[Biography of the Day] from [Britannica]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Ian Fleming
British suspense-fiction novelist Ian Fleming, born this day in 1908, created one of the most successful and widely imitated heroes of popular fiction: James Bond, the stylish, high-living British secret service agent 007.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
1961: Amnesty International founded
Dedicated to informing public opinion about human rights and to securing the release of political prisoners, Amnesty International was founded in London on this day in 1961 and won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
N. Korea threatens retaliation if ships inspected
BEIJING (Kyodo) North Korea on Wednesday called South Korea's decision on Tuesday to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative "a declaration of war" against it and warned it will respond militarily to any attempt to inspect its ships.
In a statement issued through the official Korean Central News Agency, the Panmunjeom Mission of the Korean People's Army also said it will no longer be bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's " 'full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The PSI, launched in 2003 by then U.S. President George W. Bush, is an international effort to interdict the transfer of banned weapons and weapons technology.
South Korea has had observer status in the PSI, but the previous government had refrained from full membership so as not to anger the North. It announced its participation after North Korea carried out its second nuclear test on Monday.
North Korea argued it is no longer bound to the armistice, saying that South Korea's participation in the PSI violates international law and denies the armistice.
Once the armistice loses its binding force, the Korean Peninsula "is bound to immediately return to a state of war from a legal point of view and so our revolutionary armed forces will" resort to corresponding military actions, the statement said.
The statement did not elaborate on what the military actions might be.
Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
U.S. can prevent arms race
Practice of 'extended deterrence' must continue, think tank warns
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States should continue to provide nuclear deterrence for its allies because failing to do so would lead some of them to build their own nuclear arsenals, according to a U.S. think tank.
"U.S. allies, including members of the NATO alliance, Australia, Japan and South Korea, depend on security assurances from the United States," the Council on Foreign Relations said in a report released Tuesday.
"A component of these assurances is protection against nuclear attack," it said. "Without the nuclear aspect of these assurances, some U.S. allies may decide in the future to acquire nuclear weapons."
The 125-page report, titled "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy," was compiled by an expert panel chaired by former Defense Secretary William Perry and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
The report's release coincides with the U.S. Defense Department's comprehensive review of nuclear policy following President Barack Obama's recent call for a nuclear-free world.
The report calls on the Obama administration to "reaffirm U.S. commitment to security assurances, including extended nuclear deterrence, to allies."
"Extended deterrence" refers to the idea that the U.S. would retaliate if its allies are attacked.
The report points to Japan's ambivalence toward nuclear weapons. While a strong advocate of nuclear disarmament, Japan relies on U.S. nuclear arms for protection.
"Japanese leaders believe that the long-term sustainability of the nonproliferation regime depends on the nuclear weapon states following through on their commitments to pursue disarmament," it says.
"Nevertheless, some Japanese officials have expressed concern about whether U.S. nuclear posture provides an effective umbrella for Japan, especially in regard to China.
The report recommends that Washington consult with its allies on their views "about the credibility of the nuclear role in security assurances" to assess whether to make any changes to nuclear and conventional capabilities.
Also, the report says it is necessary for the U.S. to keep its relatively small nuclear stockpile in Europe as long as it supports NATO's political goals in reassuring allies and acts as a disincentive for NATO allies to build their own nuclear forces.
North resolution OK'd
The House of Councilors unanimously approved a resolution at a plenary session Wednesday condemning North Korea's nuclear test.
The move followed the adoption of a similar resolution by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Upper House resolution states that "repeated nuclear tests (by North Korea) are a grave challenge to the international nonproliferation regime (and) buck the increasing momentum toward the eradication of nuclea
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hatoyama, Aso mix it up in Diet debate
By MASAMI ITO
Staff writer
Prompting cheers and jeers Wednesday in their first faceoff in the Diet, Prime Minister Taro Aso and newly elected Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama wrangled over who was best suited to lead the nation.
The two grandsons of former prime ministers are the likely candidates to lead Japan following the Lower House election, which must be held by fall.
Hatoyama stressed the need for vision in a leader.
"I have said I want to create a society of fraternity," Hatoyama said. "I used the word love. . . . The society I want to create is where people can find happiness through bonding and embrace a sense of belonging, to feel useful."
Aso brushed off Hatoyama's idea as unrealistic.
"It is a fact that we are facing a once-in-a-century recession," Aso said. "We have an endless list of real (problems) and as the party in power, what is most important for us is how we are going to deal with these problems."
Hatoyama said his party is committed to banning corporate donations and will compile a bill during the current Diet session to revise the law. Currently, companies are prohibited from making contributions to individual lawmakers but can donate to political parties and their branches.
The LDP, which largely relies on corporate donations, has expressed reluctance to adopt the proposal.
"We have come to this conclusion after searching our consciences," Hatoyama said. "Why doesn't the ruling bloc cooperate with us to tackle the problems of politics and money for the sake of the public?"
Aso parried that the DPJ is trying to shift the focus from the alleged failure of its own former president and his secretary to follow financing rules.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
MOX fuel arrives at Shikoku Electric Power plant in Ehime
MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Recycled nuclear fuel shipped from France arrived Wednesday at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture in line with a plan to make it Japan's second nuclear plant to use such fuel for power generation next year.
Shikoku Electric plans to start fueling the No. 3 reactor at the plant with the plutonium-uranium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel in January to begin so-called pluthermal, or plutonium-thermal, power generation in February.
MOX fuel was taken Saturday to Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear plant in Saga Prefecture, which is to be the first in Japan to use it in November, and on May 18 to Chubu Electric Power Co.'s Hamaoka plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, slated to follow suit next summer or later.
The fuel was manufactured in France for the three utility firms, which also placed an order for it with Britain.
It is the third time Japan has transported MOX fuel from Europe, following shipments in 1999 and 2001 for Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Kansai Electric Power Co. that were unused due partly to a data falsification scandal.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Ian Fleming
British suspense-fiction novelist Ian Fleming, born this day in 1908, created one of the most successful and widely imitated heroes of popular fiction: James Bond, the stylish, high-living British secret service agent 007.
[On This Day] from [Britannica]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
1961: Amnesty International founded
Dedicated to informing public opinion about human rights and to securing the release of political prisoners, Amnesty International was founded in London on this day in 1961 and won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize.
[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
N. Korea threatens retaliation if ships inspected
BEIJING (Kyodo) North Korea on Wednesday called South Korea's decision on Tuesday to join the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative "a declaration of war" against it and warned it will respond militarily to any attempt to inspect its ships.
In a statement issued through the official Korean Central News Agency, the Panmunjeom Mission of the Korean People's Army also said it will no longer be bound by the armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953.
North Korea's armed forces will regard South Korea's " 'full participation' in the PSI as a declaration of war against the DPRK," the statement said.
"They will regard any hostile actions against the DPRK, including checkup and inspection of its peaceful vessels, as an unpardonable encroachment on the DPRK's sovereignty and counter them with prompt and strong military strikes," the statement said.
DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
The PSI, launched in 2003 by then U.S. President George W. Bush, is an international effort to interdict the transfer of banned weapons and weapons technology.
South Korea has had observer status in the PSI, but the previous government had refrained from full membership so as not to anger the North. It announced its participation after North Korea carried out its second nuclear test on Monday.
North Korea argued it is no longer bound to the armistice, saying that South Korea's participation in the PSI violates international law and denies the armistice.
Once the armistice loses its binding force, the Korean Peninsula "is bound to immediately return to a state of war from a legal point of view and so our revolutionary armed forces will" resort to corresponding military actions, the statement said.
The statement did not elaborate on what the military actions might be.
Pyongyang said it could no longer guarantee the legal status of five islands under South Korean control or the safe sailing of U.S. and South Korean ships in the area.
"They should bear in mind that the DPRK has tremendous military muscle and its own method of strike" capable of conquering "any targets in its vicinity at one stroke" or hitting the United States, the statement said.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
U.S. can prevent arms race
Practice of 'extended deterrence' must continue, think tank warns
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) The United States should continue to provide nuclear deterrence for its allies because failing to do so would lead some of them to build their own nuclear arsenals, according to a U.S. think tank.
"U.S. allies, including members of the NATO alliance, Australia, Japan and South Korea, depend on security assurances from the United States," the Council on Foreign Relations said in a report released Tuesday.
"A component of these assurances is protection against nuclear attack," it said. "Without the nuclear aspect of these assurances, some U.S. allies may decide in the future to acquire nuclear weapons."
The 125-page report, titled "U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy," was compiled by an expert panel chaired by former Defense Secretary William Perry and former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
The report's release coincides with the U.S. Defense Department's comprehensive review of nuclear policy following President Barack Obama's recent call for a nuclear-free world.
The report calls on the Obama administration to "reaffirm U.S. commitment to security assurances, including extended nuclear deterrence, to allies."
"Extended deterrence" refers to the idea that the U.S. would retaliate if its allies are attacked.
The report points to Japan's ambivalence toward nuclear weapons. While a strong advocate of nuclear disarmament, Japan relies on U.S. nuclear arms for protection.
"Japanese leaders believe that the long-term sustainability of the nonproliferation regime depends on the nuclear weapon states following through on their commitments to pursue disarmament," it says.
"Nevertheless, some Japanese officials have expressed concern about whether U.S. nuclear posture provides an effective umbrella for Japan, especially in regard to China.
The report recommends that Washington consult with its allies on their views "about the credibility of the nuclear role in security assurances" to assess whether to make any changes to nuclear and conventional capabilities.
Also, the report says it is necessary for the U.S. to keep its relatively small nuclear stockpile in Europe as long as it supports NATO's political goals in reassuring allies and acts as a disincentive for NATO allies to build their own nuclear forces.
North resolution OK'd
The House of Councilors unanimously approved a resolution at a plenary session Wednesday condemning North Korea's nuclear test.
The move followed the adoption of a similar resolution by the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
The Upper House resolution states that "repeated nuclear tests (by North Korea) are a grave challenge to the international nonproliferation regime (and) buck the increasing momentum toward the eradication of nuclea
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Hatoyama, Aso mix it up in Diet debate
By MASAMI ITO
Staff writer
Prompting cheers and jeers Wednesday in their first faceoff in the Diet, Prime Minister Taro Aso and newly elected Democratic Party of Japan President Yukio Hatoyama wrangled over who was best suited to lead the nation.
The two grandsons of former prime ministers are the likely candidates to lead Japan following the Lower House election, which must be held by fall.
Hatoyama stressed the need for vision in a leader.
"I have said I want to create a society of fraternity," Hatoyama said. "I used the word love. . . . The society I want to create is where people can find happiness through bonding and embrace a sense of belonging, to feel useful."
Aso brushed off Hatoyama's idea as unrealistic.
"It is a fact that we are facing a once-in-a-century recession," Aso said. "We have an endless list of real (problems) and as the party in power, what is most important for us is how we are going to deal with these problems."
Hatoyama said his party is committed to banning corporate donations and will compile a bill during the current Diet session to revise the law. Currently, companies are prohibited from making contributions to individual lawmakers but can donate to political parties and their branches.
The LDP, which largely relies on corporate donations, has expressed reluctance to adopt the proposal.
"We have come to this conclusion after searching our consciences," Hatoyama said. "Why doesn't the ruling bloc cooperate with us to tackle the problems of politics and money for the sake of the public?"
Aso parried that the DPJ is trying to shift the focus from the alleged failure of its own former president and his secretary to follow financing rules.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, May 28, 2009
MOX fuel arrives at Shikoku Electric Power plant in Ehime
MATSUYAMA, Ehime Pref. (Kyodo) Recycled nuclear fuel shipped from France arrived Wednesday at Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata plant in Ehime Prefecture in line with a plan to make it Japan's second nuclear plant to use such fuel for power generation next year.
Shikoku Electric plans to start fueling the No. 3 reactor at the plant with the plutonium-uranium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel in January to begin so-called pluthermal, or plutonium-thermal, power generation in February.
MOX fuel was taken Saturday to Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai nuclear plant in Saga Prefecture, which is to be the first in Japan to use it in November, and on May 18 to Chubu Electric Power Co.'s Hamaoka plant in Shizuoka Prefecture, slated to follow suit next summer or later.
The fuel was manufactured in France for the three utility firms, which also placed an order for it with Britain.
It is the third time Japan has transported MOX fuel from Europe, following shipments in 1999 and 2001 for Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Kansai Electric Power Co. that were unused due partly to a data falsification scandal.
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