Author name: admin

In 1993, then-Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa expressed his skepticism about China’s democratization in a summit with then-U.S. President Bill Clinton, according to Japanese diplomatic documents declassified by the Foreign Ministry Thursday. He expressed this view when Clinton asked him about the future of China in their meeting in Washington on April 16, 1993, according to the documents. Miyazawa also called on the U.S. government to continue to accord most-favored-nation trade status to China. Source link

Children who attend private schools from kindergarten through high school face total education costs, including tuition and cram school fees, of approximately ¥19.76 million, the highest level on record, according to a report by the education ministry. The fiscal 2023 survey, released Wednesday, marked the first compilation of data since the previous survey in fiscal 2021, which had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The resumption of school trips and study-abroad programs following the pandemic’s easing is believed to have driven up costs. Even for public schools, total expenses reached a record high of approximately ¥5.96 million. Source link

Seoul – South Korea’s main opposition party said it will introduce a bill to impeach acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday and hold a vote on Friday, a move that could deepen the country’s constitutional crisis triggered by a short-lived martial law. The opposition Democratic Party had threatened to impeach Han if he does not immediately appoint three justices to fill the vacancies at the Constitutional Court. Parliament voted in favor of three nominees on Thursday, but they have yet to be formally appointed by Han. The court is trying the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law. Source link

Japan’s economy is expected to grow 1.2% in fiscal 2025, which starts next April, in price-adjusted real terms, unchanged from its previous November forecast, the government said Wednesday. The government maintained its view that personal consumption will be solid thanks to stable inflation and the effects of its economic package and that exports will recover because of a moderate pickup in overseas economies. The government expects personal consumption, which accounts for half of the country’s gross domestic product, to grow 1.3%, an increase of 0.1 percentage point from the previous estimate. It anticipates 2.0% inflation. For fiscal 2024, the government lowered its economic growth outlook to 0.4% from 0.7%. The reduction reflects slower-than-expected growth in exports amid lower vehicle production and China’s slowing growth, as well as weaker personnel consumption and capital spending. Source link

Japan is set to raise scheduled sales of Japanese government bonds (JGB) slightly to ¥172.3 trillion ($1.1 trillion) next fiscal year from the current year, the first increase in four years, a draft plan shows. Much of the increase in sales of scheduled JGBs to the market will be made in shorter-dated debt to tap demand from Japanese banks, which the government hopes will partially replace the Bank of Japan as major holders. The sales of superlong bonds, with maturities of 30 and 40 years, will be reduced to reflect shrinking demand from life insurers, as they have mostly completed purchases for meeting new capital requirements. Source link

Expect a continued diplomatic dance between Japan and China next year, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, as the two Asian powerhouses look to navigate both growing challenges to the bilateral relationship and Donald Trump’s return to the White House. Chinese leader Xi Jinping told Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during their first meeting in November that the two countries are at a “critical moment” in improving ties. Ishiba, meanwhile, called the relationship one “of great importance to the international community,” adding that he hoped to craft a relationship with Xi that allows for “frank and ongoing” dialogue. But while Tokyo and Beijing have in recent months touted their commitment to promoting building “constructive and stable” ties — with an announcement Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Japan next year — a number of issues will make continued hedging by both sides a strong likelihood, according to experts. Source link

ASTANA, Kazakhstan – An Embraer passenger jet crashed near the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, killing 38 people, after diverting from an area of Russia that Moscow has recently defended against Ukrainian drone attacks. Twenty-nine survivors received hospital treatment. Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243 had flown hundreds of miles off its scheduled route from Azerbaijan to Russia to crash on the opposite shore of the Caspian Sea, after what Russia’s aviation watchdog said was an emergency that may have been caused by a bird strike. But an aviation expert suggested that cause seemed unlikely. Source link

Brisbane, Australia – World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka says she is “fresh and ready to go” in her bid for a third straight Australian Open title, warning she has plenty of room for improvement. The 26-year-old enjoyed a sensational 2024, reaching seven finals and winning four titles, including the U.S. Open. She kickstarted the year by defending her Australian Open crown, beating China’s high-flying Zheng Qinwen in the final. Source link

The end of the year is always a good time to reflect on the small things in life, those things we normally take for granted but really make a difference. One of them, for any user of Japanese out there, is the small version of the kana letter tsu — っin hiragana,ッin katakana — and the many things we do with it on a regular basis. So here’s to you, my little tsu. One of the most intriguing things about this letter is its flexible pronunciation. A small tsu indicates what linguists call a geminate, or long consonant. That means, unlike most other letters in the kana syllabary, っ doesn’t have a single specific reading. Instead, its users’ manual reads something like this: shorten the preceding vowel slightly, then start with the sound of the subsequent consonant. The technical term for this in Japanese is 促音 (sokuon, geminate). Source link

Kenji Kamiyama’s anime addition to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” universe has impressive qualities, but lacks the magic of Peter Jackson’s film adaptations. Source link