Asia (except ME & Indian SC)

TOKYO, May 6 (Xinhua) -- Japanese police on Saturday served an additional arrest warrant on the suspect in an attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida last month, alleging he illegally manufactured explosives.

Ryuji Kimura, who allegedly threw an explosive toward Kishida during a campaign event in western Japan's Wakayama City on April 15, was served the fresh warrant on suspicion of making about 530 grams of gunpowder around between November 2022 and April 15 this year without permission in violation of the gunpowder control law.

TOKYO (AP) — A strong, shallow earthquake hit central Japan on Friday afternoon, killing at least one person and injuring more than 20 others and disrupting plans for holidaymakers.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture on the west coast of Japan’s main island of Honshu, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at 6.5 and said it was centered at a depth of about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).

More than 50 aftershocks strong enough to be felt have been recorded since, including one at 5.8 magnitude on Friday night.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysia’s Minister of Transport Anthony Loke Siew Fook is scheduled to meet with representatives from multinational technology companies such as Facebook and Google to clarify the country’s stance on cabotage policy restrictions for submarine cable repair as well as reassure foreign investors about Malaysia’s future policies.

Loke said these businesses, as well as investors, require policy clarity and the ministry intended to provide such clarity as well as certainty on policies to help them make more investment decisions in Malaysia.

HONG KONG, May 5 (Reuters) - When China sailed one of its two active aircraft carriers, the Shandong, east of Taiwan last month as part of military drills surrounding the island, it was showcasing a capability that it has yet to master and could take years to perfect.

TOKYO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- One person was confirmed dead and 22 injured after a 6.5-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's central prefecture of Ishikawa and surrounding areas on Friday, local authorities reported.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the powerful temblor occurred at 2:42 p.m. local time (0542 GMT), at a depth of 12 km, registering an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in the city of Suzu, located at the tip of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture.

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron's call on Europe to develop more strategic autonomy lest the continent become a "vassal" in the event of a great-power confrontation has stirred up anxiety and furor in Western media. But he was later criticized by some Anglo-Saxon media for making a "blunder," though he merely told the truth.

BEIJING, May 4. /TASS/: NATO advancing to the Asia-Pacific region will undoubtedly worsen stability there, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday.

"NATO’s continued eastward expansion to the Asia-Pacific region and the alliance’s interference in regional affairs will inevitably undermine peace and stability," she said replying to a request by TASS to comment on NATO’s plans to open an office in Japan.

The diplomat emphasized that Asia "should not become an arena of geopolitical rivalry."

TAIPEI, May 4 (Reuters) - Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday that the delivery of 66 advanced new F-16Vs from the United States has been delayed due to supply chain disruptions and the ministry was working to minimise the damage and "make up deficiencies".

BEIJING, May 4 (Reuters) - China said on Thursday "high vigilance" was needed in the face of NATO's "eastward expansion" following a media report the alliance is planning to set up an office in Japan to facilitate consultations with allies in the region.

NATO is planning to open its first liaison office in Asia, in Japan, to facilitate talks with security partners such as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, with geopolitical challenges from China and Russia in mind, the Nikkei Asia reported on Wednesday, citing Japanese and NATO officials.

MANILA, May 4 (Reuters) - The United States has laid out in clear terms the extent of its defence treaty commitments to the Philippines, issuing new guidelines that refer specifically to attacks in the South China Sea, including on its coast guard.

The six-page "bilateral defence guidelines" agreed in Washington on Wednesday follow a renewed push under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to update the Mutual Defense Treaty with the former colonial ruler, at a time of increased tension and maritime confrontation with China.