Fumio Kishida

The U.S. and Japan bolstered ties

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President Biden and the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, gave a red-carpet welcome to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan at the White House. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

During a pomp-filled ceremony at the White House, President Biden and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan said their countries would enhance their cooperation as part of international efforts to counter China’s aggression.

Biden said that the U.S. and Japan would create an expanded defense architecture with Australia, participate in three-way military exercises with Britain and explore ways for Japan to join a U.S.-led coalition with those two countries.

Economic and climate initiatives also figured prominently on the agenda. Biden also announced that a Japanese astronaut would go to the moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program, which would be the first time a non-American had stepped on the lunar surface. (A later statement clarified that two Japanese astronauts could join the program.)

The day ended with an elaborate state dinner, an honor reserved for only the closest U.S. allies. It featured a performance by Paul Simon and a guest list that included Bill and Hillary Clinton and the Olympian figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi.

Subtext: The visit came amid hand-wringing in Washington and Tokyo about the possibility of a return to power by Donald Trump, whose unpredictable foreign policy as president kept many world leaders on edge. One goal of the summit, officials said, was to strengthen the relationship with Japan before the election.

(source: newyorktimes.com)

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Japan ruling party triumphs in local elections despite criticism over links to Moonies

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Support for the Liberal Democratic party had plunged last year as media uncovered its links to the Unification church after the killing of Shinzo Abe

Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida (centre). His LDP party has been victorious in local elections despite criticism over the past year of his party’s links to the Moonies. Photograph: Zuma Press Wire/REX/Shutterstock

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic party (LDP) has won key local elections in the first big electoral test for the prime minister, Fumio Kishida, since damaging revelations emerged about his party’s ties to the Unification church.

LDP candidates triumphed in governor elections in prefectures from Hokkaido in the country’s north to Oita in the south-west on Sunday, raising speculation that Kishida could call a snap general election.

An election for Japan’s powerful local house is not due until October 2025, but some pundits believe Kishida could gamble on an early poll to capitalise on his party’s strong showing at the weekend.

The elections also saw Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Innovation party) extend its influence outside its home turf of Osaka, as the rightwing populists try to establish themselves as a national political force.

The LDP has endured months of criticism over its connections to the Unification church – often referred to as the Moonies – that emerged in the wake of Shinzo Abe’s assassination last summer.

Tetsuya Yamagami, who is accused of shooting Abe while he was making a campaign speech on 8 July, has told investigators that he had targeted Japan’s longest-serving prime minister over his connections to the church, which he blamed for bankrupting his family.

Public support for Kishida’s LDP plummeted as Japanese media uncovered widespread links between the church and party MPs and councillors, fuelling speculation that the conservative religious group, founded in South Korea in the 1950s, had influenced the LDP’s political agenda.

Kishida had begun to claw back support in the run-up to Sunday’s elections for nine governors, six mayors and dozens of prefectural and municipal assemblies after a surprise trip to Ukraine and a fence-mending summit in Tokyo with the South Korean president, Yoon Suk Yeol, last month.

The LDP took six of the governor races and will be particularly pleased to have won in Hokkaido – where the left-of-centre Constitutional Democratic party of Japan has traditionally been strong – as well as taking more than half of the 2,260 prefectural assembly seats being contested.

Voters in other areas, including Tokyo, go to the polls on 23 April, when there will also be five parliamentary byelections.

“Voters have recognised our achievements,” the LDP’s election strategy head, Hiroshi Moriyama, told reporters, according to the Nikkei Asia business paper. The win in Hokkaido was “significant”, he added.

Kishida, whose government plans to double defence spending by 2027, also appeared to have tapped into public concern over China’s military activity in the region and the potential for conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The local elections are also being seen as a litmus test for Kishida’s plans to address the cost-of-living crisis and the low birthrate.

The LDP fared less well in western Japan, where Hirofumi Yoshimura won a second term as governor of Osaka, while fellow Ishin candidate Hideyuki Yokoyama won the city’s election for mayor. An Ishin candidate also won the governor’s race in nearby Nara – the first time it has secured a governorship outside Osaka.

Yoshimura’s re-election is expected to strengthen his case for Osaka to host Japan’s first casino, plans for which have yet to receive government approval. His party’s strong showing at the weekend could also lead to more seats in parliament, where it is already the third-biggest party in the lower house.

(source: theguardian.com)

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Au Japon, la Première ministre néo-zélandaise accueillie par des Kiwis géants

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Deux mascottes de Kiwis, dansant sur un fond de piano et de violon, étaient présentes pour la réception de Jacinda Ardern par le Premier ministre japonais Fumio Kishida.

Capture d’écran Twitter – Henry Cooke Les deux mascottes de kiwis qui ont accueilli Jacinda Ardern lors de son voyage au Japon ce jeudi 21 avril.

INTERNATIONAL – Les Japonais ont réservé un drôle d’accueil à la Première ministre de la Nouvelle-Zélande. En voyage pour la première fois dans le pays du Soleil Levant depuis le début de la crise sanitaire, Jacinda Ardern a été reçue par deux mascottes de kiwis en plus de Fumio Kishida, le Premier ministre japonais.

Pour accompagner ces fruits géants, un violoniste et un pianiste étaient présents pour jouer un morceau triste. Les deux mascottes dansaient sur la musique. La scène a été capturée par le journaliste néo-zélandais Henry Cooke.

Ce n’est pas la première fois que Jacinda Ardern fait la rencontre de ces deux personnages. La Première ministre néo-zélandaise les avait déjà croisés en 2019, avant la pandémie. Suite à l’accueil qui lui a été réservé de leur part ce jeudi, elle s’est exprimée à la télévision néo-zélandaise sur sa première rencontre avec les frères kiwis. “Je me souviens particulièrement des frères kiwis. Bien qu’ils ne m’aient heureusement pas fait danser, ils m’ont tenu la main”, a-t-elle déclaré à Newshub.

Au Japon, les mascottes ont un rôle à jouer. Elles sont utilisées pour faire la promotion des cuisines locales, des sites touristiques ou même encourager les Japonais à rejoindre l’armée. Ces fruits géants ont été mobilisés pour le lien commercial établi sur le marché des kiwis entre le Japon et la Nouvelle-Zélande. Selon The Guardian, les exportations de kiwis vers l’archipel nippon représentent près de 600 milliards de dollars.

(source:  huffingtonpost.fr)

 

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