Lessons from Ukraine invasion for Beijing and Taiwan
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NHK
30 minutes ago
- NHK
UN peacekeeping official stresses importance of Japan-led personnel training
A senior United Nations peacekeeping official has stressed the importance of the Japan-led mechanism for supporting personnel training at a time when UN operations are facing severe financial challenges. UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare spoke to NHK in Tokyo on Wednesday. Noting that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations, Khare said the UN peacekeeping operations demonstrate that nations are working together to ensure that people can be saved from war and live in better economic prosperity with greater freedom. But these operations may become financially unsustainable. Media reports say US President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to slash funding for such activities. The United States is the largest contributor, accounting for nearly 27 percent of the peacekeeping budget. Khare said the US has not informed the UN of a fund reduction, but stressed that "if the member states do not pay their assessed contributions in full and on time, there will be a serious impact." He added that the UN will not be able to keep many troops or police on the ground, and that could seriously affect the protection of civilians. Khare revealed that UN peacekeepers are working to prepare contingency plans for each operation in case they do not receive the funding. Khare also pointed to the need to enhance the peacekeeping capacity. He stressed the importance of the Triangular Partnership Programme, a UN mechanism led by Japan for nations to cooperate in providing personnel training. He said, "When the resources are constrained, it is extremely important to have very effective trained peacekeepers." He added that in this way, they can effectively carry out their mission to bring peace and security, even with small numbers of personnel.
NHK
30 minutes ago
- NHK
Tesla sales down for 2nd quarter amid Musk backlash
US electric vehicle giant Tesla has seen its global sales fall for the second quarter in a row. This comes as some consumers boycotted the brand over the political activities of chief executive Elon Musk. Tesla said on Wednesday sales in the April-June period dropped 13.4 percent from the same quarter a year before to around 384,000 units. That's a slight acceleration of the pace of decline in the first quarter of this year. Musk led the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump until May. His campaigns to slash the federal workforce and spending sparked backlashes from car buyers in the US and abroad. Analysts also attribute the sales drop to intensifying competition from rivals such as China's BYD.
Japan Times
2 hours ago
- Japan Times
BOJ rate hikes to resume after temporary pause, policy board member says
The Bank of Japan's rate hike cycle will resume after "only' a temporary pause, policy board member Hajime Takata warned, keeping his hawkish tone even after U.S. President Donald Trump clouded the economic outlook by threatening to impose tariffs on Japanese goods higher than those previously touted. "I believe that the bank is currently only pausing its policy interest rate hike cycle and should continue to make a gear shift after a certain period of 'wait and see,'' Takata said Thursday in a speech to local business leaders in Mie Prefecture. Takata's remarks made it clear that the BOJ is continuing to look for further opportunities to raise rates even after the prospects for a trade deal with the U.S. appeared to recede after Trump floated the idea of increasing tariffs to 35%, compared with a previous plan to hike an across-the-board duty to 24% starting next week. Takata, considered a hawkish member of the central bank's board, said authorities "may need to nimbly shift back to the rate hike cycle in response to policy changes' in the U.S. His remarks indicate there's still a chance of another hike this year depending on the effects of the levies. Given high uncertainties regarding U.S. policies, "the bank is required to conduct monetary policy in a more flexible manner without being too pessimistic,' he said. Takata was speaking as Japan's pace of inflation has stayed elevated at the highest level among Group of Seven major industrial nations. A key measure for the cost of living hit a fresh two-year high in May, and a record of the BOJ's meeting last month reflected a shared awareness among officials that price growth is a little stronger than expected. "Japan's economy is at a stage where the price stability target is close to being achieved,' Takata said. "The key to a further gear shift in monetary policy is the sustainability of positive corporate behavior.' BOJ Gov. Kazuo Ueda has repeatedly said underlying inflation remains below the bank's 2% target and he wants to see the trend rise before raising rates again. He also wants to confirm the likely magnitude of the economic impact from U.S. trade policies. In previous speeches, Takata, a veteran economist and former bond analyst, has noted the need to raise borrowing costs as economic activity improves. Remarks of that nature in the weeks running up to the BOJ's historic end of its massive monetary easing program in March 2024 helped investors prepare for the coming shift. "Even if the economy remains robust at the moment, the longer concerns about tariffs remain, the greater the downward pressure on economic activity could become,' Takata said Thursday. The BOJ will deliver its next policy decision on July 31, with more than 90% of BOJ watchers surveyed last month expecting the benchmark rate to be left at 0.5%.
