Prime Minister Kishida Urges Ministers To Swiftly Execute Economic Package

Prime Minister Kishida urges ministers to swiftly execute economic package

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has instructed his ministers to swiftly implement the economic measures in the supplementary budget of around 29 trillion yen, or over 210 billion dollars.

The government convened a task force on Tuesday to comprehensively help people's livelihoods following the Diet's passage of the second extra budget last week.

Prosecutors Search Ex-farm Minister's Offices

Prosecutors search ex-farm minister's offices

Tokyo prosecutors have searched the offices of former agriculture minister Yoshikawa Takamori over allegations that he received cash from a former corporate executive while in office.

The prosecutors on Friday searched locations including Yoshikawa's office in the Lower House office building and his local office in the city of Sapporo.

Japanese Ministers Urge Utmost Caution

Japanese ministers urge utmost caution

Japan's Cabinet ministers have urged people to take utmost caution against the coronavirus.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Kato Katsunobu said in a news conference on Friday that daily national infections hit a record high on the previous day. He added that the seven-day moving average of daily cases doubled in the last two weeks.

Japan, Vietnam Prime Ministers To Meet On Monday

Japan, Vietnam prime ministers to meet on Monday

The prime ministers of Japan and Vietnam will hold talks on Monday, when Suga Yoshihide meets with Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Vietnamese Prime Minister's office in Hanoi.

Suga arrived in Vietnam on Sunday at the start of his first overseas trip since taking office. He is also scheduled to give a speech on Japan's policy regarding the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Vietnam will chair an ASEAN summit next month.

Foreign Ministers From 4 Nations Meet In Tokyo

Foreign ministers from 4 nations meet in Tokyo

Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia and India have held a meeting in Tokyo to discuss ways to realize a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The four-party foreign ministerial meeting started on Tuesday evening. Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne and India's External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar were in attendance.

Suga Discusses Key Policies With Ministers

Suga discusses key policies with ministers

Japan's new Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide has discussed his key policies of regulatory reform and digitalization with related ministers. Suga wants to present his own ideas in such fields, while taking over some policies of the former government.

Suga's cabinet started working on Thursday. He said he was determined to work hard for the Japanese people and will try to live up to their expectations.

Japan, Us Defense Ministers Meet In Guam

Japan, US defense ministers meet in Guam

Japan's Defense Minister Kono Taro and US Defense Secretary Mark Esper have agreed to oppose China's unilateral attempts to change the status quo by coercion.

In a meeting in Guam on Saturday, Esper referred to Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's announcement of his resignation and called him a great leader who worked to strengthen bilateral ties in security and other areas.

Japan, Us Defense Ministers To Meet In Guam

Japan, US defense ministers to meet in Guam

Japan's Defense Minister Kono Taro says he will discuss regional issues and cooperation on national security with his US counterpart on Saturday.

Kono said in a news conference on Friday that he will hold talks with US Defense Secretary Mark Esper in Guam. The trip would be Kono's first overseas in about six months.

Four Cabinet Ministers Visit Yasukuni Shrine

Four Cabinet ministers visit Yasukuni Shrine

Four members of Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's Cabinet visited Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Saturday, the day Japan marks the end of World War Two.

The shrine honors Japan's war dead. Those remembered include leaders convicted of war crimes after the war.

Japan's Ministers Reserve Comment On Bolton's Book

Japan's ministers reserve comment on Bolton's book

Japanese Cabinet ministers are refraining from commenting on the contents of a book written by former US national security advisor John Bolton.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide referred to a passage where Bolton says he conveyed a request from President Donald Trump to have Japan pay 8 billion dollars annually to host US troops.

Outbreak To Stagger Ministers' Meeting Attendance

Outbreak to stagger ministers' meeting attendance

The Japanese government will avoid calling all Cabinet ministers to attend every anti-coronavirus task force meeting, in an effort to reduce the risk of possible infections among them.

So far in principle, Prime Minister Abe Shinzo and all Cabinet ministers, as well as senior government officials, have attended the task force meetings.