G7 vows growth efforts as Japan's Abe warns of global crisis

ISE-SHIMA, Japan -- The Group of Seven industrial powers pledged on Friday to seek strong global growth, while papering over differences on currencies and stimulus policies and expressing concern over North Korea, Russia and maritime disputes involving China.

G7 leaders wrapped up a summit in central Japan vowing to use "all policy tools" to boost demand and ease supply constraints.

"Global growth remains moderate and below potential, while risks of weak growth persist," they said in a declaration. "Global growth is our urgent priority."

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, talking up what he calls parallels to the global financial crisis that followed the 2008 Lehman Brothers bankruptcy, said the G7 "shares a strong sense of crisis" about the global outlook.

"The most worrisome risk is a contraction of the global economy," led by a slowdown in emerging economies, Abe told a news conference after chairing the two-day summit. "There is a risk of the global economy falling into crisis if appropriate policy responses are not made."

In the broad-ranging, 32-page declaration, the G7 committed to market-based exchange rates and to avoiding "competitive devaluation" of their currencies, while warning against wild exchange-rate moves.

This represents a compromise between the positions of Japan, which has threatened to intervene to block sharp yen rises, and the United States, which generally opposes market intervention.

The G7 vowed "a more forceful and balanced policy mix" to "achieve a strong, sustainable and balanced growth pattern", taking each country's circumstances into account, while continuing efforts to put public debt on a sustainable path.

Abe has stressed the need for flexible fiscal policy to sustain economic recovery, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been skeptical about public spending to boost growth.

The G7 called global industrial overcapacity, especially in steel, a "pressing structural challenge with global implications".

NORTH KOREA, 'BREXIT' WORRIES

The G7 demanded that North Korea fully comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and halt nuclear tests, missile launches and other "provocative actions".

The group condemned Russia's "illegal annexation" of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine. The declaration threatened "further restrictive measures" to raise the costs on Moscow but said sanctions could be rolled back if Russia implemented previous agreements and respected Ukraine's sovereignty.

The G7 also expressed concern over the East and South China Seas, where China has been taking more assertive action amid territorial disputes with Japan and several Southeast Asian nations.

Without mentioning Beijing, the G7 reiterated its commitment to the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes and to respecting the freedom of navigation and overflight. The group called for countries to refrain from "unilateral actions which could increase tensions" and "to settle disputes by peaceful means".

China was not pleased with the G7 stance.

"This G7 summit organised by Japan's hyping up of the South China Sea issue and exaggeration of tensions is not beneficial to stability in the South China Sea and does accord with the G7's position as a platform for managing the economies of developed nations," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in Beijing. "China is extremely dissatisfied with what Japan and the G7 have done."

The G7 also called large-scale immigration and migration a major challenge and vowed to increase global aid for the immediate and long-term needs of refugees and displaced people.

Referring to Britain's referendum next month on whether to leave the European Union, the G7 said an exit "would be a serious risk to global growth".

The leaders pledged to tackle a global glut in steel, though their statement did not single out China, which produces half of the world's steel and is blamed by many countries for flooding markets with cheap steel.

On climate change, the G7 said they aim to put into effect by the end of the year the Paris climate agreement, in which almost 200 nations agreed a sweeping plan to end global dependence on fossil fuels to limit rising temperatures.

The G7 comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Nagasaki marks 70th anniversary of atomic bombing

TOKYO -- Japan on Sunday marked the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki that claimed more than 74,000 lives almost instantly, in one of the final chapters of World War II.

Bells tolled and tens of thousands of people, including ageing survivors and the relatives of victims, observed a minute's silence at 11:02 a.m., the exact moment the blast devastated the port city on August 9, 1945.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid a wreath of flowers, with representatives from 75 countries, including US ambassador Caroline Kennedy, attending the ceremony.

"As the only country attacked with an atomic bomb in war, I am renewing our determination to lead the global effort of nuclear disarmament, to create a world without such weapons," Abe said in his speech.

Abe also said the country would continue to abide by its long-held non-nuclear principles: not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear weapons on Japanese territory.

He was criticised for failing to mention the three principles at a ceremony days earlier in Hiroshima, alarming atomic bomb survivors, particularly at a time when the nationalist leader is trying to push through legislation to expand the role of the military.

Nagasaki Mayor Tomihisa Taue appeared to implicitly criticize the bills in a speech at the ceremony.

"Worries and anxieties are now spreading among us that this pledge made 70 years ago and the principle for peace in the Japanese constitution may be now undermined," he said to loud applause.

Abe has faced criticism and opposition for his efforts to boost the role of his pacifist country's Self-Defense Forces, changes that open the door to putting troops into combat for the first time since the war.

A constitution imposed by US occupiers after the war prevented Japan's military from engaging in combat except in self defense.

'Fat Man'
In the now bustling port city of Nagasaki, about 74,000 people died in the initial blast near a major arms factory from a plutonium bomb dubbed "Fat Man," or from after-effects in the months and years following the bombing.

The attack on Nagasaki came three days after American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped a bomb, dubbed "Little Boy," on Hiroshima, the first atomic bombing in history.

Nearly everything around it was incinerated by a wall of heat up to 4,000 degrees Celsius -- hot enough to melt steel.

About 140,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the Hiroshima attack, including those who survived the bombing itself but later died from radiation sickness.

Gums bled, teeth fell out, hair came off in clumps; there were cancers, premature births, malformed babies and sudden deaths.

The twin bombings dealt the final blows to imperial Japan, which surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to World War II.

While some historians say that they prevented many more casualties in a planned land invasion, critics counter that the attacks were not necessary to end the war, arguing that Japan was already heading for imminent defeat.

At memorial ceremonies in Hiroshima on Thursday, Abe said Japan would submit a fresh resolution to abolish nuclear weapons at the UN General Assembly this year.

"We have been tasked with conveying the inhumanity of nuclear weapons, across generations and borders," he told the crowd.

This year's memorials come days ahead of the scheduled restart of a nuclear reactor in southern Japan -- the first one to go back on line after a two-year hiatus following the tsunami-sparked disaster at Fukushima in 2011.

While Abe has pushed to switch reactors back on, public opposition remains high after the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Islamic State says it has beheaded second Japanese hostage

BEIRUT/TOKYO - Islamic State militants said on Saturday they had beheaded a second Japanese hostage, journalist Kenji Goto, after the failure of international efforts to secure his release through a prisoner swap.

The hardline Islamist group, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, released a video which seemed to show the beheaded body of Goto and threatened further attacks on Japanese targets. Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said the video appeared to be genuine.

Islamic State had said Goto, 47, was held along with a Jordanian pilot. Efforts to win their release had focused on the possible release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber jailed in Jordan 10 years ago. The video did not mention the pilot.

Japan condemned the actions of the militants and said Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's cabinet would meet in response to the video, which showed a hooded man standing over Goto with a knife to his throat, followed by footage of a head put on the back of a human body.

The video was released exactly a week after footage appearing to show the beheaded body of another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.

"I feel strong indignation at this inhumane and contemptible act of terrorism," a grim-faced Abe said in brief remarks to reporters in Japan. "I will never forgive these terrorists."

"Japan will work with the international community to bring those responsible for this crime to justice," Abe added, reiterating that Japan would not give in to terrorism.

President Barack Obama said the United States condemned the "heinous murder" and would continue to work with allies to destroy the hardline Islamist group.

Britain also condemned the killing.

Islamic State's threats to kill the group's Japanese hostages were issued after Abe announced earlier this month $200 million in non-military aid for countries contending with Islamic State.

Addressing Abe, the militant in the video said: "Because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin."

NO WORD ON PILOT

The militant had the same British accent as the man featured in previous Islamic State videos showing beheadings. Goto wore an orange jumpsuit like Islamic State captives in past footage.

The landscape in the video showed a hill and land covered in scrub, and appeared different to the desert setting of previous videos.

Abe's government had put high priority on seeking the release of Goto, a veteran war correspondent captured by the militants in late October when he went to Syria seeking Yukawa's release. Yukawa, 42, was seized by militants in August after going to Syria to launch a security company.

Goto's mother Junko Ishido, who earlier had appealed for his safe release, said, "I am too upset to find the words to express myself. My son's last act was to go to Syria to help a fellow Japanese (Yukawa). So I want people to understand my son's kindness and courage."

Goto's older brother, Junichi Goto, said, "I had hoped to give thanks for his return alive. But, as his brother, this outcome is very regrettable."

Islamic State, an offshoot of al Qaeda, has beheaded a number of Western journalists and aid workers, saying they were paying the price for their governments' fight against the group.

It has also killed many local people, through beheadings, stonings and shootings, accusing them of violating their hardline interpretation of Islamic law.

There was no mention in the one-minute video of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh who was seized by Islamic State after his jet crashed in northeast Syria in December during a bombing mission against the militants.

An audio message that appeared to be from Goto earlier this week said Kasaesbeh would be killed if Jordan did not free Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi, in jail for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people in the Jordanian capital Amman.

WAR CORRESPONDENT

Goto began working as a full-time war correspondent in 1996 and had established a reputation as a careful and reliable operator for Japanese broadcasters, including NHK.

In October, Goto's wife had a baby, the couple's second child. He had an older daughter from a previous marriage, people who know the family said.

Yukawa was captured in August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. Friends say Goto travelled from Tokyo to Istanbul and from there to Syria, sending a message on Oct. 25 that he had crossed the border and was safe.

"Whatever happens, this is my responsibility," Goto said on a video recorded shortly before he set out for Raqqa. That was the last time he was seen before an Islamic State video released on Jan. 20 appearing to show both Japanese men and threatening to kill them unless the group received $200 million in ransom.

(Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka and Yuya Shino; Writing by Dominic Evans and Will Dunham; Editing by Alison Williams and Frances Kerry)

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Abe, Obama to hold summit in Tokyo

TOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Barack Obama plan to hold a meeting April 24 in Tokyo where they are expected to reaffirm the robust Japan-U.S. alliance, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday.

Japan will invite Obama on April 24 and 25 as a state guest, though the exact date of his arrival is not immediately known, Suga said at a news conference, indicating Obama may arrive in Japan on April 23.

Obama will be the first U.S. president to visit Japan as a state guest since Bill Clinton in April 1996. The trip is part of a four-nation Asian tour by Obama that will also take him to South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines.

The two governments, however, are not considering issuing a joint statement or declaration after the summit, due partly to insufficient progress in bilateral consultations toward advancing the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations, according to sources familiar with bilateral relations.

Instead, the two governments are planning to release a "fact sheet" outlining areas of bilateral cooperation such as cybersecurity and space cooperation, the sources said.

Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe and Obama "will stress the role of the Japan-U.S. alliance as a contributor to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region."

Kishida said the two leaders "will affirm the strong Japan-U.S. alliance," and that he hopes they will announce further areas of specific cooperation.

Japan expects Abe and Obama to discuss various areas of bilateral cooperation including ways to promote TPP negotiations, Suga said, referring to trade liberalization talks involving 12 Pacific Rim economies including Japan and the United States.

During the visit, Obama will have an audience with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and attend a dinner party at the Imperial Palace, according to Suga and Kishida.

The U.S. president plans to arrive in Tokyo by the early morning of April 24 at the latest, they said, adding the U.S. government is finalizing his itinerary.

Observers said Tokyo appears poised to reaffirm the solid alliance with Washington through Obama's trip, especially after Abe's visit to the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in December and controversial remarks related to Japan's wartime history by the head of Japan's public broadcaster NHK and others drew concern among U.S. policymakers.

The Yasukuni visit, which angered China and South Korea as they regard it as a symbol of Japanese militarism, perplexed the United States.

In the planned summit, Abe and Obama are expected to affirm cooperation in bolstering trilateral cooperation with South Korea in dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, as well as reducing burden on Okinawa Prefecture, which hosts the bulk of U.S. military bases in Japan.

The leaders are also likely to discuss how to cope with China's increased territorial claims in the East and South China seas, and Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Obama is expected to back the Abe government's efforts to resolve North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s.

Abe has explained that his visit to Yasukuni, a Tokyo Shinto shrine honoring more than 2.4 million the war dead along with 14 Class-A war criminals, was meant to be a way of pledging that Japan "must never wage a war again" based on "severe remorse for the past."

Citing Abe's visit to the shrine, China and South Korea accuse Japan of failing to atone fully for aggression before and during World War II.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com