GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley blasts Democrats for using tax return demand as 'pretext' to get Trump

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley blasted House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal for demanding that the IRS turn over President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Grassley, an Iowa Republican, asserted in a lengthy speech on Thursday that Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat, did not have a genuine legislative purpose for gathering the returns and said the reasoning outlined in his letter to Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Charles Rettig was about “finding a pretext to bring this president down.” “When you strip out all their pretexts, and when you strip out their circular logic, all you have are Democrats who want to go after the president any way they can,” Grassley said. “They dislike him with a passion, and they want his tax returns to destroy him. That’s all this is about, and it’s Nixonian to the core.” Neal on Wednesday sent Rettig a letter requesting Trump’s personal and business tax returns from the past six years. Neal, who demanded a response by next Wednesday, cast his letter as legislative oversight to ensure the IRS was following its policy of auditing every sitting president and vice president’s return. Trump has already said he is “not inclined” to turn over his returns, though the decision is technically left to the U.S. Treasury Department. “Democrats haven’t offered a shred of evidence to suggest that the IRS hasn’t done its job auditing President Trump’s taxes or anybody else’s for that matter,” said Grassley, who has said in the past that he wants his committee to receive the returns as well if Neal receives them. “They’re not concerned about oversight of the IRS enforcement process at all,” Grassley said. “What they are interested in is using their oversight authority to collect as much information about this president’s finances as they can get their hands on.”

u.s .
congress
taxes
republicans
irs
democrats
donald trump
chuck grassley


Guaido says imprisoning him could be Maduro's final move, and he has contingency plan

Abstract: CARACAS - Juan Guaido, newly vulnerable to arrest, says he is prepared to be imprisoned by the autocratic regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and has a contingency plan for allies to continue the protest movement he leads. “In the event that they want to, or try to, kidnap me, which they can do without a doubt, there is a complete strategy ready to continue with leadership, but also to intensify pressure,” Guaido said in an interview following a conference on the opposition’s policy plans to remedy Venezuela’s crisis. An arrest “would only catalyze local and international pressure, and I dare say, would be one of the government’s final erratic political actions.” Venezuelan law has afforded Guaido, 35, immunity from prosecution because he is the head of the opposition-dominated National Assembly. But Maduro created a so-called Constituent Assembly to bypass that legislature, making it politically omnipotent and stacking it with socialist-party loyalists. On Tuesday, it stripped Guaido of protection, because he defied a travel ban to tour Latin American countries that support regime change in Venezuela. Guaido has galvanized a fractious opposition and rallied his countrymen and most of the western world behind him. Soon after taking the reins of the toothless legislature in January, he invoked a constitutional provision to launch an interim government after Maduro began another six-year term following 2018 elections widely regarded as rigged. The U.S. and about 50 other nations quickly recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful head of state. But Maduro continues to control the crucial security and military apparatus and receives support from Russia and China. His regime has cracked down on dissent and opened a probe into Guaido, who is accused of inciting violence, lying about his personal finances and was barred from leaving the country. Guaido calls it persecution. “What we see is a government without a response to the crisis,” Guaido said. “They’re trying to dominate a society that’s at a boiling point.” Slipping Out The oil-rich nation is reeling from hyperinflation, hunger and rolling blackouts that make daily life miserable for residents in backwater towns and major cities alike. Thousands of thirsty residents have recently taken to the streets of Caracas after going more than a week without running water. Despite mounting unrest, Maduro continues to insist that the country’s woes are not the result of poor governance, but sabotage orchestrated by opponents at home and abroad. In February, Guaido slipped into neighboring Colombia and then met with half a dozen heads of state to whip up international support. Despite facing arrest, he returned home last month on a commercial flight and continued to call for street action. As Venezuela hurtles toward a complete collapse of basic services, authorities have intensified pressure on Guaido and his inner circle. In March, intelligence police arrested Roberto Marrero, Guaido’s chief of staff, accusing him leading a “terrorist cell.” The ruling Socialists have jailed or forced many of their most prominent opponents into exile, including Leopoldo Lopez, Guaido’s political mentor, who was sentenced to almost 14 years in prison after launching a wave of demonstrations. He was released to house arrest in July 2017 under orders to keep quiet; intelligence police are stationed in front of his home. Although Guaido and his allies have prepared for an arrest, he said he was still coming to terms with what prison would mean for him personally. The regime has been accused of human-rights violations that include torture and extrajudicial killings. “I’ve had to see evil up close,” Guaido said. “But nothing can prepare you for being kidnapped, killed or watching your family suffer.” The U.S., Guaido’s most outspoken international backer, has explicitly warned against harming the opposition leader. Already, the Trump administration slapped sanctions on Venezuela’s crumbling oil industry and top regime officials. But so far America has stopped short of direct action to topple Maduro. Guaido says he has been in touch with representatives of U.S. and other foreign governments, who have expressed concern over the campaign against him and pledged continued support. He’s now hoping to capitalize on widespread anger over the lack of water and electricity, and has called supporters to the streets this weekend for another round of nationwide demonstrations. Repression is bound to backfire, he said. “This strategy will not work for the regime,” Guaido said. “It’s digging its own grave while we’re in complete collapse.”

u.s .
venezuela
nicolas maduro
juan guaido


Wind turbines' noise causes cancer? Trump's 'idiotic' theory whips up storm

Abstract: WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump has never been shy of sharing his dislike of wind turbines. But by suggesting this week that their noise could cause cancer, he stunned political friends and foes alike. “It’s an idiotic statement,” Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, echoing an earlier assessment by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. Addressing a Republican fundraiser in Washington, the U.S. president — who routinely questions the science of climate change — launched a lengthy attack on wind turbines, which he called “windmills.” “They say the noise causes cancer,” Trump told the gathering — a theory not borne out by scientific research. A staunch supporter of the coal industry, Trump has taken to cracking jokes at his rallies about wind power, which accounted for some 6 percent of U.S. energy generation in 2016, according to the Energy Department. “I’d love to watch a show tonight, darling,” Trump quipped last week to laughs from the crowd in Michigan. “The wind hasn’t blown for three days.” “Darling, please, tell the wind to blow.”

energy
cancer
renewables
wind
nancy pelosi
donald trump
chuck grassley


Glaring U.S. absences raise questions about relevance of G7

Abstract: PARIS - Foreign and interior ministers from the Group of Seven countries are gathering in France this week to try to find ambitious solutions to world security challenges. Putting a dampener on that are two glaring American absences: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. The fact that ranking U.S. officials are skipping the Thursday-Saturday meetings in Paris and the resort of Dinard raises questions about the G7’s relevance and effectiveness at solving the very international issues it has laid out as crucial, including fighting terrorism and human trafficking. The interior ministers’ meetings started Thursday in Paris with a lunch focusing on migration issues, human trafficking and the fight against smugglers. U.S. President Donald Trump has made no secret of his disdain for the G7, especially since Russia was pushed out of the gathering of major world economies after its annexation of Crimea in 2014. The U.S. absences signal that the Trump administration has downgraded the group — which also includes France, Canada, Japan, Germany, Italy and the U.K. — in its list of priorities. Pompeo is in Washington this week, far from French shores, hosting NATO’s foreign ministers to mark the alliance’s 70th anniversary. Nielsen is staying behind to deal with border issues in the U.S. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, meanwhile, announced she is attending both the NATO meeting and the G7 summit in Dinard. In fact, alliances are fraying everywhere, even at NATO as Pompeo shines a spotlight on America’s involvement in the military alliance. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged internal NATO disagreements this week on trade, climate change and the Iran nuclear deal, but insisted the 29 allies are united in their commitment to defend each other. France, which took over the G7’s presidency in January, is hosting a summit of interior ministers in Paris on Thursday and Friday, which overlaps with a summit of G7 foreign ministers on Friday and Saturday in Dinard. U.S. Homeland Security official Claire Grady is standing in for Nielsen at the interior ministers’ meetings. Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan will stand in for Pompeo, discussing “a broad range of issues, including the deteriorating situation in Venezuela, destabilizing Iranian behavior in the Middle East, the responsible conduct of states in cyber space, and the final denuclearization of North Korea,” the State Department said. It said these conversations will “set the stage” for the August G7 summit France will host in the southwestern city of Biarritz. Last June, Trump roiled the -7 meeting in Canada by first agreeing to a group statement on trade only to withdraw from it while complaining that he had been blindsided by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s criticism of Trump’s tariff threats at a news conference. In an extraordinary set of tweets aboard Air Force One, Trump threw the G7 summit into disarray and threatened to escalate his trade war just as Canada released the G7’s official communique. France’s Foreign Ministry listed the main issues under discussion this week as cybersecurity, the trafficking of drugs, arms and migrants in Africa’s troubled Sahel region, and fighting gender inequality. That includes ways to prevent rape and violence against women, especially in Africa. The French presidency says the interior ministers’ meeting aims to set joint commitments on security and counterterrorism, including how to deal with citizens who have joined Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, or their wives and children. Many IS fighters have been captured and imprisoned in those countries. A top official at the French Interior Ministry stressed that the instability of the region, after U.S.-backed forces declared military victory over the Islamic State group in Syria last month, still poses a challenge. The problem has grown more urgent since Trump announced his intention to reduce the U.S. military presence in Syria. “We need to coordinate our policies to prevent that risk. We must avoid a dispersion of foreign fighters, avoid that they gather together elsewhere,” the official said, speaking anonymously ahead of the meeting in accordance with French government practice. The U.S. has called for countries to take back their citizens and put them on trial, if necessary, but Western countries have largely refused to take back their detained citizens. France says French fighters must be tried wherever they committed their crimes. U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, who are holding some of the IS fighters, have called for an international tribunal for IS detainees. The G7 interior ministers will also discuss ways to fight terrorism and extremism on the internet, possibly by imposing regulations on internet giants like Facebook, Twitter and Google. Interior ministers from Niger and Burkina Faso are joining Thursday’s lunch on migration to put a focus on Africa’s Sahel region, a source of migration to Europe as well as a transit region and destination for smuggling.

france
g7
donald trump
mike pompeo
emmanuel macron


House votes to end U.S. support for Yemen war, rebuffing Trump ahead of expected veto

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Rejecting a plank of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy, the House of Representatives on Thursday invoked never-before-used powers to demand that his administration withdraw support from the Saudi-led war in Yemen . The Senate passed the same resolution in March with bipartisan support. Trump is expected to issue a veto of the measure , his second as president, and Congress does not have the votes to override him. But the action was nonetheless a milestone for lawmakers, who have shown a renewed willingness to assert their war-making powers after letting them atrophy for decades under presidents from both parties. “The president will have to face the reality that Congress is no longer going to ignore its constitutional obligations when it comes to foreign policy,” said Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel of New York, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Yemen was plunged into a civil war in September 2014, when rebels known as Houthis swept into the capital and overthrew the country’s internationally recognized government. The Saudi-led coalition began fighting the rebels months later in a campaign that Saudi Arabia said was aimed at curbing Iranian influence. At the time, the Houthis were allied with forces backed by Iran; in the years that followed, Iran’s role in the conflict has grown. The conflict has been a bloody stalemate for years. Thousands have been killed in Saudi airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, and millions are on the brink of starvation. The war has devastated the economy of Yemen, the Arab world’s poorest country. The vast majority of the population cannot afford food to eat. Two lawmakers who have led the charge for the war powers resolution, Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have displayed photos of emaciated Yemeni children when they have given speeches on the Senate floor. “This is a moral stain on this nation, every day that we continue to take part in this war,” Murphy said after Thursday’s vote. Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican who championed the measure, said it “is long past time that we end U.S. involvement in this unauthorized, unjustified, and immoral war that has caused immense human suffering.” While the U.S. has trained Saudi soldiers and sold the kingdom arms for decades, direct support to the Saudi coalition began in 2015, during the Obama administration, with intelligence sharing, logistical support and inflight refueling. The Pentagon ordered an end to inflight refueling last November. Support for the coalition carried over into the Trump administration, which has made Saudi Arabia a central ally in efforts to disengage from the Middle East and take a hard line on Iran. On his first international trip as president, Trump visited Riyadh, where he emphasized business ties between the two countries. Home to key American military bases, Saudi Arabia also remains one of the top buyers of American arms and Trump has made it a priority to loosen weapons export controls. As it has done in the past, his administration on Thursday defended the alliance with Saudi Arabia as a foreign policy imperative. Navy Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman, warned that curtailing U.S. military support could make the country’s problems worse. “New restrictions on the limited U.S. military support could still increase civilian casualties, jeopardize cooperation with our partners on counterterrorism, undercut UN-led peace negotiations at a critical point, and embolden Iran to increase its support to the Houthis which raises the risk for regional conflict,” Rebarich said. “We need to continue to work with our partners to minimize civilian casualties and expand urgent humanitarian efforts throughout Yemen. The White House statement threatening a veto said the bill raises “serious constitutional concerns.” It also argued U.S. support for the Saudis coalition does not constitute engaging in “hostilities,” meaning the War Powers Act doesn’t apply. Those arguments were echoed by House Republicans. Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the measure “does nothing to address the humanitarian crisis in Yemen” and argued the lawmakers were abusing the authority under the War Powers Resolution, which was enacted in 1973. “This radical interpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia,” McCaul said. He warned that the measure could “disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries.” Debate over U.S. support to the military campaign flared late last year after the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi by agents of the kingdom. Lawmakers from both parties said Trump had not condemned Saudi Arabia strongly enough, citing the president’s apparent dismissal of assessments from U.S. intelligence agencies that the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing. A resolution to withdraw U.S. support from the war passed the Senate in December, and was revived this year after Democrats took the House majority. Final passage Thursday came despite a procedural gambit from House Republicans related to support for Israel, an issue that has been a point of tension for Democrats in recent months. GOP leaders proposed adding language condemning the international boycott movement against Israel and efforts to delegitimize the country. Democrats called the amendment a ploy to kill the Yemen resolution and rallied against it. “This is about politics, this is about trying to drive a wedge into this caucus where it does not belong,” said Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., to applause from Democrats. As the resolution headed to the White House, supporters in both parties made a final plea for Trump to sign it. A letter signed by Lee, Sanders, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and members of the House cited Trump’s desire to avoid “costly and never-ending conflicts across the globe.” By signing the resolution, the lawmakers wrote, the president could “set a new precedent” and take on “entrenched opposition to foreign-policy restraint.” Asked about the resolution late Thursday, Trump was noncommittal. “I’ll take a look at it,” he told reporters at the White House.

conflict
u.s .
congress
yemen
saudi arabia
democrats
veto
donald trump
jamal khashoggi


Napoleon love letters to Josephine go for over €500,000

Abstract: PARIS - Three love letters from Napoleon Bonaparte to his wife, Josephine, written between 1796 and 1804, were sold for a total of €513,000 ($575,000) on Thursday, the Drouot auction house said. “No letter from you my adorable friend, you must have very sweet preoccupations since you forget your husband who, though in the midst of business and extremely tired thinks only and desires only you,” the French leader said in one letter written during the Italian campaign in 1796. The historically themed auction run by the French Ader and Aguttes houses also included a rare Enigma encryption machine, used by Nazi Germany during World War II, which went for €48,100. The items were part of a vast sell-off by the French state of the collection amassed by the collapsed investment firm Aristophil. It was shut down amid a scandal four years ago, taking €850 million ($1 billion) of its investors’ money with it. The previous 14 auctions, held last year, brought in €26.4 million.


Boeing defends 'fundamental safety' of 737 Max after crash report but admits system error

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Embattled U.S. aviation giant Boeing on Thursday insisted on the “fundamental safety” of its 737 Max aircraft but pledged to take all necessary steps to ensure the jets’ airworthiness. The statements came hours after Ethiopian officials said pilots of a doomed plane that crashed last month, leaving 157 people dead, had followed the company’s recommendations. The preliminary findings released Thursday by transportation authorities in Addis Ababa put the American aircraft giant under even greater pressure to restore public trust amid mounting signs the company’s onboard anti-stall systems were at fault in crashes involving its formerly top-selling 737 Max aircraft — incidents that left nearly 350 people dead in less than five months. “We remain confident in the fundamental safety of the 737 Max,” CEO Dennis Muilenburg said in a statement, adding that impending software fixes would make the aircraft “among the safest airplanes ever to fly.” Muilenburg also acknowledged, however, that an “erroneous activation” of Boeing’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System had occurred. The system is designed to prevent stalls but may have forced the Ethiopian and Indonesian jets into the ground. In an earlier statement, the head of the company’s commercial aircraft division had said Boeing was ready to perform “any and all additional steps” to enhance the safety of the 737 Max. A report by Ethiopian investigators on Thursday said the crew of the Ethiopian Airlines plane repeatedly followed procedures recommended by Boeing, but were unable to regain control of the jet. The initial probe appears to confirm concerns about MCAS, with data echoing that of the crash of an Indonesian Lion Air 737 Max 8 flight in October that killed 189 people. Ethiopian authorities’ full report has not been publicly released, but according to a draft copy seen by AFP, shortly after takeoff a sensor recording the level of the plane began transmitting faulty data, prompting the autopilot system to point the nose downwards. “The crew performed all the procedures repeatedly provided by the manufacturer, but was not able to control the aircraft,” said Ethiopian Transport Minister Dagmawit Moges, unveiling results of the preliminary probe into the crash. The report recommends “the aircraft flight control system shall be reviewed by the manufacturer,” Dagmawit said. “Aviation authorities shall verify that the review of the aircraft flight control system has been adequately addressed by the manufacturer before the release of the aircraft for operations,” she added. Boeing now says it plans to release a software fix to the anti-stall system used aboard the 737 Max aircraft in the coming weeks. U.S. regulators this week demanded further improvements to a proposed fix before it could be submitted for review and announced a review of the certification of the automated flight control system on the 737 Max. The Ethiopian Airlines flight was headed to Nairobi on a clear morning on March 10 when so-called angle of attack sensors on either side of the nose of the plane began sending conflicting information to the auto pilot system shortly after takeoff. According to the report AFP saw, the nose of the plane pointed down four times without pilot input. The autopilot was switched off at some point and the captain called out “pull up” three times to his first officer as the pair battled to gain control. Three minutes after takeoff and three minutes before the crash, the captain asked the first officer to try the manual trim system, which changes the level of the plane. He replied that it was not working. They asked to turn back, but it was too late. The plane pitched down at a 40-degree angle, smashing into a field outside Addis Ababa at about 500 knots (920 kilometers per hour). Both engines were buried at a depth of 10 meters (32 feet) in a crater 28 meters wide and 40 meters long, with fragments of debris found within a radius of about 300 meters. “This accident was not survivable,” said the report. Citizens from over 30 countries were on board. Shortly after the Lion Air crash last year, Boeing issued a bulletin reminding operators of emergency guidelines to override the anti-stall system, amid indications it had received erroneous information from angle of attack sensors during that disaster.

ethiopian airlines
aircraft accidents
lion air
boeing 737 max
dennis muilenburg
mcas


Floods devastate farms in Iran, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage

Abstract: LONDON - Flooding has caused hundreds of millions of dollars of damage to Iranian agriculture, an official said on Thursday, as the parliament speaker questioned whether government funds would be adequate to compensate communities and farmers. About 1,900 cities and villages have been affected by floods and exceptionally heavy rains since March 19. The disaster, which has so far killed 62 people, has left aid agencies struggling to cope and seen 86,000 people moved to emergency shelters. Early estimates put agriculture sector losses at 47 trillion rials (about $350 million), the head of the Agriculture Ministry’s crisis management, Mohammad Mousavi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA based on the unofficial exchange rate of 135,000 rials to a dollar. The government has assured citizens, and especially flood-affected farmers, that all losses will be compensated. But the speaker of parliament, Ali Larijani, said on Thursday the new year budget would not suffice to cover the damages and the government should seek other resources. Iran’s operating budget is already stretched under U.S. sanctions on energy and banking sectors that have halved its oil exports and restricted access to some revenues abroad. President Hassan Rouhani, whom critics have accused of mismanaging the response to the disaster, said on Wednesday the sanctions were also hampering aid efforts. The lawmakers have summoned several ministers to parliament on Sunday to explain why preventative measures were not in place. At least 26 of Iran’s 31 provinces have been affected. As waters continue to submerge villages, the government said it had deployed more mobile medical units to southern provinces. Around 1,000 people have been airlifted by emergency helicopters to safety in recent days. The head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards reiterated that the forces “were using all their power” to minimize damages in oil-rich southwestern Khuzestan province. Iranian drilling companies and other energy firms have been assisting rescue efforts in flooded areas, using pumps to remove water. Rising water, mudslides and rock slides have blocked 36 roads across the country. Many flights and trains have been affected. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has released around 500,000 Swiss francs ($500,000) as cash grants for 3,000 Iranian families who have lost homes and livelihoods in the floods. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Tehran’s handling of the crisis on Tuesday, saying the “floods once again show the level of Iranian regime mismanagement in urban planning and in emergency preparedness.” Iranian Foreign Minister snapped back on Thursday, calling his comments “unprofessional, interventionist and demagogic.” “Apparently Mr. Pompeo has forgotten that the U.S. federal government itself has shown to be incapable of providing sufficient relief in many regions affected by natural disasters, which have claimed the lives of thousands of Americans,” he tweeted.


There's an app for that, a TV channel and rallies galore: How brand Modi plays in Indian election

Abstract: NEW DELHI - If Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wins this spring’s general election, as is widely expected, it will also be another massive victory for the marketing machine created to amplify his brand into every Indian living room. Opinion polls regularly show Modi is India’s most popular politician, and to turn that appeal into votes, his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pulled out all the stops from the most modern methods of communication to the very traditional. There is the recently launched NaMo TV channel dedicated to the 68-year-old leader, a Narendra Modi mobile app that has been downloaded by 100 million people, and a massive social media following across every major platform in India. Modi and the BJP have a combined 57.5 million followers on Twitter, four times the total for the main opposition Congress party and its president, Rahul Gandhi. Modi is the world’s third-most-followed politician on Twitter, after former U.S. President Barack Obama and current President Donald Trump. The Hindu nationalist BJP itself claims to have more members than any other political party in the world. Polls for the world’s biggest democratic vote open on a rolling basis between April 11 and May 19. Modi is widely expected to be in a position to form a new government after the election, with the big question whether he will win an outright majority or be forced into trying to form a coalition. With the campaign now in full swing, the BJP says Modi physically reaches out to more than 250,000 people a day through the many rallies he addresses. Most of those are then carried live across multiple party platforms and news channels across India, including the nation’s public broadcaster. “He is doing three to four rallies every day. One rally would cover three to four constituencies,” said Vijay Chauthaiwale, who is in charge of BJP’s foreign affairs department. Last Sunday, 10 million people watched a TV program in which Modi interacted with the country’s security guards, he added. Opposition parties have complained the BJP is gaining an unfair advantage by using the state broadcaster and the NaMo TV to air its propaganda. The Election Commission is looking into the complaints. On Wednesday alone, Modi addressed as many as four rallies, starting early in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and ending late in a constituency 2,300 km (1,400 miles) away in the western state of Maharashtra. Gandhi spoke in three rallies, all in the northeast. Even before the election dates were announced on March 10, Modi went on a spree to launch various public projects across more than 16 states, often using those events to broadcast the achievements of his government. “The opposition is way behind the curve,” said a close aide to Modi. “Even before the official inauguration of the political campaign on March 28, he completed the first phase of campaigning. Now it’s the second phase.” Congress accuses Modi and the BJP of misusing its powers and deep pockets to try and influence voters. “Modi used public projects, government-sponsored events as a vehicle to serve his political campaigning,” said Congress’ chief spokesman, Randeep Singh Surjewala. “We know the voters understand this strategy and they will make the right choice of defeating his party.” Congress also complained in January that it was struggling to find enough helicopters to ferry its leaders because the BJP had reserved most of the available aircraft well in advance. The BJP has indeed substantially increased its income and party membership in the past five years in power. In 2017/18, the BJP’s total income including donations stood at 10.27 billion rupees ($150 million), compared with 1.9 billion rupees for Congress, according to the Association for Democratic Reforms, a Delhi-based advocacy group that examines political funding and candidate disclosure forms. “There’s a huge gap between our campaign and their (Congress) campaign,” BJP spokesman Gopal Krishna Agarwal said. “We’re much ahead in our communication, on organizational structure, outreach schemes etc.”

india
rahul gandhi
elections
narendra modi
bjp


U.S. trains with ASDF in Western Pacific as area sees ramped-up military drills by China

Abstract: B-52 bombers from Guam have trained with Air Self-Defense Force and Okinawa-based U.S. fighter jets in the Western Pacific, just days after China sent a total of six bombers and other aircraft through a key entryway into the Pacific for their own military exercises. “Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers took off from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, and conducted integrated training with Koku-Jieitai (Japan Air-Self Defense Force) fighters and 18th Wing F-15s from Kadena Air Base, Japan, in the vicinity of Western Japan” on Thursday, U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Monica Urias told The Japan Times. The mission made for a busy week in the area, with the Chinese Air Force dispatching a total of six H-6G and H-6K bombers, as well as electronic warfare and surveillance aircraft and fighter jets, through the Miyako Strait, international airspace between the Japanese islands of Okinawa and Miyako in the East China Sea, on Monday and March 30. The Miyako Strait is widely known as the principal entryway for the Chinese Navy into the Pacific Ocean. The ASDF scrambled fighter jets to intercept the Chinese aircraft in response both times, though Japanese airspace was not violated, according to the Defense Ministry in Tokyo. Thursday’s U.S. training mission with the ASDF was the first since similar exercises over the East China Sea on March 20. Both missions were part of the so-called continuous bomber presence operations the U.S. military says have been ongoing since March 2004 and are part of the United States’ long-standing “freedom of navigation” policies. The U.S. and Japanese militaries regularly conduct such exercises in the East China Sea, home to the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands, and the Western Pacific. Beijing — which also claims the Senkakus and calls them Diaoyu — often dispatches ships and aircraft to the area surrounding the tiny islets. In November 2013, China declared an air defense identification zone, in which aircraft are supposed to identify themselves to Chinese authorities, in the East China Sea. The United States and Japan have refused to recognize the ADIZ, and many observers have viewed it as an attempt by China to bolster its claims over disputed territories, like the uninhabited Senkakus. Beijing said in 2017 that Washington should respect the ADIZ after Chinese officials warned a U.S. bomber that it was illegally flying inside the East China Sea zone. The Pentagon rejected the Chinese call and said it would continue its flight operations in the region. The United States is obligated to defend aggression against territories under Japanese administration under Article 5 of the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security, and top U.S. officials have said this extends to the Senkakus. Training missions such as Thursday’s have apparently ramped up amid protracted military and trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, with one mission on March 4 and another in January taking bombers over the East China Sea. The U.S. has also sent its B-52s over the disputed South China Sea — including two separate flights near some of China’s man-made islands there within the space of ten days earlier this month. Beijing has blasted the missions as “provocations.” China’s Foreign Ministry has said no military ship or aircraft could scare Beijing away from its resolve to protect what it says is its territory. China has built up a series of military outposts in the strategic waterway, which includes vital sea lanes through which about $3 trillion in global trade passes each year. Washington and Beijing have frequently jousted over the militarization of the South China Sea, where China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims. The U.S. does not maintain any claims there, but says the operations are conducted globally with the aim of promoting freedom of navigation.

china
u.s .
military
senkakus
weapons
disputed islands
south china sea
self defense forces


In snub, U.S. won't send warships or senior officials to Chinese Navy's 70th anniversary celebrations

Abstract: The United States has decided not to send warships or senior military officers to celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy later this month, a snub by Washington even as U.S. allies Japan and South Korea are expected to send their own vessels and officials. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn told The Japan Times on Friday that the U.S. Embassy in Beijing’s defense attache office would instead represent the United States at the fleet review and a symposium in the eastern port city of Qingdao from April 22 to 25. “The U.S. government seeks a bilateral relationship that is results-oriented and focused on risk reduction,” Eastburn said. “The U.S. Navy will continue to pursue its primary goal of constructive, risk-reduction focused, discourse with the PLAN.” Eastburn added that this would include continued engagement with the Chinese Navy “through established military-to-military dialogues, such as the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement working groups and Rules of Behavior discussions.” China’s Defense Ministry announced last week that more than 60 countries will send naval delegations to participate in a multinational event on April 23. This will include a fleet review inspection featuring naval vessels from a number of countries such as South Korea, the Philippines and Japan. Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwakya said last month that the Maritime Self-Defense Force would send a destroyer to visit from April 21 to 26, the first visit to the country by an MSDF vessel in seven years amid thawing Sino-Japanese ties. Tokyo is also considering participation by the MSDF chief of staff in the event. Media reports have also said that France and Russia could even send aircraft carriers, though this has not been confirmed by Paris or Moscow. The fleet review parade is expected to be larger than last year’s, the country’s largest since 1949. Last year’s parade was overseen by Chinese President Xi Jinping. Last April’s naval review in the South China Sea featured a total of 48 vessels and 76 planes, including China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, its Type 094A and 095 nuclear submarines, 052D guided missile destroyers and J-15 fighter jets. The PLA Navy, which has faced growing international scrutiny over its moves in the South and East China seas in recent years, is using this year’s anniversary to reach out to its counterparts across the globe to present a friendlier image. But the U.S. snub, apparently made out of concerns that China could have used the presence of American warships to bolster its international standing, is expected to put a damper on any propaganda victory by Beijing. The decision comes amid a ramped-up pace of so-called freedom of navigation operations (FONOPs) by U.S. warships and aircraft in and over the disputed South China Sea. It also comes less than a year after the Pentagon announced last May that it was disinviting the Chinese Navy from taking part in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills — the world’s largest naval exercise. That announcement specifically pointed to China’s militarization of islands in the South China Sea as a reason for the cancellation. A month earlier, China deployed the first advanced anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles to some of its fortified islets in the waterway’s Spratly chain. Beijing has built up a series of military outposts in the South China Sea, which includes vital sea lanes through which about $3 trillion in global trade passes each year. Washington and Beijing have frequently jousted over the militarization of the South China Sea, where China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines all have competing claims. The U.S. does not maintain any claims there but says its FONOPs are conducted globally with the aim of promoting freedom of navigation. Zhang Baohui, director of Lingnan University’s Center for Asian Pacific Studies in Hong Kong, said the decision not to send any warships or senior officials to the anniversary “is definitely a sign of tougher policies toward China” by the White House. “In the past, it was the U.S. that tried to establish steady military-to-military relations between the two countries,” Zhang said. This “represented U.S. efforts to engage China and broaden mutual trust. Now, the Trump administration has targeted China as a strategic competitor and the policy is competition rather than engagement. In that context, trust-building falls by the wayside.” The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has used numerous policy documents, including the Pentagon’s 2018 National Defense Strategy and the White House’s 2017 National Security Strategy, to label China a “strategic competitor,” as part of its harder line in dealing with Beijing. As for the anniversary decision impacting the decisions by Tokyo and Seoul to participate, Zhang said it was unlikely that the two would pull out. “Japan has actually improved relations with China in substantial ways,” he said, noting the ongoing thaw between the two Asian giants under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. “Its foreign policies, under Abe and in the context of Tokyo’s concerns for Trump’s trade policies and alliance politics, have become more independent,” he said. South Korea, with liberal President Moon Jae-in, also “wants good relations with Beijing,” he said. “So I expect both will send warships to the event.”

china
east china sea
conflict
u.s .
military
south china sea
xi jinping
anniversaries
donald trump


Wildfires force thousands to evacuate in South Korea

Abstract: SEOUL - Thousands of firefighters and soldiers are starting to contain wildfires in South Korea on Friday which have killed one person and forced more than 4,000 people to flee their homes, the South Korean government said. The fires broke out in eastern Gangwon Province on Thursday evening and spread to the cities of Sokcho and Gangneung, burning about 525 hectares (1,297 acres) and some 198 homes, warehouses and other buildings by early Friday, the government said. About 2,263 citizens were evacuated to gymnasiums and schools by early Friday, down from about 4,230 citizens earlier. 52 schools were closed. The fire in the Sokcho region has been contained, the government said, while about 50 percent of the fire in the Gangneung region was contained. President Moon Jae-in has ordered the use of all available resources to extinguish the forest fires, the presidential office said. Some 872 fire trucks and 3,251 firefighters from all over the country are currently working to contain the wildfire, the National Fire Agency said. The Ministry of Defense said some 16,500 soldiers, 32 military helicopters and 26 military firetrucks have been deployed as well, and plans to provide meals for 6,800 people. Some 4 billion won ($3.52 million) in special subsidies will be issued for containing the fires and cleaning up debris, along with 250 million won in disaster relief funds for temporary accomodation and daily necessities for evacuees, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said.


Christchurch massacre gunman Brenton Tarrant charged with 49 more mosque murders

Abstract: CHRISTCHURCH, NEW ZEALAND - Australian Brenton Tarrant appeared in a New Zealand court on Friday where the suspected white supremacist was charged with an additional 49 counts of murder at two mosques last month. In an attack broadcast live on Facebook, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers in Christchurch on March 15, killing 50 worshippers and wounding dozens of people. Tarrant, who was charged with one murder a day after the shooting attack, was also charged with 39 attempted murders on Friday. The High Court judge overseeing the appearance ordered Tarrant to undergo a mental assessment to determine whether he was fit to stand trial. He was not required to submit a plea. Tarrant, 28, has been moved to New Zealand’s only maximum-security prison in Auckland and appeared at the Christchurch High Court through a video link. Tarrant was then remanded to custody until June 14. High Court Judge Cameron Mander said whether Tarrant would be required to enter a plea at his next appearance depended on his mental health assessment and “any other developments.” Legal experts said two mental health experts would likely assess Tarrant, while police, who have not ruled out further charges, would continue to investigate New Zealand’s worst peacetime mass killing. Prison officials say Tarrant is under 24-hour surveillance with no access to media, according to news reports. He appeared via video handcuffed and seated, wearing a grey prison t-shirt. He listened calmly throughout the hearing, which lasted roughly 20 minutes. Around two dozen family members of victims and some survivors of the attacks were present in the courtroom. “The man had no emotion,” said Tofazzal Alam, a regular at one of the mosques, when asked about seeing the suspect on video. Tarrant would be represented by two Auckland lawyers, one of them, Shane Tait, said in a statement on his website, which did not include any comments on the case. Tait on Friday said he was arranging for his client to receive psychiatric assessment and that the process would take “some months,” according to court minutes. “As I observed at this morning’s hearing, that is a usual and regular step for counsel to take at this point in the proceeding,” said Judge Mander. Media had reported that Tarrant wished to represent himself and legal experts have said he may try to use the hearings as a platform to present his ideology and beliefs. “If he has lawyers, he will be speaking a lot less in court,” said Graeme Edgeler, a Wellington-based barrister and legal commentator. “He can still give evidence…that’s possible, but if he’s represented by lawyers and it goes to trial he won’t be asking questions of people.” Although journalists were able to attend and take notes, coverage of the hearing was restricted, with media only allowed to publish pixelated images of Tarrant that obscure his face. The judge also suppressed the names of people he was alleged to have attempted to murder. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern labelled the massacre an act of terrorism and quickly introduced tough new firearm laws which banned semi-automatic weapons. Muslims worldwide have praised New Zealand’s response to the massacre, with many singling out Ardern’s gesture of wearing a headscarf to meet victims’ families and urging the country to unite with the call: “We are one.” Thousands of visitors to the reopened Al Noor mosque, where 42 people were killed, have offered condolences and sought to learn more about Islam, said Israfil Hossain, who recites the daily call to prayer there. “They are coming from far just to say sorry … although they never did anything to us,” said Hossain, 26. On Thursday, a group of Carmelite nuns stood for the first time inside a mosque, holding back tears as they talked with worshippers about the two faiths. “Everybody has their own problems and they have their own ideas about religions, and that’s fine, and we should all have that, we’re all different,” said one nun, Sister Dorothea. “But we’re all humans and that’s the most important thing, our humanity.”

guns
murder
immigration
new zealand
christchurch
mass shootings
brenton tarrant


Japan's government went online to ensure Reiwa wouldn't clash with 'pachinko parlors or bars'

Abstract: The government relied heavily on the internet when checking that the new era name, Reiwa, was not already in common use as the name of places, companies or organizations. The research method was a world away from the approach taken the previous time the government changed the country’s era name, from Showa to the current Heisei in 1989. A requirement for a new era name is that it is not a commonly used term, but no clear standards have been set out on how to determine whether it is. “We don’t adopt names seen in many places, such as those of pachinko parlors or bars,” a source at the Prime Minister’s Office explained. “Those used widely as personal names aren’t adopted either.” “We were able to check whether candidate era names were commonly used far more extensively than 30 years ago, mainly through the internet,” said Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuyuki Furuya, who was in charge of the latest era name selection process. Soon after the Heisei Era began, in 1989, it came to light that a place called Henari, which uses the same kanji characters as Heisei, exists in Gifu Prefecture. Those involved in the selection of Heisei had been unaware. Internet searches were useful for narrowing down proposed era names this time, especially because the selection process was secret. Officials involved in the process were limited in number, and they were not allowed to obtain external advice directly. According to government sources, the names of Chinese places and companies were also examined. The government also knew that the kanji characters for Reiwa are used for Japanese male names Norikazu and Yoshikazu. But when considering the name, the government “attached importance to its good meaning,” Furuya said, and so it was selected to for the era set to begin on May 1, when Crown Prince Naruhito ascends to the throne. Reiwa means “beautiful harmony,” the Foreign Ministry has said.

internet
emperor akihito
names
abdication
reiwa
emperor naruhito


Japan medical panel starts talks on uterus transplants

Abstract: The Japanese Association of Medical Sciences (JAMS) has established a committee to discuss whether uterus transplants should be allowed in Japan, sources with knowledge of the matter have said. The committee comprises 14 members, including executives of the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Japan Society for Transplantation as well as specialists in bioethics, the sources said Thursday. Chaired by JAMS Vice President Masamitsu Iino, the committee held its first meeting on Wednesday. The surgery in question is aimed at transplanting uteri into women without a womb so they can become pregnant and give birth. The committee will examine the safety of uterus transplants for donors, patients and their babies. It will also discuss ethical issues, such as whether it would be permissible to impose such significant burdens on donors for surgeries that are not needed for the maintenance of life, the sources said. Surrogate delivery is one other option for women without a womb to have a child. The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology currently bans the practice, but the committee plans to discuss the advisability of surrogate delivery. Babies have been born through uterus transplants in some European countries and the United States. In Japan, a Keio University team submitted a plan in November last year to the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology to carry out the country’s first clinical trial surgery to transplant wombs into women who do not have a uterus.


Japan's Hayabusa2 probe drops explosive payload and blasts crater in asteroid Ryugu

Abstract: A Japanese probe on Friday successfully launched an explosive device at an asteroid to blast a crater in its surface, from which it is planned to scoop up material that could shed light on how the solar system evolved. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it was the world’s first such experiment on the asteroid Ryugu, after confirming in images sent from JAXA’s Hayabusa2 probe that blasted debris had risen from the asteroid’s surface. The explosive mission aiming to reveal more about the origins of life on Earth is the riskiest yet attempted by the Hayabusa2 probe. Hayabusa2 released the “small carry-on impactor” (SCI) — a cone-shaped device capped with a copper bottom — as scheduled, as the probe hovered just 500 meters (1,650 feet) above the asteroid Ryugu. The impactor later exploded as planned, propelling the copper bottom toward Ryugu, where it gouged a crater into the surface of the asteroid that spins 300 million kilometers from planet Earth. Hayabusa2 moved smartly away from the area to avoid being damaged by debris from the explosion or by colliding with the asteroid. While doing so it successfully released a camera above the site of the detonation that was able to capture images of the event. The successful release of the camera sparked jubilant applause at Mission Control. At the time it was unclear when the first confirmation of the mission’s success would come. It will take two weeks for the probe itself to return to its “home position” near Ryugu after the detonation and impact. “It is a challenging mission, but we have made thorough preparations for it,” said Takashi Kubota, a professor at JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, during a morning news conference. “I leave the rest to fate,” he added. The size of the crater is yet to be confirmed, but it could be as large as 10 meters in diameter if the surface is sandy or three meters across if it is rocky, according to JAXA scientists. NASA’s Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet in 2005, but only for observation purposes. The aim of the crater on Ryugu is to throw up “fresh” material from under the asteroid’s surface that could shed light on the early stages of the solar system. The asteroid is thought to contain relatively large amounts of organic matter and water from some 4.6 billion years ago, when the solar system formed. In February, Hayabusa2 touched down briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position. The Hayabusa2 mission, with a price tag of around ¥30 billion ($270 million), was launched in December 2014 and is scheduled to return to Earth with its samples in 2020. Photos of Ryugu — which means “dragon palace” in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale — show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders. Hayabusa2 observes the surface of the asteroid with its camera and sensing equipment but has also dispatched two tiny MINERVA-II rover robots as well as the French-German robot MASCOT to assist with surface observation. At about the size of a large fridge, Hayabusa2 is equipped with solar panels and is the successor to JAXA’s first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa, named after the Japanese for falcon. That probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey, and was hailed as a scientific triumph.

nasa space jaxa asteroids geology hayabusa2 ryugu


Application site for Tokyo 2020 Olympic ticket lottery to open in May

Abstract: Tokyo’s Olympic organizing committee said Friday that it will start accepting applications for the 2020 Olympic ticket lottery in May. The application period will begin after the Golden Week holidays end on May 6. The official website is scheduled to go online on April 18 as a “preopening” move, the organizing committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics said. The site will provide detailed schedules of the events and an explanation of the application process. The results will not be released until at least June 14, after a new law banning ticket-scalping takes effect. Those wishing to purchase tickets from the official Tokyo 2020 Olympic website are required to register for Olympic IDs. According to organizers, over 2 million people had registered through March 31. The registration site can be found at tokyo2020.org/jp/special/2020id/

tokyo olympics
2020 tokyo olympics
olympic tickets


Crowdfunding campaign aims to help leukemia patients in Japan have children after treatment

Abstract: An organization promoting bone marrow donations has launched a crowdfunding campaign intended to help protect the future fertility of leukemia patients and their ability to have children. The group hopes to collect ¥10 million in about two months through the campaign, which was launched Thursday. The goal is to financially support leukemia patients by storing their sperm and eggs, before their reproductive functions are damaged and possibly lost due to radiation therapy related to bone marrow transplants. Such provision opens up the possibility of having children in the future using those preserved reproductive materials. As sperm and egg storage is not covered under health insurance programs, patients themselves are currently required to bear all costs related to such treatment. According to the organization, collection and storage of sperm costs about ¥20,000 to ¥70,000, while comparable treatment and services for eggs cost from ¥150,000 to ¥450,000. Annual preservation fees stand at about ¥10,000 to ¥60,000. The organization held a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday to announce the launch of the crowdfunding campaign, with speakers including a 42-year-old male public servant from the island of Shikoku who was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia when he was 25. The man, who underwent a bone marrow transplant operation after the diagnosis, had his sperm preserved beforehand. He now has three children. The collection and preservation of his sperm cost more than ¥500,000, with some of the funding covered by his parents. “Many people in their 20s don’t have much money, and costs for treating such diseases are high,” the man said. “Financial assistance (for sperm and egg storage) can reduce patients’ financial and psychological burdens and give them a sense of relief.” A 49-year-old housewife from Yokohama who suffered from aplastic anemia had her eggs stored when she was 35, before receiving a bone marrow transplant. She gave birth to a baby girl five years ago. “I want a system to be created that enables people fighting difficult diseases to receive treatment for their illness while maintaining the hope of having children in the future,” she told the news conference. The campaign is collecting donations through its website .

charity cancer leukemia fertility crowdfunding


Deputy land minister quits after using graft buzzword sontaku to describe his decision to fund project for Abe

Abstract: Deputy land minister Ichiro Tsukada resigned Friday, days after using contentious wording to claim he had influenced the allocation of funds for a major highway project he believed was favored by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso. Tsukada made the remark on April 1 during a campaign rally for a candidate, backed by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, running in the Fukuoka gubernatorial election set to be held Sunday. The sudden resignation by the senior vice minister at the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry appeared to be a damage-control effort aimed at protecting the LDP’s election campaigns. At the rally, Tsukada said he used sontaku — the act of surmising what your boss really wants and taking actions to achieve it without receiving any clear instructions or orders from that person — when allocating research funds to the project, which will link Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture with Kitakyushu, in Fukuoka. Yamaguchi and Fukuoka are the home prefectures of Abe and Aso, respectively. “I’m quick to understand. I immediately employed sontaku,” Tsukada told the rally in Kitakyushu. His remark was verified in a voice clip uploaded to the news website of broadcaster TV Asahi. “Of course neither the prime minister nor the deputy prime minister could say things like this. But I use sontaku,” he said. Facing reporters Friday in Tokyo, however, Tsukada denied that he had ever used his political influence to allocate funds to the highway project. He said he would step down anyway, as his remarks “caused great trouble to everybody.” “I’m really sorry for making a remark that was not true during a major rally like that,” he said. Tsukada didn’t clearly explain why he made what he now claims was an erroneous remark. Reporters asked him to explain why many times, but he only said that his comments were “different from facts” because he was “overwhelmed by the atmosphere” of the campaign rally. Tsukada’s remark drew particular public attention partly because sontaku was a buzzword in the cronyism scandal involving Osaka-based school operator Moritomo Gakuen and Abe’s wife, Akie. The scandal has been rocking the Abe administration since 2017. Abe has denied using his influence to favor Moritomo Gakuen, but it is widely believed the Finance Ministry sold a land plot in Osaka to the school operator at a huge discount because the first lady temporarily served as the honorary principal of an incomplete elementary school that was being built there under the Moritomo Gakuen group. The sale, conducted by the Finance Ministry officials, was widely described as an example of sontaku at work. Because of that association, Tsukada’s use of the word at this time carried a particularly bad connotation and has caused quite a stir among the public. Tsukada’s gaffe and resignation are likely to have some adverse affect on LDP campaigning across the country for the unified local elections scheduled this Sunday, including the Fukuoka gubernatorial election. Tsukada himself was expected to become an LDP candidate for Niigata Prefecture in the Upper House election in summer, which is likely to be a key barometer for public opinion on Abe’s administration. Tsukada is also a member of an LDP intraparty faction headed by Aso. “I think the remark was inappropriate,” said Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya during a news conference Friday. “He probably said that to warm up the rally,” Iwaya said, going on to hint that someone in a vice-ministerial position, overseeing such projects, could have displayed better judgment. Iwaya is also a member of Aso’s faction. “Reactions to his words were much stronger than expected,” Iwaya added. “I think he made a decision (to quit) so that he would not cause any more trouble.”

shinzo abe
taro aso
corruption
fukuoka
yamaguchi
sontaku
mlit
ichiro tsukada


Evacuees can return next week to parts of Okuma, host of Fukushima nuclear plant, but few likely to

Abstract: The government formalized on Friday its decision to partially lift from next Wednesday a mandatory evacuation order for residents of a town that jointly hosts the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The town of Okuma — which saw all of its roughly 10,000 residents evacuate after one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters, triggered by a deadly earthquake and tsunami — will allow former residents to return for the first time in eight years, the government decided. The decision was said to be based on the lower radiation levels achieved through decontamination work. Futaba, the other town that hosts the plant, remains a no-go zone. Despite the decision, a very small number of residents are expected to return to Okuma. As of late March, only 367 people from 138 households, or around 3.5 percent of the original population of 10,341, were registered as residents of areas where the order will be lifted. “Lifting the evacuation order is not the final goal. We will strive to restore a habitable environment for the population,” Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said at a news conference. There will be no restrictions in place over approximately 38 percent of the town’s total area, but the rest will remain off-limits due to higher radiation levels. On March 11, 2011, a tsunami engulfed the six-reactor nuclear power plant located on the Pacific Coast, causing core meltdowns at reactors 1, 2 and 3 and hydrogen explosions at units 1, 3 and 4 in the days that followed and leading to the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. At the peak of the crisis some 160,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Fukushima Prefecture, and about 40,000 people remained displaced as of the end of March this year.

fukushima
fukushima no . 1
radiation
tepco
nuclear energy
okuma
disasters


Even in retirement, Ichiro still not ready to accept Japan's prestigious People's Honor Award

Abstract: International baseball star Ichiro Suzuki has turned down the nation’s prestigious People’s Honor Award for the third time, a government spokesperson said Friday. Ichiro, who retired from professional baseball last month, instructed his agent to notify the government of his intention to decline the award, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press briefing in Tokyo. The 45-year-old former major leaguer said he wishes to “devote himself so he can receive it when he draws a curtain on his life,” according to Suga. “We will respect his thoughts and we will not go forward with (offering him the award) following his retirement,” the top government spokesman said. “He is a superstar who has given many people hopes and dreams, and I look forward to his future endeavors together with the Japanese people.” The government has attempted multiple times to present him with the award for the numerous records he established during his career in Japan and the United States. Ichiro announced his retirement last month following the Seattle Mariners’ season-opening series against the Oakland Athletics at Tokyo Dome. Playing in his 28th professional season, and 19th in the majors, he started in the outfield for the Mariners but was hitless in the two games. Japan’s government first offered the award to the outfielder for his impressive debut season in the United States in 2001, before asking again in 2004 after he set Major League Baseball’s single-season hit record with 262. Ichiro joined the Seattle Mariners in 2001, becoming a fan favorite across two countries with his unique batting style, speed and defense. That year, he won the American League’s Rookie of the Year and MVP awards as he helped lead the Mariners to a record-tying 116-win season. Ichiro, who started his career in 1992 with the Orix BlueWave, now known as the Orix Buffaloes, had more hits in professional baseball than any other player — numbering 4,367 combined across Japan and the major leagues. He signed with the New York Yankees in 2012 before joining the Miami Marlins in 2015. After returning to the Mariners last year, he was cut last May and given a front office role for the rest of the season. Established in 1977, the People’s Honor Award has been bestowed upon individuals and one team for achievements in sports, entertainment and culture, including securing Olympic gold medals. The most recent recipient was two-time Olympic figure skating gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu, who was handed the award by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in July 2018.

baseball
awards
ichiro suzuki
seattle mariners
people 's honor award


Education ministry panel in Japan drafts rules clarifying that sex discrimination in university entrance exams is improper

Abstract: An education ministry panel has drafted common rules clearly stipulating that any gender-based discrimination in university admission exams is inappropriate. Other inappropriate admission-related practices cited by the rules, included in the panel’s interim report announced Friday, include giving preferential treatment to specific applicants without rational reasons and treating first-time and multiple takers of such tests in a different manner. The panel was set up after unfair admissions practices at Japanese medical schools came to light. The ministry will revise its guidelines for admissions exams in June after receiving the panel’s final report and collecting opinions from related groups, such as the Japan Association of National Universities. The interim report called on universities to clarify the number of applicants to be admitted and give rational explanations when setting up special admission quotas based on regions and other factors. The report also urged universities to make consensus-based admission decisions to prevent arbitrary judgments by any specific person, and to ensure that the score-based rankings of exam takers who may be admitted to fill vacancies are disclosed to such candidates. Last December, the education ministry released the result of its probe into university admissions processes, which found that nine of Japan’s 81 medical schools have manipulated their entrance exams to favor men and relatives of alumni. The nine schools are Tokyo Medical University, Juntendo University, Showa University, Nihon University, Kobe University, Kitasato University, Iwate Medical University, Kanazawa Medical University and Fukuoka University.

universities
gender discrimination
entrance examinations


Japan's land minister voids Okinawa's move to halt construction of U.S. base at Henoko

Abstract: Land minister Keiichi Ishii said Friday that he has decided to nullify a move by the Okinawa Prefectural Government aimed at halting reclamation work for a planned U.S. base off the Henoko district in Nago. Last August, the prefectural government canceled the landfill approval made in 2013 by then-Gov. Hirokazu Nakaima, citing the subsequent discovery of soft ground at the work site and a lack of environmental protection measures such as the preservation of coral reefs. But Ishii told a news conference Friday that there was no reason to void the reclamation approval, because it is possible to carry out the work after stabilizing the soft ground. He also said that environment preservation measures have been implemented based on instructions from experts. Ishii made the decision after screening a nullification request by the Defense Ministry’s Okinawa Bureau under the administrative complaint review law. The decision — made by a member of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet, which is promoting the construction of the replacement facility for U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Ginowan — may spark strong criticism in Okinawa, where more than 70 percent of voters opposed the work in a February referendum, observers said. Later in the day, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya underscored the Abe administration’s resolve to push ahead with the project to relocate the base, saying that the central government aims to realize the full return of land occupied by the current base as soon as possible. Prior to his final decision, Ishii had suspended the revocation of the landfill approval upon receiving the Okinawa Defense Bureau’s complaint. In response, the Okinawa government brought the case to a third-party panel under the internal affairs ministry, claiming that the suspension was illegal. After the panel dismissed Okinawa’s claim, the prefectural government took the matter to the Naha branch of the Fukuoka High Court on March 22. The case is pending.

okinawa
u.s. bases
futenma
henoko
keiichi ishii
mlit


Pierre Taki of Japan techno-pop duo Denki Groove out on ¥4 million bail following cocaine charge

Abstract: Pierre Taki, an actor and member of Japanese techno-pop duo Denki Groove, was released Thursday on bail of ¥4 million ($35,900) after he was indicted earlier this week on a charge of using cocaine. “Because of my anti-social behavior, I caused trouble and worry for many people. I’m very sorry,” said Taki, wearing a black suit with a black tie as he appeared in front of the media shortly after being released from police custody. The 51-year-old, whose real name is Masanori Taki, was arrested on March 12 on suspicion of violating the narcotics control law by inhaling a small amount of cocaine at an apartment, which was not his own home, in Tokyo. A lawyer representing him requested his release on bail a day after he was indicted Tuesday. Denki Groove has performed at a number of overseas music and dance festivals. This year, the group, which also includes Takkyu Ishino, took part in a tour to celebrate its 30th anniversary. Taki is also known as the Japanese voice of snowman Olaf in the hit Disney animated film “Frozen” and has appeared in a number of films and TV dramas. Investigators said Taki told them he had been using cocaine and cannabis since his 20s.


Renault alerts prosecutors over suspicious Oman dealer payments under Carlos Ghosn

Abstract: PARIS - Renault SA has alerted French prosecutors to payments made to a Renault-Nissan business partner in Oman under former Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn, according to three sources. This follows an internal investigation by the French carmaker after Ghosn’s November arrest in Tokyo for suspected financial misconduct at alliance partner Nissan Motor Co. Renault has established it paid out millions of euros described as dealer incentives to Omani distributor Suhail Bahwan Automobiles (SBA) over five years from around 2011, said the sources, who were briefed on the findings. Nissan previously found that its own regional subsidiary made questionable payments of more than $30 million to SBA. But the information sent to French prosecutors shows that much of the cash was then channeled to a Lebanese company controlled by Ghosn associates, the sources said. The total sum paid by Renault is in the double-digit millions of dollars, one source said. “We categorically deny the allegations of potential embezzlement in Oman,” said Ghosn’s French lawyer, Jean-Yves Le Borgnet. Renault spokesman Frederic Texier declined to comment, while the French financial prosecutor’s office did not respond to requests for comment and SBA could not be reached. Responding last month to earlier reports about the Nissan payments via SBA, a Ghosn family spokesman said: “The dealer incentive payments were directed by regional heads, not the CEO, and rewarded top performing dealers around the world.” Ghosn is awaiting trial in Japan on charges that he failed to report around ¥9 billion in Nissan pay he had arranged to receive after retirement. He has also been indicted for transferring personal investment losses to Nissan and steering $14.7 million (¥1.6 billion) in company funds to Saudi businessman Khaled Juffali. Renault initially sought to avoid being drawn into the investigation initiated by Nissan — which ousted Ghosn as chairman days after his arrest — and for weeks avoided sharing the Japanese partner’s findings with its own board. But Ghosn was eventually forced out as Renault chairman and CEO in January, when Michelin veteran Jean-Dominique Senard was appointed chairman, and the alliance partners embarked on an independent audit of their joint finances the following month. Born in Brazil to Lebanese parents, Ghosn, 65, returned to Lebanon as a child and retains a powerful network of friends and associates there. A Beirut house was among several properties around the world that were purchased by Nissan for his use, as the company’s investigation revealed early on. The joint audit of the Renault-Nissan BV alliance management organization has tallied €1.2 million (¥150 million) in Lebanese donations and other spending of questionable benefit to the carmakers, among preliminary results presented to Renault directors this week, two sources familiar with the matter said. The audit is examining the use of four corporate jets financed by the Dutch-registered subsidiary and payments of around €170,000 (¥21.2 million) annually to Carlos Abou Jaoude, Ghosn’s personal lawyer in Lebanon, over six years, the sources said. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by the lawyer. In an earlier complaint filed with French prosecutors in February, Renault turned over evidence that the €50,000 (¥6.2 million) rental cost of Ghosn’s Chateau de Versailles wedding in 2016 had been improperly charged to the company. But the alleged Oman connection may deepen Renault’s exposure to the scandal unearthed by Nissan, which has strained their 20-year-old alliance, and raises questions about governance at the French parent company. Cash from Ghosn’s own “CEO office” budgets at Renault as well as Nissan moved through the regional sales divisions to SBA and on to a Lebanese intermediary, Good Faith Investments Holding, the three people briefed on the findings said. From there it flowed on to privately held entities, including a British Virgin Islands-registered vehicle that paid for a $15 million (¥1.7 billion) yacht, they said. Renault’s findings, delivered to prosecutors late last week, also include evidence suggesting that some of the funds were passed to a California-based company co-founded by Carlos Ghosn’s son, Anthony Ghosn, the sources said. There was no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Anthony Ghosn or that he knew about the origin of the funds invested in his firm, Shogun Investments LLC. The Ghosn family spokesman, who also represents Anthony, declined to comment. Carlos Ghosn has not been charged with any offenses in relation to the findings of either carmaker concerning incentive payments to SBA, the Omani partner, the spokesman added.

france
nissan
prosecutors
renault
carlos ghosn
oman
sba


U.S. airlines back up after second system glitch in a week

Abstract: BANGALORE, INDIA/WASHINGTON - Major U.S. airlines were back up and running on Monday after a system-wide outage delayed hundreds of flights and fired-up customer complaints on social media, the second such disruption in a week. The Federal Aviation Administration said the root of the problem was caused by the program provided by Scottsdale, Arizona-based AeroData Inc. that helps airlines measure and manage weight and balance. The agency released a statement around 8:30 a.m. ET, saying the issue had been resolved and an FAA spokesman said it plans to look into the outage. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines had reported outages. United Airlines said it was unable to create paperwork for some time. “A brief third-party technology issue that prevented some Delta Connection flights from being dispatched on time this morning has been resolved,” Delta said. Other airlines also reported a series of delays. Southwest Airlines was the first carrier to report that the problem had been resolved and it would get travelers moving soon, but added that customers could expect flight delays. A Southwest spokesman could not confirm how many flights were delayed, but said it was safe to say hundreds. FlightAware, an airline tracking website, said Southwest had delayed 775 flights, or 18 percent of its U.S. flights on Monday. American Airlines, JetBlue Airways Corp., United Airlines and other carriers later said the technical issue had been resolved. JetBlue added it was still dealing with residual delays, while United said about 150 flights were delayed. Last week, several airlines had reported issues with Sabre Corp.’s flight reservation and booking system due to which passengers had difficulty accessing flight check-in systems. Just a few minutes of system downtime in AeroData can result in over 100 delayed flights and loss of revenue, according to a 2017 case study by VMware Inc. AeroData could not be immediately reached for comment. Customers barraged Twitter with their complaints over confusion at airports and delayed flights. One Southwest passenger reported waiting on the tarmac in a plane in Dallas for 90 minutes after his 6 a.m. flight to New Orleans was delayed. The airline said after the systems resumed that the flight would arrive at 8:05 a.m. “@SouthwestAir, I get the glitch, but if you could update your flight status times to current status that would help confused travelers from running frantic to catch a flight when the plane is not even waiting at the gate yet. Flight 929 not 8:50 but ‘around’ 10 am,” a passenger tweeted. “My number one traveling pet peeve? Not updating a flight as delayed when you know the prior flight is delayed. How hard is this to get right @AmericanAir?” said another frustrated passenger. Other passengers reported long wait times at airports and missed connections.


BMW and Peugeot go ahead with temporary U.K. plant shutdowns despite Brexit delay

Abstract: LONDON - BMW’s Mini plant in Britain closes for four weeks from Monday and Peugeot’s Vauxhall car factory shuts for two weeks in moves planned months ago to help the firms deal with any disruption resulting from Brexit, which has since been delayed. BMW, which builds just over 15 percent of Britain’s 1.5 million cars, moved its annual summertime shutdown to April to “minimise the risk of any possible short-term parts-supply disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit.” Peugeot parent company PSA, which builds Astra models branded as Vauxhall in Britain and Opel on the continent at its Ellesmere Port factory, has brought forward its shutdown in a decision made at the end of last year, a spokesman said. Britain’s departure from the EU has now been pushed back from March 29 until at least April 12 or potentially much later, ruining some of the contingency plans of certain carmakers. Shutdowns are organized far in advance so employee holidays can be scheduled and suppliers can adjust volumes, making them hard to move. “This is what our company and our workforce have planned for over many months and it is fixed into our business planning,” said a BMW spokesman. It represents the latest headache for Britain’s once roaring car sector which had been on track for record production but since 2017 has posted sharp falls in sales, output and investment. The overwhelmingly foreign-owned industry has become increasingly incredulous as a stable and attractive investment environment descends into one of its deepest political crises, risking the free and frictionless trade the sector relies on. BMW’s Rolls-Royce factory in Goodwood will close for two weeks while Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) three car plants and engine facility and Honda’s Swindon facility will also shut for a few days this month as part of Brexit contingencies. It has been a turbulent few months for the sector after Nissan canceled plans to build a new sport utility vehicle at its English Sunderland plant and Honda said it would shutter its plant in 2021 in the biggest blow to the sector for years. Toyota provided a rare boost when it announced plans to build cars for Suzuki at its English car plant. BMW, which is also closing its central English Hams Hall engine facility and Swindon press shop and sub-assembly site for four weeks, has said it could move some engine and Mini output out of Britain if there is not an orderly Brexit. Carmakers face a number of risks if there is a disorderly Brexit, including delays to the supply of ports and finished models, new customs bureaucracy, the need to recertify models and an up to 10 percent tariff on finished vehicles. A series of investment decisions are coming up, including whether Peugeot will keep the Ellesmere Port site open and if it will build electric vans at its southern English Luton facility, which is closed for three weeks as it is retooled for production of the new Vivaro vehicle. Petrochemicals firm Ineos is also due to choose the location for its off-roader whilst a decision is pending on whether JLR will build electric vehicles in its home market.

eu
u.k .
toyota
nissan
carmakers
suzuki
bmw
brexit
peugeot


FamilyMart launches facial recognition checkouts at Yokohama outlet amid Japan's labor crunch

Abstract: YOKOHAMA - Major convenience store operator FamilyMart Co. on Tuesday introduced checkouts that use facial recognition technology as the company looks to make adjustments amid a nationwide labor shortage. With the latest facial recognition and image analysis technologies developed by Panasonic Corp., customers at a newly opened store in Yokohama can register their photo and credit card information and then check out items using unmanned registers. Customers simply need to place the items they want to purchase on a surface and cameras at the counter register both their face and the products. Their payment is processed when a passcode linked to the registered credit card is entered. In the trial stage, around 1,000 customers will be given access to the system, all of them workers at nearby Panasonic factories. “I am very excited to open this store with Panasonic’s latest technology. We may face some (technological) difficulties, but we must overcome them,” FamilyMart President Takashi Sawada told reporters. Panasonic, which operates the FamilyMart store as a franchisee, has dispatched an official to serve as the store’s senior manager in order to keep a close eye on the new system. The hope is that the store will be able to effectively operate with a smaller than usual crew. A FamilyMart official said the company would like to introduce the facial recognition system in other stores in Japan if the trial proves successful. Amid a declining population, major convenience store operators have suffered from labor shortages and have struggled to maintain around-the-clock services. Seven-Eleven Japan Co. joined with NEC Corp. to begin a similar experiment using facial recognition tech in December at a Tokyo outlet, with eligible customers restricted to employees of NEC. Lawson Inc. said Friday it will try operating two unmanned stores overnight from July. Customers will be able to use self-checkout machines and a smartphone app to scan product barcodes. Company sources also said Monday that Lawson will introduce self-checkout systems at all its 14,000 stores nationwide by October.

convenience stores
familymart
facial recognition


FAA says it expects to receive Boeing 737 Max software fix over 'coming weeks'

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday it expects to receive Boeing Co’s proposed software enhancement package for the grounded 737 Max “over the coming weeks” after the company had previously said it planned to submit the fix for government approval by last week. FAA spokesman Greg Martin said that “time is needed for additional work by Boeing as the result of an ongoing review of the 737 Max Flight Control System to ensure that Boeing has identified and appropriately addressed all pertinent issues.” Southwest Airlines said on Monday it is “publishing a revised schedule for April and May that is built around the currently available Southwest fleet and intends to reduce drastically last-minute trip disruptions and same-day cancellations.” Boeing did not immediately comment on the FAA’s statement. The company said earlier on Monday that it continues to work with the FAA and “other regulatory agencies worldwide on the certification of the software update and training program.” Boeing said last week that it had reprogrammed software on its 737 Max passenger jet to prevent erroneous data from triggering an anti-stall system that is under mounting scrutiny following the two deadly nose-down crashes. The world’s largest planemaker said the anti-stall system, which is believed to have repeatedly forced the nose lower in at least one of the accidents, in Indonesia last October, would only do so one time after sensing a problem, giving pilots more control. It would also be disabled if two airflow sensors that measure the “angle of attack,” or angle of the wing to the airflow, a fundamental parameter of flight, offer widely different readings, Boeing said last week.


Google's new external AI ethics council apparently already falling apart

Abstract: SAN FRANCISCO/LONDON/NEW YORK - Google recently appointed an external ethics council to deal with tricky issues in artificial intelligence. The group is meant to help the company appease critics while still pursuing lucrative cloud computing deals. In less than a week, the council is already falling apart, a development that may jeopardize Google’s chance of winning more military cloud-computing contracts. On Saturday, Alessandro Acquisti, a behavioral economist and privacy researcher, said he won’t be serving on the council. “While I’m devoted to research grappling with key ethical issues of fairness, rights and inclusion in AI, I don’t believe this is the right forum for me to engage in this important work,” Acquisti said on Twitter. He didn’t respond to a request for comment. On Monday, a group of employees started a petition asking the company to remove another member: Kay Cole James, president of a conservative think tank who has fought against equal-rights laws for gay and transgender people. In less than two hours after it went live, more than 300 staff signed the petition anonymously. Employee activism on equal pay for women, sexual harassment, AI ethics and doing business in China has roiled Google over the past year. The protests have been effective. The company pulled out of a deal with the U.S. military to build object recognition technology for drones, prompting criticism from politicians including U.S. President Donald Trump. Google changed its policies after thousands of workers walked off their jobs to protest how the company deals with sexual harassment complaints. At the same time, conservative politicians have said the company’s algorithms and content moderators unfairly discriminate against them in search results and YouTube, though there is no proof for these claims. Appointing Cole James, who is the president of influential right-wing think tank the Heritage Foundation, could be seen to conservatives as a sign that Google is hearing their concerns. Some AI experts and activists have also called on Google to remove from the board Dyan Gibbens, the CEO of Trumbull Unmanned, a drone technology company. Gibbens and her co-founders at Trumbull previously worked on U.S. military drones. Using AI for military uses is a major point of contention for some Google employees. Joanna Bryson, a professor of computer science at the University of Bath, in England, who was appointed to the Google ethics council, said she also had reservations about some of her fellow council members. “Believe it or not, I know worse about one of the other people,” she said on Twitter in response to a post questioning James’ appointment. “I know I have pushed (Google) before on some of their associations and they say they need diversity in order to be convincing to society broadly, e.g. the GOP.” AI is core to Google’s future. It’s spent hundreds of millions of dollars acquiring AI startups and paying leading researchers to work at the company. The technology is also key to the sales pitch for its cloud business, which is becoming more important as revenue growth at its core search ads unit slows down. A Google spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The AI council is meant to act as a check on the company’s decisions, meeting regularly and producing reports on developments in the field and in Google’s technology. It does not have veto power but is meant to offer “diverse perspectives to inform our work,” Google’s Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker said in a March 26 blog post.

google
drones
lgbt
pentagon
ai
donald trump
heritage foundation
alessandro acquisti


Dollar retains firm tone at around ¥111.35 in Tokyo

Abstract: The dollar Tuesday remained on a firm tone at levels around ¥111.35, while trading was subdued amid a dearth of incentives. At 5 p.m., the dollar stood at ¥111.37-37, up from ¥111.04-04 at the same time Monday. The euro was at $1.1199-1199, down from $1.1238-1238, and at ¥124.73-73, down from ¥124.79-80. The dollar temporarily rose around ¥111.45 in early trading, carrying over its strength in overseas trading brought on by a U.S. manufacturing index reading topping a market consensus, market sources said. But the U.S. currency came under selling pressure as it neared the technical threshold of ¥111.50, they pointed out. The greenback’s topside was capped by the Nikkei 225 stock average’s downturn after a vigorous start, a currency broker said. But investors who were heartened by rises in stock prices and long-term interest rates in the United States on Monday continued to underpin the dollar, an official at a foreign exchange margin trading service firm said. Some participants forecast that a wait-and-see mood would linger until the release of U.S. employment data Friday.


Tokyo stocks turn down on profit-taking

Abstract: Stocks failed Tuesday to keep early gains and ended lower, hit by waves of selling to lock in profits after a two-session rally. The Nikkei 225 average closed down 3.72 points, or 0.02 percent, at 21,505.31 after surging 303.22 points Monday. The Topix, which overs all first-section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, was off 4.12 points, or 0.25 percent, at 1,611.69. It rose 24.17 points Monday. The market surged at the outset after the stronger than expected Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index for March helped lift the Dow Jones Industrial Average to a six-month high Monday, brokers said. The yen’s weakening against the dollar and rises in European equities also contributed to the early morning jump. After the initial round of buying ended, however, profit-taking pressure gradually built up while fresh buying incentives were absent, brokers said. “Given the Nikkei’s 475-point advance in the two successive rallies, investors moved to sell for now,” said Yoshihiko Tabei, chief analyst at Naito Securities Co. Buying momentum was weak with players growing cautious ahead of the start of earnings reporting season in Japan and the United States later this month, Tabei added. The positive ISM index reading, on top of the recent Chinese manufacturing data, has increased investor appetite. But there are many things to watch closely, including developments related to Britain’s exit from the European Union and the U.S.-China trade dispute, brokers pointed out. The Nikkei is unlikely to retake 22,000 anytime soon, many analysts agreed. Falling issues outnumbered rising ones 1,181 to 886 in the first section, while 72 issues were unchanged. Volume decreased to 1.343 billion shares from 1.419 billion Monday. Domestic demand-oriented names met with selling, including Railway operator JR Tokai, down 2.98 percent, daily goods maker Kao, down 1.79 percent, and mobile phone carrier KDDI, down 1.55 percent. Bicycle retailer Asahi plunged 8.34 percent on a disappointing operating profit projection for the business year through next February. Among other losers were cybermall operator Rakuten and technology giant Sony. Meanwhile, semiconductor-related issues rose after U.S. technologies fared well in New York on Monday. Of them, wafer producer Sumco gained by 5.42 percent, semiconductor inspection device maker Advantest by 4.54 percent, and chipmaking gear manufacturer Tokyo Electron by 3.09 percent. Financials attracted buying thanks to a rise in U.S. long-term interest rates, with insurer Dai-ichi Life boosted by 2.78 percent and mega-bank group Mitsubishi UFJ by 1.68 percent. Also on the sunny side were industrial robot producer Fanuc and drugmaker Eisai.


Bitcoin's sudden, puzzling surge propels it above $5,000, as other cryptocurrencies rally

Abstract: HONG KONG - Bitcoin climbed suddenly Tuesday to the highest level since November, leading a surge in virtual currencies and ending three months of calm in the $160 billion market. Traders struggled to pinpoint a reason for the rally, which increased the value of digital assets tracked by CoinMarketCap.com by about $17 billion in less than an hour and briefly lifted Bitcoin above $5,000. Rival coins such as Ether, Ripple and Litecoin also jumped, as did cryptocurrency-linked stocks in Asia, including Remixpoint Inc. and Monex Group Inc. While sudden swings in Bitcoin are nothing new, price action in the virtual currency has been relatively subdued this year as investors weighed the prospects for more mainstream adoption after last year’s 74 percent crash. Market participants say big buy or sell orders in Bitcoin can often lead to outsized moves, in part because volume is spread across dozens of venues. Trend-following individual investors can also exacerbate volatility. “The Bitcoin market and crypto-market in general continues to be small relative to the rest of the markets and emotional,” said Jehan Chu, managing partner at blockchain investment and advisory firm Kenetic Capital. “It’s still very much subject to waves of enthusiasm. I don’t think today is anything special other than a temporary enthusiasm.” George Harrap, chief executive officer at cryptocurrency firm Bitspark, said he’s putting “most things on pause” until the market settles down. He said his contacts in the Bitcoin community have yet to come up with a reason for the sudden jump. “The reason why? Anybody’s guess at the moment,” Harrap said.


35th anniversary helped pull in record crowds at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea in fiscal 2018

Abstract: Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea enjoyed a record number of visitors for the first time in four years in fiscal 2018, according to operator Oriental Land Co. The number for the year through March jumped 8.2 percent from the previous year to 32.55 million, supported by events marking the 35th anniversary of the opening of Tokyo Disneyland, Oriental Land said Monday. At Disneyland, a daytime parade that was renewed to celebrate the anniversary and the It’s a Small World attraction were particularly popular with customers. A Christmas event at DisneySea was also popular.

tokyo
tokyo disney land
disney
oriental land
theme parks
tokyo disneysea


Japan's big banks to slash hiring of new graduates in 2020 due to automation and low rates

Abstract: Major lender MUFG Bank plans to hire only 530 new graduates next April, down about 45 percent from this year, according to informed sources. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Financial Group Inc. also plan to slash their hiring of new graduates, by about 10 percent and 20 percent respectively, the sources said. The cutbacks reflect a challenging earnings environment for Japanese banks amid prolonged low interest rates, as well as the progress of information technology-based automation of banking services. The combined total of new graduates the three major lenders plan to hire at the beginning of the 2020 business years stands at around 1,700, down nearly 30 percent from this year. This is less than one-third of the peak total of some 6,000 new graduates hired at the start of fiscal 2007. On Monday, the first day of the 2019 business year, 960 new graduates joined MUFG, 667 entered Sumitomo Mitsui and about 700 started working for Mizuho.