Latest news with #Ishiba
Yomiuri Shimbun
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japanese PM Ishiba States Eagerness to Expand Japan-U.S. Cooperation in Aircraft Production, Development
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed his willingness to expand cooperation between Japan and the United States in the field of aircraft manufacturing and development in an interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun. The statement comes in connection with bilateral negotiations on U.S. tariffs. During the interview on Friday, Ishiba said Japan-U.S. cooperation would lead to the development of global markets and the expansion of employment in both countries. He also expressed his eagerness to 'create a new Japan-U.S. relationship that will be mutually beneficial.' Ishiba cited aircraft, along with shipbuilding, which has been one of the major items in the tariff talks, as an area where Japan-U.S. cooperation is expected to become increasingly important in terms of economic security. Referring to Mitsubishi SpaceJet — a passenger jet that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. was to produce in Japan, but abandoned in 2023 — Ishiba said, 'There are many sectors that can be utilized in the course of developing and producing aircraft in the United States.' He proposed that the company's technology be utilized in the joint development of aircraft by Japan and the United States. Ishiba also cited the Boeing 787 series aircraft, which some people call a 'quasi-Japanese aircraft,' because about 35% of its fuselage is made in Japan. Using that example, he indicated the aim of expanding the use of materials and parts made by Japanese manufacturers in aircraft manufacturing in the United States. The administration of U.S President Donald Trump has demanded that Japan boost its investment in the United States and reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan. In the interview, Ishiba reiterated his stance to emphasize Japan's track record of investment in the United States in making a breakthrough in the negotiations. 'We will reduce the deficit from the perspective of the United States and the surplus from the perspective of Japan, aiming for zero [in trade balance],' he said.
The Diplomat
a day ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Why Did Japan Skip the NATO Summit?
On June 23, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru canceled his attendance at the NATO summit held in The Hague from June 24 to 25. Ishiba had originally planned to attend to 'reaffirm with NATO allies and others the recognition that the security of Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is inseparable,' according to an announcement from the Foreign Ministry. The Foreign Ministry cited 'various circumstances' for Ishiba's cancelation, which came a day after the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. Japan – along with the other Indo-Pacific 4 (IP4) countries, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand – were invited to the annual NATO summit, as they have been every year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This year was the first time since then-Prime Minister Kishida Fumio attended in 2022 that the Japanese prime minister skipped the NATO summit. Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi attended the summit instead. During his 30-minute meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the two sides welcomed the progress in Japan-NATO relations since Rutte's visit to Tokyo in April, and 'concurred to work together to elevate the Japan-NATO cooperation to a new height in various fields, including the defense industry.' In a notable setback for this goal, however, a NATO official confirmed that NATO was not currently discussing opening a Tokyo liaison office. Japan had been pursuing such an office to strengthen ties with NATO at least since spring 2023, but France had opposed it due to concerns about China's backlash. Germany was also cautious. Also at the NATO summit, Iwaya had a 10-minute meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, where they both agreed to support the ministerial-level negotiations on tariffs between the two countries and confirmed that they would communicate closely to maintain the Israel-Iran ceasefire. The 'various circumstances' alluded to with regards to Ishiba's cancelation likely included the U.S. strike on Iran – which would make a Japan-U.S. bilateral summit meeting difficult to schedule – and the decisions of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung to not attend – which made an IP4-U.S. summit meeting impossible. (New Zealand's prime minister was the only top leader from the IP4 countries present.) Another consideration is the upper house elections in Japan, now scheduled for July 20. Some in Japan have criticized Ishiba for not attending, arguing that the prime minister should have tried harder to get other regional countries to attend. Even with hindsight, it can be difficult to know what the right course of action was, but the limited amount of time between the U.S. strikes on Iran and the start of the summit would have severely constrained Ishiba's freedom of maneuver, even if Albanese and Lee would have been receptive to foreign interference. Such criticism also seems to miss how dramatically the world has changed since the NATO summit of 2022, when Japan was shoulder-to-shoulder with its sole ally rallying international opinion against Russia's war. The NATO summit of 2025 occurred in a context where the U.S. has backtracked on support for Ukraine, and Japan faced a dilemma over how to respond to its ally's actions in Iran. Another possible reason that Ishiba stayed home was continued disagreement between the United States and Japan over Tokyo's defense spending and ample signals that allies' defense spending would be a key theme at the NATO summit. Japan is on track to meet its stated goal of spending 2 percent of its GDP on national security-related spending by 2027. According to a June 20 Financial Times report, however, a sudden demand from Washington for Tokyo to increase defense spending still further led Japan to cancelled the annual '2+2' security dialogue between the Japanese and U.S. foreign affairs and defense chiefs scheduled for July 1 in Washington, DC. However, it is unclear whether the meeting was 'canceled' or 'postponed.' From Japan's perspective, part of the problem is the ever-shifting goalposts for defense spending. U.S. officials have at times urged different benchmarks for defense spending, from 3 percent to 3.5 percent or even 5 percent of GDP. Earlier, in his written response to questions from U.S. senators, then-nominee for under secretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby (who has since been confirmed) had answered that Japan should spend 'at least 3 percent of GDP on defense as soon as possible.' Following the agreement at the NATO summit that members will increase their defense and related spending to 5 percent of GDP, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt answered a reporter's question about U.S. Asia-Pacific allies: 'If our allies in Europe and our NATO allies can do it, I think our allies and our friends in the Asia-Pacific region can do it as well.' Following the NATO summit, a senior Japanese government official acknowledged, 'There's no doubt that the United States will step up its demands.' An expert panel is currently reviewing the next Defense Buildup Program within the Ministry of Defense, and there is a widespread view within the ministry that increasing Japan's defense spending is inevitable given the severe security environment. However, it is still unclear where the additional funding would come from. The previous Kishida Cabinet had decided to raise income taxes to achieve the 2 percent target yet the timing for the tax hike has not been determined yet.
Kyodo News
a day ago
- Politics
- Kyodo News
Japan gov't asks operators to address disinformation before election
KYODO NEWS - 3 minutes ago - 20:10 | All, Japan Japan's government on Friday asked major platform operators to help counter harmful social media posts in an effort to prevent disinformation and defamation targeting candidates ahead of a nationwide parliamentary election next month. The request by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications came as both the ruling and opposition camps emphasized the need to address disinformation during elections, though they have yet to agree how strictly the issue should be regulated. The ministry asked nine operators, including those of X, formerly called Twitter, and the messaging app Line, to disclose how requests for removing disinformation or harmful posts can be submitted, process them quickly and clarify the criteria used to determine whether to honor them. Japan is set to hold an election for the House of Councillors on July 20, with campaigning set to begin next Thursday. The election is seen as a must-win for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads a minority government, and comes amid public frustration over entrenched inflation that has plagued households as wage growth lags behind. Seven political parties, including Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said in their joint statement that the spread of misinformation and disinformation "thwarts free and fair elections," urging operators to take measures to curb schemes that allow purveyors of malicious content to profit. "We ask voters to confirm the source and accuracy of massive information disseminated via social media," the parties said. Under a revised law that took effect in April, operators can remove defamatory posts if there is no objection within seven days of their notifying the account holders. The time frame is reduced to two days for posts concerning elections. Social media platforms have allowed politicians and their parties to deliver their messages to voters, but they can also be used by bad actors, making the spread of disinformation and misinformation a growing concern. Still, the rise of social media has presented challenges as the government tries to balance the need for regulation with the constitutional guarantee of free speech. "We want to discuss the issue more actively in an extraordinary session from this fall," Hiroshi Ogushi, the CDPJ's acting chief, said during a joint press conference with other parties. Related coverage: FOCUS: Tokyo rebuke puts Ishiba at risk in national election FOCUS: Japan pushes preemptive cyber defense, calls on firms to act FOCUS: Rice price cut rush puts Koizumi, ex-Japan PM son, back in spotlight
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Japan PM's last-minute no-show at NATO summit questioned at home
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing criticism from within his own party over his last-minute decision to skip a NATO summit in the Netherlands, at a time when fostering ties with the military alliance is seen as vital to counter China's rise in the Indo-Pacific. Ishiba's absence also gave rise to the view that he sought to avoid a situation in which Japan, a non-NATO member but close U.S. ally, would be pressed by U.S. President Donald Trump to spend more on its defense, as NATO leaders at the two-day meeting that ended Wednesday discussed substantially increasing defense spending. Ishiba had planned to make a three-day trip from Tuesday to attend the summit. But the Japanese government canceled the trip only a day before he was due to leave for The Hague, citing "various circumstances." It came after the United States notified other governments that Trump would not be attending a meeting between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners known as the IP4 -- Japan, along with Australia, South Korea and New Zealand. Ishiba's attendance would have made it the fourth straight year since 2022 that a sitting Japanese prime minister attended a NATO summit, underscoring the importance the country attaches to its deepening ties with the group, especially in the wake of Russia's war on Ukraine. "I don't understand why he had to cancel the trip despite all the preparations that went into it," said a lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party, which Ishiba heads. In his place, Japan sent Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to the gathering, which South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese likewise opted to skip. Ishiba has repeatedly said the security of the Euro-Atlantic and that of the Indo-Pacific are inseparable as he stressed the need for more cooperation between Japan and NATO. The military alliance, which has traditionally sought to respond to threats from Russia, has been expanding its outreach, acknowledging the challenges posed by China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific. In response to "profound" security challenges, NATO leaders agreed Wednesday to commit to investing 5 percent of gross domestic product annually for defense and security-related spending by 2035. The agreement came when Japan is wary of further pressure from the Trump administration to increase defense outlays, despite already on course to boost related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027 in the face of an assertive China and North Korea's nuclear and missile development. Japan's current military buildup plan marks a drastic change given its war-renouncing Constitution and its commitment to using force only for self-defense that has limited any substantial increases in spending for decades. A Japan-U.S. diplomatic source had said earlier that the Trump administration presented a plan to the Japanese government to raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP. The request is believed to have prompted Tokyo to call off a planned high-level meeting of diplomats and defense officials in Washington, ahead of a national election.
Japan Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Japan Today
Japan PM's no-show at NATO summit questioned at home
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is facing criticism from within his own party over his last-minute decision to skip a NATO summit in the Netherlands, at a time when fostering ties with the military alliance is seen as vital to counter China's rise in the Indo-Pacific. Ishiba's absence also gave rise to the view that he sought to avoid a situation in which Japan, a non-NATO member but close U.S. ally, would be pressed by U.S. President Donald Trump to spend more on its defense, as NATO leaders at the two-day meeting that ended Wednesday discussed substantially increasing defense spending. Ishiba had planned to make a three-day trip from Tuesday to attend the summit. But the Japanese government canceled the trip only a day before he was due to leave for The Hague, citing "various circumstances." It came after the United States notified other governments that Trump would not be attending a meeting between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners known as the IP4 -- Japan, along with Australia, South Korea and New Zealand. Ishiba's attendance would have made it the fourth straight year since 2022 that a sitting Japanese prime minister attended a NATO summit, underscoring the importance the country attaches to its deepening ties with the group, especially in the wake of Russia's war on Ukraine. "I don't understand why he had to cancel the trip despite all the preparations that went into it," said a lawmaker of the Liberal Democratic Party, which Ishiba heads. In his place, Japan sent Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya to the gathering, which South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese likewise opted to skip. Ishiba has repeatedly said the security of the Euro-Atlantic and that of the Indo-Pacific are inseparable as he stressed the need for more cooperation between Japan and NATO. The military alliance, which has traditionally sought to respond to threats from Russia, has been expanding its outreach, acknowledging the challenges posed by China's growing military power in the Indo-Pacific. In response to "profound" security challenges, NATO leaders agreed Wednesday to commit to investing 5 percent of gross domestic product annually for defense and security-related spending by 2035. The agreement came when Japan is wary of further pressure from the Trump administration to increase defense outlays, despite already on course to boost related spending to 2 percent of GDP by fiscal 2027 in the face of an assertive China and North Korea's nuclear and missile development. Japan's current military buildup plan marks a drastic change given its war-renouncing Constitution and its commitment to using force only for self-defense that has limited any substantial increases in spending for decades. A Japan-U.S. diplomatic source had said earlier that the Trump administration presented a plan to the Japanese government to raise its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP. The request is believed to have prompted Tokyo to call off a planned high-level meeting of diplomats and defense officials in Washington, ahead of a national election. © KYODO
