
Watch: Japan launches first missile test on home soil
The Ground Self-Defense Force launched a Type 88 surface-to-ship missile from Hokkaido's Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range, targeting an uncrewed vessel 40 kilometers offshore.
Officials confirmed the test's success and plan another by Sunday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi stressed the drill's purpose was to enhance personnel skills, not target any nation.
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The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Japan's emperor says he will honor Japanese POWs who were held in Mongolia
Japan 's Emperor Naruhito said Wednesday that he will honor thousands of Japanese prisoners of World War II who were held under harsh conditions in Mongolia when he visits the country next week. Naruhito, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, has been visiting some of the places where the bloodiest battles and bombings occurred, including Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima. It's part of his effort at atonement and remembrance of the tragedy of war fought in the name of his grandfather, Emperor Hirohito. 'I will pay tribute to the Japanese people who unwillingly died in the distant land away from home, and think of their hardships,' Naruhito said at a news conference ahead of his July 6-13 trip to Mongolia. His Harvard-educated former diplomat wife, Empress Masako, will accompany him. Just before the end of the hostilities in 1945, the Soviet Union had declared war on Japan, taking most of about 575,000 Japanese POWs to Siberia. But around 12,000 to 14,000 of them were taken to Mongolia, which was fighting alongside the Soviets against Japan. Most of the POWs were put to hard labor and construction work for the Mongolian government's headquarters, a state university and a theater that are still preserved in the capital Ulaanbaatar. The prisoners toiled under harsh conditions and scarce food. Japanese records show about 1,700 of them died in Mongolia. 'As we mark the 80th anniversary of the end of the war this year, we should never forget the pain and sorrow of the people,' Naruhito said. 'I believe it is important to not forget those who died, deepen understanding of the wartime past and to nurture the peace-loving heart.' Naruhito has repeatedly stressed the importance of telling the war's tragedy to younger generations, pledging to contribute to efforts to promote the understanding of history and the determination for peace. The emperor's trip to Mongolia will be his second since he visited in 2007 as crown prince to mark the 35th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the countries.


Times
5 hours ago
- Times
‘Megaquake' that could kill 300,000 is coming, Japan warned
Japan is still unprepared for an expected 'megaquake' that could kill almost 300,000 people despite the authorities having made a basic preparedness plan for such a disaster a decade ago. There is a 75 to 82 per cent chance that a massive Nankai Trough earthquake will happen off the Pacific coast in the next 30 years, a government panel said in January. Worst-case scenarios include 298,000 fatalities, 2.35 million buildings collapsing and damage worth $2 trillion (£1.4 trillion). On Tuesday the government again endorsed a basic plan from 2014 to prevent a widespread catastrophe, but said the steps taken so far would reduce the death toll by only 20 per cent. The state has now called for the implementation of several safety measures over the next decade to reduce the potential death toll by about 80 per cent. Shigeru Ishiba, the prime minister, told a government meeting: 'It is necessary for the nation, municipalities, companies and non-profits to come together and take measures in order to save as many lives as possible.' The measures include strengthening homes in areas vulnerable to strong tremors and high tsunami waves. Better evacuation facilities will also be prepared. The government is demanding annual progress reports giving updates on 200 sites earmarked for improvement. The Philippine Sea plate is being thrust under the Eurasian plate along the 800km Nankai Trough. The tectonic feature has caused many earthquakes over the centuries and big ones happen roughly every 100 to 200 years. Magnitude 8.0 earthquakes along the trough in 1944 and 1946 left thousands dead and injured. Although scientists cannot predict exactly when quakes will strike, many tourists are staying away from Japan on the advice of a manga artist who apparently predicted the magnitude 9.0 earthquake that devastated northeastern Japan in March 2011. More than 18,000 died. Originally published in 1999, The Future I Saw by Ryo Tatsuki is based on the artist's dreams. The work was updated in 2021 and predicts the next disaster will occur on Saturday. It suggests that a massive seabed rift will open between Japan and the Philippines, generating tsunamis three times as tall as those in the 2011 quake, which reached as high as 40m.


Times
5 hours ago
- Times
Dalai Lama's reincarnation plan sets him up for clash with China
The Dalai Lama has set his millions of followers on a direct collision course with Beijing by announcing plans for his reincarnation and succession that will exclude involvement of the Communist Party. After years of speculation and an unusual war over his personal afterlife with the Chinese politburo, the 14th leader of the world's Tibetan Buddhists said he had listened to those urging him to maintain the traditions of the office. In a statement and a video address released simultaneously, he said that 'the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, participants in a special general body meeting, members of the Central Tibetan Administration, NGOs, Buddhists from the Himalayan region, Mongolia, Buddhist republics of the Russian Federation and Buddhists in Asia, including mainland China' had all written 'earnestly requesting that the institution of the Dalai Lama continue'.