Winter storm freezes refugees in flooded Lebanon camps, compounding their misery

Abstract: BEIRUT - Storms in Lebanon have flooded Syrian refugee camps, ruining tents, mattresses and food and compounding the misery of people enduring powerful winter winds and biting cold. More than a million Syrians fled to neighboring Lebanon since war broke out at home in 2011, and U.N. agencies say most live of them live in poverty. “There is almost half a meter of water on the ground and in the tents … the war in Syria forced us into this situation,” said Hussein Zeidan, who came to Lebanon from Homs in Syria in 2011. He lives in a makeshift camp near a river in north Lebanon’s Akkar region. He and some of its other residents said the storm had left them and their children with no clothes, furniture or food. Families were moving around in search of dryness and warmth. “Water flooded us in the camp: me and my children. Our situation is bad … God bless our neighbors, they welcomed us in yesterday night. Today, water flooded them so we came here, as you can see, to this half-built house with no windows or doors,” Ghazwan Zeidan, who has three children, said in Akkar. The U.N. refugee agency said on Tuesday that the storm had completely flooded or collapsed 15 informal settlements out of at least 66 that were “heavily impacted. In the Bekaa valley in east Lebanon, the cold temperatures have also brought snow. Abu Shahid, who fled Hasaka in Syria three years ago with his family, stood in flooded water in an informal camp in Bar Elias village. He described how his tent had completely submerged, damaging all his family’s belongings. “The only solution is to leave our things and move, run away with our lives. … Water is everywhere, where do we go?,” he said. The previous night, he and his wife and two children had slept in a neighbor’s tent that was less damaged by the floods. For 19-year-old Hamed Haj Abu and his relatives, the night was cold and wet. “We did not sleep all night. Some were sleeping for an hour, others were waking up. Water was coming on us, in the tent, from everywhere,” he said in Bar Elias. “My brother and his family first came to us, they are living nearby. We all did not sleep, we left the tent all together, we can’t sit, look, water is flooding, we can’t sleep on water.”

refugees
floods
lebanon
syria
snow
civil war


Nigeria says more 'restraint' is needed in Boko Haram reporting as attacks surge

Abstract: ABUJA - Nigeria’s government on Tuesday called for media “restraint” in reporting Boko Haram, after the military raided a newspaper that published a sensitive story on the insurgency. Soldiers seized computers and mobile phones, and detained two journalists from the Daily Trust at its offices in the northeastern city of Maiduguri on Sunday. Troops also raided the newspaper’s headquarters in Abuja and its office in the southwestern city of Lagos, triggering an outcry and calls for freedom of the press to be respected. The army, which has threatened the media with legal action for reporting nonofficial information on the conflict, accused the newspaper of compromising national security. A front-page article on Sunday said troops were preparing a fight-back after the jihadis overran two military bases on the shores of Lake Chad in northern Borno state. Information minister Lai Mohammed echoed the military line and called the situation a “very serious issue. “The media must strike a fine balance between the constitutionally guaranteed freedom to receive and impart information and national security,” he told reporters. The government was “not about to gag the press,” he promised, after comparisons were made to media harassment and repression during decades of military rule. “But the media must exercise restraint and show more responsibility in reporting the insurgency,” he said. Human Rights Watch’s Nigeria researcher Aniete Ewang on Tuesday called the military raid a “chilling development that the government should take immediate steps to address. “Nigeria’s government should ensure that the military takes no further actions to intimidate or harass journalists anywhere in the country,” she added. President Muhammadu Buhari first said Boko Haram was “technically defeated” in December 2015 but that claim has been repeatedly called into question as violence persists. There has been a surge in attacks against soldiers and military bases since July last year, leaving scores dead. But the authorities have been accused of downplaying death tolls. Many of the attacks have been blamed on or claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a faction of Boko Haram backed by the Islamic State group.

nigeria
boko haram
reporting
islamic state
terrorism


U.S. Democrats introduce bill to beef up background checks for gun buyers

Abstract: WASHINGTON - U.S. Democrats unveiled landmark gun safety legislation Tuesday five days after regaining the House majority, seeking swift action on a measure to expand background checks on firearm sales. A similar bill was introduced last year by Democrats, but Republican leaders declined to bring it to a vote. The new bill — which has the backing of former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who survived being shot in the head eight years ago to the day and is now one of the nation’s leading gun control advocates — has a handful of Republican co-sponsors, and is likely to pass the chamber. But it is not expected to advance in the Senate, which is under Republican control. Giffords joined House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Mike Thompson, who heads a Democratic task force on gun violence, in introducing the bill, calling for “courage” among lawmakers. “Now is the time to come together, be responsible. Democrats, Republicans, everyone,” she said. “We must never stop fighting.” Pelosi said that by introducing the legislation early in the new congressional session, Democrats are saying “enough is enough, by finally bringing commonsense bipartisan background check legislation to the floor.” Thompson said nearly 250,000 Americans have died from gun violence, including suicides, since the Giffords shooting in 2011, “all the time while Congress stood by and did nothing.” “But today is a new day,” he said, adding that the vast majority of Americans support the measures. The bill would expand background checks to all gun sales, closing loopholes in federal law requiring criminal background checks when firearms are sold by licensed dealers but allowing private citizens to sell and transfer guns to one another without any background check. Democrats have savaged congressional Republicans for repeatedly failing to take action to prevent gun violence after tragedies like the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut in 2012, or the massacre at a Las Vegas concert in October 2017. After a murderous rampage at a Florida high school last February left 17 students and staff dead, some Democratic congressional candidates campaigned on pledges to enact gun safety reform. One of them, Georgia’s Lucy McBath, whose son was murdered in 2012, won a congressional seat in November’s election. “By closing these loopholes and expanding background checks, we will make our communities safer,” she said. “States that have already expanded background checks have lowered their homicide rates, their murder rates and their gun trafficking.” Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration moved to ban bump stocks, devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire like machine guns and that were used in the Las Vegas shooting.

guns
gabrielle giffords
congress
murder
u.s .
mass shootings


Norwegian millionaire's wife likely abducted, ransom demanded: police

Abstract: OSLO - The wife of a Norwegian multimillionaire missing for 10 weeks has probably been kidnapped and a ransom has been demanded for her release, police said Wednesday. Married to a real estate and energy magnate, Anne-Elisabeth Falkevik Hagen, 68, disappeared on October 31, police said. “A ransom demand and serious threats have been issued,” inspector Tommy Broske told reporters. “Our main theory is that the victim was kidnapped by unidentified perpetrators at her home” in Lorenskog, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Oslo, he said, adding that police have from the beginning examined several possible theories about her disappearance. Police have received no sign of life from the woman, “but we haven’t received any indication that she isn’t alive either,” Broske said. The cautious nature of the remarks could be an indication that police have not received proof that Hagen was indeed being held by the people demanding the ransom. Police said they had no suspects at this stage. According to daily Verdens Gang, the ransom demand was for €9 million ($10.3 million) in the cryptocurrency Monero. Investigators refused to confirm that amount but said they advised the family not to pay the purported kidnappers. Such events are extremely rare in the wealthy Scandinavian country, which enjoys a generally low crime rate. Police have been investigating the case discreetly for several weeks but decided to make it public in the hope that someone would come forward with information, Broske said. Broske said investigators had had “very limited” contacts with the self-described kidnappers online, but refused to disclose the date of the most recent contact. The missing woman’s husband, Tom Hagen, also 68, is Norway’s 172nd richest man, according to the magazine Kapital, with an estimated fortune of 1.7 billion kroner (€174 million, $200 million). The real estate investor owns 70 percent of electricity company Elkraft, which he co-founded in 1992, Norwegian media reported.

millionaire
police
kidnapping
anne-elisabeth falkevik hagen
crime
tom hagen
norway
rich


U.S. top court's Brett Kavanaugh issues first opinion in unanimous arbitration case

Abstract: WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court’s newest member, Brett Kavanaugh, issued his first written opinion on Tuesday as the justices in a unanimous ruling bolstered companies’ ability to use arbitration to resolve disputes with customers or other businesses. The court decided 9-0 to throw out a lower-court ruling that had kept a case involving dental equipment companies from being resolved through arbitration because the court had determined the demand for arbitration was groundless. Newly appointed justices are generally assigned noncontroversial, unanimous cases as their first opinions. Kavanaugh joined the court in October after a raucous confirmation process during which he had to fend off accusations of sexual assault by California university professor Christine Blasey Ford. He was the second conservative justice named to the court by Republican President Donald Trump, after Neil Gorsuch. Kavanaugh’s appointment solidified a 5-4 conservative majority on the court. He replaced retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative who sometimes sided with the court’s liberals on social issues like abortion. The arbitration case involved price-fixing claims lodged by Plano, Texas-based dental equipment distributor Archer and White Sales Inc against other manufacturers and distributors. It centered on whether courts can prevent arbitrators from deciding if an issue can be arbitrated at all. Companies prefer to arbitrate claims because it is cheaper and faster than litigation in court, which is harder to fight and carries a greater risk of hefty damages awards by juries. When a contract allows arbitrators to decide whether a dispute can be resolved through arbitration, “a court may not override the contract,” Kavanaugh said on Tuesday, explaining the decision. Although Tuesday’s ruling was Kavanaugh’s first opinion for the court, his first known vote as a member of the court was in December when he joined other justices to reject appeals by Louisiana and Kansas seeking to end their public funding to women’s health care and abortion provider Planned Parenthood through the Medicaid program.

brett kavanaugh
arbitration
donald trump
u.s. supreme court


Former Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort suffering gout and depression, and any misstatements 'unintentional,' lawyers say

Abstract: NEW YORK - Any “misstatements” made by U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, to federal prosecutors were “unintentional” and he would not seek a hearing to contest the allegation he lied, Manafort’s lawyers said in a court filing. Manafort was responding to allegations in December by the U.S. special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election that Manafort had told “multiple discernible lies” to investigators, breaking a plea agreement struck in September. Manafort’s lawyers had been given until Monday to decide whether they would challenge the allegations, a move that would require a court hearing to weigh evidence, or simply ask the government to move on to sentencing. The filing was submitted under seal on Monday, and a redacted version released on Tuesday. The former Trump campaign chief’s lawyers said their client has been suffering from gout, anxiety and depression and that he never purposely lied to them during his 12 interview sessions with the special counsel and other prosecutors. “The defense contests the Government’s conclusion and contends that any alleged misstatements, to the extent they occurred at all, were not intentional,” Manafort’s lawyers said in the filing to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, who is handling one of two cases against Manafort. When Manafort pleaded guilty in September in Berman Jackson’s court, he promised to cooperate fully with U.S. special counsel Robert Mueller’s office and other Justice Department probes in return for a recommendation of leniency at sentencing. But Mueller’s office said Manafort had lied about at least five subjects, including his interactions with former business partner Konstanin Kilimnik, who has been accused by prosecutors of having ties to Russian intelligence, and about his contacts with Trump administration officials. Manafort, who earned millions of dollars for his political consulting work for Ukraine’s former pro-Russia government, has emerged as a key figure in Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. In addition to his ties to Kilimnik, Manafort had for years worked for Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury in April for allegedly supporting the Kremlin’s “malign activity” around the world. Manafort, 69, was convicted in August in a separate case in Alexandria, Virginia, for evading taxes on $16 million earned as a political consultant in Ukraine and lying to banks to get loans. He is due to be sentenced in that case next month. Russia has denied meddling in the election. Trump has said there was no collusion between his campaign and Moscow.

paul manafort
donald trump
robert mueller
russia probe


1.4 million Florida ex-cons — 10% of adult population — win back right to vote

Abstract: MIAMI - Some 1.4 million people in Florida can begin registering to vote on Tuesday after the U.S. state’s electorate ended a measure banning suffrage for people with felony convictions. “I want to cry,” said Yraida Guanipa, a 57-year-old former convict who now heads the YG Institute NGO, which helps people with criminal histories reintegrate into society. Guanipa had just left the office of the Miami-Dade County Elections Department, where she registered to vote early in the morning after nine years of struggling to regain the right. She was released from prison in 2007 after 12 years behind bars for a drug distribution-related conviction. On Nov. 6, Florida voters approved Amendment 4, which restored the right to vote to ex-convicts who have already served all terms of their sentence, and did not commit sex crimes or murder. In Florida, 10 percent of the adult population, including 1 in 5 African-Americans, could not vote prior to the lifting of the restriction, which dated back 150 years and disproportionally affected black and Hispanic communities. “I didn’t feel like a full citizen, I felt like a second-class citizen,” said Daniel Torna, a financial analyst who also went to register in Miami. “I pay taxes, I’m active in the community, I work, I go to school, I do everything other people do, I just couldn’t vote,” said Torna, who completed his sentence in 2010 for a drug-linked crime. “The road back to responsible citizenship has been one of my life’s greatest challenges,” Desmond Meade, president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, which pushed for the amendment to restore voting rights, said in a statement. “The struggle to achieve access to democracy for myself and more than a million fellow Floridians has been long,” Meade said.

florida
ex-convicts
african-americans
hispanics
voting rights


Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general overseeing Russia probe, to leave, U.S. media report

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Deputy U.S. Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who has overseen the Russian election meddling probe, is set to leave the U.S. Department of Justice in coming weeks as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the department is set to take over, several U.S. media outlets reported on Wednesday. Rosenstein has had oversight of the U.S. Special Counsel’s probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible connections to Trump’s campaign. Then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, an early Trump supporter during the presidential campaign, had recused himself. William Barr, Trump’s pick to replace Sessions who was fired soon after the November midterm congressional elections, is set to appear for a confirmation hearing next week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which must weigh his nomination before the full Senate considers his approval. ABC News, citing multiple sources familiar with Rosenstein’s plans, reported that he intended to leave in the coming weeks as Barr transitioned into the job. Fox News, citing unnamed Justice Department officials, also reported the planned departure in weeks. CNN also reported the move, citing an unnamed source. Reuters was unable to immediately verify the reports and representatives for the Justice Department could not be immediately reached for comment. If confirmed, Barr, who was U.S. Attorney General under the late President George H.W. Bush from 1991 to 1993, would oversee the investigation led by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a fellow Republican chosen by Rosenstein. Barr’s nomination is likely to meet heavy scrutiny regarding the ongoing investigation, particularly from Democrats, following reports he had written a memo in June questioning the probe. Rosenstein has said the memo had no impact on the department’s work. Officials told ABC and Fox that Rosenstein had planned to serve as deputy for two years — a milestone that was approaching. He also wanted to help ensure Barr, if confirmed by the Senate, had a smooth transition, ABC said, citing sources. Rosenstein has stayed on under Acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, whose controversial appointment has sparked numerous legal challenges and raised questions about what role he would play regarding the investigation. Rosenstein has been frequently criticized by Trump, who calls the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” and denies any collusion with Moscow. Russia has also denied any election interference. U.S. intelligence agencies have found that Russia sought to sway the 2016 presidential vote to Trump over Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

rod rosenstein
russia probe
donald trump
william barr
robert mueller


Ex-Trump campaign chief Paul Manafort admitted giving poll data to Russian with intelligence ties, court filing shows

Abstract: WASHINGTON - Donald Trump’s one-time presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort admitted in a court filing Tuesday he provided polling data from the campaign to a Russian with ties to intelligence during the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Manafort denied allegations from the Russian collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller that he had lied about his dealings with Konstantin Kilimnik, arguing he merely forgot details during the hectic election campaign. The specifics of the Mueller allegations were not previously known publicly, having been blacked out in a heavily redacted Dec. 7 filing by the prosecutor’s team. But in Manafort’s response, the electronic formatting for the redaction could easily be bypassed, revealing exactly what Manafort was accused of lying about. It showed that Mueller had questioned Manafort on his discussions with Kilimnik in 2016 on a possible peace plan for Ukraine — where the two had worked together several years earlier for a pro-Russia political party. That could be significant, because Manafort is believed to have played a role in changing the Republican platform position on Ukraine during 2016 to a more Moscow-friendly stance. Manafort’s legal team argued in the filing that his client had been intensely busy managing Trump’s White House campaign, and could not recall every communication. “The same is true with regard to the government’s allegation that Mr. Manafort lied about sharing polling data with Mr. Kilimnik related to the 2016 presidential campaign,” they added in the redacted section. The previously unknown allegation adds to mounting evidence that contacts between Russians and the Trump campaign were more than just incidental, though Mueller has yet to make a case that there was any conspiracy that involved the campaign. Manafort, 69, has already been convicted in one case brought by Mueller, and pleaded guilty in another, over financial crimes related to his work in Ukraine before the 2016 campaign, and for witness tampering, which also involved Kilimnik. He had a deal to cooperate with Mueller while delaying sentencing, which eventually could mean years in jail. But in December, Mueller’s team asked the court to schedule sentencing, saying Manafort had violated that deal by lying to investigators. Manafort’s lawyers said their client had no reason to misrepresent the truth in his 12 interviews with investigators late last year. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Supreme Court turned back a petition by an unnamed, foreign state-owned company that is resisting a grand jury subpoena in a highly secretive case also believed to be part of the Mueller inquiry. The decision means the federal district court in Washington will be able to fine the company every day that it refuses to testify. But the identity of the company and any details of the case remained secret.

paul manafort
donald trump
2016 u.s. presidential election
russia probe


More and more Americans blame Trump for U.S. government shutdown: poll

Abstract: NEW YORK - A growing proportion of Americans blame President Donald Trump for a partial government shutdown that will cut off paychecks to federal workers this week, though Republicans mostly support his refusal to approve a budget without taxpayer dollars for the U.S.-Mexico border wall, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday. The national opinion poll, which ran from Jan. 1 to Jan. 7, found that 51 percent of adults believe Trump “deserves most of the blame” for the shutdown, which entered its 18th day on Tuesday. That is up 4 percentage points from a similar poll that ran from Dec. 21 to 25. Another 32 percent blame congressional Democrats for the shutdown and 7 percent blame congressional Republicans, according to the poll. Those percentages are mostly unchanged from the previous poll. Trump has promised to keep the government partially closed until Congress approves funding for an expanded barrier along the border. Illegal border crossings into the United States have declined dramatically in recent years, yet Trump insists a wall is still necessary to stem a “humanitarian and national security crisis” in the region. The president has asked Congress for nearly $6 billion for the wall and was expected to make his case directly to the public on Tuesday night in a nationally televised address. Democratic leaders in Congress have refused to approve funding for additional border fencing, saying that it is an ineffective way to secure the border. Public support for a border wall has shifted considerably over the past few years as it became a centerpiece of the Trump agenda. The poll found that 41 percent of the public supports building additional border fencing, down 12 points from a similar poll that ran in the first week of 2015, as opposition doubled among Democrats. It also found that only 35 percent of adults in the United States support a congressional spending bill that includes funding for the wall, and 25 percent support Trump’s decision to keep the government closed until Congress approves funding for the wall. Republicans, however, strongly support Trump’s pursuit of an expanded border wall. They have consistently ranked immigration as their top concern for the country. Seventy-seven percent of Republicans said in the most recent poll that they want additional border fencing, and 54 percent said they support Trump shutting down the government until Congress approves funding for the wall. The government shutdown has affected a broad swatch of the federal government already, including national parks, airline security screening, housing and food aid, and the release of economic data. About 800,000 federal workers have been furloughed or are working without pay, and many will miss paychecks for the first time on Friday. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online in English throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 2,203 adults, including 722 Republicans and 867 Democrats. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 2 percentage points.

donald trump
paychecks
reuters/ipsos poll
democrats
gop


Angry, abusive protests bring Britain's Brexit divide to Parliament's doorstep

Abstract: LONDON - Some protesters wrap themselves in the flag of the European Union and noisily interrupt politicians’ television appearances. Others yell “Nazi” and “traitor.” Britain’s lawmakers are split on how to handle Brexit but they agree that the atmosphere in the public spaces outside parliament — often populated with angry demonstrators — has become ugly and intimidatory. This increasingly raucous brand of street activism has raised questions about what has happened to British politics in recent years, and where the boundaries of free speech now lie. On Tuesday, members of parliament called on police to do more to tackle intimidation of politicians and journalists outside parliament after protesters yelled abuse at a prominent Conservative lawmaker. More than 2½ years since Britain voted by 52 to 48 percent to leave the European Union, the country remains divided. Demonstrators who back Brexit and others who want to stay in the European Union have become a fixture in the gardens opposite Parliament. The area is also used by media for interviews and while protests have generally been peaceful, politicians and journalists say the atmosphere has turned increasingly nasty in recent weeks. On Monday, Conservative lawmaker Anna Soubry, a pro-European who has called for a second referendum on Brexit, faced chants of “Soubry is a Nazi” and “liar” as she was interviewed live on television. “I do object to being called a Nazi,” Soubry said. “This is what has happened to our country.” The abuse continued as she walked back to Parliament after the interview, with mobile phone footage on Twitter showing her surrounded by men, some in yellow vests similar to those worn by protesters in Paris, shouting “liar,” “fascist” and “scum.” Sky News journalist Kay Burley, one of the broadcasters whose interview with Soubry was overshadowed by the protests, has also faced abuse and says she now has security protection. She said demonstrators who disliked Soubry monitored TV channels so they could turn up and hurl abuse at her. In a letter to the London police chief Cressida Dick, a group of more than 60 lawmakers said they were concerned about the “deteriorating public order and security situation” around Parliament. “An ugly element of individuals with strong far right and extreme right connections … have increasingly engaged in intimidatory and potentially criminal acts,” the lawmakers, both pro-EU and pro-Brexit and from all political parties, wrote. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he too had written to police asking for a review of their policy. Monday’s fracas was a symptom of a growing malaise in British politics, according to Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester. It followed street scuffles during Scotland’s independence referendum in 2014 and activists draping a banner from a bridge in Manchester during the Conservative Party’s annual conference in 2017 saying “Hang the Tories.” “I think Brexit certainly deepened it … this trend towards intensifying distrust of politics and politicians, representative institutions, the media,” Ford said. “That distrust has now become much more visible because it is now becoming a serious obstacle to addressing complex issues.” Politicians on all sides of the Brexit debate had encouraged this kind of thinking, Ford said, adding: “I fear that the beast that they have unleashed has now turned on all of them.” Ian Lavery, the Labour Party chairman, said Monday’s events outside parliament were an attempt to silence political debate. “They were incarnations of a campaign of hatred that has been brought from the darkest reaches of the internet to the doors of our democracy.” The Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Operations Laurence Taylor said police were assessing whether crimes had been committed and promised to “deal robustly with incidents of harassment and abuse.” Labour lawmaker Stephen Doughty, who organized the letter, told BBC TV that there could be a repeat of the murder of Labour lawmaker Jo Cox, who was killed in a frenzied street attack a week before the 2016 Brexit vote by a man obsessed with Nazis and extreme right-wing ideology. Last year, a man accused of being a member of a far-right group pleaded guilty to plotting to kill another female Labour lawmaker who, like Cox, was targeted because she was perceived as supporting immigration. Brexit minister Stephen Barclay told BBC Radio the “appalling scenes” outside parliament on Monday showed how divisive the Brexit process had become. Tim Montgomerie, a prominent pro-Brexit Conservative activist and political commentator, said on Twitter that while the abuse of Soubry was unacceptable, “a parliamentarian who advocates overturning a referendum result she promised to respect should not be surprised at unleashing such ugliness.” Abuse has taken place across the political divide, with left-wing author and Labour supporter Owen Jones posting a video on Twitter of protesters shouting “traitor” at him as he walked outside parliament. While many of those facing abuse are supporters of remaining in the EU, pro-Brexit lawmakers have also been targeted. In September, Conservative lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg, a prominent campaigner for Brexit, was confronted outside his home by activists who told his children “your daddy is a horrible person” and “lots of people hate him.”


U.K. government defeated in vote; lawmakers create new obstacle to no-deal Brexit

Abstract: LONDON - British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government suffered a defeat in Parliament on Tuesday when lawmakers who oppose leaving the European Union without an accord won a vote that created a new obstacle to a no-deal Brexit. The 303 to 296 defeat means that the government needs explicit parliamentary approval to leave the EU without a deal before it can use certain powers relating to taxation law. The defeat highlights May’s weak position as leader of a minority government, a divided party, and a critical Parliament just days before she is due to hold a pivotal vote on whether to approve the Brexit deal she has negotiated with the EU. “This vote is an important step to prevent a no-deal Brexit. It shows that there is no majority in Parliament, the Cabinet or the country for crashing out of the EU without an agreement,” opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn of the Labour Party said. The government downplayed the significance of its defeat. “This amendment does not change the fact that the U.K. is leaving the EU on the 29 March, and it will not stop the government from collecting tax,” a spokesman said. “We will work with Parliament to make sure that the tax system works smoothly in all Brexit scenarios.” With less than three months until the U.K. leaves the EU, May is struggling to win approval for her Brexit deal. A no-deal exit is the default scenario if May’s deal is rejected, and the prospect of possible supply chain disruption, medicine shortage and blocked ports has in recent weeks pushed companies and the government to ramp up contingency planning. Some Brexit supporters say a no-deal exit is the only way to truly leave the bloc and that warnings of the economic consequences have been overblown to drum up support for May’s plan. But a majority of lawmakers from across the political spectrum opposed to a no-deal exit have now established their political significance and promised to keep making it harder for the government to leave without a deal. Opposition lawmaker Yvette Cooper said it showed the strength of concern about the dangers a no-deal Brexit could pose to manufacturers, jobs, food prices, policing and security. “It is a warning to the government not to drift into No Deal at the end of March by accident or through brinkmanship,” she said. “Whilst this amendment only applies to the Finance Bill, and whilst there are still a wide range of different views on the best way forward, it shows that enough MPs (lawmakers) are ready to come together in a sensible way to oppose a chaotic No Deal.” The amendment to legislation implementing last year’s budget states that powers to amend tax laws to make them work after Brexit could only be used if a deal was agreed upon, Brexit was canceled, or, if the government had parliamentary approval to proceed with a no-deal exit. Effectively this constrains the government’s ability to act to keep its taxation system working smoothly if it pursues a no-deal Brexit against the wishes of a majority in Parliament. It is not an absolute block to leaving the EU without a deal because it does not negate the legislation already in place stating that Britain will leave the EU on March 29. But it is a politically important victory for those opposed to no-deal, demonstrating that they have the ability to defeat the government. With a raft of other legislation still needing to be approved before Brexit day, that signals further difficulties for the government if it pursues a no-deal exit. One member of May’s party who co-signed the amendment said he hoped similar tactics would be used on other pieces of legislation — a sentiment endorsed by others in the debate.


Russian military police patrol around Syria's Manbij after U.S.-backed Kurds withdraw

Abstract: MOSCOW - Russian military police have begun patrolling around the Syrian city of Manbij, a spokesman said Tuesday, moving into an area once held by U.S.-backed Kurdish forces. Russian forces are acting in support of Syrian government troops who recently deployed around Manbij, in Aleppo province near the border with Turkey. Kurdish fighters, fearing a Turkish military assault, invited regime forces to Manbij late last month after U.S. President Donald Trump’s shock announcement of a full American withdrawal from Syria. Speaking in a report on Rossiya 24 television, Russian military police spokesman Yusup Mamatov said MPs had started patrolling “the security zone around Manbij. “The task is to ensure security in the area of responsibility (and) to monitor the situation and movements of armed formations,” Mamatov said. The report said Russian military police would be deployed in the area “on a regular basis. It showed a group of around a dozen khaki-clad armed military police driving through villages in jeeps and trucks flying the Russian flag. A separate report on Channel One television said military police were patrolling just a few kilometers from Manbij. It said the police would “establish dialogue with local residents” who could report if they found caches of weapons or unexploded munitions. Critics have warned Trump that an abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Syria would allow allies of President Bashar Assad’s regime — including Russia and Iran — to increase their influence in the country. About 2,000 U.S. troops, mainly special forces, are deployed in Syria to work with local fighters in the battle against the Islamic State group. Kurdish fighters formed the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which seized Manbij from IS in 2016. They withdrew from the town earlier this month after Trump’s announcement. Trump has in recent days sought to calm fears of an abrupt U.S. pullout, saying any withdrawal would be done in a “prudent” manner. It was not clear how close the Russian patrols may have been to areas where U.S. forces are deployed. Syria’s Kurdish minority has largely stayed out of the seven-year civil war, but controls large parts of the north and northeast, much of it seized in the U.S.-supported campaign against IS.

russia
syria
manbij
kurds
turkey
bashar assad
islamic state
conflict
u.s .
terrorism


Syrian jihadis push forward into Turkish-backed rebel buffer zone enclaves

Abstract: BEIRUT - A jihadi assault gained ground on Tuesday against Turkish-backed rebels in northwest Syria, edging closer to front-lines with government forces, a rebel official and a war monitor said. The advance raises questions about the fate of September’s demilitarization deal between Turkey and Russia, which staved off a Syrian army offensive against the Idlib region. Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), spearheaded by al-Qaida’s former Syrian affiliate, is expanding its grip over the insurgent enclave, which includes Idlib province and adjacent bits of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces. Idlib lies in Syria’s northwest corner, the last opposition stronghold, where Turkish forces are stationed. It borders territory that Turkey-backed rebels control near the Turkish frontier. The main Turkish-backed rebel force, the National Army, has deployed along fronts close to the jihadis to repel any new militant advance toward them. National Army spokesman Maj. Youssef Hamoud said HTS militants seized four villages in the al-Ghab plain from rival rebels on Tuesday. “We call on (the rebel factions) inside Idlib to launch an operation so that we can try to open a new front and relieve some pressure off them,” he said. He said HTS jihadis, who launched their offensive last week, were preparing to march towards the key towns of Ariha and Maarat al-Numan in Idlib. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fierce battles raged in al-Ghab plain. The British-based monitoring group said if HTS did take Ariha, Maarat al-Numan and some villages in between, it would effectively control all Idlib. The fighting was taking place inside a buffer zone that the Russian-Turkish deal had established along the front lines, the Observatory and a resident said. The resident of Sahl al-Ghab said Turkish-backed factions had “no option but to fight to the death. “The factions are enclosed in a very small area.” HTS gains had displaced some civilians towards government territory, the resident added.

syria turkey russia idlib al-qaida conflict


German, 20, confesses to massive data hack spurred by 'annoyance'

Abstract: BERLIN - German authorities on Tuesday said a 20-year-old hacker had confessed to stealing and leaking private data from hundreds of politicians, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, because he was “annoyed” by some of their public statements. The young German, who is still studying and lives with his parents, was detained after police searched the family home in the western state of Hesse on Sunday. The suspect was not remanded in custody because he is fully cooperating and not deemed a flight risk, said Georg Ungefuk, a spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecution service’s internet crime office ZIT. “The accused said he published the data because he had been annoyed by certain statements made by those affected,” Ungefuk told a news conference in Wiesbaden. The suspect, who because of his age falls under juvenile law in Germany, told police he acted alone. He stands accused of spying and illegally publishing personal data. Ungefuk said the accused had made a “comprehensive” confession and shown “clear remorse” about the stunning cybersecurity breach which hit around 1,000 politicians, journalists and celebrities and piled political pressure on the government. The information leaked online comprised home addresses, mobile phone numbers, letters, invoices and copies of identity documents. The data was first released via Twitter in December but its spread gathered pace last week. Among those affected were members of the Bundestag lower house of parliament and the European Parliament as well as regional and local assemblies. Deputies from all parties in the Bundestag were targeted with the exception of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), the largest opposition group. The head of cybersecurity at Germany’s Federal Police Office (BKA), Heiko Loehr, told reporters it was too soon to say if the suspect was acting out of far-right sympathies. “We are still investigating his motives and whether they may have been criminal or politically motivated,” he told reporters, adding that police were also working to confirm whether the suspect did indeed work alone. Investigators have seized computers and hard drives from the scene that were now being combed over by experts, Ungefuk added. Although the leak was sweeping, there is no evidence that sensitive information reached the public. In the vast majority of cases, only basic contact information was made available. The leak has nevertheless been deeply embarrassing for the political class, exposing a naive and sometimes reckless use of computer networks, and turned up the heat on unpopular interior minister Horst Seehofer. At a Berlin news conference, Seehofer praised the authorities’ “very efficient” handling of the case despite criticism that relevant bodies were slow to respond to the leak. He also announced measures to boost cyberdefenses, some of which were already in the works before the hacking incident. Staffing at Germany’s BSI cybersecurity body would be beefed up, Seehofer said. And his ministry would introduce legislation on IT security in the first half of 2019, which would include an early warning system for data leaks and cybersafety certificates on IT products. But he warned that internet users also had “a responsibility” to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect their data online. The information revealed in the leak, which in a few cases included chats and voicemail messages from spouses and children of those targeted, derived from both social media and private cloud data. The Twitter account @_0rbit published the links last month, along the lines of an advent calendar with each link to new information hidden behind a “door.” The account, which calls itself G0d, has been suspended by Twitter. It described its activities as “security researching,” “artist” and “satire and irony” and said it was based in Hamburg. Justice Minister Katarina Barley, who last week had labeled the data dump an attack on “our democracy and its institutions,” called on internet service providers and social networks “to shut down accounts as soon as they have been hacked.” German politicians and lawmakers have repeatedly fallen victim to cyberattacks in recent years. In 2015, the Bundestag network was hit by a malware attack later blamed on Russian hackers. In March last year, computer networks belonging to the German government came under sustained attack and data from foreign ministry staff was stolen. At the time, Moscow denied that Russian hackers were involved.

hacking
angela merkel
internet
germany
computers
privacy


Kim Jong Un leaves China after talking with Xi about U.S. sanctions

Abstract: SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un left Beijing after talking and dining with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to South Korean media, in a show of unity as they engage in delicate negotiations with President Donald Trump’s administration. Kim spent a little more than a day in the Chinese capital and was en route to Pyongyang by 2 p.m. Wednesday, Yonhap news agency of South Korea reported, citing unidentified officials. His delegation was seen off by high-ranking Chinese officials and honor guard at a Beijing train station and could return to North Korea as soon as Thursday morning, Yonhap said. The trip — Kim’s fourth to China since March — suggests negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear arsenal are gaining momentum after months without high-level diplomatic exchanges. Trump is seeking a second summit with Kim to reenergize talks that have made little headway since their first meeting in June, saying Sunday a date would be announced “in the not-too-distant future.” Given the limited speeds of the heavily fortified Kim uses to travel, it could takes 12 to 14 hours for him to reach the Chinese border city of Dandong, about 520 miles (840 kilometers) away, meaning he might spend the night in one of its luxury carriages before returning home. Kim spoke with Xi for about an hour Tuesday night, discussing ways to strengthen their ties and lay out strategy for a potential summit between Kim and Trump on curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, Yonhap reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the talks. The DongA Ilbo newspaper said that Xi hosted Kim to a banquet, which was held on the date believed to be North Korean leader’s 35th birthday. Kim could be looking to leverage his relationship with Xi, who Trump has accused of relaxing pressure on North Korea, to push the U.S. to make concessions in nuclear talks. The North Korean leader said in his New Year’s address that he might take a “new path” in negotiations if Trump didn’t ease trade, travel and investment restrictions. While Kim was in China, Xi’s government was in talks with a visiting U.S. delegation over a trade war that has been extracting a financial cost on the world’s two biggest economies. For Xi, whose country provides a lifeline to North Korea’s anemic economy, the meeting with Kim reminds Trump that China’s cooperation will make any nuclear deal more effective. Still, China has denied any interest in using North Korea as a bargaining chip and doing so risked undermining a source of stability in its strained relations with the U.S. Kim visited a factory of Chinese traditional pharmaceutical company the next morning and returned to the state guest house. He left there around noon, Yonhap reported. There has been no mention of the meetings so far in Chinese or North Korean state media. Video footage shown on South Korean and Japanese media showed streets being cleared of traffic for a convoy of luxury vehicles, supposedly shuttling Kim through Beijing. Naoko Aoki, a nuclear security fellow at the RAND Corp. in Washington, said that Kim’s delegation included officials focused on diplomatic and security policy and some key economic players haven’t been seen. “Judging from the delegation lineup, the mission appears to place emphasis on North Korea’s continuing diplomatic outreach and nuclear and security issues,” Aoki said. Kim traveled to China — his most important security and trade partner — before meetings last year with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Trump complained after a similar China trip in May that Xi might have emboldened Kim to take a harder line before their own eventual meeting in Singapore. China and Russia, who both wield vetoes on the United Nations Security Council, have called for easing sanctions to reward Kim’s move last year to halt weapons tests and dismantle some testing facilities. While there have been reports of easier inspections at the North Korean border, China has denied that it’s relaxing pressure on the regime. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular news briefing Tuesday in Beijing that Kim’s visit had no bearing on U.S. trade talks. “China and the DPRK are friendly and close neighbors and it is also an important tradition for us to maintain friendly exchanges,” Lu said, referring to North Korea’s formal name.

kim jong un
china
north korea
xi jinping
trade
kim-trump summit


Two left feet: Australian leader Scott Morrison tripped up by doctored family photo

Abstract: SYDNEY - Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was left red-faced on Wednesday after a family photograph, doctored by his staff, inadvertently left him with two left feet — an embarrassing image as he tries to end missteps months before an election. The new image of Morrison with his wife and two children was meant to be his new official photograph for his personal website. However, his staff, keen to remove the prime minister’s scruffy shoes gave him two left feet. Scott Morrison’s #shoegate photoshop fail gives PM two left feet https://t.co/W7ovktL4CU pic.twitter.com/NIGxP7Bmhd — Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus) January 8, 2019 The mistake was widely mocked on social media. A spokesman for the prime minister said the picture was changed by staffers without Morrison’s knowledge or authorization. Morrison took to Twitter in a bid to limit the damage, joking that staff could instead have improved his thinning hairline. Message to my Department (PM&C): I didn’t ask for the shoeshine, but if you must Photoshop, please focus on the hair (lack thereof), not the feet! 😀 Here they are in all their glory – my footwear of choice whenever I can get out of a suit. pic.twitter.com/hKKUstnArq — Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) January 8, 2019 Analysts said the incident was a blow to the government’s re-election campaign, with Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition badly trailing the Labor opposition in opinion polls and on course for a heavy defeat in polls due by May. “To be re-elected, Morrison needs everything to go right and ridicule is the absolute last thing he needs,” said Haydon Manning, professor of politics at Flinders University in South Australia. Morrison has yet to confirm the date of the election. He became Australia’s sixth different leader in less than 10 years late last year and has seen his standing with voters hampered by a series of missteps. Desperate to focus national attention on the healthy state of Australia’s economy, Morrison has moved to clear his legislative agenda of any more potential pitfalls. He will accelerate his re-election campaign in April when his government delivers its annual budget, which many expect to include tax cuts.


North Korea to hold parliamentary election, the second under Kim Jong Un, in March

Abstract: BEIJING - North Korea said Wednesday that it will hold a parliamentary election in March, the second since Kim Jong Un became the country’s supreme leader following the death of his father in December 2011. New members of the Supreme People’s Assembly will be elected on March 10, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. North Korea last held a parliamentary election in March 2014. Candidates normally win seats in uncontested elections and the legislature rubber stamps decisions already made by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, headed by Kim. But the election will be closely watched as it is likely to provide some hints of any shift in the country’s elite structure. New assembly members are expected to meet by mid-April to discuss the national budget and other policies.


Beijing 'needs three aircraft carriers,' says Chinese naval expert

Abstract: BEIJING - China needs “at least three aircraft carriers” to protect its extensive coastline and its interests abroad, a senior Chinese naval expert said Wednesday. “Our country has an 18,000-kilometer (11,000-mile) long coastline. Also, our economy is outward looking and our interests abroad are growing,” said Commodore Zhang Junshe, a member of the Naval Research Institute. “All this requires us to send a military force to distant seas to protect (these interests). In these circumstances, I think we need at least three aircraft carriers. Of course, depending on economic development, we could legitimately revise this figure upwards,” he said during a meeting with the Chinese and foreign press. In November, the English-language China Daily, citing the official Xinhua news agency, said the Asian giant had begun construction of a third aircraft carrier. The defense ministry has not confirmed this. China currently has only one operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, a secondhand Soviet ship built nearly 30 years ago and commissioned in 2012. A second carrier — the first built entirely by China and known only as “Type 001A” — was launched a year ago and has been undergoing sea trials. With just one fully operational aircraft carrier, China is far behind the United States, which has 11 such warships, but is on a par with Russia, France, India and Britain, which have one each, according to Nick Childs, a naval specialist at Britain’s International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Since the first Opium War in 1840 until the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, we have suffered 470 naval attacks from Western countries or Japan,” said Zhang. During this period, China suffered several defeats by Britain, Japan and France which resulted in the colonization of Chinese territories. “We will not be invading other countries, but the Chinese are afraid that their country will be invaded again, so the main reason we are strengthening our defense is to ensure our security,” he said. With a buildup of its military capability in recent years, Beijing is seeking to assert its extensive claims to the South China Sea and to deter any independence moves by Taiwan.

aircraft carrier
china
commodore zhang junshe
naval research institute
militar


Colleges named in Japan tabloid's list of schools with 'easy girls' condemn article as misogynistic

Abstract: The fallout over an article in a tabloid magazine ranking colleges according to the promiscuity of their female students after drinking intensified Wednesday, with all institutions named in the article accusing the publication of sexism. The criticism from the universities follows growing anger and frustration over the Dec. 25 issue of the weekly magazine Spa!, which listed five colleges as having female students who were “sexually easy” at drinking parties. The article, based on an interview with a matching site organizer, gained widespread attention after prominent Japanese-British artist Sputniko! urged her Twitter followers to sign an online petition calling for the magazine to publicly apologize and recant the story. More than 40,000 people had signed the online petition as of Wednesday evening. “We express our profound alarm over the article’s misogynistic content,” Chuo University said in a statement. “We demand the publisher take seriously the fact that the article impairs the dignity and threatens the safety of not only female students in our university but also young people in general.” In a similar statement, Ferris University described the ranking as “contemptuous toward women” and “deplorable.” A spokesperson from Jissen Women’s University confirmed that its president had issued a protest to the magazine’s publisher, Fusosha Publishing Inc., saying that the article slandered the university and its students. Otsuma Women’s University, for its part, said it would send the publisher a protest letter on Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for the school, while Hosei University also saying it had formally objected to the article. The magazine’s editorial department apologized Monday for “using sensational language” and for creating the ranking, which it said “came out in a way that may have offended readers.” Besides the list, the magazine has previously published similar articles including one that detailed “the characteristics of a woman who gets into bed easily” and “the types of alcohol to use to have sex with a woman.” The article has attracted much public attention, with critics citing it as an example of Japan’s sluggish progress in advancing gender equality and a lackadaisical attitude in society toward the objectification of women. “Imagine this; there might be people at those listed universities that have been sexually assaulted and continuously blame themselves,” tweeted photojournalist Natsuki Yasuda. “Even if that is not the case for others, the existence of such an article itself is an act of violence.” 想像してほしい。ここに名を挙げられてしまった大学に通っている方の中にも、過去に性被害を受けたり、その上で「悪いのは自分」と自身を責め続けている人がいるかもしれない。そうではない人たちにとっても、この記事の存在自体が暴力になってしまう。 https://t.co/RW8kNiM1UZ — 安田菜津紀 (@NatsukiYasuda) January 8, 2019

magazines
sex
universities
weeklies
spa !
petitions
women
sexual crimes


Abe's plan to battle Japan's regional brain drain draws mixed reviews

Abstract: OSAKA - Like other major cities around the world, Tokyo acts as a magnet for the rest of the country, attracting people whose energy and talents spark new businesses and forms of art and culture, which, in turn, attract even more people. But for other cities in Japan, Tokyo’s boom is their bust, as the exodus of locals — those precious human resources — leads to depopulation. Now, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s administration is taking another stab at this decades-old trend, unveiling a plan in late December to designate 82 regional cities in 43 prefectures as core urban centers, to which central government assistance will flow if their ideas for economic revitalization are approved by Tokyo bureaucrats. While some mayors hail the program as a lift to efforts already underway among local governments, there are concerns the program could end up creating a nation of “mini-Tokyos,” or regional urban centers that drain people from rural parts of the prefecture. Under the initiative, the government will provide funds to select regional cities that present plans to improve downtown areas and create more compact urban areas to serve residents and surrounding communities more efficiently, and at less of a strain on municipal budgets. It is also aimed at encouraging younger people to stay in regional centers by providing funding and support for efforts to make it easier for them, especially women, to find work in those cities. The government will also provide incentives for the municipalities to welcome some of the 345,000 foreign workers Japan plans accept over the next five years, starting in April. Local politicians and media have described the new regional core city plan as functioning like a “dam,” stopping the outward flow of people from other parts of the country into Tokyo. Sendai Mayor Kazuko Kori says she hopes the city would not only be a “dam” for the Tohoku region but also function as a “pump” that would attract people from neighboring prefectures and then encourage them to go to other parts of the region. “Sending out people not to the Kanto region but to Tohoku to act as a pump is what we’re seeking,” she said during a news conference on Dec. 25, following the designation of her city as Miyagi Prefecture’s only regional core city. Over the past decade, efforts to stop the flow of people into the Kanto region have largely failed. The number of people who moved to the prefectures of Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama and Chiba minus the number of people who moved out was 151,696 in 2008, according to the internal affairs ministry. At first, it appeared there was some success, as the figure gradually dropped to 62,809 in 2011. But it continued to increase from there on, with the figure reaching 119,779 in 2017. As regional depopulation continues due partly to the movement of people and funding to Tokyo, cooperation between local governments working with fewer resources is increasing. In northern Kyushu, 17 cities and towns centered on Kitakyushu with a combined population of 1.4 million are working together to create a more unified economic and residential area, and Kitakyushu Mayor Kenji Kitahara sees the new plan for core cities as being to the region’s advantage due to its transportation infrastructure. “Various local governments are facing aging and declining populations with lower birthrates. At the same time, in our area, Kitakyushu Airport and Fukuoka Airport are congested, so, in a variety of ways, the wind is at our back,” Kitahara told local reporters on Dec. 24. Yet other regions of Japan are expressing caution and concern. In Hokkaido, where Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa have all received regional core city designation, the idea is to create three hubs. However, with New Chitose Airport, the prime domestic and international gateway to Hokkaido, Sapporo is becoming a magnet for people from other regional cities, including Asahikawa and Hakodate. In Kyoto Prefecture, where only the city of Kyoto has received the designation, the Kyoto Shimbun expressed fear that the plan, rather than benefiting regions, could wind up only benefiting the designated cities. “There are concerns that all the new policy of attempting to concentrate local populations in core cities will do is create a bunch of ‘mini-Tokyos,'” the Kyoto Shimbun editorialized on Dec. 20. The newspaper also warned that many, perhaps most, of the estimated 345,000 foreign laborers could end up in major cities rather than in rural parts of the country. The Abe government has said that assistance to help local communities “coexist” with foreign workers would be available, but the details are limited and many local surveys of smaller businesses in regional cities show a lack of enthusiasm for foreign workers, except in a few sectors such as tourism. Perhaps the most difficult task the designated regional core cities will face is overcoming the reluctance of Tokyo-based corporations to relocate, even with new inducements, including local tax incentives and other plans to get them to move. And then, as the Kyoto Shimbun points out, there is the group of Tokyo-based workers who are likely to put up especially stiff resistance to supporting the regional core city movement by relocating, and that’s the bureaucrats themselves. “Though the Cultural Affairs Agency will relocate to Kyoto and part of the Consumer Affairs Agency will relocate to Tokushima, that’s all that’s happened so far,” the newspaper said. When it comes to the regional core city project, then, the idea seems to be to keep people from moving to Tokyo via a policy dam, while local governments and businesses around the country see a pump that pushes people and businesses from Tokyo outwards as the real instrument that will drive regional revitalization.

tokyo
depopulation
shinzo abe
miyagi
decentralization


Japan's labor ministry knowingly published erroneous monthly labor survey: officials

Abstract: The labor ministry has released monthly jobs data despite knowing that it did not satisfy sampling standards and was erroneous, officials said Tuesday. The revelation could undermine confidence in the accuracy of key economic indicators as Japan enjoys a prolonged phase of economic expansion. Under existing rules, the ministry has to gather data from all companies with 500 or more employees. But a recent survey covered only a third of the roughly 1,400 businesses in Tokyo that should have been polled. The monthly labor survey for October was released on Dec. 7. The ministry released its revised version on Dec. 21, but did not reveal that its data-gathering had been inappropriate. Speaking at a news conference, labor minister Takumi Nemoto said the problem was reported to him on Dec. 20, adding that he has instructed officials to find out why the latest incident took place. The monthly labor survey serves as a key indicator of the country’s employment conditions, covering over 30,000 business establishments across Japan and also including selected firms with fewer than 500 workers. Employment conditions are closely watched by the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the Bank of Japan as wage growth is vital for the nation to break with deflation. The job market is tight due to an acute labor shortage, while wage growth has been modest.


Japanese team discovers dizziness drug can improve poor long-term memory

Abstract: New research by a Japanese team has revealed that people’s long-term memories can be improved by taking a large dose of a dizziness medication that boosts the amount of histamine in the brain. The conclusion of the research, which appeared in the American journal Biological Psychiatry on Tuesday, may have future implications for treating memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Histamine in the central nervous system is linked to learning and memory, with long-term memory defined as memory prior to 48 hours ago. The medication is usually prescribed at low dosages to treat those who suffer from dizziness. But in the memory experiment participants were given higher dosages to boost their histamine levels. The trial was conducted on 38 men and women who were asked to study images of 128 objects. Their memory was then tested a week later and again two days after that, where they were asked if they had seen the items before. Half of the test subjects were given an oral placebo while the other half were given the drug 30 minutes before the first test started. In the second test, those who had received the placebo earlier received the drug, while those who had initially received the drug were given the placebo. The ratio of correct answers provided by those who responded after taking the drug stood at 46 percent, a 3 point increase over their scores when they did not take the medication. Experiments showed that the test scores also varied significantly according to original memory capability. Those who originally had a poor memory improved their scores from 28 percent to 55 percent after taking the drug. In contrast, those who had a naturally good memory struggled after taking the drug. The percentage of correct responses declined from 61 percent to 39 percent. Researchers suspect that for the latter group, the extra histamine may have added too much “noise” and excessive nerve signaling that hindered recall. However, the trial does not suggest that improved long-term memory is always beneficial. “There are still uncertainties surrounding the use of this medication, and people could recall bad memories from the past,” cautioned Yuji Ikegaya, a University of Tokyo professor who was part of the research team. “People shouldn’t take the medication based on their individual judgment.”


Japan's health ministry issues warning as number of flu patients sees sharp uptick

Abstract: The health ministry issued a warning Wednesday as the number of influenza patients per medical institution reached 11.17 in the week through Dec. 30. The figure was up by 3.12 from the preceding week, according to reports from about 5,000 regularly monitored medical institutions, suggesting the possibility of an outbreak within four weeks. Based on the reports, the total number of flu patients at medical institutions across the nation in the reporting week was estimated at some 446,000, the ministry said. The ministry issues warnings when the number of flu patients per institution rises above 10. By prefecture, the number of patients per institution was the highest in Hokkaido, at 32.07, followed by Aichi, 30.45, Gifu, 20.33, Kumamoto, 14.53 and Mie, 13.68. Of the flu viruses detected in patients in the last five weeks, type A, which spread globally as a new strain in 2009, accounted for the largest share, followed by the type-A Hong Kong variant and type B.


Japan seeks talks with South Korea on asset seizure after forced labor ruling

Abstract: Japan sought talks with South Korea on Wednesday after a local court approved a request to seize assets from a Japanese steel-maker operating in the country, following a ruling over wartime forced labor. Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Akiba summoned South Korean Ambassador to Japan Lee Su-hoon to the Foreign Ministry and formally proposed the launch of consultations. In Seoul, a spokesman for the office of President Moon Jae-in would only say that the South Korean government will disclose its position on the Japanese move once the prime minister’s office, which is in charge of the matter, prepares one. On Tuesday, a South Korean court said it had approved a request to seize the local assets of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp. for refusing to comply with an earlier court order to pay compensation to four South Koreans who were forced into labor during Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean court decision on the asset seizure will be effective upon the delivery of a notice to a joint venture set up by Nippon Steel and South Korean steel-maker Posco. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga described the development as “extremely regrettable” and said that Tokyo “has taken the matter seriously.” “The South Korean government has yet to take concrete steps despite Japan’s request to address the situation, which violates international law,” he said. Tokyo maintains that the issue of compensation was settled “completely and finally” under a bilateral agreement to settle property claims signed alongside the 1965 Japan-South Korea basic relations treaty that established diplomatic ties. Suga, who chaired the ministerial meeting, told government ministries and agencies to “closely cooperate with each other” in dealing with the issue, according to Ishii. The bilateral agreement on settling property claims stipulates that any dispute regarding its interpretation and implementation shall be resolved, first of all, through diplomatic channels. The talks, if realized, would be the first of their kind to be based on the agreement on settling property claims, according to Japanese officials. Earlier this month, Foreign Minister Taro Kono urged South Korea to prevent Japanese firms from being treated unfairly, given Seoul’s move to seize assets. Last Friday, Kono held telephone talks with his South Korean counterpart Kang Kyung-wha and emphasized during the conversation that Japan will take resolute action based on international law, if needed. “We believe that South Korea will take appropriate action, so we will wait and see for the time being. But we want to make preparations in case we have to act resolutely based on international law,” Kono said last Friday. Bilateral ties between the two neighbors have rapidly deteriorated since the South Korean Supreme Court handed down the compensation order in late October. Another similar ruling the following month ordered Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to compensate two groups of South Koreans for similar reasons. In late December, lawyers representing South Korean plaintiffs in the Nippon Steel case requested that the Pohang branch of the Daegu District Court, in the country’s southeast, seize the company’s shares in the joint venture. In addition to the wartime history issues, Tokyo and Seoul also remain at odds over the alleged radar lock-on incident that took place last month. Both Japan and South Korea have released their own videos of the radar incident. On Dec. 28, Japan’s Defense Ministry released its video, which recorded the conversations of the Maritime Self-Defense Force patrol plane’s crew, to back up its claim that South Korea used the radar intentionally. Seoul’s version countered Tokyo’s claim, and South Korea repeated its demand that Japan stop “distorting” the truth and apologize for a low-altitude flyby by one of its patrol planes.

compensation
nippon steel & sumitomo metal corp .
wartime labor
south korea-japan relations


New Year's party skipped as tensions run high between Osaka's ruling coalition partners

Abstract: OSAKA - As Osaka enters 2019 with a full political schedule, including local and national elections and the Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit, relations between ruling coalition partners Komeito and Osaka Ishin no Kai (One Osaka), a local political party, remain tense, creating potential political problems in both Osaka and for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s efforts toward constitutional revision. On Wednesday, Osaka Gov. Ichiro Matsui and Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura skipped a New Year’s party at Komeito’s Osaka headquarters. The Osaka Ishin leaders, whose party controls a plurality in the prefectural and municipal assemblies and needs Komeito to form a majority, are angry at opposition by Komeito toward an Osaka Ishin-backed plan to hold a referendum on merging Osaka city into four semiautonomous wards. Matsui claims a 2017 agreement with Komeito, made public last month, means both parties had agreed to hold a referendum before local elections in April. Komeito has said the agreement referred instead to the end of the terms of Matsui and Yoshimura, which expire in November and December. Komeito has long opposed Osaka Ishin’s merger plan, as has the local chapter of the Liberal Democratic Party and all major opposition parties. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also said he is opposed. But Matsui and Yoshimura have threatened to resign and call mayoral and gubernatorial elections in April unless Komeito changes its stance. In remarks at Wednesday’s party, Lower House member and Komeito Osaka chapter head Shigeki Sato touched on the elections and the recent selection of Osaka as host of the 2025 World Expo, but avoided the merger controversy. “The real work begins now to make the 2025 Expo a success, and with the local elections and the Upper House election, we need to do everything to win in order to build on Komeito’s strong foundation,” Sato said. In the current 85-seat municipal assembly, Osaka Ishin has 34 seats and Komeito controls 19 seats. The LDP has 21 seats. In the current 86 seat prefectural assembly, Osaka Ishin has 40 seats and Komeito has 15 seats, while the LDP has 26 seats. Having failed so far to fulfill its promise to voters to merge the city’s wards, Osaka Ishin faces tough elections in April. A loss of just three seats in the municipal assembly by Osaka Ishin to the LDP with Komeito holding on to all 19 seats might lead to an LDP-Komeito majority in that chamber. That, in turn, could impact Nippon Ishin no Kai, the national party affiliated with Osaka Ishin, in July’s Upper House election. Four Upper House seats in the Osaka electoral district are up for grabs. The LDP will field two candidates and Komeito one candidate. Nippon Ishin, which favors constitutional revision, has decided on only one of the two candidates it hopes to field. Four of the major opposition parties have also settled on their candidates. If their victories come at the expense of a weakened Nippon Ishin, it will be tougher for those seeking constitutional revision to achieve the required two-thirds majority in the Upper House.

osaka
komeito
osaka ishin no kai
ichiro matsui


Abe aide Katsuyuki Kawai seeks U.S. support for Japan's peace talks with Russia

Abstract: WASHINGTON - An aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday sought U.S. support for Japan concluding a postwar peace treaty with Russia, saying closer Tokyo-Moscow ties will help counter a threat posed by China. “Both Japan and Russia view China as a potential threat,” said Katsuyuki Kawai, special adviser to Abe for foreign affairs. “I would like the United States to understand the importance of concluding a Japan-Russia peace treaty as a means to jointly counter the threat from China.” Kawai made the remarks at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank, before Abe travels to Russia later this month for talks with President Vladimir Putin on concluding a peace treaty based on a 1956 joint declaration. The declaration, approved by the legislative bodies of Japan and the Soviet Union, says the island of Shikotan and the Habomai islet group — two of four Russian-held islands off Hokkaido — will be handed over to Japan following the conclusion of a peace treaty. Abe “is strongly determined to conclude a Japan-Russia peace treaty by resolving the territorial dispute between the two countries during his tenure as prime minister,” said Kawai, a lawmaker for Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party. The territorial dispute, which also involves the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu, has prevented Tokyo and Moscow from signing a post-World War II peace treaty. Kawai also said Japan aims to normalize relations with North Korea after addressing the nuclear and missile issues, as well as its abduction of Japanese nationals, but that Tokyo has “no intention” of moving ahead of Washington in negotiating with Pyongyang. “Japan will keep in step with the United States in this respect,” he said. Citing concerns that China may increase its influence over the Korean Peninsula, Kawai underscored the need to further strengthen the Japan-U.S. alliance as well as trilateral cooperation with South Korea. “In the emergence of a situation of a new Cold War, South Korea appears to be leaning toward the China and North Korea axis,” he said. “We must bring South Korea back to the liberal democracy camp.” Abe has a “strong desire” to advance the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific — a concept apparently aimed at countering China’s rising clout and assertiveness in the region — in partnership with the United States, Australia and India, according to Kawai. The adviser condemned China’s “expansionist behaviors” in the East and South China seas. Similarly, Japan does not unconditionally support China’s “Belt and Road” initiative, a trillion dollar infrastructure project critics say is intended to draw countries deeper into Beijing’s economic orbit, Kawai said.

prime minister shinzo abe
china
vladimir putin
territorial dispute
russia-japan relations


Idle funds in Japan earmarked for projects in the public interest as dormant deposits law kicks in

Abstract: A system to divert funds sleeping in bank accounts for 10 years or longer for use in initiatives in the public interest, such as assistance to families in poverty, began full-scale operation this month. About ¥70 billion in such bank accounts is expected to be newly deemed dormant every year. Banks are alerting depositors of inactive accounts that may become classified as dormant. Koji Fujiwara, chairman of the Japanese Bankers Association, or Zenginkyo, has urged the public to check any deposits that have been left untouched for a long time. Under the law for the use of dormant deposits, which came into force in January 2018, a bank account is regarded as dormant if no deposit, withdrawal or other activity has been made for 10 years or longer and the account holder cannot be contacted. The law applies to accounts for which at least 10 years have passed since the last transaction was made on Jan. 1, 2009, or later, meaning deposits started to become dormant under the law this month. Money in dormant bank accounts will be transferred to the management of Deposit Insurance Corp., an institution that deals with bank failures, and, via incorporated foundations, used for subsidies and loans mainly to nonprofit organizations engaged in public-interest activities. Depositors can withdraw money from accounts that have become dormant but need to complete identity checks and documentation procedures. If bank accounts have ¥10,000 or more, banks are required to notify the holders by mail or other means of coming transfers to Deposit Insurance Corp. If the notice reaches the depositors, the accounts will not be regarded as dormant. If not, money in the accounts will be transferred to the institution. In late October, MUFG Bank started notifying inactive depositors by mail about their accounts becoming dormant beginning this month. Resona Bank started doing so in June last year and advises customers who open new accounts not to leave them sitting idle for a long time. One focus of the new system is the specific use of dormant deposits. Such money will help provide assistance for children, other young people and people with difficulties in their daily lives, as well as for regional revitalization projects, but it has yet to be decided which groups will be the recipients of such funds. Though deemed dormant, such funds were originally the savings of depositors, so high transparency is needed for the selection of recipient organizations, analysts said.


Japan ready to exchange radar records with South Korea over maritime lock-on incident

Abstract: Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya on Tuesday showed readiness to exchange records with the South Korean military, with the aim of breaking the impasse over the Dec. 20 radar lock-on incident. “In order to deepen discussions with South Korea it would be possible for the two sides to exchange classified records, depending on the development of our talks,” Iwaya told a news conference. The comment suggests that Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force is ready to present its records of radar wave interception to the South Korean side in exchange for information from Seoul, during bilateral working-level talks on Tokyo’s claim that a South Korean destroyer directed its fire-control radar at an MSDF patrol plane. But Iwaya said that such Japanese records would not be released to the public, saying, “the extent to which a country can collect and analyze radio waves is an important defense secret.” The minister also commented on a recently released South Korean video aimed at rebutting the radar lock-on allegation. “In the past, the MSDF has taken photographs of South Korean warships, just like this time, but the South Korean side has never issued a warning or lodged a protest — let alone aiming fire-control radar,” Iwaya said, asserting the legitimacy of Japan’s claim. Ministry officials said distinct patterns indicating exposure to strong radar waves show up in radar interception records when fire-control radar waves are received. As each radar system has unique characteristics, it is possible to identify what kind of radar was used, according to the officials. The ministry has already confirmed that radar data recorded in the latest incident matches records held by Japan for a South Korean military radar system.

military
self defense forces
south korea-japan relations


Pioneering travel reporter Kaoru Kanetaka, whose Japan TV journeys took her 7.2 million km, dies at 90

Abstract: Kaoru Kanetaka, a reporter who starred in a popular TV travel show that aired for 30 years, has died of heart failure, her office said Wednesday. She was 90. As a pioneering journalist and broadcaster, Kanetaka brought the world to viewers with her TV series that began in 1959, when traveling abroad was still a pipe dream for most Japanese. The government lifted restrictions on overseas travel by Japanese citizens in 1964. Kanetaka’s journeys for the program, later titled “Sekai no Tabi” (“Trip around the World”), totaled around 7,210,000 kilometers and covered about 150 countries. Having studied in the United States, she also contributed articles to The Japan Times.


Four men claiming to be from North Korea rescued in western Japan

Abstract: MATSUE, SHIMANE PREF. - Four men claiming to be from North Korea arrived on an island in western Japan on Tuesday, after their boat apparently lost power and came under the protection of Japanese authorities, police said. A wooden boat about 9.3 meters long and 2.4 meters wide was found on the shore nearby and the men told the authorities their names and dates of birth, according to the police. A male resident of the town of Okinoshima, Shimane Prefecture, located on one of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, reported seeing the men in the morning, police said. The men told investigators that they left North Korea in early December on a fishing trip and were scheduled to return in a couple of days, but that their boat drifted off course due to engine problems, the police said Wednesday. They denied any intention to defect, according to police. Takeko Murakami, an 83-year-old resident, offered rice balls and water to the men, who were exhausted and freezing, after they asked her for help. “I didn’t understand their language but I wasn’t scared,” she said, adding that one of the men who appeared to be the leader bowed his head in appreciation after she gave them jackets.


Three Koreans recognized as Nagasaki A-bomb survivors by Japanese court

Abstract: NAGASAKI - A court in Japan acknowledged Tuesday that three Korean men who were forced to work at a shipyard in Nagasaki during World War II were victims of the 1945 U.S. atomic bombing of the city. The three men, who now all live in South Korea, applied to Nagasaki for health record books, which officially certify the holders as atomic bomb survivors, between 2014 and 2016. But initially the local government rejected their applications, saying they had no witnesses who could support their claims that they had been in the city when the bomb was dropped. The three said that they were exposed to radiation in the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki, in August 1945, because they had been requisitioned as laborers at the shipyard of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. With no direct evidence to show their exposure to radiation, the focus of the lawsuit was on whether their accounts could be trusted. Nagasaki District Court’s presiding Judge Mika Takeda concluded that their testimonies were credible, and ordered the city to provide the record books to the three men, Lee Gwan-mo, 96, Kim Seong-Su, 93, and Bae Han-Seop, 92. The record books enable atomic bomb survivors to receive medical treatment for free at designated hospitals in Japan. At the court, the plaintiffs had appealed the rejection by the city, saying that their testimonies coincide with those of other conscripted wartime laborers of the shipyard at the time. Takeda said that there were no logical inconsistencies in the men’s testimonies of how they came to Japan or how they were exposed to the radiation. Furthermore, their accounts are detailed, the judge said. More than 70 years after the bombing, their accounts cannot necessarily be regarded as “unnatural” even though there is no direct evidence, Takeda said. Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue said he will consider how to respond after examining the ruling. To be officially recognized as atomic bomb survivors, or hibakusha, applicants in principle need to get testimonies from at least two people excluding family members, according to the health ministry. Mika Nakashiki, a lawyer representing the three men, welcomed the ruling. “(The judge) understood the difficulties of offering evidence to support their accounts and said that their testimonies were credible,” Nakashiki said in a news conference held after the ruling was handed down. “It will help other people applying to be certified as hibakusha.”

nagasaki
a-bomb
south korea
wartime laborers
hibakusha


Housewife-turned-hunter targets wasted boar meat in Japan

Abstract: ATAMI, SHIZUOKA PREF. - It’s a familiar scene on the evening news: A wild boar ventures out of the woods looking for food and wreaks havoc on a countryside town, spurring local authorities to arm themselves with nets to catch the rogue animal. Boar populations in the country have grown rapidly over the past several decades, partly due to a decline in the number of hunters, increasing the frequency of such encounters between man and beast. According to the Environment Ministry, the estimated number of wild boars roughly tripled from the early 1990s to some 900,000 in the year to March 2017, and 76 people were injured in boar attacks in the year through March 2018, up from 64 a year earlier. Amid a government push to stop overpopulation of the animal, which can also hurt the local ecosystem, hunters have been capturing boars in record numbers. But what happens to all of that meat? “Skinning and taking apart a specimen is hard work, especially for aging hunters. So what often happens is that they won’t even take it home. They’ll just catch it, kill it and bury it on the spot,” said Etsuko Nishikiori, a hunter in Atami, Shizuoka Prefecture, a seaside hot-spring resort about a two-hour drive from Tokyo. To put a stop to the wasteful practice, Nishikiori and a group of her friends set up a facility in October 2017 to process game meat for consumption. They pooled together ¥1.3 million to buy a motorized winch to lift carcasses, making it much easier to remove the blood and internal organs, and refrigerators and freezers to preserve the meat. The meat is prepared into cuts or turned into sausages or jerky to be sold at local shops or online. People who bring in a carcass can collect ¥2,000, or if they choose, half of the meat, but “most are just happy to have it taken off their hands,” said Nishikiori. The facility, which is named Yama no Megumi (Bounty of the Mountain), accepted about 80 boars and a few deer in its first year in operation. The biggest specimen was a 120-kilogram behemoth — Nishikiori joked she thought it came out of the anime film “Princess Mononoke,” which features a giant 500-year-old boar that is worshipped as a god. Most specimens were caught in the surrounding forest, but sometimes hunters asked to bring in carcasses from relatively far away, keen to avoid a hefty disposal fee. “We’re only able to pay ¥2,000, but it’s better than nothing,” she said. Nishikiori, a 48-year-old former nurse from Tokyo who is now a housewife, started hunting four years ago after Silkie chickens she had been raising were ravaged by a wild animal. The incident prompted her to get a trapping license in order to “understand my foe,” she said, but it wasn’t until a neighbor offered to cook her some boar meat that she caught the hunting bug. “It was so delicious. I thought, if they can be caught around here I should do it myself.” She got her rifle license about a year ago. To get a hunting license, applicants need to undergo training and pass exams. Licensed hunters are required to register with local authorities. Nishikiori and fellow housewife Hiroko Yamaguchi, who helps run the meat-processing facility, are unusual sights in the local hunters’ club, which is comprised mostly of elderly men with an average age of about 70. The situation is a common one in Japan, where the overall population is rapidly graying amid a shrinking birthrate. According to Environment Ministry data, there were 190,100 licensed hunters in the country in fiscal 2015, the overwhelming majority of whom were 60 or older. That is in contrast to 1975, when there were 517,800 hunters, the bulk of whom were in their 30s and 40s. But there are an increasing number of women entering the world of hunting. The data shows the number of female hunters more than quadrupled to 4,200 in the 15 years leading up to fiscal 2015. Nishikiori said women may be drawn to hunting because of the growing popularity of game meat, which has spread in the country in recent years under the French word gibier and is considered a leaner, healthier alternative to meat from domesticated animals. “The (hunting) community also isn’t as old-fashioned as it used to be. It’s more welcoming,” she said. Ultimately, Nishikiori aims to encourage younger people to take up hunting. She wants to ensure the local ecosystem is not threatened by the overpopulation of wild animals, which leads to overfeeding on vegetation. Not only does that rob other species of food, it also makes mountainsides prone to landslides because some wild animals eat tree bark, causing trees to die and leading to fewer roots to anchor the soil. “In five or 10 years, all of the older hunters will retire and then who’s going to do it? We have to keep the culture alive. The facility is a tool that helps us do that,” Nishikiori said.


Japan plans to buy island slated as likely host for U.S. military training site by end of March

Abstract: The government is planning to buy a southwestern island, regarded as a candidate U.S. military training site, by the March end of the current fiscal year, government sources said Wednesday. According to the sources, the government is expected to acquire the island of Mageshima in Kagoshima Prefecture for some ¥16 billion. The island is a candidate site for relocating field carrier landing practice (FCLP) operations for U.S. carrier-borne aircraft, which will be carried out as part of a realignment plan for the U.S. military in Japan. A senior official at the Japanese Defense Ministry said that the government “will need to be able to offer an explanation on the purchase price during parliamentary deliberations.” With a total area of around 8 square kilometers, the uninhabited island is located some 12 kilometers west of the island of Tanegashima. In 2011, the Japanese and U.S. governments agreed to consider moving to Mageshima the site for FCLP operations from Iwoto, also known as Iwo Jima, a Pacific island belonging to Tokyo. The agreement is in line with a decision to transfer U.S. carrier-based aircraft from the Atsugi base in Kanagawa Prefecture to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Iwakuni base in Yamaguchi Prefecture. Following the agreement the Japanese government started negotiations with the island’s owner, a Tokyo-based land developer. The discussions, however, ran into trouble as there was a tenfold difference between the price suggested by the government and the amount requested by the firm. Once the government concludes a sales contract, the ministry plans to immediately start work on building facilities for the Self-Defense Forces on the island. The facilities will also be accessible to U.S. forces. Tokyo has already set aside ¥596 million in expenditures related to the island, including those for environmental impact assessments, under the government’s draft budget for fiscal 2019. Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told a news conference on Tuesday that the facilities for FCLP operations “are needed as soon as possible.” “We’ll continue to work steadily on preparing permanent facilities,” he added.

mageshima
kagoshima
u.s. military
u.s. bases