June 24 (Reuters) - The United States, #Australia, #Japan, #NewZealand and the #UnitedKingdom launched an informal group aimed at boosting economic and diplomatic ties with Pacific island nations, the White House said on Friday.
The Biden administration has vowed to commit more resources to the Indo-Pacific as China seeks to boost economic, military and police links with Pacific island nations hungry for foreign investment.
The Biden administration has vowed to commit more resources to the Indo-Pacific as China seeks to boost economic, military and police links with Pacific island nations hungry for foreign investment.
#SouthKorea, #Japan and #USA Increase Military Ties Over Concerns About #NorthKorea
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, President Joe Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. While the summit’s focus is on Moscow, Washington is taking advantage of the gathering of world leaders to strengthen its military posture against Pyongyang.
In the leadup to the meeting between the leaders in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, Pyongyang claimed the US was attempting to create an “Asian version of NATO” to further its “sinister aim” towards North Korea.
President Biden stated the objective of the trilateral group is the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” North Korea has a nuclear arsenal of about 40-50 bombs. Pyongyang maintains a diluted “no-first-use” policy and claims its nukes protect it from Washington-based regime change operations.
South Korea houses nearly 30,000 American soldiers that ensure the US would fight to prevent an invasion and places Seoul under Washington’s nuclear umbrella. The North Korean government, led by the Kim family, maintains Pyongyang will not abandon its nuclear weapons until the US abandons its aggressive posture.
All three leaders said they were concerned with North Korea’s increased weapons tests in 2022, warning Pyongyang would soon conduct its seventh nuclear test. North Korea has already tested a record number of missiles in 2022.
👉 Source: Libertarian Institute
On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Madrid, President Joe Biden spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol. While the summit’s focus is on Moscow, Washington is taking advantage of the gathering of world leaders to strengthen its military posture against Pyongyang.
In the leadup to the meeting between the leaders in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington, Pyongyang claimed the US was attempting to create an “Asian version of NATO” to further its “sinister aim” towards North Korea.
President Biden stated the objective of the trilateral group is the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” North Korea has a nuclear arsenal of about 40-50 bombs. Pyongyang maintains a diluted “no-first-use” policy and claims its nukes protect it from Washington-based regime change operations.
South Korea houses nearly 30,000 American soldiers that ensure the US would fight to prevent an invasion and places Seoul under Washington’s nuclear umbrella. The North Korean government, led by the Kim family, maintains Pyongyang will not abandon its nuclear weapons until the US abandons its aggressive posture.
All three leaders said they were concerned with North Korea’s increased weapons tests in 2022, warning Pyongyang would soon conduct its seventh nuclear test. North Korea has already tested a record number of missiles in 2022.
👉 Source: Libertarian Institute
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died in hospital from injuries sustained in an assassination attempt in the city of Nara.
#Japan
#Japan
#Japan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority on Friday approved a plan to release water from the #Fukushima atomic power plant into the sea, the country's Foreign Ministry said.
It is intended to dump into the Pacific Ocean more than a million tons of radioactive water, used to cool the complex's reactors during the 2011 nuclear accident. The water was treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and will be released around a kilometer from the coast, a process that is expected to begin in 2023 and take about 30 years to complete
It is intended to dump into the Pacific Ocean more than a million tons of radioactive water, used to cool the complex's reactors during the 2011 nuclear accident. The water was treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and will be released around a kilometer from the coast, a process that is expected to begin in 2023 and take about 30 years to complete
#China Slams #Japan's Defense White Paper “Smears & Accusations”
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused Tokyo on Friday of exaggerating the “so-called China threat” in its new white paper, an annual public communique regarding the nation’s defense priorities.
The paper raised concerns about the tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, and described Russia’ military action in Ukraine as a "serious violation of international law” .
"We urge the Japanese side to immediately stop the erroneous practice of exaggerating security threats in its neighborhood and finding excuses for its own strong military arsenal," he added.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin accused Tokyo on Friday of exaggerating the “so-called China threat” in its new white paper, an annual public communique regarding the nation’s defense priorities.
The paper raised concerns about the tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, and described Russia’ military action in Ukraine as a "serious violation of international law” .
"We urge the Japanese side to immediately stop the erroneous practice of exaggerating security threats in its neighborhood and finding excuses for its own strong military arsenal," he added.
#China blasts #Japan’s radioactive water plan
Tokyo greenlighted the discharge of Fukushima wastewater into the ocean
Japan's nuclear regulator gave its final approval to a controversial plan to release over 1.3 million tonnes of water stored at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, triggering a harsh response from its neighbor China over potentially dangerous and unpredictable consequences for the environment.
“The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima could affect the global marine environment and the public health of Pacific-rim countries. It is by no means a private matter for Japan,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to the Friday decision.
“If Japan insists on putting its own interests above the public interest of the international community and insists on taking the dangerous step, it will surely pay the price for its irresponsible behavior and leave a stain in history,” he added.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant had its cooling systems knocked out as it suffered three meltdowns in the wake of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami in 2011. At the time, large quantities of contaminated water flowed into the Pacific, prompting mass evacuations from areas along Japan’s east coast.
The water, used to cool reactors in the aftermath, has been stored in hundreds of tanks at the plant ever since. Even though it was filtered and passed an advanced treatment process, which removed much of the radioactive contamination, it still contains some radioactive isotopes, mostly tritium.
The disposal plan, officially approved by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday, will see this wastewater released about one kilometer off the Fukushima prefecture coast through an underwater tunnel. Tokyo hopes to launch the process by next spring, and the discharge may take decades as tritium-contaminated water has to be released slowly and diluted to levels in line with Japanese regulations.
Japanese authorities told the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO), on Friday it should “try to reduce the amount of water contaminated with radioactive materials and streamline work toward the discharge.”
The discharge plan, deemed by Japan as the only viable option, has long stoked controversy in Japan and beyond. Fishermen in the Fukushima Prefecture have been protesting over fears the water could be harmful to residents and wildlife. Activists in South Korea and elsewhere in the region have also opposed the plan, in addition to the Chinese government repeatedly voicing concerns about pollution.
Tokyo greenlighted the discharge of Fukushima wastewater into the ocean
Japan's nuclear regulator gave its final approval to a controversial plan to release over 1.3 million tonnes of water stored at the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, triggering a harsh response from its neighbor China over potentially dangerous and unpredictable consequences for the environment.
“The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima could affect the global marine environment and the public health of Pacific-rim countries. It is by no means a private matter for Japan,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in response to the Friday decision.
“If Japan insists on putting its own interests above the public interest of the international community and insists on taking the dangerous step, it will surely pay the price for its irresponsible behavior and leave a stain in history,” he added.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant had its cooling systems knocked out as it suffered three meltdowns in the wake of a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent devastating tsunami in 2011. At the time, large quantities of contaminated water flowed into the Pacific, prompting mass evacuations from areas along Japan’s east coast.
The water, used to cool reactors in the aftermath, has been stored in hundreds of tanks at the plant ever since. Even though it was filtered and passed an advanced treatment process, which removed much of the radioactive contamination, it still contains some radioactive isotopes, mostly tritium.
The disposal plan, officially approved by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday, will see this wastewater released about one kilometer off the Fukushima prefecture coast through an underwater tunnel. Tokyo hopes to launch the process by next spring, and the discharge may take decades as tritium-contaminated water has to be released slowly and diluted to levels in line with Japanese regulations.
Japanese authorities told the operator of the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO), on Friday it should “try to reduce the amount of water contaminated with radioactive materials and streamline work toward the discharge.”
The discharge plan, deemed by Japan as the only viable option, has long stoked controversy in Japan and beyond. Fishermen in the Fukushima Prefecture have been protesting over fears the water could be harmful to residents and wildlife. Activists in South Korea and elsewhere in the region have also opposed the plan, in addition to the Chinese government repeatedly voicing concerns about pollution.
The new adviser to the #Japan PM on national security and nuclear disarmament Nobuo Kishi (former Minister of Defense and brother of the assassinated Shinzo Abe) compared the bombing of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant by the Ukrainian army with the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The official urged Kyiv to stop and not bomb the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to avoid a new nuclear catastrophe.
But apparently, Japan's friendship with Zelensky is greater, since Kishi deleted the post after half an hour.
But the internet archives everything...
#Japan
The official urged Kyiv to stop and not bomb the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant to avoid a new nuclear catastrophe.
But apparently, Japan's friendship with Zelensky is greater, since Kishi deleted the post after half an hour.
But the internet archives everything...
#Japan
16 Aug, #Japan Minister of Defense Hamada and japanese personnel who will be training on engineering equipment/vehicle maintenance by USA and UK in Timor-Leste
#Japan considers deploying long-range missiles to counter China: report
The projectiles, which have a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,420 miles), will be deployed mainly across the Nansei Islands and Kyushu
Japan is seeking to close the ‘missile gap’ with China, which has about 300 sea-based and 1,900 land-based missiles, according to Yomiuri
The projectiles, which have a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometres (310 to 3,420 miles), will be deployed mainly across the Nansei Islands and Kyushu
Japan is seeking to close the ‘missile gap’ with China, which has about 300 sea-based and 1,900 land-based missiles, according to Yomiuri
#Japan says it will develop and mass-produce a cruise missile and a high-velocity ballistic missile, as part of a military expansion aimed at dealing with threats from China and Russia.
The procurement plan unveiled in the defence ministry’s annual budget request on Wednesday was short on detail but represents a clear departure from a decades-long range limit imposed on Japan’s constitutionally-constrained Self-Defense Force. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/31/japan-plans-longer-range-missiles-to-counter-china-russia?sf169881680=1
The procurement plan unveiled in the defence ministry’s annual budget request on Wednesday was short on detail but represents a clear departure from a decades-long range limit imposed on Japan’s constitutionally-constrained Self-Defense Force. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/31/japan-plans-longer-range-missiles-to-counter-china-russia?sf169881680=1
Aljazeera
Japan plans longer-range missiles to counter China, Russia
Japan has become increasingly alarmed about China and Russia’s ambitions amid a number of territorial disputes.
#Japan, US hold joint drill within hours of N. Korea missile launch
Eight Japanese and four US fighter jets took part in the drill in airspace west of the country’s Kyushu region, a Joint Staff statement announced
‘We are taking swift action’, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with head of US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquili
Eight Japanese and four US fighter jets took part in the drill in airspace west of the country’s Kyushu region, a Joint Staff statement announced
‘We are taking swift action’, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after talks with head of US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral John Aquili