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Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Politics
- 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
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Japan imperial couple to embark on historic visit to Mongolia in July
KYODO NEWS - 6 hours ago - 12:37 | Japan, World, All 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. Related coverage: Emperor renews peace hope in Hiroshima for 80th anniv. of war's end Princess Kako visits Iguacu Falls as visit to Brazil ends
Kyodo News
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
3-time figure skating world champ Kaori Sakamoto to retire after Olympics
KYODO NEWS - 6 minutes ago - 13:56 | Sports, All Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto, winner of three consecutive world championships through 2024, said Friday she will retire from competition after next year's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The 25-year-old, who claimed women's singles bronze at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, finished second at the world championships in Boston in March. Sakamoto revealed her plan at the opening ceremony for a new skating rink in her home city of Kobe in western Japan. "I feel like I have less than a year left," she said. "I'll be 29 at the following Olympics (in 2030), which is out of the question. I'll try to bring things to a close the year I turn 26." Sakamoto made her Olympic debut at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games. She won her fourth straight Japanese championship, and fifth overall, last December. Related coverage: Figure skating: Retired star Mao Asada to open coaching academy Figure skating: Teen star Nishino signals big future with quad jumps FEATURE: Cool moves at any age: Japan's figure skating scene grows up
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Kyodo News
Tokio pop group member removed from TV show over past conduct
KYODO NEWS - 12 minutes ago - 13:37 | All, Japan A member of Japanese all-male pop group Tokio has been removed from a popular TV program due to past conduct that breached compliance rules on multiple occasions, a TV network said Friday. Taichi Kokubun, 50, was removed from "The Tetsuwan Dash," a variety program aired by Nippon Television Network Corp. and fronted by the members of Tokio. The decision to remove Kokubun was approved at an extraordinary board meeting, based on findings from a third-party probe. Kokubun has accepted the decision, the network said. "The Tetsuwan Dash" will continue broadcasting, the network said. Kokubun debuted with Tokio in 1994 and has an extensive career in television and radio. After the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011, he helped promote farming produce from Fukushima Prefecture on the variety program. Related coverage: Ex-Tokio pop group member released after arrest for drunken driving
Kyodo News
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Kyodo News
3-time figure skating world champ Kaori Sakamoto to retire after Olympics
KYODO NEWS - 13 minutes ago - 13:17 | Sports, All Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto, winner of three consecutive world championships through 2024, said Friday she will retire from competition after next year's Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The 25-year-old, who claimed women's singles bronze at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, finished second at the world championships in Boston in March. Related coverage: Figure skating: Retired star Mao Asada to open coaching academy Figure skating: Teen star Nishino signals big future with quad jumps FEATURE: Cool moves at any age: Japan's figure skating scene grows up
