Page 2 - Japan

LGBTQ summit 'Pride 7' calls on Japan to enact anti-discrimination law

Japanese LGBTQ activists and supporters on Thursday held an inaugural Pride 7 Summit in Tokyo, where they called on Group of Seven governments to promote and strengthen support and legal protections for LGBTQ people and urged Japan's government to enact an anti-discrimination law before it hosts this year's G-7 summit in May. Japan is the only G-7 country that does not recognise same-sex marriage or provide other equal rights protections for LGBTQ people. Participants at the Pride 7 Summit called on the G-7 to protect the rights of LGBTQ people and prohibit discrimination throughout society. The Pride 7 engagement group will finalise the wording of a draft communique and submit it to each G-7 nation by the end of April, said Kanae Doi, Japan director of Human Rights Watch and a P-7 organiser. P-7 was established in March to make policy proposals to step up efforts ahead of the G-7 summit, which will be held in Hiroshima. While momentum is on the rise ahead of the G-7, experts say

India falls 6 spots to rank 144 in Passport Index 2023: All you must know

The sharp fall in India's ranking has been attributed to the change in European Union's policy

Japan commits Rs 7,084 crore for three infrastructure projects in India

Japan on Tuesday committed Rs 7,084.5 crore to India for three infrastructure projects, including Patna Metro Rail Construction Project and Rajasthan Water Sector Livelihood Improvement Project. Notes in this regard were exchanged between Rajat Kumar Mishra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs and Japan Ambassador to India Suzuki Hiroshi, an official statement said. Japan would fund Patna Metro Rail Construction Project (I) of JPY 98.612 billion (about Rs 5,509 crore), Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation for Climate Change Response in West Bengal of JPY 9.308 billion (about Rs 520 crore) and Rajasthan Water Sector Livelihood Improvement Project (II) of JPY 18.894 billion (about Rs 1,055.53 crore). Patna Metro Rail Construction Project aims to cope with the increase of traffic demand in the capital city of Bihar by constructing the new metro corridor 1 & 2, thereby contributing to improvement of the urban environment and development of the economy as ..

6.1-magnitude earthquake hits Japan's Hokkaido island, no casualties so far

An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 on the Richter scale rocked Hokkaido island in Japan on Tuesday, the National Center for Seismology said

US, Japan reach agreement on vital minerals for electric vehicle batteries

Japan and the United States have reached an agreement on trade in critical minerals for electric vehicle batteries, part of an effort to diversify supply chains and reduce reliance on China for strategically important resources. The deal struck Tuesday is expected to help electric vehicles using metals processed in Japan qualify for tax incentives under President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act. This announcement is proof of President Biden's commitment to building resilient and secure supply chains, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said in a statement. The Inflation Reduction Act, enacted in August, requires a portion of the critical minerals used in EV batteries to be mined in or processed domestically or from countries with which the US has free trade agreements. Japan and the US have no such FTA, but the deal will grant Japan the same treatment as an FTA partner regarding such minerals, Japanese officials said. As a result, the two sides said they agreed to not impose

Russia says it has test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan

Russia's Defense Ministry says Moscow has test-fired anti-ship missiles in the Sea of Japan. The ministry said on Tuesday that two boats launched a simulated missile attack on a mock enemy warship about 100 kilometers (60 miles) away. The ministry said the target was successfully hit by two Moskit cruise missiles. The Moskit, whose NATO reporting name is the SS-N-22 Sunburn, is a supersonic anti-ship cruise missile that has conventional and nuclear warhead capacity. It says the exercise took place in the Peter The Great Bay in the Sea of Japan but does not give more precise coordinates. Japan's Defense Ministry had no immediate response. The US Navy's 7th Fleet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Over 10% of children with Covid-related brain disease died in Japan: Rpt

Between January 2020 and May 2022, the survey discovered 34 cases of acute encephalopathy linked to Covid-19 infection in individuals under the age of 18

Toshiba Corp accepts $15 bn buyout offer from Japanese consortium

The Tokyo-based company's board approved on Thursday a bid of about 2 trillion yen ($15.3 billion) from a group led by domestic private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners Inc.

Japan PM expected to roll out vision towards 'free and open Indo-Pacific'

Prime Minister Kishida's meeting with Indian Prime Minister Modi was likely to explore key issues in the international community and confirm the cooperation between the G7 and G20

PFC signs agreement with Japan's JBIC for project loan of Rs 165 cr

Power Finance Corporation has inked a pact with Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for a project loan of JPY 2.65 billion or about Rs 165 crore. Under this facility, JBIC has proposed to finance some of PFC's projects which ensure effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and conservation of the global environment. This pact was executed under a general agreement signed between PFC and JBIC for JPY (Japanese Yen) 30 billion. The loan agreement was signed at JBIC headquarters Tokyo, between PFC Chairman and Managing Director R S Dhillon and Uchida Makoto, Managing Executive Officer of JBIC.

Isro discussing possible mission to moon with Japanese agency: S Somanath

Indian Space Research Organisation chairman S Somanath on Wednesday said ISRO has successfully done significant collaborations on its space missions and is also discussing a possible mission to the moon with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Somanath also said there is a good opportunity to launch a mission to explore planet Venus by 2028. He was delivering the inaugural talk on "Indian Capabilities for Space and Planetary Exploration" at the 4th Indian Planetary Science Conference organised at Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) here. The ISRO chief said it was important to have a connection between scientific institutions across the world and ISRO in building complex missions. He cited the example of the TRISHNA mission, designed to observe the earth's surface in the thermal infrared domain, which has been developed by ISRO and its French counterpart CNES. "We are also discussing a possible mission to the moon with JASA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) where the land rover

Japan's Kishida, Zelenskyy hold talks on wide-ranging issues in Kyiv

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held bilateral talks in Kyiv on Tuesday and discussed wide-ranging issues as they condemned Russian aggression

A comprehensive partnership

India-Japan relations matter more than before

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrives in Kyiv for surprise visit

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida arrived in Kyiv for a surprise visit Tuesday, according to Japan's NHK. Footage from the national broadcaster showed Kishida walking on the platform of a train station, escorted by a few people who appeared to be Ukrainian officials. His visit comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Russian officials in Moscow, where he invited President Vladimir Putin to a summit in Beijing later this year.

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India, Japan sign fourth tranche of loan for bullet train project

Japan to spend $75 bn to further collaborate with nations to establish free and open Indo Pacific

PM says India-Japan partnership based on shared respect for rule of law

The India-Japan global partnership is based on shared democratic values and respect for the rule of law and promotes peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday after holding wide-ranging talks with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida. The two prime ministers largely focused on significantly boosting cooperation in areas of clean energy, semiconductors and co-development of military hardware besides exploring ways to deal with regional security challenges amidst the increasing assertiveness of China. During the talks, Modi conveyed to Kishida that one of the areas of very strong cooperation between India and Japan could be co-innovation, co-design co-creation in the defence manufacturing sector, officials said. Modi and Kishida also vowed to work together to deal with pressing global challenges under India's presidency of the G20 and Japan's chairship of the G7 grouping. Kishida, who was in India for just about 27 hours, said he invited M

India indispensable for peace and stability in Indo-Pacific: Japanese PM

India is indispensable for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and no country should use force or coercion in trying to drive their territorial claims, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Monday after unveiling his plan for the region. Delivering the 41st Sapru House lecture, Kishida also strongly condemned Russia's aggression against Ukraine and said global principles of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity must be adhered to in every corner of the world. Delving into the Ukraine conflict, Kishida also noted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that 'today's era is not of war'. The Japanese prime minister delivered the lecture in the presence of a gathering of top diplomats, envoys and strategic affairs experts, hours after holding wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on further strengthening the India-Japan 'Special Strategic and Global Partnership'. "India is indispensable," Kishida said while elaborating on

Will announce on Indian soil new plan on Free, Open Indo-Pacific: Japan PM

The Japanese Prime Minister also extended a formal invitation to Prime Minister Modi to attend the G7 Hiroshima Summit, scheduled to take place in May this year

PM Modi, Japan counterpart Kishida to discuss pressing global challenges

Ways to confront pressing global challenges like rising food and energy prices, ensuring peace and stability in Indo-Pacific and expansion of overall bilateral ties will be key focus of wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Monday. The Japanese prime minister arrived in Delhi at around 8 am on Monday on a nearly 27-hour visit to ramp up bilateral ties in a range of areas and discuss how convergence between India's presidency of G20 and Japan's presidency of the G7 can help address various global problems. On the bilateral front, the two sides are expected to focus on enhancing cooperation in a range of areas, including defence and security, trade and investment and high technologies. During his visit to India in March last year, Kishida announced an investment target of five trillion Yen (Rs 3,20,000 crore) in India over the next five years. In a piece in the Indian Express, Kishida mentioned that the international ...