Latest from The Mainichi
The Mainichi
44 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Judo: S. Korea's Kim beats Japan's Arai for women's heavyweight gold
BUDAPEST (Kyodo) -- Japanese heavyweight Mao Arai fell short in her bid for a maiden judo world championship Thursday, losing to South Korea's Kim Ha Yun in the women's over-78-kilogram final in Budapest. The bout was ultimately decided by penalties after the two familiar opponents tried to avoid giving each other an opening to attack. Kim, who defeated Japan's Ruri Takahashi in the second round, became her country's first world champion in the heaviest women's category. The 22-year-old Arai said she had been too caught up in her opponent's strategy and would aim to expand her offensive repertoire for future competitions. "I want to increase my options for attacking first," she said. "I was fortunate with the draw and also had good luck. Next year I want to beat seeded opponents on the way to winning the gold medal." Japan's Hyoga Ota was beaten by Mongolia's Batkhuyag Gonchigsuren via ippon in the third round of the men's over-100-kg competition.
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan to cut super-long-term bond issuances amid rising yields
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The Japanese government said Friday it plans to reduce issuances of super-long-term bonds from July in a rare review of its original program in the middle of a fiscal year amid concern over a recent surge in yields. But the total amount of bonds scheduled for issuance in the current fiscal year through March 2026 is projected to remain unchanged from the initial plan at 176.9 trillion yen ($1.2 trillion), as the Finance Ministry seeks to increase sales of short-term bonds. The revised plan was presented to bond market participants during a meeting hosted by the ministry and is likely to be formalized, subject to adjustment if necessary, an official said. The move comes as yields on 20-, 30- and 40-year bonds have surged since April, partly due to concerns over Japan's fiscal health following growing calls from opposition parties to cut taxes. In its latest policy meeting earlier this week, the Bank of Japan, the biggest holder of government bonds, decided to slow the pace of its debt-buying reduction from next year, aiming to prevent a sharp rise in yields and broader market turbulence from rapid tapering. During the previous gathering ended May 1, some BOJ board members expressed the view that the government bond markets had been "divided by maturity," as seen in the significant rise in yields on super-long-term bonds, according to the minutes released Friday. Some members noted that the number of participants in the super-long-term bond markets "was limited in the first place" and that the rise in the yields of those bonds was attributable to factors such as a decline in investor demand, the minutes also said. Analysts have said reduced purchases by key institutional investors, including life insurers, were among the reasons for the jump in yields, which move inversely to prices.
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- Politics
- 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)
The Mainichi
3 hours ago
- Politics
- 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.
The Mainichi
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Mainichi
Senior Tokyo police, prosecutor apologize to machinery maker over illegal probe
YOKOHAMA -- Two top Tokyo police and prosecution officials apologized in person to current and former executives of machinery maker Ohkawara Kakohki Co. at the latter's office here on June 20, following a high court ruling recognizing the illegality of their investigations based on allegations the company was involved in illegal exports. Tetsuro Kamata, deputy superintendent general of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Hirohide Mori, head of the public security division of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, visited the company headquarters in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, to offer a direct apology to President Masaaki Ohkawara, 76, and former director Junji Shimada, 72. The visit came after the Tokyo High Court ruling deeming the investigations by the MPD's Public Security Bureau and the Tokyo prosecution office to be unlawful was finalized. Kamata bowed his head and stated, "We deeply apologize for the great anxiety and burden caused by the investigations. We are truly sorry." Mori also offered his apologies and added, "We will strive to exercise prosecutorial powers appropriately to ensure that such incidents do not occur again." President Ohkawara responded, "It would have been preferable for this apology to come at an earlier stage. I hope that you value those who testified in court and improve the organizations: good police and good prosecution." The MPD's Public Security Bureau arrested Ohkawara, Shimada and another individual in March 2020 on suspicion of illegally exporting equipment capable of being diverted to military use in violation of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act. Tokyo prosecutors initially indicted them but subsequently dropped the charges in July 2021. While President Ohkawara and others had consistently demanded an apology from law enforcers, the MPD and the district prosecutors office had not complied on the grounds that the company had filed a state compensation suit. Their apology on June 20 came about four years after the charges against the company personnel were withdrawn. Apart from the apology, the company is also demanding that the police and prosecutors launch an investigation into their own probes with the involvement of third parties. While the MPD and the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office have announced that they will respectively examine the problems, they have suggested conducting internal investigations. The May 28 Tokyo High Court ruling recognized that the MPD's Public Security Bureau arrested the president and others by making a stretched interpretation of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's export control ordinance in a way that was far detached from international standards. "The Public Security Bureau's interpretation lacked rationality, and there were basic problems with their judgment regarding the establishment of the criminal charges," the court found. The court also ruled that the interrogations of Shimada by an inspector at the MPD's Public Security Bureau employed deceptive tactics leading to misinterpretation of ministerial ordinances. In regard to a temperature experiment on the equipment in question, conducted in an attempt to prove the unlawful export charges, the court acknowledged that the Public Security Bureau and the district prosecutors office neglected to conduct additional experiments while being aware of flaws in the initial experiment. Furthermore, the court ruled that the indictment by the district prosecutors office despite skepticism about the interpretation of the export control ordinance and the absence of extra experiments constituted "a case lacking charges for which the accused could be found guilty."
