[TODAY'S TOP STORIES] from [The Japan Times]
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Cabinet approval rating up 6 points as Ozawa slides
（内閣支持率６％上昇、小沢批判による）
(Kyodo News) The approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso rose 5.9 percentage points from late March to 29.6 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday.
The disapproval rating came to 56.2 percent, down 7.3 points from the March survey, according to the nationwide telephone survey conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
The latest poll also showed that 65.5 percent of the 1,014 randomly selected respondents want Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa to step down over the indictment of his top secretary in connection with alleged illegal funds from general contractor Nishimatsu Construction Co., compared with 66.6 percent in the previous survey.
The results suggest approval of the Aso Cabinet rose thanks to persistent criticism of Ozawa, even as the disapproval rate for the administration remains high.
Asked who they would rather have as prime minister, 39.8 percent said Aso, up 6.7 points from the March poll and 13.7 points higher than the percentage preferring Ozawa.
Asked about the proportional representation system in the next election for the House of Representatives, 30.8 percent of the respondents said they will vote for Aso's Liberal Democratic Party, while 37.9 percent said they favor the DPJ, which maintained its lead over the LDP in the category.
A Lower House poll must be held by the fall.
The LDP and DPJ, however, are still neck and neck in the latest survey, with 29.4 percent of the respondents supporting the LDP and 29.7 percent backing the DPJ.
The LDP grabbed the top position in the previous poll in late March after being overtaken by the DPJ in a survey in early March, but the positions were reversed again in the latest poll.
The nationwide poll also suggests that a majority do not have faith in a 14.7 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009 to finance fresh government stimulus measures, with 55.0 percent saying little will come of it, against 38.6 percent who gave high marks to the budget.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Aso-Wen talks flu-, Yasukuni-focused
（日中首脳、新型インフルエンザ対策で協力、靖国にも言及）
BEIJING (Kyodo) Tokyo hopes to cooperate with Beijing to prevent the swine flu epidemic from spreading further and also wants to help the world overcome the economic crisis, Prime Minister Taro Aso told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, according to China's state-run media.
"Japan wants to work together with China to prevent the swine flu epidemic from spreading further," China Central Television reported.
The recent deadly swine-avian-human flu virus has emerged as a topic for the countries' leaders, after more than 150 people have died in Mexico from the malady, which has spread to other areas, reportedly killing an infant in Texas as well.
The World Health Organization raised its alert level Monday to Phase 4, which means human-to-human transmission of the virus can cause community-level outbreaks.
Aso also said Japan and China should "strengthen coordination" to contribute to a global economic recovery, according to the CCTV report.
Wen, for his part, reminded Japan about the sensitivity of issues related to history at their talks in Beijing. Last week Aso drew China's ire by sending an offering to Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine.
Thorny bilateral issues, including Aso's offering to Yasukuni Shrine, raised tensions between the two countries somewhat before his arrival in Beijing.
The shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, as well as Class-A war criminals, is seen by Tokyo's neighbors as a symbol of Japan's militarist past. It has been a source of discord in relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
Wen told Aso that the history issue is "very sensitive" and expressed hope that Japan will "adhere to agreements and appropriately deal" with the matter, according to CCTV.
Aso replied that Japan's position has not changed from the view expressed in a landmark 1995 statement by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who apologized and expressed remorse for Japan's wartime conquest, atrocities and colonial occupation.
"Bilateral relations have improved and developed through both sides' joint efforts," Wen said.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Inspectors board, clear Mexico jet
（機内検疫、メキシコ機に実施）
Japanese residents coming home; all on direct flight avoid quarantine, despite slight hiccup
(Kyodo News) Japanese quarantine inspectors Wednesday boarded the first direct flight from Mexico since the alert for a global influenza pandemic was raised to an unprecedented level.
Narita airport quarantine officials said no passengers or crew members apparently contracted swine flu.
Seven inspectors wearing protective clothing and masks walked through the arrival gate and onto an Aeromexico flight that arrived at 6:30 a.m. with 185 passengers and 13 crew members aboard.
A Japanese man who complained of throat pain was briefly isolated until a simple test administered on the scene returned a negative result.
Passengers said about 20 people seated near the man protested when an inspector informed them they would likely have to remain on board for six hours if the result was positive. Eventually, all the passengers and crew deplaned the Boeing 777 about an hour after arrival.
Among the passengers were Japanese families living in Mexico, as well as a Japanese professional boxer who regularly fights in the country. A 38-year-old housewife whose husband is still in Mexico said she flew back to Japan with her two daughters.
"Our children's Japanese school was closed. As the alert level was raised, we decided to return to Japan," she said.
Another passenger, Keiko Yanagisawa, 35, a diving instructor in Mexico, said she was surprised at the strict inspection upon arrival.
"I heard that we would be checked after arrival, but I didn't think the inspection could be this strict," she said.
The boxer, Tomoki Kameda, estimated that about one in 10 people were wearing masks in Mexico City shortly before he cut short his training and fight schedule to leave the country.
"I was wearing a mask myself because I was worried (about the flu). My family got worried, too, so I returned to Japan ahead of schedule," said the 17-year-old Kameda, the youngest of the popular Kameda boxing brothers.
Officers from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry began in-flight quarantine inspections Tuesday at Narita and Kansai airports after the World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4 Monday, amid reports that the swine-avian-human flu epidemic was spreading on a global scale.
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmissions of the virus and can cause community-level outbreaks. It is two levels shy of the highest, Phase 6, which is issued for a full-blown global pandemic.
Cuba and Argentina have reportedly suspended direct flights from Mexico because of the flu outbreak.
Meanwhile, health minister Yoichi Masuzoe renewed the call for calm in response to threat of the disease.
"I advise you to wash your hands and gargle when you get home, and you should go to hospitals or clinics or consult with public health centers if you have the smallest of worries about the flu," Masuzoe said in a speech at a trade union rally in Tokyo. "You're required to behave calmly."
Away from the airports, many enjoyed the first day of the Golden Week holiday.
At Tokyo Disneyland, a 60-year-old man accompanied by his grandchildren said he is not worried as nobody in Japan has been confirmed or suspected of having the flu.
Movie theaters in Tokyo were also packed.
"I feel like the pandemic is happening somewhere far away from Tokyo," said a 37-year-old female office worker who came to a movie theater in Hibiya.
In Mexico, where the influenza originated, 2,498 people have been confirmed infected or are suspected of being so. At least 159 of them have died. Outbreaks of the new flu in humans have also been confirmed in the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, Spain and Israel, while suspected cases have been reported in more than 10 countries, including in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
N.Z. fears tourist fall
WELLINGTON (Kyodo) New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, during talks Wednesday with visiting Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, voiced concern over a possible drop in Japanese tourists to the country due to the outbreak of swine flu, Japanese officials said.
Key, who also doubles as tourism minister, said the New Zealand government has taken steps to prevent swine flu from spreading at an early stage and called for efforts by Tokyo to avoid a decline in Japanese travelers to the country, the officials said.
More than 10 people in New Zealand have been confirmed as being infected with the new flu that broke out in Mexico.
Nakasone also met with New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully and agreed to cooperate on information exchanges regarding antiflu measures, the officials said.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Cabinet approval rating up 6 points as Ozawa slides
（内閣支持率６％上昇、小沢批判による）
(Kyodo News) The approval rating for the Cabinet of Prime Minister Taro Aso rose 5.9 percentage points from late March to 29.6 percent, a Kyodo News survey showed Wednesday.
The disapproval rating came to 56.2 percent, down 7.3 points from the March survey, according to the nationwide telephone survey conducted Tuesday and Wednesday.
The latest poll also showed that 65.5 percent of the 1,014 randomly selected respondents want Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa to step down over the indictment of his top secretary in connection with alleged illegal funds from general contractor Nishimatsu Construction Co., compared with 66.6 percent in the previous survey.
The results suggest approval of the Aso Cabinet rose thanks to persistent criticism of Ozawa, even as the disapproval rate for the administration remains high.
Asked who they would rather have as prime minister, 39.8 percent said Aso, up 6.7 points from the March poll and 13.7 points higher than the percentage preferring Ozawa.
Asked about the proportional representation system in the next election for the House of Representatives, 30.8 percent of the respondents said they will vote for Aso's Liberal Democratic Party, while 37.9 percent said they favor the DPJ, which maintained its lead over the LDP in the category.
A Lower House poll must be held by the fall.
The LDP and DPJ, however, are still neck and neck in the latest survey, with 29.4 percent of the respondents supporting the LDP and 29.7 percent backing the DPJ.
The LDP grabbed the top position in the previous poll in late March after being overtaken by the DPJ in a survey in early March, but the positions were reversed again in the latest poll.
The nationwide poll also suggests that a majority do not have faith in a 14.7 trillion extra budget for fiscal 2009 to finance fresh government stimulus measures, with 55.0 percent saying little will come of it, against 38.6 percent who gave high marks to the budget.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Aso-Wen talks flu-, Yasukuni-focused
（日中首脳、新型インフルエンザ対策で協力、靖国にも言及）
BEIJING (Kyodo) Tokyo hopes to cooperate with Beijing to prevent the swine flu epidemic from spreading further and also wants to help the world overcome the economic crisis, Prime Minister Taro Aso told Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on Wednesday, according to China's state-run media.
"Japan wants to work together with China to prevent the swine flu epidemic from spreading further," China Central Television reported.
The recent deadly swine-avian-human flu virus has emerged as a topic for the countries' leaders, after more than 150 people have died in Mexico from the malady, which has spread to other areas, reportedly killing an infant in Texas as well.
The World Health Organization raised its alert level Monday to Phase 4, which means human-to-human transmission of the virus can cause community-level outbreaks.
Aso also said Japan and China should "strengthen coordination" to contribute to a global economic recovery, according to the CCTV report.
Wen, for his part, reminded Japan about the sensitivity of issues related to history at their talks in Beijing. Last week Aso drew China's ire by sending an offering to Tokyo's war-related Yasukuni Shrine.
Thorny bilateral issues, including Aso's offering to Yasukuni Shrine, raised tensions between the two countries somewhat before his arrival in Beijing.
The shrine, which honors Japan's war dead, as well as Class-A war criminals, is seen by Tokyo's neighbors as a symbol of Japan's militarist past. It has been a source of discord in relations between Tokyo and Beijing.
Wen told Aso that the history issue is "very sensitive" and expressed hope that Japan will "adhere to agreements and appropriately deal" with the matter, according to CCTV.
Aso replied that Japan's position has not changed from the view expressed in a landmark 1995 statement by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama, who apologized and expressed remorse for Japan's wartime conquest, atrocities and colonial occupation.
"Bilateral relations have improved and developed through both sides' joint efforts," Wen said.
[NATIONAL NEWS]
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Inspectors board, clear Mexico jet
（機内検疫、メキシコ機に実施）
Japanese residents coming home; all on direct flight avoid quarantine, despite slight hiccup
(Kyodo News) Japanese quarantine inspectors Wednesday boarded the first direct flight from Mexico since the alert for a global influenza pandemic was raised to an unprecedented level.
Narita airport quarantine officials said no passengers or crew members apparently contracted swine flu.
Seven inspectors wearing protective clothing and masks walked through the arrival gate and onto an Aeromexico flight that arrived at 6:30 a.m. with 185 passengers and 13 crew members aboard.
A Japanese man who complained of throat pain was briefly isolated until a simple test administered on the scene returned a negative result.
Passengers said about 20 people seated near the man protested when an inspector informed them they would likely have to remain on board for six hours if the result was positive. Eventually, all the passengers and crew deplaned the Boeing 777 about an hour after arrival.
Among the passengers were Japanese families living in Mexico, as well as a Japanese professional boxer who regularly fights in the country. A 38-year-old housewife whose husband is still in Mexico said she flew back to Japan with her two daughters.
"Our children's Japanese school was closed. As the alert level was raised, we decided to return to Japan," she said.
Another passenger, Keiko Yanagisawa, 35, a diving instructor in Mexico, said she was surprised at the strict inspection upon arrival.
"I heard that we would be checked after arrival, but I didn't think the inspection could be this strict," she said.
The boxer, Tomoki Kameda, estimated that about one in 10 people were wearing masks in Mexico City shortly before he cut short his training and fight schedule to leave the country.
"I was wearing a mask myself because I was worried (about the flu). My family got worried, too, so I returned to Japan ahead of schedule," said the 17-year-old Kameda, the youngest of the popular Kameda boxing brothers.
Officers from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry began in-flight quarantine inspections Tuesday at Narita and Kansai airports after the World Health Organization raised the alert level to Phase 4 Monday, amid reports that the swine-avian-human flu epidemic was spreading on a global scale.
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmissions of the virus and can cause community-level outbreaks. It is two levels shy of the highest, Phase 6, which is issued for a full-blown global pandemic.
Cuba and Argentina have reportedly suspended direct flights from Mexico because of the flu outbreak.
Meanwhile, health minister Yoichi Masuzoe renewed the call for calm in response to threat of the disease.
"I advise you to wash your hands and gargle when you get home, and you should go to hospitals or clinics or consult with public health centers if you have the smallest of worries about the flu," Masuzoe said in a speech at a trade union rally in Tokyo. "You're required to behave calmly."
Away from the airports, many enjoyed the first day of the Golden Week holiday.
At Tokyo Disneyland, a 60-year-old man accompanied by his grandchildren said he is not worried as nobody in Japan has been confirmed or suspected of having the flu.
Movie theaters in Tokyo were also packed.
"I feel like the pandemic is happening somewhere far away from Tokyo," said a 37-year-old female office worker who came to a movie theater in Hibiya.
In Mexico, where the influenza originated, 2,498 people have been confirmed infected or are suspected of being so. At least 159 of them have died. Outbreaks of the new flu in humans have also been confirmed in the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Britain, Spain and Israel, while suspected cases have been reported in more than 10 countries, including in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
N.Z. fears tourist fall
WELLINGTON (Kyodo) New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, during talks Wednesday with visiting Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, voiced concern over a possible drop in Japanese tourists to the country due to the outbreak of swine flu, Japanese officials said.
Key, who also doubles as tourism minister, said the New Zealand government has taken steps to prevent swine flu from spreading at an early stage and called for efforts by Tokyo to avoid a decline in Japanese travelers to the country, the officials said.
More than 10 people in New Zealand have been confirmed as being infected with the new flu that broke out in Mexico.
Nakasone also met with New Zealand counterpart Murray McCully and agreed to cooperate on information exchanges regarding antiflu measures, the officials said.
※コメント投稿者のブログIDはブログ作成者のみに通知されます