Japan

KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies vowed a unified front against Chinese threats to Taiwan and Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, saying at the close of their meetings Tuesday that they were committed to boosting and enforcing tough sanctions against Moscow.

TOKYO, April 17 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven nations see eye to eye on the need to stand up to any Chinese "coercion" or efforts to exert control in the Taiwan Strait, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Monday, amid increased tensions around Taiwan.

Concerns about what the G7 wealthy nations see as China's increasingly aggressive stance on Taiwan and more broadly in the Indo-Pacific region have been in sharp focus during talks among G7 foreign ministers in the Japanese resort town of Karuizawa.

KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) — Top diplomats from the Group of Seven wealthy democracies are vowing a tough stance on China’s increasing threats to Taiwan and on North Korea’s unchecked tests of long-range missiles, while building momentum on ways to boost support for Ukraine and punish Russia for its invasion.

Russia’s war in Ukraine will consume much of the agenda Monday as the envoys gather in this Japanese hot spring resort town for Day Two of talks meant to pave the way for action by G-7 leaders when they meet next month in Hiroshima.

KARUIZAWA, Japan, April 16 (Reuters) - The relationship between China and Europe will be determined by Beijing's behaviour, including what happens with Taiwan, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Sunday.

The comments from EU High Representative Josep Borrell, in a remote address at the start of the meeting of the Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers in Japan, highlighted two of the themes that have come into focus ahead of the three-day gathering: the need for a united approach to China and concerns about Taiwan.

SAPPORO, Japan, April 16 (Reuters) - The Group of Seven rich nations on Sunday set big new collective targets for solar power and offshore wind capacity, agreeing to speed up renewable energy development and move toward a quicker phase-out of fossil fuels.

But they stopped short of endorsing a 2030 deadline for phasing out coal that Canada and other members had pushed for, and left the door open for continued investment in gas, saying that sector could help address potential energy shortfalls.

TOKYO, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Germany's environment minister on Sunday slammed the expression that Japan's release of treated nuclear-tainted water into the ocean was "welcomed" as the Group of Seven (G7) ministers' meeting concluded in Sapporo, local media reported.

KARUIZAWA, Japan (AP) — Top diplomats from Europe and North America were arriving Sunday in this hot spring resort town to discuss the world’s most intractable crises, including ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, confront China’s aggression toward Taiwan and lure North Korea back to nuclear disarmament talks.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday it has signed contracts worth nearly 380 billion yen ($2.8 billion) with the country’s top defense contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, to develop and mass produce long-range missiles for deployment as early as 2026 amid growing fears of China’s increasing military strength.

The ministry said the contracts include enhanced versions of Mitsubishi’s Type 12 missiles for surface, sea and air launches, and a hypersonic ballistic missile for the defense of remote islands.

TOKYO (AP) — The new governor of Japan’s central bank signaled Monday that he plans no drastic changes in its ultra-low interest rate policy, sticking to earlier messaging on the topic.

Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Japan’s financial institutions are not facing the sorts of turmoil seen recently with bank failures in the U.S. and Europe. He pledged to do his utmost to maintain stability in both prices and financial systems in the world’s third-largest economy.

TOKYO, Apr 10 (NNN-NHK) – Japan logged a current account surplus of 2.2 trillion yen (16.6 billion U.S. dollars) in Feb, the government said today, back to the black, following a deficit in Jan.

According to the Finance Ministry’s preliminary information, the figure was 2.3 percent lower than in the same period last year.

According to the ministry, the country had a goods trade deficit of 604.1 billion yen (4.56 billion U.S. dollars) and a services trade deficit of 220.4 billion yen (1.66 million U.S. dollars), among key components in the recording period.