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London – The strategic partnership agreement (SPA) between Japan and the European Union took effect on Wednesday. Under the SPA, Japan and the EU, based on common values such as democracy and the rule of law, will strengthen cooperation in a wide range of fields, including security, environment and energy, and personnel exchanges. Japan and the EU negotiated the SPA in parallel with their economic partnership agreement (EPA). The SPA was signed in July 2018 by then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, then-European Council president Donald Tusk and then-European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. The EU Council approved the SPA with Japan in April 2024 after ratification by member states. A joint committee set up by Japan and the EU will check the progress of overall coordination and cooperation in each field under the SPA. In principle, the committee meets once a year alternately in Tokyo and Brussels. Source link

Showa Station, Antarctica – The Japanese icebreaker Shirase arrived at Showa Station, Japan’s Antarctic research base, on Tuesday. The Shirase berthed at a point about 120 meters off East Ongul Island, where Showa Station is located, at 9:44 a.m. local time. The voyage took about 40 days. The ship left the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Yokosuka base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Nov. 20 last year. Following the arrival, goods and fuel will be transported to the base from the Shirase using snowmobiles. Some members of the 66th Antarctic research expedition team who arrived at Showa Station from the Shirase by helicopter in advance three days ago and members of the 65th wintering team welcomed the Shirase. “I was relieved to see the Shirase reach the base safely,” Ko Morita, a 36-year-old member of the 66th team, said. “I hope transportation and observations will be carried out smoothly,” Morita added. Members of the 66th team boarded the Shirase in Fremantle, Western Australia, on Dec. 5, about two weeks after the vessel left Japan. Source link

Romania and Bulgaria scrapped land border controls to become full members of the European Union’s free-travel Schengen Area on Wednesday, joining an expanded bloc of countries whose residents can travel without passport checks. Fireworks lit the sky at a crossing close to the Bulgarian border town of Ruse just after the stroke of midnight as the Bulgarian and Romanian interior ministers symbolically raised a barrier on the Friendship Bridge straddling the Danube River. The crossing is a major transit point for international trade, and bottlenecks are common. “This is a historic moment,” said Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev. “From Greece in the south to Finland to the North and all the way to Portugal to the West — you can travel without borders.” Checks on traveling by air and sea from Bulgaria and Romania were lifted in March 2024, but land checks continued until Austria last month dropped a veto it had maintained on the grounds that more was needed to stop irregular migration. Border checks between France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were first dropped in 1985. The Schengen Area now covers 25 of the 27 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Ireland and Cyprus are not members of the Schengen zone. Source link

Private-sector think tanks and other organizations generally predict steady growth for the Japanese economy in fiscal 2025, starting in April, with real gross domestic product growth seen surpassing that of the previous year. The robust forecasts are primarily driven by expected wage hikes and continued price increases, as companies pass higher costs on to consumers. In response, the Bank of Japan is likely to continue raising interest rates, with many economists projecting that the policy rate will reach between 0.75% and 1% in fiscal 2025. However, economists also highlight the uncertainty surrounding the impact of policies under the incoming administration of U.S. President Donald Trump — who is set to take office later this month — as a risk factor. Source link

Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar appeared to be living a quiet but dutiful life of work and faith amid Houston’s sprawling diversity: a veteran of the U.S. Army who studied information technology, converted to Islam and recently held a six-figure job. Little in his outward persona suggested someone who could be responsible for what the authorities described as a brutal terrorist attack along one of the most famous streets in the United States on New Year’s Day. In a white pickup rented in Houston, authorities said, Jabbar rammed through a crowd of revelers around 3 a.m. on Bourbon Street in New Orleans before opening fire, killing at least 15 people in one of the nation’s worst terror attacks. Source link

Ishinomaki, Miyagi Pref. – A growing number of local governments in Japan are using a smartphone app to help visually impaired residents access critical information in the event of a natural disaster. In response to requests from visually impaired people, the service, which uses the app to read out the names of evacuation centers and other necessary information, was launched in April this year under the supervision of a nonprofit organization. “Municipalities need to take action to ensure that people with disabilities can access vital information,” a person in charge of the app project said. Source link

The Denver Broncos can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday, and head coach Sean Payton isn’t concerned that the opposition won’t be at full strength. Denver (9-7) plays host to the Kansas City Chiefs (15-1), who have wrapped up AFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs will hold out quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other starters in the regular-season finale to keep the squad healthy for a run at a third consecutive Super Bowl title. “Like I said to the team this morning, ‘Our focus has got to be on this team in general,’” Payton said on Wednesday. “They’ll be, I’m sure, some different people in different places. Source link

Osaka – Japanese companies and individuals participating in this year’s World Exposition in Osaka are preparing to show off advanced medical and artificial intelligence technologies. The event is scheduled to kick off on Yumeshima, an artificial island, on April 13. Around 160 participating nations and regions are aiming to showcase their cultures and economic ties with Japan. Source link

Even though he is 2½ years removed from his most recent PGA Tour victory, Justin Thomas remains a confident player. The 31-year-old University of Alabama alumnus enters the season-opening event, The Sentry at Kapalua, Hawaii, this week, looking to have the best year of his career. “I still fully believe that I can have a year like Scottie (Scheffler) just had,” Thomas said Wednesday, referring to the world’s No. 1 player who won seven times in 2024, including the Masters and the Tour Championship. “I think I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t think I could at least do that. I have a lot of faith and capability in my game, and I feel like I’m working on the right things.” Source link

Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski revealed Tuesday that her run to a bronze medal at the Olympics in Paris came while she received treatment for breast cancer. “How can something so small cause such a big problem? This is the question I asked myself when I was diagnosed with breast cancer back in mid-April,” the 32-year-old doubles specialist wrote on Instagram. “I know this will come as a shock to many, but I am okay and I will be okay. Early detection saves lives. I can wholeheartedly agree with this.” Source link