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by Hiroshi Hiyama TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Shinzo Abe on Wednesday appointed new foreign and defence ministers and promoted a popular rising political star, in a cabinet reshuffle that fuelled speculation over the prime minister’s successor. The spectacular appointment as environment minister of the telegenic Shinjiro Koizumi, the 38-year-old son of much-loved former PM Junichiro Koizumi, set tongues wagging in Tokyo political classes as the Abe era draws to a close. “Abe intends to […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A pre-dawn fire on Wednesday forced Japan’s space agency to cancel the launch of an unnamed rocket meant to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, the operator said. The fire broke out near the launch pad on southern Tanegashima island at around 03:05 am (1805 GMT on Tuesday), as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was preparing to launch the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s cargo vessel Kounotori8 on an H-2B rocket, […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Around 17,000 passengers were stranded overnight at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, an official said Tuesday, after it took a direct hit from a powerful typhoon that caused transport chaos throughout the capital. The typhoon caused more than 100 flights to be scrapped and road and rail links to the airport were also badly affected, leaving many with no transport options to the city — 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the west. Airport […]
by Kyoko HASEGAWA TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon that battered Tokyo overnight with ferocious winds killed one person, police said Monday, as halted trains caused commuter chaos and more than 100 flights were cancelled. Typhoon Faxai, packing record winds of up to 207 kilometers (129 miles) per hour, made landfall in Chiba just east of the capital before dawn, after barrelling through Tokyo Bay. The transport disruptions unleashed by the storm came less […]
by Shingo ITO TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A powerful typhoon with potentially record winds and rain battered the Tokyo region early Monday, sparking evacuation warnings to tens of thousands, widespread blackouts and transport disruption. Typhoon Faxai, packing winds of up to 216 kilometers (134 miles) per hour, made landfall in Chiba just east of the capital before dawn, after barrelling through Tokyo Bay. About 5,000 people in Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures were ordered to evacuate, […]
by Kazuhiro Nogi YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — One person was killed and around 30 people injured on Thursday, authorities said, when an express train and a truck collided on a busy line connecting Tokyo and Yokohama. The accident derailed the front carriage of the train and badly damaged the truck, which burst into flames and spewed its cargo of hundreds of oranges and lemons alongside the tracks. The train’s front window was completely […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A train and a truck collided at a crossing near Tokyo on Thursday, injuring 30 people, rescuers said. “What we know now is 30 people were injured but we still cannot confirm further details including who they are or how serious their conditions are,” a spokesman at the local Yokohama fire department told AFP. Television footage showed the first car of the train derailed and on its side, with windows shattered […]
by Shingo ITO TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan hosts development talks with African leaders this week, looking to boost its presence on the continent and offer an alternative to investments by an increasingly assertive China. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants the latest round of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) to help “launch impactful Japanese action” on the continent. And the meeting, held around every five years since 1993 […]
YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s prime minister on Thursday warned African leaders against accumulating too much debt, in an apparent reference to Chinese infrastructure projects that some blame for damaging the finances of developing nations. Addressing leaders from several African nations at a development conference in Yokohama, Shinzo Abe stressed that Tokyo was promoting “quality” infrastructure exports and investments, supported by Japan’s government-backed institutions. “What should the government do to encourage (entrepreneurs) to exercise their […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 870,000 people to seek safety. More than a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu. The emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”. Officials confirmed two […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japanese authorities on Wednesday issued a rare evacuation order for 240,000 people in the country’s southwest over flood and landslide fears, as officials confirmed a man was killed in heavy rains. The evacuation orders came after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level alert for several parts of the northern Kyushu region. The alert is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes” and is activated once a disaster […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korea said Thursday it will terminate its military intelligence-sharing pact with Japan amid intensifying trade and diplomatic disputes with Tokyo. The decision comes as Seoul and Tokyo are locked in a tit-for-tat trade and diplomatic dispute following a series of South Korean court rulings against Japanese firms, requiring them to pay for forced labor during World War II. Japan had removed South Korea from a so-called white list of […]
