility".

A non-belligerent state at the beginning of World War II, the US went to war after Japan's surprise attack on the American Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941.

A Japanese-owned tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, and a Norwegian-operated one, the Front Altair, were attacked on Thursday and left ablaze as they were passing through the Gulf of Oman

Washington accused Tehran of being behind the attacks, that took place at the same time that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran for talks aimed at defusing tensions between Iran and the United States.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the US claim as "baseless" and said Washington had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran (without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence".

Iran has been locked in a bitter standoff with the United States since Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May last year. 
&nbsp;

Iran's parliament speaker hinted Sunday that Washington could be behind the "suspicious" tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman to pile pressure on Tehran, official news agency IRNA reported.

Iran's parliament speaker hinted Sunday that Washington could be behind the "suspicious" tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman to pile pressure on Tehran, official news agency IRNA reported. "The suspicious actions against the tankers... seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them," Ali Larijani told MPs. He backed his claim by saying there had been a precedent "during World War II when Americans targeted their own ships near Japan to create an excuse for hostility". A non-belligerent state at the beginning of World War II, the US went to war after Japan's surprise attack on the American Pearl Harbor base in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. A Japanese-owned tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, and a Norwegian-operated one, the Front Altair, were attacked on Thursday and left ablaze as they were passing through the Gulf of Oman Washington accused Tehran of being behind the attacks, that took place at the same time that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran for talks aimed at defusing tensions between Iran and the United States. Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the US claim as "baseless" and said Washington had "immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran (without) a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence". Iran has been locked in a bitter standoff with the United States since Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May last year.

Iran hints United States could be behind 'suspicious' tanker attacks

Japan is in a unique position as a U.S. ally because it has long maintained close ties with Iran, making Abe an ideal mediator. U.S.-Iran ties have frayed since President Donald Trump pulled out of an Iran nuclear deal in which it agreed to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions. The United States has also hinted at military confrontation, sending extra forces to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats

Explainer: Why is Japan's Abe going to Iran? What can he accomplish?

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - June 13th, 2019

Japan's PM Shinzo Abe Is In Iran To Broken Peace Between Washington & Tehran. Can Japan's PM Shinzo Abe Pull Off A Truce Between The US & Iran? Abe Is In Tehran For This Very Specific Purpose. Here's A Report

Gravitas: Can Abe Pull Off US-Iran Truce?

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said two <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/received-distress-calls-from-two-tankers-under-attack-in-gulf-of-oman-us-fifth-fleet-226781">oil tanker incidents in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday</a> were "suspicious" and called for regional dialogue to avoid tensions.

Zarif tweeted that "reported attacks on Japan-related" oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman had taken place while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks".

"Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," he tweeted. "Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative."

An Iranian port official denied on Thursday reports that one of the tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman had sunk, state broadcaster IRIB reported.

The official said a fire in one tanker was fully contained and its 21 crew would be returned to the vessel after safety inspections. A second ship was still burning, he said.

Shipping firms and industry sources said two tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, sending oil prices as much as 4% higher a month after four other tankers were damaged by limpet mines in the region.

Meanwhile, state-run Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) said on Thursday its vessels were operating as normal after suspected tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, state news agency KUNA reported on Thursday.

The company is ready for any emergency and has taken all necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safe operation of its fleet, KOTC added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said two oil tanker incidents in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday were "suspicious" and called for regional dialogue to avoid tensions.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said two oil tanker incidents in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday were "suspicious" and called for regional dialogue to avoid tensions. Zarif tweeted that "reported attacks on Japan-related" oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman had taken place while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei "for extensive and friendly talks". "Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning," he tweeted. "Iran's proposed Regional Dialogue Forum is imperative." An Iranian port official denied on Thursday reports that one of the tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman had sunk, state broadcaster IRIB reported. The official said a fire in one tanker was fully contained and its 21 crew would be returned to the vessel after safety inspections. A second ship was still burning, he said. Shipping firms and industry sources said two tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, sending oil prices as much as 4% higher a month after four other tankers were damaged by limpet mines in the region. Meanwhile, state-run Kuwait Oil Tanker Company (KOTC) said on Thursday its vessels were operating as normal after suspected tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, state news agency KUNA reported on Thursday. The company is ready for any emergency and has taken all necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safe operation of its fleet, KOTC added.

Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif calls oil tanker incidents 'suspicious', wants regional talks

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japanese-prime-minister-abe-set-for-mediation-mission-to-iran-224969">Japanese Prime Minister Abe set for mediation mission to Iran</a>

Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-modi-imran-meeting-planned-on-the-sidelines-of-sco-says-mea-224962">No Modi, Imran meeting planned on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, says MEA&nbsp;</a>

Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that no meeting is planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) next week in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/india-to-order-uber-ola-to-go-electric-by-april-2026-report-224991">India to order Uber, Ola to go electric by April 2026: Report</a>

India plans to order Uber and Ola to convert 40 per cent of their fleet of cars to electric by April 2026, according to a source and records of government meetings to discuss new rules for clean mobility.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/telangana-congress-in-doldrums-as-12-of-its-mlas-defect-to-trs-225012">Telangana Congress in doldrums as 12 of its MLAs defect to TRS</a>

It's a double whammy for Indian National Congress ( INC ) in Telangana.

After the rout in the 2018 Assembly Elections, the recently concluded general elections gave a glimmer of hope to the Congress party in Telangana where it managed to win three parliamentary seats. But that hope has been dashed with 12 of its MLAs pledging loyalty to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/no-regrets-south-africa-on-turning-down-ab-de-villiers-approach-224972">'No regrets': South Africa on turning down AB de Villiers' comeback offer</a>

Cricket South Africa selection convenor Linda Zondi said on Thursday they have no regrets in turning down an approach from retired batsman AB de Villiers to make himself available for the Cricket World Cup in England.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe set for mediation mission to Iran Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe set for mediation mission to Iran Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran. No Modi, Imran meeting planned on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, says MEA Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that no meeting is planned between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) next week in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. India to order Uber, Ola to go electric by April 2026: Report India plans to order Uber and Ola to convert 40 per cent of their fleet of cars to electric by April 2026, according to a source and records of government meetings to discuss new rules for clean mobility. Telangana Congress in doldrums as 12 of its MLAs defect to TRS It's a double whammy for Indian National Congress ( INC ) in Telangana. After the rout in the 2018 Assembly Elections, the recently concluded general elections gave a glimmer of hope to the Congress party in Telangana where it managed to win three parliamentary seats. But that hope has been dashed with 12 of its MLAs pledging loyalty to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). 'No regrets': South Africa on turning down AB de Villiers' comeback offer Cricket South Africa selection convenor Linda Zondi said on Thursday they have no regrets in turning down an approach from retired batsman AB de Villiers to make himself available for the Cricket World Cup in England.

News brief: Big stories of the day

Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran.

A government official told that Tokyo was still arranging details, including who Abe will meet, but local media have said he will <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-pm-abe-to-meet-irans-supreme-leader-khamenei-to-mediate-with-us-report-223544">hold talks </a>with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

As tensions intensify between Iran and Japan's key ally the United States, Abe has reportedly proposed serving as a go-between by directly holding talks with Iran's key leaders.

"We believe it is extremely important that, at the leadership level, we call on Iran as a major regional power to ease tension, to adhere to the nuclear agreement and to play a constructive role for the region's stability," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular press briefing.

The visit, from June 12-14, will be the first by a Japanese leader in 41 years, Suga said.

During his state visit to Tokyo in late May, US President Donald Trump said he remained open to talks with Tehran, appearing to give the green light to Abe's plan.

Abe told a news conference with Trump: "By closely cooperating between Japan and the US, I would like to help ease the current tension surrounding the Iranian situation."

Japan and Iran have maintained a good relationship as resource-poor Japan relies heavily on imports of oil from the Middle East, though crude from Iran accounted for just 5.3 per cent of the country's total imports last year.

On the other hand, Iranian and US leaders have ratcheted up barbs and insults ever since Trump was elected as president in 2016.

Living up to his campaign promises, Trump withdrew the US in May 2018 from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers, and reimposed sanctions.

The war of words intensified after Iran's revolutionary guards were designated a "terrorist organisation", with Tehran hitting back by declaring the US a "state sponsor of terrorism" and Washington's forces in the region "terrorist groups".

Fears the war of words could flare into a military clash escalated when Washington dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and B-52 bombers to the region.&nbsp;

Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran.

Shinzo Abe plans to travel to Iran next week, the first visit by a Japanese prime minister in more than four decades, as Tokyo hopes to ease Middle East tension by mediating between Washington and Tehran. A government official told that Tokyo was still arranging details, including who Abe will meet, but local media have said he will hold talks with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. As tensions intensify between Iran and Japan's key ally the United States, Abe has reportedly proposed serving as a go-between by directly holding talks with Iran's key leaders. "We believe it is extremely important that, at the leadership level, we call on Iran as a major regional power to ease tension, to adhere to the nuclear agreement and to play a constructive role for the region's stability," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a regular press briefing. The visit, from June 12-14, will be the first by a Japanese leader in 41 years, Suga said. During his state visit to Tokyo in late May, US President Donald Trump said he remained open to talks with Tehran, appearing to give the green light to Abe's plan. Abe told a news conference with Trump: "By closely cooperating between Japan and the US, I would like to help ease the current tension surrounding the Iranian situation." Japan and Iran have maintained a good relationship as resource-poor Japan relies heavily on imports of oil from the Middle East, though crude from Iran accounted for just 5.3 per cent of the country's total imports last year. On the other hand, Iranian and US leaders have ratcheted up barbs and insults ever since Trump was elected as president in 2016. Living up to his campaign promises, Trump withdrew the US in May 2018 from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major world powers, and reimposed sanctions. The war of words intensified after Iran's revolutionary guards were designated a "terrorist organisation", with Tehran hitting back by declaring the US a "state sponsor of terrorism" and Washington's forces in the region "terrorist groups". Fears the war of words could flare into a military clash escalated when Washington dispatched the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, an amphibious assault ship, a Patriot missile battery and B-52 bombers to the region.

Japanese Prime Minister Abe set for mediation mission to Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Senior officials and political leaders from both countries have held talks frequently in recent months to discuss ways to put an end to a decades-old territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty.

"With eyes on the Russia-Japan summit meeting at the time of the G20 summit in Osaka, we made checks on the state of progress in Russia-Japan relations," Lavrov told reporters after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono.

Lavrov's comment, in Russian, was translated into Japanese at a joint news conference with Kono.

Japan claims a string of Russia-controlled western Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and Southern Kuriles in Russia.

The territorial row over the island chain, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, has upset diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a formal peace treaty between the two countries.

Lavrov also said talks with Japan on five joint economic activity projects on the disputed islands were proceeding at a good pace, without elaborating.

Abe and Putin in 2016 agreed to launch talks on joint economic activities on the islands as a step toward concluding a peace treaty.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday. Senior officials and political leaders from both countries have held talks frequently in recent months to discuss ways to put an end to a decades-old territorial dispute and conclude a peace treaty. "With eyes on the Russia-Japan summit meeting at the time of the G20 summit in Osaka, we made checks on the state of progress in Russia-Japan relations," Lavrov told reporters after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Taro Kono. Lavrov's comment, in Russian, was translated into Japanese at a joint news conference with Kono. Japan claims a string of Russia-controlled western Pacific islands, called the Northern Territories in Japan and Southern Kuriles in Russia. The territorial row over the island chain, seized by Soviet troops at the end of World War Two, has upset diplomatic relations ever since, precluding a formal peace treaty between the two countries. Lavrov also said talks with Japan on five joint economic activity projects on the disputed islands were proceeding at a good pace, without elaborating. Abe and Putin in 2016 agreed to launch talks on joint economic activities on the islands as a step toward concluding a peace treaty.

Russia's Putin, Japan's Abe to hold summit meet on June 29

A knife-wielding attacker killed a 12-year-old schoolgirl and a man before stabbing himself to death in a rampage outside Tokyo Tuesday that also injured more than a dozen, including several children.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-mass-stabbing-one-child-among-two-killed-19-injured-222099">mass stabbing in the town of Kawasaki</a>, south of the Japanese capital, was a rare attack in a country with one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the developed world, and there was no immediate detail on the suspect's motive.

Kiyoshi Matsuda, deputy director of the Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital, told reporters that the 12-year-old schoolgirl and a 39-year-old man had succumbed to their injuries.

Local media reported that the suspected attacker, a man in his 50s, had also died of his wounds after turning the knife on himself. Emergency services said at least 16 others had been injured in the attack.

"It is a very harrowing case. I feel strong anger," Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in televised remarks.

"I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and hope the injured recover quickly."

According to local media, eyewitnesses saw a middle-aged man clasping a knife near the bus stop where the children were waiting, shouting "I will kill you".

A local man living nearby, who identified himself as Matsumoto, 25, said he went outside after hearing screams.

"It's hard to describe what it was like, how it sounded. It wasn't girls having fun, it was a sound that was absolutely not normal," he told AFP.

"I saw a man lying on the street. I also saw a girl hunched over on the ground. There were also five or six girls, maybe they were the ones who screamed... There was blood all over them."

Watch: Witnesses describe Japan stabbing

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'Prayers and sympathy'

The attack occurred during the busy early morning commute as workers headed to their offices and children to school. Fire department officials said they received the first emergency calls shortly before 8:00 am local time (2300 GMT Monday).

The scene of the attack was still swarming with emergency personnel hours later, with three police vans parked around the spot to block it from view.

Emergency workers set up an orange medical tent to treat the wounded, and ambulances and fire engines were parked nearby.

A white school bus with blue stripes was parked at the site, with the name "Caritas Gakuen (school)" written on the side, said an AFP correspondent at the scene.

The bloodshed came as Donald Trump wrapped up a state visit to Japan, and the US president offered his "prayers and sympathy" to the victims as he met troops outside Tokyo.

Standing aboard a Japanese military ship, he said that "all Americans stand with the people of Japan and grieve for the victims and for their families".

A local resident, who declined to give his name, said children attending the Caritas school lined up for the bus at the site every day.

"If you live in this neighbourhood, everybody knows that these kids are there," the 66-year-old told AFP.

"I've been in this area for a long time, I cannot believe that somebody targeted this bus and targeted these small children."

'Serious injuries'

An official at the St Marianna University School of Medicine said a "woman in her forties and three girls... suffered serious injuries."

"They will go through surgery for the injuries, mainly to their heads and necks. After that, they will be transferred to the ICU," said Takehito Otsubo, the hospital's assistant director.

Police earlier told AFP one suspect had been detained and an eyewitness told local media that the man had stabbed himself.

"I saw a man holding a knife... I couldn't see clearly, but he apparently stabbed himself in the neck," one eyewitness told NHK.

The broadcaster said two knives were spotted at the scene, but there was no immediate confirmation.

Violent crime is extremely rare in Japan, and children often travel to and from schools alone.

The country has famously strict gun control regulations and gun crime is unusual, but there have been a few high-profile stabbing attacks.

In 2018, a man was arrested in central Japan after stabbing one person to death and injuring two others aboard a bullet train, an attack that prompted new security measures on the famed rail service.

And in 2016, a man stabbed 19 people to death at a disability centre south of Tokyo in what he described as a mission to rid the world of people with mental illness.

A knife-wielding attacker killed a 12-year-old schoolgirl and a man before stabbing himself to death in a rampage outside Tokyo Tuesday that also injured more than a dozen, including several children.

A knife-wielding attacker killed a 12-year-old schoolgirl and a man before stabbing himself to death in a rampage outside Tokyo Tuesday that also injured more than a dozen, including several children. The mass stabbing in the town of Kawasaki, south of the Japanese capital, was a rare attack in a country with one of the lowest rates of violent crime in the developed world, and there was no immediate detail on the suspect's motive. Kiyoshi Matsuda, deputy director of the Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital, told reporters that the 12-year-old schoolgirl and a 39-year-old man had succumbed to their injuries. Local media reported that the suspected attacker, a man in his 50s, had also died of his wounds after turning the knife on himself. Emergency services said at least 16 others had been injured in the attack. "It is a very harrowing case. I feel strong anger," Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in televised remarks. "I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and hope the injured recover quickly." According to local media, eyewitnesses saw a middle-aged man clasping a knife near the bus stop where the children were waiting, shouting "I will kill you". A local man living nearby, who identified himself as Matsumoto, 25, said he went outside after hearing screams. "It's hard to describe what it was like, how it sounded. It wasn't girls having fun, it was a sound that was absolutely not normal," he told AFP. "I saw a man lying on the street. I also saw a girl hunched over on the ground. There were also five or six girls, maybe they were the ones who screamed... There was blood all over them." Watch: Witnesses describe Japan stabbing × 'Prayers and sympathy' The attack occurred during the busy early morning commute as workers headed to their offices and children to school. Fire department officials said they received the first emergency calls shortly before 8:00 am local time (2300 GMT Monday). The scene of the attack was still swarming with emergency personnel hours later, with three police vans parked around the spot to block it from view. Emergency workers set up an orange medical tent to treat the wounded, and ambulances and fire engines were parked nearby. A white school bus with blue stripes was parked at the site, with the name "Caritas Gakuen (school)" written on the side, said an AFP correspondent at the scene. The bloodshed came as Donald Trump wrapped up a state visit to Japan, and the US president offered his "prayers and sympathy" to the victims as he met troops outside Tokyo. Standing aboard a Japanese military ship, he said that "all Americans stand with the people of Japan and grieve for the victims and for their families". A local resident, who declined to give his name, said children attending the Caritas school lined up for the bus at the site every day. "If you live in this neighbourhood, everybody knows that these kids are there," the 66-year-old told AFP. "I've been in this area for a long time, I cannot believe that somebody targeted this bus and targeted these small children." 'Serious injuries' An official at the St Marianna University School of Medicine said a "woman in her forties and three girls... suffered serious injuries." "They will go through surgery for the injuries, mainly to their heads and necks. After that, they will be transferred to the ICU," said Takehito Otsubo, the hospital's assistant director. Police earlier told AFP one suspect had been detained and an eyewitness told local media that the man had stabbed himself. "I saw a man holding a knife... I couldn't see clearly, but he apparently stabbed himself in the neck," one eyewitness told NHK. The broadcaster said two knives were spotted at the scene, but there was no immediate confirmation. Violent crime is extremely rare in Japan, and children often travel to and from schools alone. The country has famously strict gun control regulations and gun crime is unusual, but there have been a few high-profile stabbing attacks. In 2018, a man was arrested in central Japan after stabbing one person to death and injuring two others aboard a bullet train, an attack that prompted new security measures on the famed rail service. And in 2016, a man stabbed 19 people to death at a disability centre south of Tokyo in what he described as a mission to rid the world of people with mental illness.

Very harrowing! I feel strong anger: Japanese PM Abe on mass stabbing

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