Kyodo News Digest: June 30, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 14 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World
The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.
----------
China lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed in 2023
BEIJING - China on Sunday lifted its ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed in August 2023 following the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant.
Beijing introduced the blanket ban in a demonstration of its strong opposition to the ocean discharge. The Asian neighbors agreed to begin procedures to resume Japanese seafood imports in May, but it may take a few months until shipments begin following the completion of procedural steps.
----------
Japan PM to consider best governing framework after July poll
TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday he will consider what will be "the most appropriate" framework for his coalition government after a crucial election next month for the House of Councillors where his ruling coalition is seeking to retain its majority.
In an interview with Kyodo News, Ishiba called securing a majority of the 248-member upper chamber a "must-attain" goal but said it is not an easy task, at a time when conservative supporters are increasingly looking to alternatives to his Liberal Democratic Party.
----------
Trump shows no willingness to compromise on Japan auto tariffs
WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump made clear in an interview broadcast Sunday that he has no plans to roll back hefty auto tariffs imposed on Japan, despite its strong opposition expressed in now-stalled negotiations.
Trump said his administration is ready to unilaterally send letters "starting pretty soon" to Japan and many other trading partners informing them of tariff rates for their exports to the United States.
----------
50% want Japan ruling bloc to lose upper house majority: Kyodo poll
TOKYO - Half of Japanese voters want Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition to lose its majority in the House of Councillors in next month's election, a Kyodo News survey showed Sunday.
The nationwide telephone poll conducted Saturday and Sunday found that 50.2 percent of respondents want the Liberal Democratic Party and the Komeito party to lose their upper house majority, while 38.1 percent want them to retain control following the July 20 election.
----------
China to invite Trump to Sept. military parade marking WWII victory
BEIJING - China is planning to invite U.S. President Donald Trump to a military parade scheduled for Sept. 3 in Beijing's Tiananmen Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday.
The United States, meanwhile, has proposed that Chinese President Xi Jinping visit the country during the same month, coinciding with a U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York, the sources said.
----------
Harley-Davidson Japan faces fine over excessive sales quotas
TOKYO - Japan's antitrust watchdog is set to fine the domestic unit of motorcycle company Harley-Davidson Inc. around 200 million yen ($1.4 million) for imposing excessive sales quotas on dealers in violation of the antimonopoly law, sources close to the matter have said.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission will also issue a cease and desist order to Harley-Davidson Japan K.K., based in Tokyo, over pressuring dealers by implying their exclusive sales contracts might not be renewed if they failed to meet the quotas, leading some to buy unsold motorcycles themselves.
----------
Hong Kong pro-democracy bloc nears end with last party disbanding
HONG KONG - Hong Kong's pro-democracy bloc has been virtually blotted out as the last functioning party announced its dissolution Sunday, a day before the territory marks the fifth anniversary of the Beijing-imposed national security law amid increasing doubts over its autonomy.
The League of Social Democrats, considered one of the more radical voices in the city's opposition spectrum, cited "immense political pressure" as the reason for the party's unanimous decision, adding that it might have otherwise faced consequences.
----------
Japan's May industrial output rises 0.5% on month
TOKYO - Japan's industrial output in May rose 0.5 percent from the previous month, government data showed Monday.
The seasonally adjusted index of production at factories and mines stood at 101.8 against the 2020 base of 100, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said in a preliminary report.
Video: Mt. Shinmoe eruption in southwestern Japan
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
32 minutes ago
Nippon Ishin Vows to Boost Take-Home Pay
News from Japan Politics Jun 30, 2025 21:48 (JST) Tokyo, June 30 (Jiji Press)--Japanese opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation Party) said Monday that it will focus on social security reform to boost household income in its campaign for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament. In its campaign platform, the party promised to cut the country's annual medical expenses by over 4 trillion yen to lower social insurance premiums for working generations by 60,000 yen per person annually. It blamed social insurance burdens on sluggish take-home pay. To reduce medical expenses, the party proposed excluding insurance coverage for prescribed drugs with ingredients similar to those of over-the-counter drugs, reducing unnecessary hospital beds by 110,000 and raising out-of-pocket medical expenses for the elderly to 30 pct in principle. The party also calls for the establishment of a system to guarantee minimum pension benefits. It also proposed establishing a second capital of the country, apparently in Osaka, its home turf, to take over some functions from the current capital, Tokyo. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.] Jiji Press
The Mainichi
33 minutes ago
- The Mainichi
China lifts a nearly 2-year ban on seafood from Japan over Fukushima wastewater
BEIJING (AP) -- China has reopened its market to seafood from Japan after a nearly two-year ban over the discharge of slightly radioactive wastewater from the tsunami-destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant. A notice from the customs agency said the ban had been lifted Sunday and that imports from much of Japan would be resumed. The ban, imposed in August 2023, was a major blow to Japan's scallop and sea cucumber exporters. China was the biggest overseas market for Japanese seafood, accounting for more than one-fifth of its exports. The decision to lift the ban coincides with efforts by China and Japan to improve ties as both face economic uncertainty because of the American tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. The nuclear plant at Fukushima was heavily damaged by a deadly tsunami that followed a huge offshore earthquake in 2011. Water still must be pumped in to cool the radioactive fuel. The water is then stored in what was an ever-growing complex of tanks on the property. After years of debate, the utility won Japanese government permission to discharge the water gradually into the sea after treating it to remove most of the radioactive elements and diluting it with seawater. Japanese officials said the wastewater would be safer than international standards and have negligible environmental impact. China disagreed and imposed a ban, saying the discharge would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities on its east coast. Over months of talks, Japan agreed to let China take samples of the water for testing. The sampling has not found any abnormalities, the customs agency notice said China still opposes the wastewater discharge, but based on scientific evidence and analysis, it is allowing imports on a conditional basis from parts of Japan that meet China's standards, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. A ban remains in place for seafood from 10 of Japan's 47 prefectures, including Fukushima and nearby ones. Japanese seafood exporters will have to reapply for registration in China and all imports will have to include a health certificate, a certificate of compliance for radioactive substance testing and a certificate of origin, the Chinese customs agency said. Shipments to China are expected to resume gradually, Japanese government spokesperson Kazuhiko Aoki told reporters in Tokyo on Monday, noting the re-registration requirement. He said it was unclear how quickly scallop and sea cucumber exporters would return to China, because they had sought out other markets since the ban. But he predicted sales of sea cucumbers, a prized delicacy in China, would recover to a certain degree. Aoki said the Japanese government would continue to press for the lifting of the export ban on the other 10 prefectures.
The Diplomat
42 minutes ago
- The Diplomat
China's Bet on Iran: What Now?
One can imagine the shock at No. 2 Chaoyangmen South Boulevard, Beijing, the home of China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, upon hearing the news that in the early hours of June 22 Iranian time, the United States had attacked, in extraordinary fashion, the three key sites of Iran's nuclear enrichment program. It was only four years ago that China inked a $400 billion, 25-yearlong strategic partnership with Iran, focusing on trade, investment, energy, infrastructure, military cooperation, and key for China, a ready and steady source of oil, presumably at preferential pricing. Yet now, China's strategic partner has just seen its nuclear enrichment program – which could lead to a nuclear bomb – attacked. What must be worst for China is that Iran didn't even see the B-2 bombers and their bunker-busting payloads coming. From a Chinese perspective, this is not just a loss of face for Iran, but also a loss of face for China. Beijing does not like to be seen backing a losing hand, much less depending upon it. It was only just over two years ago that China used, and then nominally won, a great deal of political capital when it successfully finalized a rapprochement between long-time foes Iran and Saudi Arabia. China has limited experience in engaging in such high-level international diplomacy, much less with success. However, it turns out that the real meat of the negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia took place over several rounds beginning in 2021 in Iraq and Oman. It was only in the final days of the negotiations, the United States Institute of Peace reported, that China was brought in as the closer, and was magnanimously given the win. As the institute related, 'The two regional rivals have conducted talks in Oman and five rounds in Iraq in the past two years. They could have chosen either country to get to the finish-line, but instead chose China' – shortly after Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia. Notably, China has been all but absent on the diplomatic stage during a true crisis involving Iran. Since the United States bombed Iran's nuclear facilities, China has made several statements criticizing and condemning the U.S. actions, and questioning U.S. credibility going forward. The remarks from China, however, have been predictably boilerplate, lacking in either force or conviction. The Chinese Consulate General in New York put out a statement on June 22 saying that 'China strongly condemns the U.S. attacks on Iran and bombing of nuclear facilities under the safeguards of the IAEA. The actions of the U.S. seriously violate the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and international law, and have exacerbated tensions in the Middle East.' The statement went on to call for a ceasefire, to keep civilians safe, and the start of dialogue. 'China,' the statement said, 'stands ready to work with the international community to pool efforts together and uphold justice, and work for restoring peace and stability in the Middle East.' Why the boiler-plate language from China? Why the reiteration of the same old tropes? Where, if China is truly Iran's friend and strategic partner, is the outrage? China's foreign policy is still on training wheels. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) lacks the real-world experience with and exposure to the rest of the world to be able to successfully read the room or respond to it appropriately – at least at the rapid-fire pace necessitated by a crisis. China's near silence on the dramatic, power map changing events of June 22 expose not only its discomfort with the U.S. strikes, but also its inability to respond quickly with new ideas and leadership of its own. China and Iran find themselves on the same side of certain historical and cultural issues. To the Chinese, even the very idea of monarchy can cause a person to curl one's lip in distaste. China overthrew its monarchy in the early 20th century, and the CCP has been very successful since in teaching its citizens that the evils of emperors, and the greed of imperialists, is what kept China poor and backward for so many centuries. Iran has followed a similar trajectory since Islamist revolutionaries overthrew the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. It took decades, but finally, and often one piece at a time, the United States admitted to having collaborated with the United Kingdom to remove Iran's democratically-elected leader, which took place on August 19, 1953. Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh was the victim of a plot to secure Iran's oil for British interests, and that, as Lapham's Quarterly recounted, put him squarely in the cross hairs of 'the world's preeminent postwar powers.' The coup – which didn't work the first time, but did the second – put the Iranian monarchy in the person of the Shah firmly back in power for the next 25 years. But it also made the U.S., and the West in general, a prime target for displays of Iranian nationalism in the post-Shah era. This is another point China and Iran have in common: their rulers both find political capital among their relative domestic audiences in denouncing previous foreign involvement in their countries. The fuel that fires much of both China's and Iran's expressed anger and resentment toward the West in general also forges a bond of shared victimhood that is a common trait among autocratically-led countries. Against that backdrop, it is notable that, as Iran quite literally came under attack by the hated Americans, China sat on the sidelines, only offering some empty words of support. Indeed, Iran's foreign minster hurried to Russia – not China – in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. bombing in a quest for support. Tehran apparently understands all too well Beijing's limitations.
