Chinese fighter jet flies close to Japan SDF plane: sources
The close encounter between a Chinese JH-7 fighter-bomber and an ASDF YS-11EB airplane on Wednesday follows a similar incident over the high seas in the Pacific last month that prompted Tokyo to lodge a protest with Beijing and call for preventive steps.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asahi Shimbun
an hour ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Rubio and Wang stress cooperation after talks in Malaysia as US-China tensions simmer
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, front second left, meets with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, second right, during the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur on July 11. (Mandel Ngan/Pool Photo via AP) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed Friday to explore 'areas of potential cooperation' between Washington and Beijing, and stressed the importance of managing differences, following their first in-person meeting as they wrapped up a two-day regional security forum in Malaysia. Rubio and Wang met Friday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, regional forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as tensions between the two global powers continue to rise over trade, security, and China's support for Russia's war in Ukraine. 'Look, we're two big, powerful countries, and there are always going to be issues that we disagree on,' Rubio told reporters after the meeting. "I think there's some areas of potential cooperation. I thought it was very constructive, positive meeting and a lot of work to do.' Both sides need to build better communications and trust, he said. Rubio also indicated that a potential visit to China by U.S. President Donald Trump to meet with President Xi Jinping was likely, saying: "The odds are high. I think both sides want to see it happen.' China's Foreign Affairs Ministry, in a statement later Friday, echoed Rubio's sentiment, calling the meeting 'positive, pragmatic and constructive.' The statement didn't provide details on specific topics such as tariffs or China's position on the Russia-Ukraine war, but it said that both countries agreed to 'increase communication and dialogue' and 'explore expanding areas of cooperation while managing differences.' Wang called for 'jointly finding a correct way for China and the U.S. to get along in the new era,' it said. While tariffs loomed in the background, Rubio said that trade wasn't a major focus of his talks because 'I'm not the trade negotiator.' 'We certainly appreciate the role trade plays in our bilateral relationships with individual countries. But the bulk of our talks here have been about all the other things that we cooperate on,' he said. The meeting with Wang was held less than 24 hours after Rubio met in Kuala Lumpur with another rival, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during which they discussed potential new avenues to jumpstart Russia-Ukraine peace talks. The high-level meetings took place amid regional unease over U.S. policies — especially Trump's threats to impose sweeping new tariffs on both allies and adversaries. Southeast Asian leaders voiced concerns, but according to Rubio, many prioritized discussions on security issues, their concerns about Chinese domination and desire for cooperation with the U.S. 'Of course, it's raised. It's an issue,' Rubio said. 'But I wouldn't say it solely defines our relationship with many of these countries. There are a lot of other issues that we work together on, and I think there was great enthusiasm that we were here and that we're a part of this.' European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas warned separately that the U.S.-led trade war could backfire. 'There are no winners in trade wars,' she told reporters. 'If you start a trade war with everyone, you make your partners weaker and China stronger.' Kallas said that the EU doesn't seek retaliation, but has tools available, if necessary. Trump sees China as the biggest threat to the United States in multiple fields, not least technology and trade, and like previous U.S. presidents has watched the country greatly expand its influence globally while turning increasingly assertive in the Indo-Pacific, notably toward its small neighbors over the South China Sea and Taiwan. His administration has warned of major tariffs on Chinese exports, though talks have made little progress. Since former U.S. President Joe Biden was in office, Washington has also accused China of assisting Russia in rebuilding its military industrial sector to help it execute its war against Ukraine. Rubio said the Trump administration shares that view. 'I think the Chinese clearly have been supportive of the Russian effort,' he said. 'They've been willing to help them as much as they can without getting caught.' Rubio and Wang had been shadowboxing during the two-day ASEAN meeting, with each touting the benefits of their partnership to Southeast Asian nations. Rubio has played up cooperation, including signing a civil-nuclear cooperation agreement with Malaysia, while Wang has railed against Trump's threatened tariffs and projected China as a stable counterweight in talks with ASEAN counterparts on the sidelines. 'The U.S. is abusing tariffs, wrecking the free trade system and disrupting the stability of the global supply chain,' Wang told Thai counterpart Maris Sangiampongsa, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. In a meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Prak Sokhonn, Wang said that the tariffs are 'an attempt to deprive all parties of their legitimate right to development.' He said that 'China is willing to be Cambodia's trustworthy and reliable friend and partner.' Wang also met with Lavrov on Thursday, where the two offered a joint message aimed at Washington. 'Russia and China both support ASEAN's central role in regional cooperation ... and are wary of certain major powers creating divisions and instigating confrontation in the region,' Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong sided with Rubio's call for a balanced Indo-Pacific, warning that 'no one country should dominate, and no country should be dominated.' But like Kallas, she said that engagement with China remains vital. 'We want to see a region where there is a balance of power ... where there is no coercion or duress,' Wong said. ___ Huizhong Wu in Bangkok, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, contributed to this report.
Asahi Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: Symbolism of a woman's ‘hanko' that bears only her given name
The Lower House Committee on Judicial Affairs held discussions June 13 on multiple opposition party bills that would allow married couples to have different surnames. The bills were not voted on and will be discussed again at a special session of the Diet scheduled for the fall. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Before I left home to go to university, my mother presented me with a small gift. Nestled in a small, glossy scarlet case was a 'hanko' personal seal that is commonly used in Japan to serve as an official signature. The seal was engraved with my given name only. No surname. My mother explained, 'I want you to be able to keep using this even if you get married.' Probably because I was rebelling against everything back then, I mentally rolled my eyes at what I felt was my mother's overreaction. About 10 years later, I got together with my mother for the first time in a while. She started the conversation with these words: 'I have been wanting to apologize for a long time.' Her formal demeanor made me brace myself for what might follow. But it quickly became clear she was referring to the hanko she gifted me. Here's the gist of what she told me: When she got married, she took her husband's surname as a matter of course. After I was born, she simply assumed that I, her daughter, would do the same upon marriage. And when the time came for me to leave home, she thought hard about what present to choose for me, and ultimately decided on that hanko that bore only my given name, so I could use it for the rest of my life. But after gifting it to me, my mother recalled, she became aware of the unhappiness of women who didn't want to part with their own surname after marriage. My mother felt terrible, she said, that by giving me that hanko, she could have forced her thinking on me: that it's for the woman to change her surname upon marriage. I told her simply then, 'No worries.' Afterward, when I was alone, I opened the hanko case. The message I saw there was, 'It's perfectly OK to live freely.' And I also started wondering: When I realize that my 'common sense' or 'goodwill' might have hurt someone, would I be capable of acting as my mother did? I imagine that it took countless repetitions of 'small voices' to change the thinking of people of my mother's generation. Today, over 60 percent of Japanese people agree that married couples should be allowed the freedom to have different surnames. And yet, the Diet keeps dragging its feet on what to decide. My hanko with no surname is still sleeping in the back of my desk drawer. It has become my treasure. --The Asahi Shimbun, July 12 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
FOCUS: Cut to foreign PhD student support deals blow to Japanese academia
TOKYO - The Japanese government's plan to end financial support for foreign doctoral students has drawn criticism from students and academics who have labeled the step unjust and counterproductive to fostering a diverse, inclusive and thriving academic environment. Before the change proposed late June, the government offered up to 2.4 million yen ($16,400) as a living allowance annually to PhD students. Now, however, the education ministry plans to extend the support only to Japanese nationals, with the change likely taking effect as early as fiscal 2027, if approved by a ministry committee. "It is unacceptable that suddenly a line is drawn between the students based on nationality when both Japanese and foreigners have bonded and studied together daily. It is unthinkable that the students will be treated differently," said Emi Omuro, a Japanese third-year PhD student at Ochanomizu University. Omuro organized a rally in front of JR Ikebukuro Station in Tokyo in early July, with approximately 20 mostly-Japanese university students holding up placards saying, "Don't discriminate," "Nationality clause will shake the foundation of Japanese academia," and "Academia has no borders." The issue of payments to foreign students entered the political discussion during a parliamentary debate in March when Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Haruko Arimura stated that over a third of those who have received the money were foreign nationals. Arimura singled out Chinese students, saying the "government should not just stand by" and watch doctorate programs become dependent on Chinese students "from the perspective of national economic security." "The program cannot win the support of the public without clearly stipulating that it is designed to support Japanese nationals," Arimura said. Of the 10,564 people who received the subsidies in fiscal 2024, 39 percent were foreigners, with Chinese nationals accounting for 76 percent of the non-Japanese cohort at 3,151, according to the ministry. The number of foreign students at high-level institutions such as universities and vocational colleges as of May 2024 surged 21.7 percent from the previous year to 229,467, including 20,015 enrolled in PhD programs. The decision to withdraw support for foreign students comes in stark contrast to the government's stated goal of increasing the number of PhD candidates from overseas. It set a target to raise the ratio of international students in doctoral programs to 33 percent by 2033 over 10 years, up from 21 percent in 2023. "The (funding withdrawal) plan shows the government is only looking at one aspect of a person, their role as a researcher, when they are living human beings that need to make a living," Omuro said, adding that most would have to cut back on their study time to instead work to survive. Azusa Karashi, another Japanese doctorate student, said, "I am extremely angry at the government for creating a division between students, who improve knowledge and research by exchanging views and through communication. The measure suppresses people with diverse backgrounds." In addition to affecting the student experience, the loss of PhD students will deal a blow to the universities' research capabilities. Norihiro Nihei, professor at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Tokyo, warned that excluding and discriminating based on nationality will lead to a "steady decline in the level of academia in Japan over the medium to long term." "I have felt up close how many foreign students with highly specialized expertise have generated significant ideas and knowledge while studying at Japanese universities and raised the level of academia," Nihei said in a comment posted on an online petition against the changes. Demonstrating this brain drain, a Chinese graduate school student at the University of Tokyo said she would abandon plans to advance to a doctoral course because of the new measure, arguing it is unfair. "I was thinking of applying for (the program) next year. But given the inflation in the price of daily goods, I will give up advancing to a PhD program if I can't get financial support and look for a job instead," she said at the student rally in Ikebukuro. The government program was launched in fiscal 2021 to provide support for PhD students, offering 1.8 million yen to 2.4 million yen in living support, with the aid also covering research and other fees totaling up to 2.9 million yen. Foreign students will remain eligible for research expenses. Yusuke Kazama, lecturer at Nara Prefectural University, said the policy is a reflection of the recent increase in xenophobia in Japan, characterized by the "Japanese First" platform promoted by Sanseito, a new populist right-wing party that campaigns on anti-immigrant policies. "I fear that foreigners, who are in the minority, are being scapegoated" in this social phenomenon, Kazama said, stressing, "International students who have come to Japan with a desire to learn and who have chosen to study here should never be excluded."
