Taichi Kokubun of Tokio To Be Suspended for Compliance Violation
roundup
we report on Taichi Kokubun, who is expected to be fired by the group Tokio. Nippon Steel finally completes the acquisition of US Steel.
Shinjiro Koizumi
is now the people's choice to be the country's next prime minister. Foreign visitors continue to flock to Japan in record numbers.
Shohei Ohtani
makes his pitching return. And, on the same day, his former interpreter reports to federal prison in Pennsylvania.
List of Contents:
Taichi Kokubun To Be Fired by Tokio
Nippon Steel's Acquisition of US Steel Includes Trump Pact
Shinjiro Koizumi Tops Poll for Japan's Next Prime Minister
Japan sees record number of foreign visitors for May, But Hong Kong Figure Falls
Mixed Bag for Shohei Ohtani on Pitching Return
Ippei Mizuhara Reports to US Prison
Related Posts
Taichi Kokubun To Be Fired by Tokio
On Thursday,
Sankei Sports
reported that Taichi Kokubun, 50, keyboardist for the popular group Tokio, is set to be suspended. At the time of writing, the reason is unknown. Nippon Television, which broadcasts his regular program,
The Tetsuwan Dash
, is believed to be in the process of making arrangements to hold an emergency press conference on June 20 regarding a compliance violation. According to reports, Kokubun will be fired by Tokio Co., Ltd.
As well as playing music, he also serves as vice president for the company.
Formed by Johnny & Associates, Tokio debuted in 1994. The group consisted of five members: Shigeru Joshima, Masahiro Matsuoka, Tomoya Nagase, Taichi Kokubun and Tatsuya Yamaguchi. Hiromu Kojima left just before the band debuted. In 2018, Yamaguchi's contract was terminated after he was referred to prosecutors for allegedly kissing a girl against her will at his home. Two years later, Nagase announced that he was leaving the band to pursue his own endeavors.
Tokio Co., Ltd. was established in 2021.
Nippon Steel's Acquisition of US Steel Includes Trump Pact
On Wednesday night, Nippon Steel announced that it had completed the acquisition of US Steel. News of the transaction was confirmed a few days after United States President Donald Trump overturned the decision by his predecessor, Joe Biden, to block the deal on national security grounds. The two companies have subsequently entered into a National Security Agreement (NSA) with the US government, which gives the Trump administration the power to veto significant management decisions.
'We have secured the necessary management flexibility and profitability essential for business investment, and we recognize this agreement as fully satisfactory for our company,'
said
Nippon Steel
Chair
person
and CEO Eiji Hashimoto, at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday. The acquisition is valued at $55 per share, or
$14.1 bill
ion
.
It's
the largest investment Nippon Steel has ever made. The company first announced a plan to buy out US Steel in December 2023.
Shinjiro Koizumi Tops Poll for Japan's Next Prime Minister
According to a joint opinion poll conducted by the
Sankei Shimbun
and FNN (Fuji News Network) on June 14 and 15, Shinjiro Koizumi is the people's choice to be Japan's next prime minister. The current Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister finished at the top of the poll with 20.7% of the vote, 4.3% ahead of the former Minister of State for Economic Security Sanae
Takaichi
. Prime Minister Shigeru
Ishiba
finished third with 7.9% of the vote.
It's been quite a turnaround for Koizumi, who finished third in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race last September. Away from the spotlight for several months, he made his political return in May, with Ishiba appointing him as Agriculture Minister. Replacing Taku Eto, whose position became untenable after he said that he 'never had to buy rice' as he got it free from supporters, Koizumi's appointment has brought immediate results with the price of rice decreasing three weeks consecutively.
Japan Sees Another Record Number of Foreign Visitors for May
According to data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on Wednesday, Japan welcomed 3,693,300 foreign visitors in May, a record high for the month and an increase of 21.5% from a year earlier. The cumulative number of visitors from abroad in the first five months of the year came to a record 18,140,100. That's significantly higher than the previous record of 14,641,780 for the same period that was set last year.
'The momentum is strong, and we're on a very good trajectory,'
said
JNTO Commissioner Naoya
Haraikawa
at Wednesday's press conference. The only region with a decrease in the number of tourists to Japan was Hong Kong. The figure dropped 11.2% to 193,100. This is believed to be due to rumors circulating on social media about
a possible earthquake
hitting
the country
.
It's
based on separate prophecies by Japanese manga artist
Ryo Tatsuki
and a famed local feng shui master.
Mixed Bag for Shohei Ohtani on Pitching Return
After almost two years away from the mound, Shohei Ohtani made his long-awaited pitching return on Monday evening to start the series opener against the Padres. Jogging out with Michael Bublé's 'Feeling Good' playing in the background, he received a huge ovation from the fans. His last MLB appearance on the mound was on August 22, 2023. That was against the Cincinnati Reds, when he retired due to arm fatigue after just 1.1 innings pitched.
The two-way superstar allowed back-to-back singles to Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis
Arráez
before Manny Machado hit a sacrifice fly to earn Tatis Jr. a run. Ohtani pitched for one inning, throwing 28 pitches, 16 for strikes. He fared better at the plate, tying the score with an RBI double to left-center in the third inning. He then added another two-out hit as the Dodgers took a 6-2 lead in the fourth. The 2024 World Series
champions
won the game 6-3.
Ippei Mizuhara Reports to US Prison
On the same day that Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers, his former interpreter reported to federal prison in Pennsylvania. In February, Ippei Mizuhara was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing close to $17 million from the Dodgers two-way global superstar to repay illegal gambling debts. He was also ordered to pay $18 million in restitution, with the majority going to Ohtani and $1.1 million to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Mizuhara is being held in a low-security prison in Allenwood. As he's not a US citizen, he's likely to be deported to Japan after completing his sentence. Between November 2021 and March 2024, the ex-interpreter misappropriated $16.59 million from one of Ohtani's accounts. He also stole baseball cards with the intention of reselling them and submitted a false tax return for 2022. Prosecutors claimed his motivation was 'greed' and 'not addiction.'
Related Posts
Japan Ranks 118th Again in Latest Global Gender Gap Report
Japan Births Fall Below 700,000 for the First Time
Japan Attempts To Ban Outlandish Kirakira Baby Names
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hamas Is Open to a Ceasefire. But Netanyahu Says There's No Room for Hamas in Postwar Gaza
CAIRO (AP) — Hamas and Israel staked out their positions Wednesday ahead of expected talks on a Washington-backed ceasefire proposal, with the militant group suggesting it was open to an agreement while the Israeli prime minister vowed that 'there will be no Hamas' in postwar Gaza. Both sides stopped short of accepting the proposal announced Tuesday by U.S. President Donald Trump. Hamas insisted on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza. Trump said Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The U.S. leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement. Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it won't accept until Hamas is defeated. He said a deal might come together as soon as next week. But Hamas' response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting. Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the militant group was 'ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement.' He said Hamas was 'ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war.' A Hamas delegation was expected to meet Wednesday with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn't authorized to discuss the talks with the media. Disagreement on how the war should end Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal. Hamas said in a brief statement Wednesday that it had received a proposal from the mediators and was holding talks with them to 'bridge gaps' to return to the negotiating table. Hamas has said it's willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war. Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do. 'I am announcing to you — there will be no Hamas,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a speech Wednesday. An Israeli official said the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the U.S. would provide assurances about talks to end the war, but Israel isn't committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said. The official wasn't authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. It wasn't clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10. 'I'm holding my hands and praying that this will come about,' said Idit Ohel, mother of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel. 'I hope the world will help this happen, will put pressure on whoever they need to, so the war will stop and the hostages will return.' On Monday, Trump is set to host Netanyahu at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top U.S. officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters. Trump issues another warning On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had 'agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize' the 60-day ceasefire, 'during which time we will work with all parties to end the War.' 'I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,' he said. Trump's warning may find a skeptical audience with Hamas. Even before the expiration of the war's longest ceasefire in March, Trump had repeatedly issued dramatic ultimatums to pressure Hamas to agree to longer pauses in the fighting that would see the release of more hostages and a return of more aid for Gaza's civilians. Still, Trump views the current moment as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict that has left more than 57,000 dead in the Palestinian territory. Gaza's Health Ministry said the death toll passed the 57,000 mark Tuesday into Wednesday, after hospitals received 142 bodies overnight. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count, but says that more than half of the dead are women and children. Since dawn Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the Gaza Strip, the ministry said. Hospital officials said four children and seven women were among the dead. The Israeli military, which blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas, was looking into the reports. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages. The fighting has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people toward hunger. Hospital director killed The director of the Indonesian Hospital, Dr. Marwan al-Sultan, was killed in an apartment in an Israeli strike west of Gaza City, a hospital statement said. The hospital is the Palestinian enclave's largest medical facility north of Gaza City and has been a critical lifeline since the start of the war. The hospital was surrounded by Israeli troops last month and evacuated alongside the other two primary hospitals in northern Gaza. The bodies of the doctor, his wife, daughter and son-in-law, arrived at Shifa Hospital torn into pieces, according to Issam Nabhan, head of the nursing department at the Indonesian Hospital. 'Gaza lost a great man and doctor,' Nabhan said. 'He never left the hospital one moment since the war began and urged us to stay and provide humanitarian assistance. We don't know what he did to deserve getting killed.' In central Gaza, the Al Awda Hospital said an Israeli strike near the entrance of a school housing displaced Palestinians killed eight people, including three children, and wounded 30 others. The hospital also said Israel struck a group of Palestinians who gathered near the entrance of the hospital's administration building in Nuseirat refugee camp. In other developments, Israel said an airstrike last week killed two Hamas members who allegedly took part in a June 24 attack in which seven Israeli soldiers were killed when a Palestinian attacker attached a bomb to their armored vehicle.
Yomiuri Shimbun
4 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Tesla Sales Plunge Again as Anti-Musk Boycott Shows Staying Power and Rivals Pounce on the Weakness
NEW YORK (AP) — Sales of Tesla electric cars fell sharply in the last three months as boycotts over Elon Musk's political views continue to keep buyers away. The 13% plunge in global sales over a year earlier suggests the damage to Tesla's brand from Musk's embrace of U.S. President Donald Trump and far-right European politicians is much deeper, widespread and lasting than some investors had expected. The figures reported by Tesla on Wednesday also signal that its quarterly earnings report due later this month could disappoint as rival electric-vehicle makers pounce on its weakness and steal market share. v Sales fell to 384,122 in April through June, down from 443,956 in the same three months last year. During the latest period, Musk formally left the Trump administration as a cost-cutting czar, and hopes rose that sales would recover. The Tesla CEO himself recently said the company was in the midst of a 'major rebound' in sales, a statement contradicted by the latest figures. Still, some parts of the report were encouraging. Sales of the Models 3 and Y totaled 373,728, above the estimate of 356,000 from Wall Street analysts. Tesla shares rose 5% on the news. 'The numbers weren't as bad as thought with all the analyst forecast cuts we saw over the past week,' said Morningstar's Seth Goldstein, though he added the report overall showed the company faces big challenges. 'The current product lineup is at market saturation and Tesla will need the new affordable vehicle to grow deliveries.' Musk has promised a cheaper EV model would be coming this year that would boost sales. It's not clear yet if Musk's latest feud with Trump will help lure back buyers who have been angry at the billionaire's political positions. After Musk once again took to social media to criticize Trump's budget bill, the president threatened Tuesday to use the power of his office to hurt his companies, including Tesla, pushing its stock down more than 5%. A June AP-NORC poll showed about half of U.S. adults have an unfavorable opinion of Tesla, including 30% of Republicans. The new figures come as Tesla is focusing less on new models and more on robots, self-driving technology and robotaxis ferrying passengers around without anyone behind the wheel. Tesla is in the midst of a test run of robotaxis in Austin, Texas, that seems to have gone smoothly for the most part. But it also has drawn the scrutiny of federal car safety regulators because of a few mishaps, including one case in which a Tesla cab was shown on a video heading down an opposing lane. The competition from rival EV makers is especially fierce in Europe where China's BYD has taken a bite out of its market share. Tesla sales fell 28% in May in 30 European countries even as the overall market for electric vehicles expanded sharply, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association. Musk has acknowledged that his work as head of the Department of Government Efficiency and his embrace of European far-right candidates have hurt the company. But he said earlier this year that much of the sales plunge is due to customers holding off while they waited for an ugrade to Tesla's best selling Model Y. That new version has been out for months now. Tesla reports second quarter financial results on July 23. In the first quarter, net income fell 71%.
The Mainichi
6 hours ago
- The Mainichi
President Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam that will let US goods into the country duty-free
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Vietnam Wednesday that would allow U.S. goods to enter the country duty-free. Vietnamese exports to the United States, by contrast, would face a 20% levy. On his Truth Social platform, Trump declared the pact "a Great Deal of Cooperation between our two Countries.'' In April, Trump announced a 46% tax on Vietnamese imports -- one of his so-called reciprocal tariffs targeting dozens of countries with which the United States runs trade deficits. Trump promptly suspended the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days to allow for negotiations like the one with Vietnam. The pause expires Tuesday, but so far the Trump administration has reached a trade agreement with only one of those countries -- the United Kingdom. (Trump has also reached a "framework'' agreement with China in a separate trade dispute.) "Vietnam has been very keen to get out from under this,'' said Mary Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "This is forcing a smaller country to eat it, basically. We can do that. It's the big countries that everybody's keeping their eyes on.'' She doubts that Trump will be able to impose such a lopsided agreement on big trading partners such as the European Union and Japan. The United States last year ran a $122 billion trade deficit with Vietnam. That was the third-biggest U.S. trade gap -- the difference between the goods and services it buys from other countries and those it sells them -- behind the ones with China and Mexico. In addition to the 20% tariffs, Trump said the U.S. would impose a 40% tax on "transshipping'' -- goods from another country that stop in Vietnam on their way to the United States. Washington complains that Chinese goods have been dodging higher U.S. tariffs by transiting through Vietnam. William Reinsch, a former U.S. trade official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the significance of the transshipment crackdown will depend on "how the term is defined and enforced. Some transshipment is outright fraud -- simply changing the label; some is a legitimate substantial transformation in Vietnam into a new product; and there is a lot in between. Enforcement is always complicated.'' A February study in the Harvard Business Review found that there was "much less rerouting than previously believed.'' In May, Vietnam approved a $1.5 billion project by the Trump Organization and a local partner to build a massive golf resort complex near Hanoi, covering an area roughly the size of 336 football fields. Vietnam was a beneficiary of American efforts to counter China's influence. Companies looking to diversify their supply chains away from China flocked to Vietnam. In 2023, it became the only country to host both President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping on state visits. That year, the U.S. upgraded Vietnam to its highest diplomatic status--comprehensive strategic partner--placing it on par with China and Russia.
