Latest news with #MinistryofInternalAffairsandCommunications
Kyodo News
8 hours ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: June 28, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 17 minutes ago - 09:00 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan, U.S. agree to continue tariff talks as July deadline looms WASHINGTON - Japanese and U.S. negotiators agreed Friday to continue talks toward a tariff deal that will be beneficial to both countries. Japan's government said its top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held talks in Washington, with each side reaffirming its position during "fruitful" discussions on trade expansion, nontariff measures and economic security cooperation. ---------- Japan gov't asks operators to address disinformation before election TOKYO - 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. ---------- Nobel committee chair to visit Hiroshima, Nagasaki in July TOKYO - Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, will visit the atomic-bombed cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki next month and may meet with atomic bomb survivors, a source close to the matter said Friday. Frydnes will arrive in Hiroshima on July 21 and later head to Nagasaki, likely visiting memorial museums and other sites related to the bombings, according to the source. ---------- Senior China military officer removed from top defense body BEIJING - China's parliament has voted to remove senior military officer Miao Hua from the nation's top defense body during its session through Friday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. In November, Miao was suspended from his position as a member of the Central Military Commission for "serious violations of discipline." The Chinese military leadership has been engulfed in a corruption scandal since around the summer of 2023. ---------- U.S. State Secretary Rubio's 1st visit to Japan eyed for July TOKYO - Japan and the United States are arranging for U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to make his first visit to Japan early next month, a Japanese government source said Friday, with U.S.-imposed tariffs and the Middle East situation expected to be key topics. The trip is being arranged as part of Rubio's travel to Asia to attend a series of foreign ministerial meetings related to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Malaysia from July 8 to 11, according to the source. He also plans to visit South Korea. ---------- Iran envoy urges A-bombed Japan to stand against U.S. attacks TOKYO - Iranian ambassador to Japan Peiman Seadat has urged Tokyo to stand against U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities in his nation after President Donald Trump's remark likening the U.S. attacks to the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The ambassador said in a recent interview with Kyodo News that the comment is an "insult" not only to Iran, but also to Japan, the world's only country to have suffered atomic bombings. ---------- U.S. tariff rate hits historic level of 25.9%: Japan trade report TOKYO - The effective U.S. tariff rate on all imports rose to as high as 25.9 percent under President Donald Trump, surpassing levels not seen since the protectionist policies of the Great Depression, the Japanese government's annual trade report showed Friday. The U.S. tariff measures as of early April, including an increase in the levies on China to 145 percent, reached a "historic scale," the Japanese trade ministry said, adding that frequent changes in Trump's trade policy are creating "heightened uncertainty." ---------- Rice imports to Japan surge in May, 3.5 times FY 2024 total TOKYO - Private sector imports of tariffed rice to Japan in May were 3.5 times the total volume brought in during all of fiscal 2024, revised government trade data showed Friday, as soaring prices of domestic rice have spurred demand for cheaper alternatives. According to the Finance Ministry's trade statistics, revised from a preliminary report issued earlier this month, 10,605 tons of tariffed rice were imported in May, a sharp increase from 115 tons in the same period last year. The United States, which accounted for 7,894 tons, was the largest source, followed by Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Video: Masahiro Matsuoka from disbanded pop group Tokio meets the press
Kyodo News
21 hours 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
15-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Where's the octopus? Japan 'takoyaki' shops sub in sausage, hike prices amid rising costs
TOKYO -- Rising costs in Japan have impacted even the popular delicacy, "takoyaki" fried octopus balls, with chains hiking prices and some shops in the Tokyo area even replacing octopus with sausage as food makers look to other ingredients like "kamaboko" fish paste and konjac (a firm, jellylike food made from konjac yam) as substitutes. Will we no longer be able to casually enjoy the unique texture and flavor of octopus? Prices rise even after replacing octopus "Does not contain octopus" reads a sign this reporter noticed outside one takoyaki shop called Horaiya, near the Tokyo Sakura Tram's Machiya-ekimae Station in Tokyo's Arakawa Ward. I asked the store's owner, 77-year-old Masako Hasegawa, about the reasoning. "Post-coronavirus price increases have driven up costs too much to continue using octopus," she explained. Formerly, the store sold takoyaki containing octopus at 180 yen (around $1.25) for five pieces. It started replacing octopus with sausage in November 2023, but since then, the cost of wheat flour and other ingredients has gone up, leading to a price increase of 20 yen to 200 yen. While the items are "sausage-yaki," the taste holds up well, being served hot, freshly prepared with cabbage, red pickled ginger, "agetama" fried batter and a "dashi" broth and topped with a Japanese version of Worcestershire sauce. "After switching to sausages, some customers drifted away, saying, 'I prefer octopus,' but the sausages are more popular with children and customers with bad teeth, as they are softer and easier to eat. Many patrons come in after work or school, so we want to continue to offer good food at an affordable price," said Hasegawa with a smile. Costlier wheat flour and eggs, labor, electricity ... Tokyo-based research firm Teikoku Databank Ltd. in December 2024 released a report citing how business was getting tricky for stores selling floury delicacies like okonomiyaki and yakisoba due to increases in the cost of raw materials such as flour and eggs, as well as operating costs such as labor and electricity. But above all, the rising cost of octopus had hit stores specializing in takoyaki. When the firm estimated the cost of preparing takoyaki at home, it found that in 2015 the average price per 12 pieces was about 170 yen, but in 2024 this was more than 250 yen (approx. $1.70). The data for Tokyo's 23 special wards in the Retail Price Survey by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications also shows that the average price of octopus was 277 yen per 100 grams in 2014, but by mid-May of this year, it had jumped to 528 yen -- almost double, and even pricier than tuna. Takoyaki shops are challenged in part by the difficulty of passing price hikes onto customers given the snack's reputation as affordable street food. At least one major nationwide takoyaki chain raised prices by about 8% late last year. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more people have been enjoying takoyaki parties -- known as 'tako-pa' -- at home, but on social media, users report substituting traditional octopus with ingredients such as "chikuwa" fish paste, cheese and cod roe. Posts could be seen to the effect of, "Octopus is expensive, flour is expensive, and cabbage broke my spirit," expressing frustration over the rising cost of ingredients. To cater to this rise in demand for substitutes, a kamaboko fish cake manufacturer in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, suggested in April on social media that its products have "chewiness that won't lose to octopus!" Meanwhile, a producer in Gunma Prefecture, a region known for konjac, has started developing chewy products that could be used in takoyaki. Can 'takoyaki culture' be saved? Is takoyaki destined to shift from an affordable treat to a luxury food? When this question was posed to Mana Kumagai, president of the Japan Konamon Association -- an organization that promotes flour-based foods -- she gave a measured answer. "Originally, 'radio-yaki' -- the predecessor to takoyaki -- included fillings like konjac and green peas, and it has never been rare to use various ingredients during home takoyaki parties," she said. Radio-yaki and "chobo-yaki" -- which involved baking wheat flour dissolved in dashi broth and adding ingredients like beef tendon and konjac -- were developed in Osaka in the 1930s. In nearby Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, a type of egg omelet containing octopus was popular, which later led to adding octopus to radio-yaki, creating what became known as takoyaki. According to Kumagai, octopus prices began to surge around 40 years ago, causing takoyaki shop owners' ongoing concern. Octopus used for the item in Japan is mainly imported from around Africa. While octopus was once called the "devil fish" in inland regions of Europe and the United States, it has become popular worldwide, and growing demand has driven prices up. Kumagai commented, "Some restaurants continue to try to keep their focus on octopus by replacing the 'madako' common octopus with other species, such as North Pacific giant octopus. While enjoying the different types of takoyaki, we'd like to preserve the original taste of takoyaki so that it can be passed on to the rest of the world."
The Mainichi
14-06-2025
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan's tourism hot spot Hakone to introduce lodging tax in 2028 to boost infrastructure
ODAWARA, Kanagawa -- The mayor of Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture announced on June 10 that the popular hot spring resort town intends to introduce a lodging tax in April 2028. While tourism is the area's core industry, the burden of overtourism is straining municipal finances. Hakone is considering implementing the lodging tax not as a "special purpose tax" whose usage is limited to tourism measures, but a "general tax" that can be used for broader purposes, which would be unprecedented in Japan. Hakone Mayor Hiroyuki Katsumata announced the move at a regular town assembly meeting on June 10. He explained the reason for the introduction, stating, "It is essential to promote policies that will enable residents and businesses to live and work with peace of mind, and ensure that tourists are satisfied with their visit, no matter how many times they come." Hakone has a population of about 11,000. In 2024, the number of tourists exceeded 20 million for the first time in six years, with 3.98 million staying overnight. The town has more than 500 inns and hotels, and the number of private lodging facilities is also increasing. Although Hakone has the highest revenue from bathing taxes in Japan, it faces a heavy financial burden from tourist-related expenses such as garbage and sewage disposal, firefighting and emergency medical services, which are not covered by tourism measures. Without action, the town is expected to have expenditures exceeding revenue by about 1 billion yen (roughly $6.96 million) in fiscal 2029. In 2019, Hakone established an expert panel to discuss funding for sustainable tourism community development and maintenance. It has held 13 rounds of discussions on measures to collect "tourism community development funds" from tourists, which will be used not only for tourism policies but also for the maintenance of social infrastructure. The panel considered options such as raising the bathing tax, but submitted an interim report to the municipal government in May this year suggesting that "the introduction of a lodging tax is the most appropriate solution." It estimates the new tax would generate an additional 590 million to 1.33 billion yen (about $4.11 million to $9.26 million) in annual revenue, and plans to maintain the bathing tax as well. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of April 21, lodging taxes have been introduced in Tokyo and the prefectures of Osaka and Fukuoka, as well as seven cities and two towns in Japan. Another two prefectures, nine cities and one village plan to introduce such a tax by April 1, 2026. However, all existing lodging taxes are special purpose taxes, with revenue restricted to covering tourism-related spending. In contrast, Hakone is considering introducing the lodging tax as a general tax, which would become part of the town's general revenue. When a municipality seeks to introduce a tax not specified in the Local Tax Act, it must consult and obtain consent from the internal affairs minister. Regarding the possibility of the lodging tax being introduced as a general tax, a ministry official said, "Since discussions begin after the ordinance is passed, we cannot comment at this time."
Nikkei Asia
26-05-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Japan to market fiber-optic network OS abroad as Huawei alternative
TOKYO -- Japan's communications ministry plans overseas trials of a general-purpose operating system for fiber-optic network equipment, Nikkei has learned, aiming to offer an affordable alternative to the proprietary software used by many companies and help countries rely less on Huawei and other Chinese products. Testing begins this fiscal year in over 10 countries across Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa. Local carriers will assess the performance of the OS and compatibility with their systems. The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will recruit companies to handle the trials soon.
