Koizumi urges new Palestinian authority to pursue peace
January 27, 2006Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Friday called for the new Palestinian authority to be led by Hamas to put an end to violence, saying Tokyo will closely watch developments in the Middle East following the militant group's victory in recent Palestinian elections. ''It will be good if the hard-line government can control the hard-liners, but we will not know for a while until we see how things develop,'' Koizumi said at his official residence in commenting on the outcome of Wednesday's elections.
Survey suggests many unhappy with Koizumi's structural reforms
January 27, 2006About half of all respondents in a Kyodo News survey said they want to see Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's reform drive reviewed, while three out of four respondents said they feel the gaps in wealth in Japan have widened, the survey results showed Friday. The approval rating for Koizumi's Cabinet was 52.9 percent, down 4.2 percentage points from the previous survey in December, according to the nationwide telephone survey conducted Thursday and Friday. The disapproval rating rose 1.1 points to 34.3 percent.
Chinese magazine says Japan using suicide incident to boost spying
January 27, 2006Japan is using the 2004 suicide of a Japanese diplomat in Shanghai as an excuse to strengthen its spying abilities, a Chinese magazine linked to the Foreign Ministry said in its latest edition. World Affairs, a magazine on diplomatic affairs, said in an article in its Feb. 1 edition that behind the row between China and Japan over the incident is Japan's intention to emphasize the threat of an information battle with China.
Japan-N. Korean talks to begin in Beijing on Feb. 4
January 27, 2006Japan and North Korea have agreed to hold talks from Feb. 4 in Beijing to discuss normalization of their relations, the North's past abductions of Japanese nationals, and the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Friday. The talks are expected to last about four to five days, Aso told a press conference.
Gov't to seek LDP's go-ahead on bill for female monarchs: Abe
January 27, 2006The government aims to win approval from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party before submitting a bill to revise the Imperial House Law to pave the way for female monarchs in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said Friday. Abe said the government basically maintains its plan to submit the bill to the ongoing legislative session through June 18 amid growing opposition to the bill within the LDP and among conservative lawmakers.
Japan-N. Korean talks to begin in Beijing on Feb. 4
January 27, 2006Japan and North Korea have agreed to hold talks from Feb. 4 in Beijing to discuss normalization of their relations, the North's past abductions of Japanese nationals, and the issue of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso said Friday. The talks are expected to last about four to five days, Aso told a press conference.