This handout taken on August 31, 2024 and released on September 1 by Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office and received via Jiji Press, shows a Chinese naval survey vessel entering Japanese territorial waters off Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan protested late August 31 after a Chinese naval ship entered its territorial waters off southern islands, just days after its first confirmed military aircraft incursion into Japan’s territorial airspace. (Photo by Handout / various sources / AFP)

Japan voiced “strong concern and protest” on Saturday (August 31) after a Chinese naval ship entered its territorial waters, days after Tokyo accused Beijing of sending a military aircraft into Japanese airspace.

A Chinese naval vessel was spotted entering Japanese territorial waters near the southern Kuchinoerabu island at around 6:00 a.m. on Saturday (2100 GMT Friday) and exiting southwest of Yakushima island nearly two hours later, the Defence Ministry said.

Following the incident, the Foreign Ministry “issued Japan’s strong concern and protest” to China’s embassy in Tokyo.

The Ministry took “into account the past activities of Chinese naval vessels and others in the waters around Japan, and the recent intrusion into Japan’s territorial airspace by a Chinese military plane,” it said late on Saturday.

Japan on Monday scrambled fighter jets after a two-minute incursion by Chinese Y-9 surveillance aircraft off the Danjo Islands in the East China Sea, which Tokyo slammed as a “serious violation” of its sovereignty.

China’s growing economic and military clout in the Asia-Pacific region and its assertiveness in territorial disputes — most recently with the Philippines — has rattled the U.S. and its allies.

Last week, Japan’s Defence Ministry sought 8.5 trillion yen ($59 billion) for the next fiscal year, its largest ever initial budget request, as part of the country’s five-year, 43 trillion yen defence buildup plan through March 2028.

The request includes funding for so-called standoff capabilities to strike distant targets with missiles and unmanned vehicles.

It is higher than the ministry’s 7.7 trillion yen initial request last year, but smaller than the actual budget of 9.4 trillion yen approved for the current fiscal year.

This handout photo taken and released on August 26, 2024, by Japan’s Ministry of Defense Joint Staff Office shows a Chinese military Y9 intelligence-gathering aircraft that Japan’s defence ministry said “violated” Japanese airspace. Japan scrambled fighter jets on August 26 after the Chinese military aircraft entered Japanese airspace at 11:29 am (0229 GMT) for around two minutes, the ministry added.
| Photo Credit: AFP/Japan’s Ministry of Defense

Close U.S. ally Japan said it scrambled fighter jets on Monday (August 26, 2024) after a Chinese military aircraft “violated” its airspace in a further escalation of regional tensions.

The two-minute incursion into Japanese airspace by the Y-9 surveillance aircraft at 11:29 a.m. (0229 GMT) was the first by a Chinese military plane, local media reported.

The aircraft “violated the territorial airspace off the Danjo Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture”, prompting Japan to deploy “fighter jets on an emergency basis”, Japan’s Defence Ministry said.

It said steps such as “issuing warnings” to the aircraft were taken. Broadcaster NHK reported that no weapons, such as flare guns, were used as an alert.

The Defence Ministry released a photograph of what it said was the plane.

Deputy foreign minister Masataka Okano summoned China’s acting ambassador late on Monday (August 26, 2024) and “lodged firm protest”, as well as calling for measures against a recurrence, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

The Chinese diplomat said in response that the matter would be reported to Beijing, according to the ministry. There was no immediate official comment from Beijing.

Beefed up

China’s growing economic and military clout in the Asia-Pacific region and its assertiveness in territorial disputes – in particular Taiwan – has alarmed the United States and its allies.

Japan, staunchly pacifist for decades, has ramped up defence spending with U.S. encouragement, moving to acquire “counter-strike” capabilities and easing rules on arms exports.

Tokyo is also providing funding and equipment such as patrol vessels to countries across the region and agreed in July on a deal with the Philippines allowing troop deployments on each other’s soil.

Japan and South Korea have also moved to bury the historical hatchet. Tokyo is also part of the Quad alliance with the United States, Australia and India, a grouping seen as a bulwark against Beijing.

Tense incidents

Japanese and Chinese vessels have been involved in tense incidents in disputed areas, in particular the Senkaku islands in the East China Sea known by Beijing as the Diaoyus.

The remote chain has fuelled diplomatic tensions and been the scene of confrontations between Japanese coastguard vessels and Chinese fishing boats.

Tokyo has reported the presence of Chinese coastguard vessels, a naval ship and even a nuclear-powered submarine, in the area.

Two non-military aircraft from China – a propeller-powered plane and a small drone – were forayed into airspace near the Senkaku islands in 2012 and 2017, according to NHK.

‘Control measures’

The Danjo Islands, the site of the latest incident, are a group of small islets also located in the East China Sea off Japan’s southern Nagasaki region.

Beijing claims the South China Sea – through which trillions of dollars of trade passes annually – almost in its entirety despite an international court ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

China said it took “control measures” on Monday (August 26, 2024) against two Philippine Coast Guard ships that had entered waters near the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.

Multiple confrontations have taken place in recent days around the shoal, located 140 km west of the Philippine island of Palawan and about 1,200 km from Hainan island, China’s nearest major landmass.

Both sides have in recent months stationed coast guard vessels near Sabina, where the Philippines fears China is about to build an artificial island.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan is due to visit Beijing for three days from Tuesday (August 27, 2024) and will meet China’s foreign minister Wang Yi in a bid to manage bilateral tensions ahead of U.S. elections in November.

A Tokyo-based television news anchor was fired from her job and faced online backlash after a controversial post on social media in which she criticised men’s hygiene habits. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Yuri Kawaguchi, 29, is a freelance announcer known for her feminist views. She also works as a lecturer on harassment prevention. She faced severe backlash online after she claimed that men’s body odour was hard to endure and suggested they shower more often.

In a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter), Ms Kawaguchi voiced her frustration about men’s hygiene during the sweltering summer months, per the outlet. “I’m really sorry if there’s a personal situation, but the smell of men in the summer or the body odour of unsanitary people is so uncomfortable,” she wrote, advising men to shower more frequently and use deodorant. 

“I want to be clean, so I take several showers a day, use freshening wipes, and apply sweat inhibitors year-round. I think more men should do this,” the 29-year-old added. 

Ms Kawaguchi’s post, perceived as discriminatory against men, offended many online. “Only blaming men is infuriating and undoubtedly discrimination. Women, especially older women, can have body odour too. I’m really uncomfortable with this,” one social media user wrote. 

Her post also prompted scrutiny of her private life, including her divorce. She was labelled as a “materialistic woman out of touch with the struggles of ordinary people”. 

As the controversy escalated, Ms Kawaguchi issued a public apology and removed the post.  “This time, because of my careless remarks, many people were upset and hurt. I will deeply reflect on this. In the future, I will work hard not to hurt anyone with my remarks. I am really sorry,” she said.

However, the apology did little to quell the uproar. VOICE, the agency that managed Ms Kawaguchi, announced that it was terminating her contract, citing “defamation of the honour of the opposite sex” as the reason. In a statement, the agency said it had received numerous complaints and emails, and stressed that it was against their principles for a professional to use language that harms others and causes discomfort. 

Also read | Female Intern In Vietnam Resigns After Kiss Threat From Male Colleague At Team-Building Event

Another firm which hired the anchor as a lecturer for harassment prevention education also terminated her contract. But the decision of these two companies was criticised by Japanese netizens as “too extreme”. While some said that the 29-year-old’s dismissal shows a mirror to the challenges faced by women in a male-dominated society in Japan, most were not kind. 

“A woman asks men to be tidy and maintain decorum, yet it triggers outrage. It just shows that Japan has been a male-dominated society for too long. No matter how dirty men are, as soon as a woman complains, they punish her,” one person wrote.

“Why are Japanese men so sensitive? They cannot handle a bit of criticism. Women are expected to maintain beauty, cleanliness, and fitness without complaint, yet men face no such expectations. If that isn’t gender bias, then what is?” said another. 

New Delhi:

The India-Japan partnership is set against a larger context of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific and it will continue to grow, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday as the two sides held a fresh edition of “2+2” dialogue amid China’s increasing military muscle-flexing in the region.

The Japanese delegation at the talks in Delhi was headed by Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa and Defence Minister Kihara Minoru. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh headed the Indian team.

“In the last decade, our relationship has assumed the form of a special strategic and global partnership. The logic of this evolution is our expanding interests and growing activities,” Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks.

“As we both step forward into a more volatile and unpredictable world, there is a need for reliable partners with whom there are substantial convergences,” he said.

“As a result, we have consciously sought to facilitate each other’s endeavours, comprehend each other’s objectives, strengthen each other’s positions and work with other nations of shared comfort,” he added.

The external affairs minister said the strategic partnership between India and Japan will continue to grow as “we embrace mutuality and display sensitivity”.

“Our cooperation is today set against a larger context of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific. For India, this is a natural extrapolation from our Act East policy,” he said.

Jaishankar emphasised that the “2+2” dialogue must particularly focus on the steps ahead.

“It has been two years since we last met in Tokyo. There have been many developments of consequence in the world. Our own relationship also has to factor in changes in our own capabilities and calculations,” he said.

In his remarks, Singh said the India-Japan special strategic and global partnership is based on democratic values and the rule of law.

He said India has set a goal of becoming a developed country by 2047 and building domestic defence capabilities is one of the significant aspects of this vision.

“The India-Japan partnership in the defence sector will be an important aspect to realise our goal. Let us make a vision for this partnership,” the defence minister said.

He exuded confidence that the discussions will lead to make a stronger commitment for cooperation in the defence sector.

“The India-Japan partnership in this sphere will be very important considering the current global situation. I think this partnership is crucial to ensure freedom, inclusivity and transparency in the Indo-Pacific,” Singh said.

Jaishankar and Singh held separate bilateral talks with their Japanese counterparts ahead of the “2+2” dialogue.

The “2+2” dialogue with Japan was initiated to further deepen bilateral security and defence cooperation and bring greater depth to the special strategic and global partnership between the two countries.

India has the “2+2” ministerial format of dialogue with very few countries, including the United States, Australia and Russia.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A house is seen collapsed in Oosaki town, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan Friday, August 9, 2024, following Thursday’s powerful earthquake.
| Photo Credit: AP

Japan’s earthquake scientists say the country should prepare for a possible “megaquake” one day that could kill hundreds of thousands of people – although they stress the warning does not mean a colossal tremor is imminent.

The Japan Meteorological Association (JMA) warning is the first issued under new rules drawn up after a 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster killed around 18,500 people.

What does the warning say?

The JMA’s “megaquake advisory” warns that “if a major earthquake were to occur in the future, strong shaking and large tsunamis would be generated. The likelihood of a new major earthquake is higher than normal, but this is not an indication that a major earthquake will definitely occur during a specific period of time,” it added.

The advisory concerns the Nankai Trough “subduction zone” between two tectonic plates in the Pacific Ocean, where massive earthquakes have hit in the past.

What is the Nankai Trough?

The 800 km undersea trough runs from Shizuoka, west of Tokyo, to the southern tip of Kyushu Island. It has been the site of destructive quakes of magnitude eight or nine every century or two. These so-called “megathrust quakes”, which often occur in pairs, have been known to unleash dangerous tsunamis along Japan’s southern coast.

In 1707, all segments of the Nankai Trough ruptured at once, unleashing an earthquake that remains the nation’s second-most powerful on record. That quake – which also triggered the last eruption of Mount Fuji – was followed by two powerful Nankai megathrusts in 1854, and then a pair in 1944 and 1946.

How much is at stake?

Japan’s government has previously said the next magnitude 8-9 megaquake along the Nankai Trough has a roughly 70% probability of striking within the next 30 years. In the worst-case scenario 300,000 lives could be lost, experts estimate, with some engineers saying the damage could reach $13 trillion with infrastructure wiped out.

“The history of great earthquakes at Nankai is convincingly scary,” geologists Kyle Bradley and Judith A. Hubbard wrote in their Earthquake Insights newsletter. And “while earthquake prediction is impossible, the occurrence of one earthquake usually does raise the likelihood of another”, they explained.

“A future great Nankai earthquake is surely the most long-anticipated earthquake in history – it is the original definition of the ‘Big One’.”

How worried should people be?

Japan is reminding people living in quake zones to take general precautions, from securing furniture to knowing the location of their nearest evacuation shelter. Many households in the country also keep a disaster kit handy with bottled water, long-life food, a torch, radio and other practical items.

But there’s no need to panic – there is only a “small probability” that Thursday’s (August 8, 2024) magnitude 7.1 earthquake is a foreshock, according to Bradley and Hubbard.

“One of the challenges is that even when the risk of a second earthquake is elevated, it is still always low. For instance, in California, the rule of thumb is that any given earthquake has around 5% chance of being a foreshock,“ they said.

Director, School Education, EV Narsimha Reddy with the four students nominated for the ‘Sakura Science Program’ to be held in Japan.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

Four students from State-run gurukula colleges will participate in the ‘Sakura Science Program’ or ‘Japan Science High School Programme’ to be held in November.

Implemented by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the nominated students are invited for a short-term visit to Japan to experience the country’s cutting-edge science and technology, and culture.

From Telangana, after several district and State-level screenings, four Intermediate students in MPC stream have been selected — Sarabjit De (Telangana Model School and Junior College, Chevella), Naba Mohammadi (Karimnagar), S. Bhaskar (Amadabakula, Wanaparthy), and Vidhya Singh (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Mancherial).

JST and the Department of School Education and Literacy have been implementing the programme since 2014, and the first batch of students participated in April 2016. This year’s programme is from November 10-16.

Argentina bounced back from the chaos of their opening defeat in the Olympic men’s football to beat Iraq 3-1 on Saturday, while Spain and Japan became the first teams through to the quarter-finals. Two-time gold medallists Argentina began their campaign at the Games with a 2-1 defeat by Morocco on Wednesday in Saint-Etienne in a match marred by crowd trouble. The South Americans had a late equaliser disallowed and the final minutes took place in an empty stadium following the disruption.

However, Javier Mascherano‘s side registered their first win in Group B on Saturday and the result, coupled with Ukraine’s last-gasp 2-1 victory over Morocco in Saint-Etienne, means all four teams in the section are now level on three points.

Argentina went ahead on 14 minutes in Lyon when Manchester City’s Julian Alvarez laid the ball off for Thiago Almada to fire in.

Iraq drew level in first-half stoppage time as captain Aymen Hussein rose to head home.

But Argentina went back ahead just after the hour mark. Luciano Gondou had been on the pitch barely two minutes when he appeared unmarked at the back post to head in an inviting cross.

The third goal came five minutes from time as Kevin Zenon laid the ball back for Ezequiel Fernandez, of Boca Juniors, to curl in from range.

“We need to look forward and focus on what we can control, which is playing football. That is what I suggested we do, play the better football,” said Mascherano as he refused to revisit the Morocco debacle.

France on verge of quarters

Morocco were caught by a 98th-minute sucker punch against Ukraine, who grabbed the victory when Oleh Fedor set up Ihor Krasnopir to score from close range.

Ukraine had gone ahead midway through the first half through Dmytro Kryskiv but appeared in trouble when Volodymyr Saliuk pulled back Soufiane Rahimi in the box on the hour.

Saliuk’s yellow card was upgraded to red on review, and Rahimi converted the penalty, his third goal of the tournament making it 1-1.

Morocco were then pushing for the winner with the extra man when Ukraine snatched the points.

In the last round of group games on Tuesday, Argentina face Ukraine while Morocco meet Iraq. 

Spain are through to the last eight already after claiming a second win from as many games in Group C as the Tokyo silver medallists beat the Dominican Republic 3-1 in Bordeaux.

Fermin Lopez gave them the lead, but debutants the Dominican Republic surprisingly equalised on 38 minutes when Angel Montes de Oca headed in at a corner.

However, they were reduced to 10 men in first-half stoppage time when captain Edison Azcona received his marching orders for kicking out at Pau Cubarsi.

Spain made the extra player count after the break, with Alex Baena’s deflected strike restoring their lead before substitute Miguel Gutierrez tapped in on 70 minutes.

Spain’s passage to the last eight was secured after Egypt beat Uzbekistan 1-0 in Nantes, Ahmed Koka scoring the only goal early on.

Thierry Henry‘s France team made it two wins from two in Group A as they edged Guinea 1-0 in Nice, with Freiburg full-back Kiliann Sildillia heading in a 75th-minute winner from Michael Olise’s cross.

France are not yet through from Group A, in which the United States thrashed New Zealand 4-1 in Marseille in the other game.

The host nation still require a point against New Zealand on Tuesday to guarantee progress.

Japan, winners of this year’s Under-23 Asian Cup, secured a quarter-final berth with a dramatic 1-0 victory against Mali in Bordeaux.

Rihito Yamamoto scrambled in the only goal in the 82nd minute, although Mali had a chance to equalise from a penalty deep in injury time.

The spot-kick was given for a handball after a VAR review, but Cheickna Doumbia contrived to put it wide.

Also in Group D, Paraguay scored twice in stoppage time to beat Israel 4-2 in an entertaining game in Paris, with Marcelo Fernandez’s brace bookending the victory for the 2004 silver medallists.

File image of Kaishu Sano© X (Twitter)

Tokyo:

Japan’s government has finally eliminated the use of floppy disks in all its systems, two decades since their heyday, reaching a long-awaited milestone in a campaign to modernise the bureaucracy.

By the middle of last month, the Digital Agency had scrapped all 1,034 regulations governing their use, except for one environmental stricture related to vehicle recycling.

“We have won the war on floppy disks on June 28!” Digital Minister Taro Kono, who has been vocal about wiping out fax machines and other analogue technology in government, told Reuters in a statement on Wednesday.

The Digital Agency was set up during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, when a scramble to roll out nationwide testing and vaccination revealed that the government still relied on paper filing and outdated technology.

A charismatic figure with 2.5 million followers on X, Kono formerly headed the defence and foreign ministries as well as the COVID vaccine deployment, taking up his current role in August 2022 after a failed bid to become prime minister.

Japan’s digitisation effort has run into numerous snags, however. A contact-tracing app flopped during the pandemic and adoption of the government’s My Number digital identification card has been slower than it hoped, amid repeated data mishaps.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Japan:

Mount Fuji’s summer climbing season began on Monday with new crowd control measures to combat over-tourism on the Japanese volcano’s most popular trail.

An entry fee of 2,000 yen ($13) plus an optional donation is being charged for those taking on the Yoshida Trail, and numbers are capped at 4,000 per day.

Online reservations have also been introduced this year by authorities concerned about safety and environmental damage on Japan’s highest mountain.

“I really like the idea because if you respect the mountain, you have to limit the people,” hiker Chetna Joshi told AFP at the trail’s Fifth Station — a busy starting point for hikers that is reachable by car.

The 47-year-old from India compared the crowds seen at Fuji in recent years to the “traffic jam” of climbers at the peak of Mount Everest.

Although windy and drizzly weather on Monday prevented hikers from reaching the summit, Joshi said ascending part way was still a “great experience”.

“I love mountains. I think it is not giving me permission this time, that’s OK. I accept it,” she said.

Record tourist crowds are flocking to Japan post-pandemic, with many wanting to see or scale Mount Fuji.

The mountain is covered in snow most of the year but draws more than 220,000 visitors each July-September climbing period.

Many trudge through the night to see the sunrise from the 3,776-metre (12,388-foot) summit.

Some sleep on the trail or start fires for heat, while others attempt to complete the hike without breaks, becoming sick or injured as a result.

 ‘Crazy adventure’ 

The once-peaceful pilgrimage site has three other main routes that will remain free to climb.

But the Yoshida Trail — accessed from Tokyo relatively easily — is the preferred option for most holidaymakers, with around 60 per cent of climbers choosing that route.

Each summer, reports in Japanese media describe tourists climbing Mount Fuji with insufficient mountaineering equipment.

The new measures were introduced “first and foremost to protect lives”, governor Kotaro Nagasaki of Yamanashi prefecture has said.

In a reminder of the dangers, last week four bodies were found near the summit, according to local media reports.

“I personally feel like I’ve over-prepared,” Geoffrey Kula, a climber from the United States, told AFP.

“Having looked at the forecast, being ready to swap out multiple outfits if clothes get wet and things like that. Yeah, it just seems like another crazy adventure.”

Tourist hotspot 

Monthly visitors to Japan exceeded three million for the first time in March, and then again in April and May.

The tourism chief has deemed the country’s ambitious goal of attracting 60 million foreign tourists well within reach, having last year welcomed more than 25 million.

Mount Fuji is about two hours from central Tokyo by train and can be seen for miles around.

The mountain is a symbol of Japan that has been immortalised in countless artworks, including Hokusai’s “Great Wave”.

But as in other tourist hotspots, such as Venice — which recently launched a trial of entry fees for day visitors — the influx has not been universally welcomed.

In May, a town near Mount Fuji mounted a large barrier at a popular viewing spot for the volcano in an attempt to deter photo-taking by an ever-growing number of tourists.

Residents were fed up with streams of mostly foreign visitors littering, trespassing and breaking traffic rules in their hunt for a photo to share on social media.

Similar woes have befallen the country’s ancient capital of Kyoto, where locals have complained of tourists harassing the city’s famed geisha.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)