Japan

TOKYO, September 26. /TASS/: Arctic LNG 1, which will be the next LNG project of Novatek after Arctic LNG 2, will produce about 20 mln tonnes of liquefied natural gas per year, Chief Executive Officer of the Russian gas producer Leonid Mikhelson told reporters on Thursday.

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers on Thursday urged government officials to do more to support the key industry and their business after their government signed a trade deal with the U.S. that only kept auto tariffs unchanged.

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump, both attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York, signed a trade agreement covering agricultural, industrial and digital trade.

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 25 (NNN-NHK) – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, said Tuesday that, he is determined to meet DPRK leader, Kim Jong Un “face to face, without attaching any conditions.”

Japan attaches great importance to the de-nuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Other outstanding issues include the abduction of Japanese citizens, and Japan’s colonisation of the peninsula, in the past.

TOKYO (AP) — The head of NASA said Wednesday that space security is necessary so that the United States, Japan and others can safely explore the moon and Mars.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine also said during his Tokyo visit that he wants to take the U.S. space partnership with Japan to a new level by stepping up cooperation by going to the moon and eventually to Mars together.

But he said that will be possible only if space is kept a safe place.

“NASA fully supports the idea of space security,” he said.

19 September 2019; AFP: A Japanese court on Thursday cleared three energy firm bosses of professional negligence in the only criminal trial stemming from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown.

The three men were senior officials at the TEPCO firm operating the Fukushima Daiichi plant and had faced up to five years in prison if convicted.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s exports fell 8% in August from a year earlier, as trade tensions took a growing toll on demand across the region.

Exports of machinery, vehicles and chemicals all declined, the Finance Ministry reported Wednesday.

Exports totaled 6.1 trillion yen ($56 billion), while imports slipped 12%, the fastest rate in almost three years, to 6.3 trillion yen ($58 billion), suggesting slack demand inside Japan.

TOKYO, September 11. /TASS/: Japan’s new foreign minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, has called for a soonest meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to focus on the peace treaty issues, Motegi told Japanese reporters on Wednesday.

"I have instructions to work toward a resolution that is acceptable to both countries. I want to hold a discussion with Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov as soon as possible," Motegi said, cited by Kyodo news agency.

11 September 2019; AFP: Japan's Shinzo Abe Wednesday appointed new foreign and defence ministers and promoted a popular rising political star, in a cabinet reshuffle that fuelled speculation over the prime minister's successor.

The spectacular appointment as environment minister of the telegenic Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of much-loved former PM Junichiro, set tongues wagging in Tokyo political classes as the Abe era draws to a close.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly higher Wednesday, cheered by a rise on Wall Street amid some signs of easing tensions between the U.S. and China on trade issues.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.6% to 21,514.14 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 inched up 0.1% to 6,622.60. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.6% to 2,043.72. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 0.4% to 26,795.87, while the Shanghai Composite slid 0.4% to 3,010.32.

9 September 2019; AFP: The CEO of crisis-hit Japanese automaker Nissan plans to resign, reports said Monday, as the firm's board meets to discuss an audit launched after former chief Carlos Ghosn's arrest over financial misconduct.

Hiroto Saikawa's reported decision to step down comes days after he admitted receiving overpayments, and is the latest blow to the firm after Ghosn's arrest and ouster.