Washington, Seoul, Beijing respond to Japan's election
In the United States, a spokesperson for the State Department said Washington looks forward to continuing to work with Japan's government across a broad agenda of bilateral, regional and global issues. Key among them are regional stability, the defense alliance, economic ties, and the trilateral relationship with South Korea.
The Foreign Ministry of South Korea issued a statement saying it will continue to exchange opinions closely with Japan to construct solid and mature bilateral relations.
In China, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said it would not comment on Japan's internal affairs.
Rather, he said it emphasized the need for dialogue and stability between the two countries.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Increased Imports of U.S. Rice Likely to Have Limited Impact in Japan; Aircraft Agreement, LNG Project May Cause Issues
The outline of the Japan-U.S. trade and investment agreement announced Wednesday by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump included key U.S. demands such as increased imports of U.S. rice and other agricultural products and the purchase of about 100 commercial aircraft. Questions have been raised about the feasibility of some elements of the deal, such as a proposed joint project on Alaskan liquefied natural gas. Imports of U.S. rice were a major focus during the bilateral negotiations. Japan annually imports 770,000 tons of rice tariff-free under a 'minimum access' framework. Tokyo and Washington have agreed the proportion of these imports allocated to U.S. rice will be expanded by 75%. 'The total rice import quota won't increase,' Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told reporters Thursday. 'During the negotiations, we achieved our goal of keeping the quota at its current level.' Koizumi insisted the impact of the deal on domestic rice farmers would be imported 346,000 tons of U.S.-grown rice under the minimum access framework in fiscal 2024, accounting for 45% of the quota. Boosting the U.S. share by 75% would lift the volume of tariff-free U.S. rice imports to about 600,000 tons, or almost 80% of the total. If realized, imports of rice from Thailand, Australia, China and other nations would be reduced and the framework would be heavily tilted in favor of the United States. As things stand, 670,000 tons of the rice imported under the framework is used as animal feed or for processing. If the proportion of rice set aside for these two uses stays unchanged even after imports of U.S. tariff-free rice are increased, the impact on consumers is likely to be small. Japan will also purchase $8 billion (about ¥1.2 trillion) in U.S. agricultural products including corn, soybeans and fertilizer. Japan's imports from the United States in 2024 included about ¥459.3 billion worth of corn and about ¥187.6 billion worth of soybeans. It may be challenging to increase the imports from the current level. The imported corn is expected to be used for feed as well as fuels such as bioethanol, and some in the government view achieving the increase as not difficult. 'Increasing these imports won't present any problem,' a senior Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry official told The Yomiuri Shimbun. 100 aircraft The Trump administration also leaned on the Japanese government to purchase about 100 commercial aircraft manufactured by Boeing Co. Major Japanese airlines will be paying close attention. Airline companies have been increasing orders for aircraft as they boost international and domestic routes due to the growth in inbound tourism and other factors. In the past two years or so, three of Japan's major airlines have announced plans to purchase a total of about 100 aircraft. A large aircraft has a price tag of tens of billions of yen. Airlines must carefully consider aircraft purchases while taking into account the fact that some have a service life of about 20 years. If airlines are forced to order more aircraft than they need in the years ahead to uphold the Japan-U.S. agreement, there are concerns that profits could deteriorate. In some cases, an aircraft accident or fault can result in an airline grounding and being unable to use any of that model of aircraft while they are inspected. To mitigate this risk, airlines also possess planes made by Europe's Airbus SE and other manufacturers. However, this balance could be upset if orders become heavily skewed toward Boeing. Some observers have also pointed out that Boeing's production capacity might not be able to keep up with a surge in orders arising from the agreement. Alaska LNG project The Alaska LNG project will involve building a massive new pipeline stretching about 1,300 kilometers from the state's north down to its Pacific coast in the south. Once completed, this pipeline project is forecast to export 20 million tons of LNG per year, equivalent to 30% of Japan's annual demand. If the pipeline becomes a reality, LNG could be shipped from Alaska to Japan in about eight days, about half the time it takes LNG from the Middle East to reach Japan. This project also offers the advantage of diversifying Japan's LNG suppliers. 'The route doesn't pass through any areas with geopolitical risks,' said Yukio Kani, chair of JERA Co., Japan's largest power generation company. 'It's a fantastic concept.' The biggest challenge facing this project is the cost. The pipeline will need to navigate three mountain ranges and 800 rivers and streams, and development is projected to cost about $44 billion (about ¥6.4 trillion). One official at a major power generation company was apprehensive about the pipeline project. 'The project will need to gain the understanding of locals concerned about its impact on the environment. The risks are too high,' the official said.
Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Japan Today
UK, French and German leaders hold a call on Gaza after Macron backs a Palestinian state
By JILL LAWLESS The leaders of Britain, France and Germany will hold an emergency call Friday about the growing hunger crisis in Gaza, after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will become the first major Western power to recognize a Palestinian state. The surprise announcement exposes differences among the European allies, known as the E3, over how to ease the worsening humanitarian crisis and end the Israel-Hamas war. All three support a Palestinian state in principle, but Germany said it has no immediate plans to follow France's step, which Macron plans to formalize at the United Nations General Assembly in September. Britain has not followed suit either, though Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday came closer than ever before, saying 'statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people.' Starmer said he, Macron and Chancellor Friedrich Merz will speak Friday about 'what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace.' 'The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible,' said Starmer, who is under mounting pressure to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, both from opposition lawmakers and from members of his own Labour Party government. Health Secretary Wes Streeting on Tuesday called for an announcement 'while there's still a state of Palestine left to recognize.' More than 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, including a dozen in Europe. But France is the first Group of Seven country and largest European nation to take the step. Israel and the U.S. both denounced the decision. Britain has long supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, but has said recognition should come as part of a negotiated two-state solution to the conflict. Any such solution appears far off. There had been no substantive Israel-Palestinian negotiations for years even before the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and sparked the current war. The worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where hunger is spreading and children have starved to death, has caused alarm even among Israel's closest allies. Germany has traditionally been a particularly staunch ally of Israel in Europe, with relations rooted in the history of the Holocaust. It says recognizing a Palestinian state should be 'one of the concluding steps' in negotiating a two-state solution and it 'does not plan to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.' But Berlin, too, has sharpened its tone recently, describing the Israeli military's actions in Gaza as unacceptable and pushing for greater humanitarian aid, but still appears to favor trying to influence Israeli officials by direct contact. The German government said in a statement Friday that it is in a 'constant exchange' with the Israeli government and other partners on issues including a ceasefire in Gaza and the need to drastically improve humanitarian aid. It said it is 'prepared to increase the pressure' if there is no progress, but didn't elaborate on how. Britain has halted some arms sales to Israel, suspended free trade talks and sanctioned far-right government ministers and extremist settlers, but Starmer is under intense pressure to do more. Labour lawmaker Emily Thornberry, who chairs Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, said a majority of committee members supported immediate recognition of the state of Palestine. 'We've been in favor for 40 years of a two-state solution, and yet it's been drifting,' she told Times Radio, saying Macron's announcement should be a 'kickstart' for the peace process. Also weighing on Starmer is his desire to maintain good relations with the U.S. administration, which has strongly criticized France's decision. The British leader is due to meet President Donald Trump in the next few days while the president is in Scotland visiting two golf courses he owns there. Yossi Mekelberg, a Middle East expert at the international affairs think-tank Chatham House, said Macron's decision to defer finalizing recognition until September 'creates some space' for other countries to get on board. 'We know that the U.K. is close, but not there,' he said. 'This might encourage Starmer, who we know is not one to rush such a decision. … This might create some momentum, some dynamic, for the U.K.' Associated Press writer Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this story. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The Mainichi
12 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Editorial: LDP, Japan need new politics amid PM Ishiba's inevitable resignation
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's resignation has become unavoidable. The ruling coalition has now suffered crushing defeats in both chambers of the Diet, losing its majority. Having been handed a vote of no confidence by the electorate, this outcome is only natural. Following last autumn's loss in the House of Representatives election, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito again failed to secure a majority in this month's House of Councillors race. Including the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election in June, the Ishiba administration has now lost three major elections in a row. Yet even now, the prime minister insists, "What matters most is avoiding a paralysis of national politics," and clings to his post. Such remarks, which seem to ignore the weight of the election results, have sparked fierce backlash both inside and outside the party. LDP prefectural chapters across the country are demanding Ishiba's swift resignation. The movement to oust him has accelerated, with mid-level and younger lawmakers calling for the party leadership election to be moved up. Declaration to stay on ignores public will Ishiba, whose base within the party has always been weak, owed his past prominence in leadership races to strong support from local party members. But after repeated election defeats, even these supporters have abandoned him, leaving him politically cornered. With the resolution of Japan-U.S. negotiations over President Donald Trump's tariffs -- which Ishiba described as a "national crisis" -- now resolved, the prime minister's justification for staying on has also evaporated. Ishiba is expected to announce his resignation in response to the LDP's review of its upper house election defeat, which is to be compiled in August. Ishiba was originally chosen as prime minister in hopes of fundamentally reforming "LDP politics." For years, he had criticized the government from within the party for being out of touch with the public. But since taking office, he has appeared to be swallowed up by the LDP's old logic. He has betrayed the public's hopes for a fundamental change in the political status quo. The clearest example is the "money in politics" issue. Ishiba was reluctant to break with the LDP's money-driven culture, which came under fire in the party's factional slush fund scandal. Even after the lower house defeat, he showed little willingness to take responsibility, and sought to preserve corporate and organizational donations that could distort policy. As the nation's leader, Ishiba also failed to present a clear national vision. He kept his own views on diplomacy and national security under wraps, and even his signature regional revitalization policies amounted to little more than a rehash of past efforts. The "Ishiba touch" was never on display. When the LDP was reduced to a minority in the lower house, Ishiba called for a "deliberative Diet" in which ruling and opposition parties would scrutinize each other's proposals to produce better policies. In reality, however, he prioritized cobbling together enough votes to pass LDP legislation, repeatedly compromising in closed-door talks with some opposition parties. This was a clear case of saying one thing and doing another. The LDP has long weathered criticism by simply regularly swapping its leader. The public has seen through the Ishiba Cabinet as just another "pseudo-regime change," leading to widespread disappointment. Time to restore trust in politics The LDP has long led postwar politics as a national party that listens to a wide range of voices. The upper house election has laid bare that this foundation is dissolving. Support groups have weakened, and the old method of exchanging policy favors for "votes and money" no longer works. During the "lost 30 years" following the collapse of Japan's bubble economy in the early 1990s, the party failed to directly address the public's anxiety about their daily lives. As a result, emerging parties have siphoned off support from young people, independents and the middle class, who believe Japan's vitality has been sapped. In the increasingly multiparty upper house, both ruling and opposition parties engaged in a "battle of appeals" during the latest election, touting policies including tax cuts and tougher immigration controls with little regard for funding. But drifting toward such easy populism will prevent the LDP from fulfilling its responsibilities as a governing party. The party must also confront medium- and long-term challenges head-on, such as building a sustainable social security system for a shrinking population, restoring fiscal health, and responding to growing international tensions. Such efforts will also lead to the stabilization of people's lives for the future and the restoration of trust in politics. The real question for the LDP now is whether it can achieve true self-reform and be reborn as a new national party. Simply changing the party leader to create an illusion of renewal will not work. If the LDP does not intend to hand over power to the opposition, it must present a new, broadly supported government framework and a clear direction for the country.
