Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has held talks with the president of the Science Council of Japan, Kajita Takaaki. The chief of the leading academic body handed Suga a written request asking for an explanation of his refusal to appoint six nominees as new members and calling for their appointment.
Suga and Kajita held talks for about 15 minutes at the prime minister's office on Friday afternoon. They exchanged opinions on the role of the council going forward.
Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has vowed to relatives of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea that he will spearhead efforts to bring their loved ones home.
Suga met with the families of abductees at the prime minister's office on Tuesday, for the first time since he assumed the post earlier this month.
The Japanese Northern Territories Affairs Minister has met with former residents of the Russian-controlled islands. The Japanese government says the islands are an inherent part of its territory and were illegally occupied after World War Two.
In his first visit to Hokkaido after taking a new Cabinet post, former foreign minister Kono Taro had a discussion with the former residents at the Nakashibetsu town hall on Sunday.
Japan's Prime Minister has met with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince to discuss ways to ease political tension in the Middle East.
The talks between Shinzo Abe and Mohammed bin Salman were held on Sunday in Al-Ula, a city in Saudi Arabia's northwest. Earlier, Abe met with King Salman bin Abdulaziz in the capital Riyadh.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz that Japan will make every diplomatic effort it can to stabilize the situation in the Middle East.
Abe also explained that Japan's dispatch of Self-Defense Force aircraft and a destroyer to the region is designed to gather information to ensure the safety of ships with ties to Japan.