S. Korea-Japan summit difficult before resolving Yasukuni dispute
January 16, 2006South Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon said Monday that until a row over Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's visits to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo is resolved, holding a summit between the South Korean and Japanese leaders would be difficult. Ban also told a group of Japanese reporters that a summit is unlikely even after Koizumi steps down from office if his successor pays homage at the Shinto shrine.
'Rosy era' of disarmament over: U.N. official
January 16, 2006A ''rosy era'' in the disarmament field has ended now after more than a decade since the end of the Cold War, U.N. Undersecretary General for Disarmament Affairs Nobuyasu Abe said. Referring to countries suspected of violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or engaging in developing nuclear weapons without joining it, Abe said in a recent interview with Kyodo News there is an ''awareness that (the international community) cannot deal swiftly with the crisis at hand under the present situation.''
Japanese evening newspaper headlines
January 16, 2006Monday evening newspaper headlines: -- Arrested man faces extra charge of aiding illegal entry to Japan (Mainichi)
Huser head admits to selling condos after told of data fabrication
January 16, 2006The president of Huser Ltd., a condominium developer, admitted Monday the firm concluded condo sales contracts and handed over units even after being notified of the falsification of quake-resistance data for its buildings in late October. ''It is true,'' Susumu Ojima, the 52-year-old president, said. But he added that he had not recognized the significance of the fabrication of the data at the time.
JAL ordered to revise measures to prevent mishaps
January 16, 2006The transport ministry has ordered Japan Airlines to revise a set of measures it compiled last April to prevent operational blunders, following a string of mishaps since late last year, ministry sources said Monday. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport on Jan. 9 summoned JAL Vice President Katsuo Haneda, who is in charge of safety operations, and ordered the airline to resubmit preventive measures by the end of this month, the sources said.