Tag Archives: Japan

Olympics Torch Relay Fans Told To “Cheer Quietly”

The Associated Press reports: Organizers plan to exercise extreme caution when the Olympic torch relay starts next week, knowing any stumble could imperil the opening of the Tokyo Games in just over four months. The organizers spoke in detail on Tuesday about their plans for the relay, which is scheduled to begin on March 25 from northeastern Fukushima prefecture. The …

Read More »

CPAC Speaker Belongs To Japanese Cult Who Believes Its Leader Is Reincarnated Alien Messiah From Venus

Vice News reports:  His speaker bio on the CPAC website notes that Hiroaki “Jay” Aeba is the chairman of the Japanese Conservative Union (JCU), a right-wing political organization, and that he helped found CPAC Japan, which has been running for the last four years in Tokyo. What isn’t mentioned is the central role Aeba plays in a Japanese cult called …

Read More »

Tokyo Olympics Leader Resigns Over Sexist Remarks

Reuters reports: Tokyo 2020 Olympics chief Yoshiro Mori resigned on Friday and apologised again for sexist remarks that sparked a global outcry, leaving the troubled Olympics searching for a chief five months from the opening ceremony. The resignation of former prime minister Mori, 83, will further erode confidence in the organisers’ ability to pull off the postponed Summer Games during …

Read More »

Sorry Florida, Japan Says Tokyo Olympics Will Happen

USA Today reports: The president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee had a simple message Tuesday for fellow members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The games will happen. “No matter what situation would be with the coronavirus, we will hold the games,” Yoshiro Mori, who is also a former Japanese prime minister, told lawmakers. “We should pass on the …

Read More »

Tokyo Plans Test Events For Postponed Olympics

The Associated Press reports: The postponed Tokyo Olympics are getting a kickstart. Local organizers on Friday announced a series of 18 test events set to begin in March and run into May. The Tokyo Olympics are set to open on July 23, 2021, after being postponed eight months ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement in an online news …

Read More »

Biden Reassures Asian Allies In Calls With Leaders

Reuters reports: In their first calls with Joe Biden since the U.S. election, the leaders of Japan, South Korea and Australia on Thursday reaffirmed plans to form close ties with the president-elect to tackle issues including climate change and regional security. The three key Asian allies – Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime …

Read More »

Japan To Release 1M Tons Of Nuke Water Into Sea

The Guardian reports: Japan’s government has reportedly decided to release more than 1m tonnes of contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, setting it on a collision course with local fishermen who say the move will destroy their industry. Media reports said work to release the water, which is being stored in more than 1,000 …

Read More »

Japanese PM Abruptly Resigns For Health Reasons

The BBC reports: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has announced his resignation for health reasons. He said he did not want his illness to get in the way of decision making, and apologised to the Japanese people for failing to complete his term in office. The 65-year-old has suffered for many years from ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, but he …

Read More »

Feds Arrest Ex-Green Beret In Escape Of Ex-Nissan CEO

Reuters reports: U.S. authorities on Wednesday arrested a former Special Forces soldier and another man wanted by Japan on charges that they enabled the escape of former Nissan Motor Co boss Carlos Ghosn out of the country. Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said that former U.S. Green Beret Michael Taylor, 59, and his son, Peter Taylor, 27, helped Ghosn last year …

Read More »

Japan Extends Entry Ban To 73 Countries Including US

The Associated Press reports: Japan’s Prime Minister says Japan has banned entry from 49 more countries, including the U.S., Canada, all of China, South Korea and seven Southeast Asian countries. That brings the total number of countries banned from entering Japan to 73. Shinzo Abe says the government has tightened visa restrictions and will require a two-week quarantine to visitors …

Read More »

Japan Seeks One-Year Postponement Of Olympics

Sports Illustrated reports: Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe and Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike have proposed a one-year postponement of the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in a conference call with International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach. Abe said Bach agreed “100%” with this proposal, which would have to be approved by the IOC’s Executive Board. The Olympics have never been postponed …

Read More »

Japanese PM Concedes Olympics May Be Postponed After Canada, Australia Say They Won’t Send Athletes

ABC News reports: Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe acknowledged for the first time on Monday that the Summer Olympic Games could be delayed due to the coronavirus as countries began threatening to keep their athletes at home. “If it’s difficult to proceed in its complete form, then we must think about the athletes first and consider postponing,” Abe told Parliament. …

Read More »

Officials Mull 2020 Tokyo Olympics Without Spectators

The New York Times reports: It remains unclear how any decision about the Olympics would unfold if officials in Tokyo conclude they have to alter plans for the Games. Seiko Hashimoto, Japan’s Olympic minister, said this week that Japan’s position was that as long as Tokyo held the Games in 2020, the I.O.C. could not cancel them. The 80-page contract …

Read More »

IOC Officials: Tokyo Olympics Still On For Now [VIDEO]

Time Magazine reports: A spokesman for the Japanese government on Wednesday said the International Olympic Committee and local organizers are going ahead as planned with the Tokyo Olympics despite the threat of the spreading coronavirus. The comments from spokesman Yoshihide Suga follow the assertion by former IOC vice-president Dick Pound that organizers face a three-month window to decide the fate …

Read More »

Japan To Close All Schools For A Month To Curb Virus

The Associated Press reports: Japan is announcing the closure of schools nationwide through March to help control the spread of the new virus. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he asked all elementary, middle and high schools to remain closed until spring break ends in early April. The measure comes amid growing concern about the rise in the number of untraceable …

Read More »

US Evacuates 340 Americans From Cruise Ship [VIDEO]

Time Magazine reports: Americans evacuated from the virus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise ship are arriving in the United States, where they will be quarantined for another 14 days on military bases in California and Texas. “I have no idea where they will send me from here and I’m told we don’t get a choice,” Sarah Arana, 52, who was on the …

Read More »

Virus: Dozens Sick On Quarantined Cruise Ship [VIDEO]

CNN reports: The Diamond Princess cruise ship has been quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, near Tokyo, since Tuesday, after a former passenger tested positive for the coronavirus. There are more than 3,700 people on board, including 2,600 passengers, of whom 428 are American. So far, 61 passengers have tested positive for the virus, and the quarantine is expected to …

Read More »

Interpol Issues Warrant For Fugitive Ex-Nissan Boss

CNBC reports: Lebanon received an Interpol arrest warrant on Thursday for ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn, a Lebanese judicial source told Reuters. The request, an Interpol red notice that calls on authorities to arrest a wanted person, was received by Lebanon’s internal security forces and has yet to be referred to the judiciary, the source said. Ghosn fled to Beirut …

Read More »

Ex-Nissan Boss: I Fled Japan’s Injustice, Discrimination

The Associated Press reports: Nissan’s former Chairman Carlos Ghosn said Tuesday from Lebanon that he was not fleeing justice but instead left Japan to avoid “injustice and political persecution” over financial misconduct allegations during his tenure leading the automaker. “I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is …

Read More »

Ex-Nissan Chief Flees Japan House Arrest For Lebanon

CNBC reports: Carlos Ghosn, the ousted boss of the Renault-Nissan carmaking alliance who was awaiting trial in Japan, flew into Lebanon on Monday evening, France’s Les Echos newspaper reported. It was unclear how Ghosn, who holds both French and Lebanese citizenship, would have been able to leave Japan, where he has been under strict court-imposed restrictions on his movements. Reuters …

Read More »