
Ex-parliament chief Zandanshatar elected as new Mongolian PM
ULAANBAATAR (Kyodo) -- The Mongolian parliament elected Friday its former chairman Gombojav Zandanshatar as the country's new prime minister after his predecessor Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene resigned earlier this month following protests about his son's lavish spending, local media reported.
Zandanshatar garnered 108 of 117 votes cast in the country's 126-member parliament. On June 3, Oyun-Erdene stepped down after failing to secure enough support in a vote of confidence.
The 55-year-old new prime minister is a banker-turned-lawmaker. He formerly served as chief of the Cabinet's Secretariat as well as foreign minister and deputy farm minister.
In March 2023, Zandanshatar traveled to Japan and met with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. The imperial couple is scheduled to make an official visit to Mongolia in July.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Mainichi
2 days ago
- The Mainichi
Japan imperial couple to embark on historic visit to Mongolia in July
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are scheduled to make a state visit to Mongolia from July 6 to 13 in what will be the first such trip by a Japanese emperor, according to a plan approved by the government on Friday. During the trip, the emperor and empress will lay flowers at a memorial on July 8 to commemorate Japanese nationals who died while in internment camps there after World War II. The Soviet military transferred around 14,000 Japanese detainees from Siberia to Mongolia following the war, and more than 1,700 died. The Japanese government later established the memorial near Mongolia's capital, Ulaanbaatar. On the same day, the imperial couple is expected to meet with President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife after attending a welcome ceremony. They will then participate in a banquet hosted by the Mongolian leader that night. The itinerary also includes their attendance at the opening ceremony of Naadam, Mongolia's largest annual festival, on July 11. It will be the imperial couple's first overseas goodwill visit since they traveled to Britain in June last year. The empress, who has long battled a stress-induced illness, may not attend every event out of consideration for her health, according to the Imperial Household Agency. The couple will depart from Tokyo's Haneda airport by a government plane on July 6, bound for Ulaanbaatar. The Mongolian president and his wife extended an invitation to the Japanese imperial couple during a trip to Japan in November 2022, according to the agency. The emperor previously traveled to Mongolia as crown prince in 2007, when he paid respects at the monument.


Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Japan Joins Race to Attract Top U.S. Researchers with ¥100 Bil. Investment
Yomiuri Shimbun file photo The Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo The government has decided to allocate ¥100 billion from the operational proceeds of the ¥10 trillion University Endowment Fund and other sources to attract eminent researchers from overseas, including Japanese top researchers in the United States leaving the country having lost their jobs due to research funding cuts under the administration of President Donald Trump, Japan plans to fully engage in the intensifying global competition to attract talent. The Cabinet Office has compiled the government initiative, and Minoru Kiuchi, who is the Cabinet minister responsible for science and technology, announced the details at a press conference after a Cabinet meeting on June 13. The University Endowment Fund is a program through which the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) entrusts financial institutions with the management of ¥10 trillion in government contributions. Some of the operating profits from this fund are provided as grants to institutions such as the Universities of International Research Excellence. A substantial disparity in wages has posed a significant barrier to attracting foreign researchers, as compensation in the United States and Europe is reportedly two to three times higher than in government plans to use the operational profits from the University Endowment Fund to cover personnel costs and other expenses. This will allow the university to offer foreign researchers compensation comparable to that of their original institutions. Specifically, through the JST, which manages the fund, the government intends to support domestic universities and national research and development agencies that receive personnel. The current basic policy of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry limits support from the fund to doctoral students and Universities of International Research Excellence aiming for world-class research capabilities. The government plans to revise the policy shortly so that support will be available by autumn, when researcher recruitment primarily happens in the United States and Europe. In addition to financial support, the government will also back reforms to university personnel systems to be able to receive researchers from overseas and equip institutions with cutting-edge research equipment. Recruitment efforts are expected to extend to the United States and other countries, paired with public relations activities to showcase Japan's attractive lifestyle and cultural appeal. The race to secure top U.S. researchers has intensified, with the European Union indicating it will contribute €500 million (about ¥83 billion). In response, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba instructed Kiuchi on June 4 to reinforce efforts to attract researchers at the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation.


Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Hepburn-Style Romaji Closer to Becoming Standardized in Japan as Govt Agency Finalizes Draft Proposal Adopting the Style
The Yomiuri Shimbun The Cultural Affairs Agency has finalized a draft proposal to adopt the Hepburn style as the unified standard of romaji, or romanized Japanese, primarily due its closer resemblance to English pronunciation. The proposal was to be presented on Friday to a subcommittee of the agency's Council for Cultural Affairs. The council is expected to submit its official recommendation to the minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology as early as this autumn. The 1954 Cabinet announcement, which primarily adopted the 'kunrei' style of romaji, is set to be amended for the first time in nearly 70 years. Some Japanese letters have different romanizations, such as 'si' and 'hu' in the kunrei style, which are written as 'shi' and 'fu' in the Hepburn style. Currently, schools primarily teach the kunrei style in accordance with the existing Cabinet announcement. However, the Hepburn style is widely used in society. The council began reviewing the Cabinet announcement in autumn 2022 with the aim of aligning romanization with what is common in society. The draft proposal explicitly states that while it emphasizes a unified writing style as much as possible, 'spellings that have been used for many years by individuals and organizations will be respected and immediate changes will not be required.'