Japan distances itself from G7 statement on Israel-Iran conflict

TOKYO -- Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba confirmed Japan's position urging both Israel and Iran to exercise "maximum restraint," despite the Group of Seven statement earlier this week affirming Israel's "right to defend itself."
"What the foreign minister said is the position of the Japanese government. The G7 is the G7," Ishiba said at a meeting between leaders of the ruling and opposition parties on Thursday, according to Japanese Communist Party Chair Tomoko Tamura, one of the attendees.

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Yomiuri Shimbun

an hour ago

• Yomiuri Shimbun

Revised Law Speeds Up Push to Stamp Out Online Casino Use; Raising Public Awareness a Key Issue

The Yomiuri Shimbun Flyers bearing the message, 'Online gambling is a crime,' are seen on the counter at a pizza delivery business in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, on Monday. A bill that prohibits advertising leading to online casino websites has been passed into law, but the public and private sectors will need to work together to craft a range of measures to stamp out illegal gambling from Japanese society. Following Wednesday's passage of the revised basic law on countermeasures against gambling addiction, the government will proactively initiate demands to remove social media posts and internet videos that encourage people to use online casinos based offshore. National Public Safety Commission Chairperson Manabu Sakai has insisted the revised law marked a significant step forward in tackling online gambling. 'We will forge ahead with efforts to eliminate information that entices people to casino websites,' Sakai said at a regular press conference Thursday. Connecting to an online casino from Japan and using the website to gamble is a violation of the nation's Penal Code provisions on gambling. However, there were no restrictions on the use of social media and blogs to post messages, such as a list of '10 recommended online casinos,' intended to stir up interest in them. The National Police Agency launched a survey in 2024 to gauge the extent of online casino use. The survey results, released in March, revealed that about 3.37 million people are using or have used online casinos from Japan, with total annual wagers reaching an estimated ¥1.2 trillion. About 60% of these online casino users were aware they had a gambling addiction. This was the first time the government had made public the results of a survey on online casinos. Posts by celebrities and influencers that spark interest in gambling websites among young people and others have become a factor in some people getting involved in illegal gambling. The revised law clearly defines advertisements and social media posts that guide users to casino sites as illegal. Penalty provisions were not included in the bill because priority was given to swiftly passing it into law. However, under the revised law, advertisements leading to casino sites that previously were considered 'harmful information' are now deemed to be 'illegal information.' Consequently, the Internet Hotline Center Japan, which has been commissioned by the NPA, is now able to demand internet providers and social media platform operators remove such content. According to the survey, about 75% of people who had viewed casino sites said they had actually remitted money for gambling. It is hoped that measures blocking the 'entrance' to these websites will have a major impact on preventing online gambling. Raising public awareness The revised law also requires the central and local governments to conduct awareness campaigns to inform the public that using online casinos is prohibited. A male employee at a Pizza-La pizza delivery shop in the Koenji area of Suginami Ward, Tokyo, was preparing delivery bags at around noon on Monday. Inside each one, he placed a flyer explaining that using online casinos violates gambling laws and that 'not knowing' online gambling is illegal is not a sufficient excuse. This was part of an initiative launched by the NPA with the Tokyo-based Safety Driving Association. The association's 48 members will cooperate with the campaign. 'We feel a social responsibility to do this,' said a director at the association. Ensuring that young people are fully aware that online gambling is illegal remains a pressing issue to be addressed. To help this message get through, the NPA will work with the operators of large-screen displays at Tokyo Dome and elsewhere to broadcast awareness videos and press entertainment agencies to prevent their talent from becoming the face of an online casino. Blocking remittances The Financial Services Agency and the NPA in May pressed entities including the Japanese Bankers Association and the Japan Virtual and Crypto Assets Exchange Association to tell their members to halt any transaction that is found to be a remittance to an online casino operator. Cutting off the sending of money to such operators is called a 'payment block.' However, 'tokuryu' anonymous and fluid crime groups are among the domestic operators that function as payment service agents that collude with the casino website operators. 'We'll crack down on operators that popularize online casinos and also step up our activities to raise awareness of the issue,' a senior police official told The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Kyodo News

2 hours ago

• Kyodo News

87 Japanese nationals, family members evacuated from Iran, Israel

KYODO NEWS - 2 hours ago - 18:00 | All, Japan, World A total of 87 Japanese nationals and their family members have evacuated from Iran and Israel amid conflict in the Middle East, the Japanese government said Friday. The evacuees arrived in Azerbaijan's capital Baku and Jordan's capital Amman by bus as local airports remained closed and none of them had health issues, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said. Of the 87, including six foreign nationals, 66 left Tehran and arrived in Baku early Friday, while 21 departed from Tel Aviv and reached Amman on Thursday afternoon, the Foreign Ministry said. The government is arranging additional bus transportation to evacuate more people from Iran as early as Saturday, Iwaya said. "As the situation remains very tense, the government will protect Japanese citizens with a high sense of urgency," he said. Around 220 Japanese nationals remained in Iran and around 1,000 in Israel after the evacuations, according to the ministry. Japan also plans to dispatch two Self-Defense Forces planes to a base in Djibouti in eastern Africa to evacuate its nationals if airports in Iran and Israel reopen, according to Iwaya. Israel and Iran have continued to exchange strikes since the former attacked Iranian nuclear facilities and military targets last week, alleging the Islamic Republic was close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, a claim it denies. With possible U.S. military intervention in the conflict attracting global attention, President Donald Trump has upped pressure on Iran to abandon its nuclear program by setting a deadline for negotiations. "I will make my decision of whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in a statement, which was read by White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing on Thursday. Related coverage: Japan to send 2 defense force planes for possible Mideast airlift Japan urges all nationals in Iran to evacuate amid Israeli attacks

The Mainichi

2 hours ago

• The Mainichi

Hyogo Gov. referred to prosecutors over election law violation in west Japan pref.

KOBE -- Hyogo Prefectural Police on June 20 sent documents on Hyogo Gov. Motohiko Saito to prosecutors on suspicion of violating the Public Offices Election Act by paying a PR company in return for campaign services during last fall's gubernatorial election, sources close to the matter have revealed to the Mainichi Shimbun. Police also sent prosecutors papers on the 33-year-old female president of the PR company Merchu, who allegedly received payment from Saito's side, on suspicion of receiving bribes under the same law. Authorities have not disclosed their views on how the two should be prosecuted. The Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office will carefully examine whether the two bear criminal responsibility. Shortly after the 47-year-old governor's reelection in November 2024, the PR company president posted online that she had been "entrusted with overall public relations" among other things. Saito's campaign paid the PR company a total of 715,000 yen (about $4,900), and in December 2024, parties including a university professor filed a criminal complaint against the two, claiming the payment constituted compensation for election campaign activities. Saito's side has explained that the payment was for the production of campaign posters and flyers, which are permitted under the election law, and has completely denied any illegality or bribery. (Japanese original by Yuta Shibayama and Yuria Kiyama, Kobe Bureau)