News On Japan

Japan's Emperor visits subway facility in Indonesia

Jakarta, Jun 19, 2023 (NHK) - Japan's Emperor Naruhito has visited a facility for Indonesia's first subway system, which was built with support from Japan.

The Emperor visited the railway facility in Jakarta on Sunday, the second day of a week-long official trip to the country.

After putting on a safety helmet, he watched workers overhaul train cars. Extensive checks are conducted every few years. Workers separate train bodies from their undercarriage to inspect all parts.

Officials briefed the Emperor on the process. He asked about hardships encountered during the coronavirus pandemic, as well as measures taken to help women and people with disabilities.

He also entered a driver's cabin and asked a female driver what made her decide to do such work.

Indonesia's first subway began operating in 2019, supported by Japanese technological cooperation and a yen loan. The line extends about 16 kilometers, connecting the center of the capital with southern areas. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Airlines canceled a series of flights on June 25 as Typhoon No. 7 disrupted services mainly to and from Naha Airport and Miyako Airport, with further cancellations and transport warnings spreading to air, rail and expressway operators ahead of the storm’s expected approach to western and central Japan. ANA has decided to cancel 22 flights, while JAL has canceled 11. Two JAL Group carriers that mainly operate routes linking Okinawa’s main island with outlying islands have also decided to cancel a combined 43 flights.

As of 6 p.m. on June 25, Typhoon No. 7 (Mekkhala) was moving north toward Japan and could make landfall on Honshu over the weekend, with the Japan Meteorological Agency and the transport ministry warning that rain from the seasonal front and the approaching storm may combine to produce a prolonged period of dangerous downpours.

A powerful earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 struck off Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. on June 25, shaking parts of Aomori Prefecture and leaving Hachinohe, which was hit by a similarly strong quake last December, facing fresh damage.

A powerful earthquake registering a maximum intensity of 6 upper on Japan’s seismic scale struck Aomori Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. today. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the epicenter was off the coast of Iwate Prefecture, with a depth of about 50 kilometers. The earthquake’s magnitude was estimated at 6.9.

The sale of religious corporations that operate temples and shrines across Japan is drawing growing scrutiny from authorities, who fear the transactions could be used for tax evasion and money laundering, as brokers openly advertise properties and corporate status for tens or even hundreds of millions of yen.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Politics NEWS

The Takaichi government said on June 24 that public and private investment in 17 strategic fields, including AI and semiconductors, is expected to exceed 370 trillion yen by 2040, as it seeks to draw out private-sector spending and turn advanced technologies into economic growth.

A cross-party national council discussing a reduction in the consumption tax on food will present a draft proposal on June 24 calling for the rate to be lowered to 1% from April next year.

The speakers and vice speakers of both houses of the Japanese Diet approved on June 22 the government’s outline for revising the Imperial Household Law and related measures aimed at securing the number of imperial family members, following what has been described as the consensus of the legislature.

Centrist Reform Alliance leader Ogawa has secured agreement from the leaders of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito to establish a consultative body to discuss a possible merger of the three parties.

A bill to revise the national referendum law, which sets procedures for constitutional amendments, was approved by the House of Representatives plenary session and is expected to enter deliberation at the House of Councillors Commission on the Constitution on June 24.

A draft of the joint statement from the G7 summit in France has revealed that all proposals put forward by Prime Minister Takaichi on energy security and critical minerals have been incorporated into the agreement.

Powerful gathering at the G7 Summit in Evian-les-Bains as President Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron, Keir Starmer, Friedrich Merz, Giorgia Meloni, Sanae Takaichi, Mark Carney, Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Costa, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attend a high-level working lunch.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced new agreements on supply chain resilience and space cooperation following a summit meeting in Italy on June 15th, as the two countries pledged closer coordination on economic security and international affairs ahead of the G7 Summit.