Japan elects record number of women to Upper House
Among the notable winners was a Democratic Party for the People (DPP) newcomer, Mayu Ushida. The 40-year-old former NHK newsreader won a seat in the highly competitive Tokyo district in which 32 candidates vied for seven seats.
'In the course of my campaign, especially since the middle of the election period, I have heard many voices from young women, students and young men — some who are 18 years old and just got the right to vote,' she said. 'I really felt how anxious many of the young working generation are about their future, and felt their strong desire for something to be done.'
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Japan Times
2 minutes ago
- Japan Times
SDF maritime transport group boosts mobility in contingencies
The Defense Ministry established in March a new unit dedicated to maritime transportation, called the Self-Defense Forces Maritime Transport Group. The group's primary mission is to enhance the rapid movement of personnel and the delivery of supplies using transport vessels, with a particular focus on the Nansei island chain in southwestern Japan, a region increasingly threatened by China's expanding naval presence. The new unit's command is located at the Maritime SDF's Kure Base in Hiroshima Prefecture. Uniquely, most of the unit's personnel are drawn from the Ground SDF. China's ongoing maritime expansion has heightened regional tensions and increased concerns about a potential crisis involving Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims as an integral part of its territory. If such a contingency were to occur, there could be implications for the outlying islands of Okinawa Prefecture. Against this backdrop, the Defense Ministry has established SDF garrisons on some islands, including Yonaguni, Ishigaki and Miyako in Okinawa, as well as Amami-Oshima in neighboring Kagoshima Prefecture. Also as part of an initiative known as the "Nansei shift," the ministry has been bolstering its defense capabilities in the region by deploying surface-to-ship missile units, electronic warfare units and other strategic assets. Nevertheless, most SDF units are dispersed across Japan's four main islands, with few training sites located on the outlying island territories. As a result, the GSDF has made mobile deployment a top priority, focusing on the rapid movement of units from their assigned areas in the event of a contingency. To strengthen its response capabilities, the GSDF has been working to improve the readiness of its division and brigade formations. In line with these efforts, the GSDF resumed nationwide exercises in 2021, after a hiatus of about 30 years, with units from across the country mobilized simultaneously. The transportation capability of the SDF was identified as its weakest link. The three transport ships operated by the MSDF, along with two civilian ferries contracted by the GSDF, would not be enough to support the defense and recapture of remote islands in the event of an attack. Moreover, the large size of these vessels restricts them to a limited number of ports. In response to these challenges, the Defense Ministry and the SDF incorporated the establishment of a new transport unit into the 2018 Defense Buildup Program. The Maritime Transport Group currently operates a small-sized Nihonbare-class landing craft utility, or LCU, vessel, which has a displacement of 2,400 tons and measures 80 meters in length. In addition, the group has a medium-sized 3,500-ton Yoko-class landing support vessel, or LSV, measuring 120 meters long. By March 2028, the group plans to expand its fleet by adding another LSV and increasing the number of LCU vessels to four. It also intends to introduce four maneuver support vessels of more compact design, bringing the total fleet size to 10 ships. These will be stationed not only at the Kure Base but also at the MSDF's Hanshin Base in Kobe. The LSVs will primarily operate between Honshu and both Amami-Oshima and Okinawa's main island. For their part, the LCUs will link Okinawa's main island with the islands of Miyako and Ishigaki. The compact maneuver support vessels, designed to bring in supplies from the beach, will be tasked with transporting personnel and delivering goods to small islands that are inaccessible to larger transport vessels. The Maritime Transport Group's small-size Nihonbare-class landing craft utility vessel is docked at the Kure port in Hiroshima Prefecture. | Jiji These new transport operations will be overseen by personnel from the GSDF, despite their lack of experience in operating such ships. The MSDF is unable to provide staff or funding for these missions due to severe personnel shortages, stemming from declining applicant numbers and increased workloads, including territorial waters patrols and joint exercises with foreign militaries. Due to a shortage of available personnel, the GSDF was compelled to find transport crews from within its own ranks of 150,000 members. For this, the GSDF invited applications from personnel interested in joining the Maritime Transport Group. Beginning around 2019, selected members underwent training at various MSDF schools, followed by hands-on experience aboard naval vessels. Differences in culture, terminology and even the precise angle at which salutes are performed between the GSDF and MSDF have made the training process challenging. In one notable instance underscoring the complexities of inter-service collaboration, a GSDF member found himself receiving instruction from an MSDF member who was younger than his own son. At its launch, the new unit had about 100 personnel, but it will require more than 300 members to operate a fleet of 10 ships. To reach this goal, the unit plans to expand its ranks in cooperation with the MSDF. The Defense Ministry also intends to increase the number of civilian vessels contracted by the SDF to eight. In addition, it will promote port enhancements, including the construction of new wharves and the installation of additional cranes. Even so, the new unit will still not be fully equipped. Additional coordination will be needed to increase stockpiles of equipment and materials in the Nansei island chain, which would help reduce the overall amount of transportation required. Another important consideration is how to balance available transportation capacity with the need to efficiently evacuate island residents in the event of an emergency.
Japan Times
32 minutes ago
- Japan Times
U.S. seeking best deal for Americans in talks with Japan, Bessent says
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the United States will seek the best deal for itself in tariff negotiations with Japan. "Our priorities are not the internal workings of the Japanese government," Bessent told U.S. broadcaster CNBC. "Our priorities are giving the best deal for the American people." Ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline for countries to secure trade deals or face steep tariffs, Bessent also said that the administration of President Donald Trump is more concerned with the quality of trade agreements than their timing. "We're not going to rush for the sake of doing deals," he said. Asked whether the deadline could be extended for countries engaged in productive talks with Washington, Bessent said Trump would decide. "We'll see what the president wants to do. But again, if we somehow boomerang back to the Aug. 1 tariff, I would think that a higher tariff level will put more pressure on those countries to come with better agreements," he said. The treasury secretary's remark came after Japan held an election for the Upper House on Sunday. He had previously said that the poll was a constraint on reaching an agreement. Bessent's remark appeared to keep Tokyo in check as it sought a review of U.S. automobile tariffs. He added that he did not discuss trade when he held talks with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa during his visit to Japan last week for the Osaka Expo. Akazawa departed for trade talks in Washington on Monday morning, his eighth visit in three months, after the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba suffered a bruising defeat in the Upper House election shaped in part by voter frustration over U.S. tariffs. Trump has upended the global economy with a trade war that has targeted most U.S. trading partners, but his administration has fallen far short of its plan to clinch deals with dozens of countries. Negotiations with India, the European Union, Japan, and others have proven more trying than expected. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Trump could discuss trade when he meets with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House on Tuesday. She said the Trump administration remained engaged with countries around the world and could announce more trade deals or send more letters notifying countries of the tariff rate they faced before Aug. 1, but gave no details. Leavitt's comments came as European Union diplomats said they were exploring a broader set of possible countermeasures against the U.S., given fading prospects for an acceptable trade agreement with Washington. An increasing number of EU members, including Germany, are now considering using "anti-coercion" measures that would let the bloc target U.S. services or curb access to public tenders in the absence of a deal, diplomats said. "The negotiations over the level of tariffs are currently very intense," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told a press conference. "The Americans are quite clearly not willing to agree to a symmetrical tariff arrangement." On China, Bessent said there would be "talks in the very near future." "I think trade is in a good place, and I think, now we can start talking about other things. The Chinese, unfortunately ... are very large purchasers of sanctioned Iranian oil, sanctioned Russian oil," he said. "We could also discuss the elephant in the room, which is this great rebalancing that the Chinese need to do." U.S. officials have long complained about China's overcapacity in various manufacturing sectors, including steel. Bessent told CNBC he would encourage Europe to follow the United States if it implements secondary tariffs on Russia. Indian trade negotiators returned to New Delhi after almost a week of talks in Washington, but officials were losing hope of signing an interim trade deal before the Aug. 1 deadline, government sources said.
Kyodo News
3 hours ago
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: July 22, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan PM Ishiba vows to stay on to avoid stalemate after poll defeat TOKYO - Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Monday said he will remain in office to avert a "political stalemate," even as the ruling coalition lost its majority control in both chambers in parliament following a crushing House of Councillors election defeat. Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, also underscored the need for leadership continuity at a time of "national crisis," as households reel from high prices and as Japan continues negotiations with the United States ahead of steep tariffs set to be imposed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 1. ---------- Despite election loss, Japan says seeking U.S. trade deal by Aug. 1 WASHINGTON - Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said Monday that he will aim for some kind of trade agreement with the United States by Aug. 1, a deadline set by President Donald Trump to wrap up bilateral talks. "I don't have (such a concern)," Akazawa told reporters at an international airport near Washington upon his arrival, when asked whether the Japanese governing coalition's huge loss in Sunday's upper house election will make the stalled bilateral negotiations even more difficult. ---------- Philippine president secures U.S. commitment to peace in Indo-Pacific WASHINGTON - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday secured a renewed commitment from U.S. President Donald Trump's administration that it will strive to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-pacific region. A day before his talks with Trump in Washington, Marcos met separately with U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. ---------- Ex-Japanese Prime Minister Suga eyes visit to S. Korea next week TOKYO - Former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is making final arrangements to visit South Korea at the end of July, also hoping to meet President Lee Jae Myung, a source close to the matter said Monday. Suga, who heads a group of Japanese lawmakers working to promote friendly Japan-South Korea relations, is planning the visit on July 30 and 31, the source said. ---------- Sumo: Onosato beats Takayasu, Ichiyamamoto takes sole lead in Nagoya NAGOYA - New yokozuna Onosato scored a bounce-back win over komusubi Takayasu at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Monday, as rank-and-file wrestler Ichiyamamoto emerged as the surprise outright leader. A day after his upset loss to up-and-coming No. 4 maegashira Hakuoho, Onosato (7-2) went back to basics with a dominant performance against former ozeki Takayasu (6-3) on Day 9 at IG Arena. ---------- Japan businesses call for stable politics after LDP's election defeat TOKYO - Business leaders on Monday called for political stability to keep the Japanese economy on a sustainable growth path, after the ruling parties lost their majority in the House of Councillors following the weekend election. "We face a slew of structural issues that need to be tackled from a medium- to long-term perspective," Yoshinobu Tsutsui, head of Japan's biggest business lobby Keidanren, said, citing measures to address elevated prices, tax reforms to fund soaring social security costs and promotion of a free and open international economic order. ---------- China says it seeks stable ties with Japan after LDP election defeat BEIJING - China said Monday it will continue to seek stable ties with Japan, a day after the country's ruling Liberal Democratic Party led by Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and its coalition partner Komeito lost their majority in the upper house race. Guo Jiakun, a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, declined to comment on the results of Sunday's House of Councillors election, calling them "internal affairs" of Japan, but said Beijing is willing to work with Tokyo to continuously carry out dialogue and communication at all levels. ---------- New S. Korea foreign minister says patience key to Japan challenges SEOUL - South Korea's new Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Monday that pressuring Japan to resolve historical issues will not produce results, stressing the challenge should be approached with "patience and persistence." Speaking to reporters ahead of his swearing-in the same day, Cho emphasized the importance of building future-oriented ties with Japan, saying a long-term approach is required to resolve the issues, namely wartime labor compensation, through improved mutual understanding. ---------- Video: Pod of sperm whales sleep "standing" in Amami
