News On Japan

India, Japan must be included as permanent members in UN Security Council: Bhutan Foreign Minister

Sep 27, 2023 (devdiscourse.com) - Supporting India's bid for permanent membership at the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji has said that Bhutan continues to believe that in a reformed Council, India and Japan must be included as permanent members as well as members from the African Union.

While addressing the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, he said, "We believe that the UNSC must evolve to stay relevant and effective to address the multifaceted challenges of our times and in this regard, Bhutan supports the expansion of both the permanent and non-permanent categories of the Security Council."

Extending support for India during his UNGA address today, he further added by saying, "We continue to believe that in a reformed Council, India and Japan must be included as permanent members so as members from the African Union..." The Bhutanese Foreign Minister underscored that effective multilateralism must address the issues faced by less developed states.

"Effective multilateralism must address the concerns of less powerful nations of the world. The global governanece architecture has not delivered the equity and the inclusion that is required to ensure that the ideals of the common agenda are carried out . The increasing fragmentattion, polarisation, and growing inequity we witness in the world today only serves as an urgent cry for strengthening multilateralism to forge greater political resolve , solidarity and to practice compassion," he said. Moreover, he also stated that Bhutan has consistently maintained that the reform of the UNSC must progress hand in hand with the reform of the entire UN system.

"The reform must accomodate the interest and concerns of all member states particularly of those unrepresented and under-represented," the Bhutan Foreign Minister added. Addressing the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, earlier today, the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on the United Nations to make reforms to stay relevant in the modern world and said that the issue cannot remain "indefinite" and "unchallenged".

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Politics NEWS

The Japanese government has approved a bill to reduce the consumption tax on food from 8% to 1% for two years beginning in April 2027, while pledging to finance the measure without issuing deficit-covering government bonds, although it has yet to specify how it will cover the estimated 10 trillion yen cost.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force unveiled its latest submarine, the Shogei, at a launch ceremony in Kobe on October 8, featuring improved detection capabilities and quieter onboard systems following construction at a cost of approximately 80.5 billion yen.

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi defended her plan to cut the consumption tax on food and provide support payments to workers in the House of Representatives on October 7, seeking to keep household relief at the center of her autumn Diet agenda while markets continue to test the government’s fiscal credibility.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has delivered her second policy speech since taking office, placing economic growth and investment at the center of her agenda as her government enters a critical period dominated by plans to cut the consumption tax on food, controversy surrounding Agriculture Minister Yanagi, and a packed diplomatic schedule in November.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has strongly condemned the arrest of a U.S. Marine on suspicion of robbery and murder at a hotel in Naha, Okinawa, describing the crime as "extremely brutal and vicious," while Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi summoned U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass to lodge a formal protest and demand measures to prevent similar incidents.

Time magazine has named Shoko Kawata, the 36-year-old mayor of Yawata in Kyoto Prefecture, among its 100 most influential emerging figures worldwide, recognizing her decision to become Japan's first sitting mayor to take maternity leave and highlighting a political career that has taken her from municipal administration to national politics and the leadership of a city of nearly 70,000 people.

Japan has begun detailed discussions on a new system to make childbirth free of charge, with the government aiming to introduce nationwide coverage by June 2028 and the establishment of a uniform national price for deliveries emerging as the central issue.