PHILIPPINES AND JAPAN CONDUCT JOINT EXERCISE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

PHILIPPINES AND JAPAN CONDUCT JOINT EXERCISE IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

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ABOARD THE MIGUEL MALVAR, off PhilippinesThe Philippines and Japan conducted a joint maritime exercise Saturday in an area of the South China Sea that the Southeast Asian country insists it has jurisdiction over, amid China's intensifying claims in the waters.

The Miguel Malvar, a guided missile frigate from the Philippine Navy and the Takanami, a destroyer from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force, took part in the exercise, which was held west of the town of Masinloc on the Philippines' main island of Luzon.

The exercise, called the Maritime Cooperative Activity, is aimed at strengthening international cooperation to achieve a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Philippine military has said.

Kyodo News and some other select members of the media from the Philippines and Japan were onboard the frigate, and watched it and the Japanese ship conduct an anti-submarine warfare drill that the countries did not conduct during their first such exercise last August.

"The spirit of friendship and mutual respect in our maritime forces remain vital in promoting peace, stability and maritime security in the region," Capt. Paul Michael Hechanova, commander of the Miguel Malvar, said in a message to the Takanami, as seen in a video released by the Philippine military.

Two Chinese navy ships were spotted from a distance but there were no radio challenges or other untoward incidents.

The Philippines has reported repeated incursions by Chinese vessels in its exclusive economic zone, some sailing to within some 50 nautical miles of Luzon's shore earlier this year. China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that invalidated the country's claims over almost the entire South China Sea.

Japan and the Philippines signed a Reciprocal Access Agreement to facilitate joint exercises and disaster relief operations last July, and aside from holding bilateral drills the two countries have also taken part in multilateral exercises involving the United States and Australia, among others.

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JAPAN DRAWS UP YEN 100 BIL POLICTY TO ATTRACT FOREIGN RESEARCHERS - TOKYO JAPAN

JAPAN DRAWS UP YEN 100 BIL POLICTY TO ATTRACT FOREIGN RESEARCHERS - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

The Japanese government has unveiled a 100 billion yen policy package designed to attract foreign researchers, some of whom may have joined the exodus of talent from the United States due to research funding cuts.

The measures aim to create an elite research environment in Japan, as competition to lure talent intensifies globally in fields such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors.

The government also plans to use profits generated from a 10 trillion yen investment fund set up by the state to help universities produce internationally competitive research.

"We will make utmost efforts to make our country the most attractive in the world for researchers," said science and technology policy minister Minoru Kiuchi at a press conference.

Many researchers have departed the United States as President Donald Trump's administration has pushed elite universities to prioritize American students over those from other countries and slashed federal funding for many programs.

Japan's new policy package will fund many existing programs, including a plan by Tohoku University to spend around 30 billion yen to recruit about 500 researchers from Japan and abroad.

An education ministry project in which hubs will be created to promote top-level research is also included.

The government aims to raise salaries for researchers and reduce their administrative burden, allowing them to concentrate on their work. It also seeks to acquire advanced technology for use at institutions.

Kiuchi said the government will consider additional measures to retain researchers after bringing them in from abroad.

Despite the government's recent efforts to promote science and technology research, an education ministry institute said that last year Japan remained ranked at a record-low 13th place in the number of highly cited scientific papers.

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BANGKOK GEARS UP FOR THAILAND'S LARGEST EVER PRIDE PARADE - 2025

BANGKOK GEARS UP FOR THAILAND'S LARGEST EVER PRIDE PARADE - 2025 

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(May 28, 2025) – Bangkok is set to host its biggest ever Pride Parade on June 1st, 2025, transforming the heart of the capital into a vibrant display of diversity.

The event, held under the theme "Born This Way," aims to solidify Bangkok's position as a metropolis of inclusivity, fostering a city where everyone feels at home.

Aekvarunyoo Amrapala, spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), announced details of the Bangkok Pride Parade 2025 on Wednesday.

Organised by the Thai government in collaboration with Bangkok Pride, the BMA, and a network of partners, the parade will kick off at 2:00 PM and run until 6:00 PM.

The procession will begin at the National Stadium (Supachalasai Stadium), winding its way through prominent city landmarks including the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Siam Discovery, Siam Centre, Siam Paragon, and Wat Pathum Wanaram, before concluding at Ratchaprasong Intersection, in front of CentralWorld. The route spans approximately three kilometres.

This year's "Born This Way" theme will be brought to life through five distinct parade sections, each represented by a different colour and concept:

• Red: "Born to be Loved," celebrating love and the recent strides in marriage equality.
• Purple: "Born to be Me," promoting self-love and individual pride.
• Green: "Born to be Part of One," reflecting the interconnectedness of humanity with the environment, society, and the wider world.
• Yellow: "Born to Create & Inspire," showcasing the rich artistry and cultural contributions of the LGBTQIAN+ community.
• Blue: "Born to Heal Generations," focusing on healing and equitable access to healthcare services.

A highlight of this year's parade will be the unveiling of a rainbow flag stretching over 200 metres, a first for Thailand and indeed for the world.

"The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration firmly believes that the core of a livable city lies in every individual feeling that they have equal space, rights, and dignity within society," stated the BMA spokesperson. "Pride is not merely a celebration; it is an affirmation of our respect for every identity and our commitment to genuinely building an open metropolis for all."

Beyond the parade, a series of complementary events are planned. The Bangkok Pride Forum will offer a platform for discussions and exchanges on LGBTQIAN+ well-being, the "rainbow economy," technology, environmental issues, human rights, and education. This forum will take place over three days, from May 30th to June 1st, 2025.

Additionally, the Bangkok Pride Awards will be held on May 31st, 2025. This ceremony will recognise individuals and organisations that have played crucial roles in advocating for gender diversity rights and equality. Further details on these events are available on the Bangkok Pride social media page.

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POLICE OFFICER FIRES PISTOL BY ACCIDENT NEAR OSAKA EXPO VENUE; NO ONE HURT - OSAKA JAPAN

POLICE OFFICER FIRES PISTOL BY ACCIDENT NEAR OSAKA EXPO VENUE; NO ONE HURT - OSAKA JAPAN 

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OSAKA

A police officer accidentally fired a pistol inside a vehicle parked near the venue of the World Exposition in Osaka, police said Monday, adding that no one was injured.

The 28-year-old male riot squad member mistakenly pulled the trigger when putting the pistol back in its case at around 7 p.m. Sunday, after finishing a security shift at the international event, according to the Osaka police.

The handgun was fired downward, with the single discharged bullet making a hole in a seat and leaving a mark where it appears to have been embedded in the floor of the vehicle, they said.

Four other male officers were in the vehicle parked in an area off-limits to the public. The police vowed to prevent a recurrence and said the incident has not disrupted expo security operations.

The six-month world expo on Yumeshima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, runs through Oct. 13.

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ISHIBA HEADS TO G7 TO PRESS TRUMP TO DROP AUTO TARRIFS - TOKYO JAPAN

ISHIBA HEADS TO G7 TO PRESS TRUMP TO DROP AUTO TARRIFS - TOKYO JAPAN 

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TOKYO

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heads to Canada on Sunday for trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, hoping to persuade him to drop trade tariffs that have imperiled Japan's auto companies and threaten to undermine his fragile government.

The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven nations in Kananaskis, Alberta, for their second in-person encounter. It follows a sixth round of high-level trade talks in Washington on Friday.

Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said he explored the possibility of an deal in detailed meetings with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The trick for Ishiba, who spoke with Trump by phone on Friday, will be to get the president to drop the 25% tariff he imposed on Japanese cars, as well as a paused 24% across-the-board levy that Trump calls a reciprocal tariff, without making concessions that could hurt the prime minister's public support at home.

Returning to Tokyo with no deal would be better politically than conceding too much, analysts say.

"If it goes badly, it could even be seen as a positive for Ishiba, standing up to Trump and standing up for his country when he's under assault," said Michael Cucek, a political science professor at Temple University in Tokyo.

Ishiba and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party face an upper house election next month that comes after a lower house loss in November that left him reliant on the support of other parties to stay in power. Another poor electoral result could bring down his government and would force Trump to reset trade talks with a new Japanese administration.

"The most important thing is that Ishiba does not cave in for a bad (auto) deal," said Joseph Kraft, a financial political analyst at Rorschach Advisory in Tokyo. "I expect there will be some kind of deal, although it could be haphazard. Trump needs some good news and I don't think he has much interest in G7 activities."

Failing to reach an agreement in Canada might not have an immediate economic impact on Japan, but tariffs that stay in place will eventually drag down growth, said Asuka Tatebayashi, senior analyst at Mizuho Bank.

"If you look at the data for car exports to the U.S. for April, it was quite striking. The volume in dollars was down by nearly 5%, but the number of cars has increased a lot," she said.

"It means either they are only selling cheap cars or the manufacturers are absorbing the cost. I think the latter is the case and this is not very sustainable."

Tariffs could shave 0.9% off Japan's gross domestic product, Mizuho Research & Technologies estimated in a report in April.

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TOKYO POLICE WARY OF LONE-WOLF ATTACKS AT ELECTION CAMPAINING BEGINS - TOKYO JAPAN

TOKYO POLICE WARY OF LONE-WOLF ATTACKS AT ELECTION CAMPAINING BEGINS - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

Campaigning began Friday for the Tokyo metropolitan assembly election, with the capital's police stepping up measures to thwart possible lone-wolf attacks after incidents involving notable politicians in recent years.

Top politicians are set to converge on Tokyo for a close contest seen as a bellwether for the national House of Councillors election this summer, in which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is expected to struggle.

"We are mobilizing the organization's full strength. We cannot create conditions that allow for the 'unexpected,'" a senior official of the Metropolitan Police Department said.

Stump speeches are a mainstay of Japanese elections, offering candidates a chance to get their message across and granting voters opportunities to meet their potential representatives.

Politicians have been targeted while campaigning in recent years, with former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe fatally shot during a stump speech in the city of Nara before the 2022 House of Councillors election. During an election-related appearance in Wakayama, also in western Japan, in 2023, an explosive device was hurled toward then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

More recently, a man tried to attack Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's office and the LDP's headquarters while the premier was away campaigning for last October's House of Representatives election. The suspects charged in all of the cases are believed to have acted alone.

Since the Abe and Kishida incidents, police have urged campaign organizers to step up security. The senior police official said it is becoming standard for members of the public to face inspections such as bag checks at stump speeches and people have become more cooperative since the high-profile incidents.

To ensure security during campaigning in the capital, Tokyo police created a section in April to identify potential lone-wolf attackers by monitoring social media and collating information from other departments.

Police also reached agreements with three real estate industry groups in May for the sharing of information about suspicious noises and odors in buildings, after cases in which assailants manufactured weapons and explosives in their apartments.

The police will also approach individuals loitering near locations where politicians are scheduled to appear, the official said, adding, "Anyone engaging in suspicious activity will be questioned and asked to have their belongings checked."

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COUPLE REARRESTED OVER MUDER OF CONSTRUCTION COMPANY EXECUTIVE IN KITAKYUSHU - JAPAN

COUPLE REARRESTED OVER MUDER OF CONSTRUCTION COMPANY EXECUTIVE IN KITAKYUSHU - JAPAN

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KITAKYUSHUPolice in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, have arrested a 46-year-old man and a 42-year-old female acquaintance on suspicion of killing the man’s 87-year-old father in April.

Ryuma Hanayama and Mami Fukuda were initially arrested on suspicion of abandoning the body of Ryuichi Hanayama, who was an executive of a civil engineering and construction company, NTV reported. His son Ryuma is currently president of the company.

Police rearrested the couple on a murder charge on Tuesday. They are accused of conspiring to strangle Hanayama to death between the afternoon of April 17 and the morning of the 18th. The body was found on May 20, wrapped in multiple sheets, in a materials storage yard in Kitakyushu City.

Police said that Ryuma had instructed his employees to give false explanations to the police about his actions before and after the incident, to provide him with an alibi.

Analysis of the two suspects' smartphones revealed messages that suggested they were involved in the murder and abandoning the body.

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2 MEN KILLED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION IN KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE - KAGOSHIMA JAPAN

2 MEN KILLED IN HEAD-ON COLLISION IN KAGOSHIMA PREFECTURE - KAGOSHIMA JAPAN

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KAGOSHIMA

Two men were killed in a head-on collision in in Shibushi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, on Saturday.

The accident occurred at around 2:45 p.m. on a prefectural road, NHK reported.

The two deceased men were identified as Kimio Yoshitome, 74, Shibushi City, who was driving a light car, and Yutaka Inoue, 63, from Miyakonojo City, who was driving the other car.

A woman in her 50s who was a passenger in Inoue’s car was also taken to hospital. Police said her injuries are not life-threatening.

Police said the accident occurred on a straight road with good visibility and one lane in each direction. They believe that one of the cars veered into the oncoming lane.

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FUJI MEDIA TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST 2 EX-EXECS OVER SCANDAL - TOKYO JAPAN

FUJI MEDIA TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST 2 EX-EXECS OVER SCANDAL - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

Fuji Media Holdings Inc said Thursday it will pursue legal action against two former top officials of its television network subsidiary over a sexual misconduct scandal involving popular TV host Masahiro Nakai and a former female employee.

The decision to pursue litigation against former Fuji Television Network Inc President Koichi Minato and former Managing Director Toru Ota follows a third-party panel report that found the female announcer was subjected to sexual violence by Nakai in June 2023 "as an extension of her job."

The report, released this March, said that days later, she told doctors at work about the incident and was hospitalized for around two months until September 2023, during which she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

However, Minato and Ota, who reportedly dismissed the incident as "a man-woman problem," failed to share details with the company's compliance department or take appropriate action.

Also Thursday, Fuji TV announced disciplinary action against six officials over the incident, including a four-rank demotion for the former programming director who introduced the woman to Nakai.

The TV station has been mired in scandal over its handling of the case after a weekly magazine reported in December that Nakai engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity and paid an out-of-court settlement to the woman he met for dinner in June 2023.

Nakai, who rose to prominence as a member of the now-defunct pop group SMAP, retired from showbusiness over the scandal.

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JAPAN CRIME GROUP LEADER IN PHILIPPINES ARRESTED OVER THEFT - MANILA PHILIPPINES

JAPAN CRIME GROUP LEADER IN PHILIPPINES ARRESTED OVER THEFT - MANILA PHILIPPINES

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MANILA

The leader of a Japanese crime syndicate who is based in the Philippines and wanted in Japan for theft has been arrested, immigration authorities said.

The "JP Dragon" gangster syndicate, led by Ryuji Yoshioka, 55, and operating from bases in Asia, is believed to have been involved in a string of fraud cases and thefts in Japan.

Its members are alleged to have impersonated Japanese authorities in tricking victims, including elderly people, into handing over money.

The arrest of Yoshioka on Wednesday evening in Angeles, a city north of Manila, signals the end of operations for one of the group's bases in Southeast Asia, according to Joel Anthony Viado, chief of the Bureau of Immigration.

The group is also suspected by authorities of being linked to another crime ring that has organized a series of burglaries across Japan since 2021.

A Philippine immigration officer said Yoshioka can speak Tagalog, having been in the Philippines for over a decade, and operates businesses such as online gambling, cockfighting and karaoke bars. He is also wanted by local authorities on suspicion of swindling.

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WITH ARRESTS OF FOREIGNERS IN JAPAN INCREASING, POLICE NO LONGER GUARANTEE IN-PERSON INTERPRETERS - TOKYO JAPAN

WITH ARRESTS OF FOREIGNERS IN JAPAN INCREASING, POLICE NO LONGER GUARANTEE IN-PERSON INTERPRETERS - TOKYO JAPAN

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TOKYO

Right now, if the Japanese police are formally questioning a person who doesn’t speak Japanese, they’re required to provide an interpreter, who will provide in-person translations at the police station where the suspect is being questioned. That’s going to change, though, and it’s going to change very soon, due to a revision of the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Protocols.

According to the agency’s statistics, 12,170 foreigners were arrested in Japan in 2024, the second consecutive annual increase and the largest amount in 15 years. In addition, there were over 9,500 other crimes determined to have been committed by foreigners with non-arrest outcomes, the agency says. With the need for interpreters increasing, an in-person interpreter will no longer be guaranteed, and instead foreigners who are being questioned may be assigned an off-site interpreter who interprets over the phone or via a voice chat device.

Japan currently has around 4,200 police officers and personnel who are proficient in a foreign (i.e. non-Japanese) language, supported by a network of roughly 9,600 civilian interpreters who can be called in if their services are needed. That might seem like a sufficiently large talent pool, but those are the numbers of potential interpreters nationwide, and for all languages. As Japan’s resident foreign national and inbound international traveler demographics diversify, both in country of origin and where they’re living/traveling in Japan, the National Police Agency says investigators aren’t always able to locate a nearby translator who not only speaks the specific native language of the suspect, but who’s also available to come to the station on short notice. Under the new system, when an interpreter is not available, the suspect will be brought to the nearest police station for questioning, with an interpreter working remotely.

For the police, the new system will allow for quicker questionings, which in turn could help in investigations of ongoing crimes or searches for at-large accomplices. From the perspective of the foreigner being questioned, though, this is a disadvantageous policy shift. Speaking over the phone adds an extra degree of difficulty to communication, increasing the possibility of linguistic mistranslation or psychological misinterpretation. It also makes it more difficult for interpreters to reference documents, photos, or other physical items that the police might be presenting to the foreign suspect as part of the questioning, which could be especially dangerous if the suspect is being asked to sign forms that they’re unable to read by the officers in the room.

It’s worth noting that even under the new rules, the proscribed preferred option is for investigators to search for an interpreter who’s available to work in-person. However, it appears the decision of when to call it quits and switch to a remote interpreter will be a judgement call to be made by local authorities.

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