Society

Abe, Putin meet in Argentina

Dec 02 (NHK) - The leaders of Japan and Russia are holding talks in Argentina. They are expected to discuss a mechanism to speed up negotiations on a peace treaty.

Shinzo Abe and Vladimir Putin are meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Abe is hoping to reach an agreement on the mechanism.

Last month, Abe and Putin agreed to accelerate the negotiations, based on the 1956 joint declaration.

It says Moscow will hand over to Japan 2 of 4 Russian-held islands after the conclusion of a peace treaty. A treaty was never signed after World War Two.

The stumbling block has been a territorial dispute over the 4 Russian-controlled islands. Japan claims them.

Its government maintains they are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says they were illegally occupied after the war.

Russian officials have suggested Moscow may not automatically hand over the islands.

Its government has said long and complex discussions need to take place on the islands' sovereignty. Moscow has also said it wants to make sure American troops will not be deployed on them.

Ishiba Shigeru elected LDP leader

Ishiba Shigeru has been elected leader of Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The former LDP Secretary-General is now virtually assured of becoming the next prime minister. (NHK)

Hakamada Case Ends With Acquittal After 58 Years

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

Japan launches information-gathering satellite on H2A rocket

A Japanese government information-gathering satellite has successfully been put into a planned orbit around Earth. (NHK)

New Red Lights for Japan's Police Cars

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

Over 300 New Geoglyphs Discovered by Yamagata University in Nazca

Yamagata University, which has been conducting research on the Nazca geoglyphs in Peru, announced the discovery of over 300 new geoglyphs, depicting a variety of subjects, including humans and animals.

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