Japan

TOKYO, June 2 (Reuters) - The United States is seeking to secure supplies of TNT in Japan for 155mm artillery shells, as Washington rushes weapons and ammunition to Ukraine for a counteroffensive against Russian forces, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

For war-renouncing Japan, any procurement would test its willingness to court controversy to help Kyiv because export rules ban Japanese companies from selling lethal items overseas, such as the howitzer shells that Ukraine fires daily at Russian units occupying its southeastern regions.

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s National Police Agency said in a report Thursday that flaws in basic security such as an absence of metal detectors and bag checks allowed an attacker to enter a campaign crowd unnoticed and throw a pipe bomb at Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April.

The bomb fell near Kishida and he was pushed away by special police before it exploded and he was unhurt.

TOKYO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed the importance of communication during a stopover Thursday in Tokyo, calling it unfortunate that his Chinese counterpart is refusing to meet him at an upcoming annual security conference in Singapore, which both men are attending.

TOKYO (AP) — Asian benchmarks were mostly higher Thursday after the United States House of Representatives approved a debt ceiling and budget cuts package, avoiding a default crisis.

But the enthusiasm was muted by worries about the Chinese economy after disappointing recent data on a recovery in the world’s second largest economy, and a key driver of regional growth.

TOKYO, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese parliament on Wednesday enacted legislation to allow nuclear reactors in the country to be operated beyond the current limit of 60 years in a push to cut carbon emissions and ensure stable electricity supplies.

The newly approved bill allows nuclear plants to operate for longer than 60 years if approved by the industry minister and is subject to regular inspections by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

TOKYO/SEOUL, May 29 (Reuters) - Japan put its ballistic missile defences on alert on Monday and vowed to shoot down any projectile that threatens its territory, after North Korea notified it of a planned satellite launch between May 31 and June 11.

The nuclear-armed North says it has completed its first military spy satellite and leader Kim Jong Un has approved final preparations for the launch.

It would be the North's latest step in a series of missile launches and weapons tests in recent months, including one of a new, solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile.

TOKYO, May 24 (Xinhua) -- A Japanese court on Wednesday rejected a call by local residents to halt the restart of a nuclear reactor in the northeast prefecture of Miyagi on grounds they believed emergency evacuation plans were flawed.

The Sendai District Court ruled that the plaintiffs' claims to halt the planned restart of the Onagawa nuclear plant's No.2 reactor in February 2024 were not relevant as a serious accident is unlikely.

HIROSHIMA /Japan/, May 21. /TASS/: US President Joe Biden said that the country will allocate $375 million as part of the new military aid package to Ukraine, the White House reported on Sunday.

The document published on the White House’s website informs about "today’s announcement of an additional $375 million in ammunition and equipment" to Kiev, which, among other things, will go for training of the Ukrainian servicemen.

HIROSHIMA /Japan/ May 21. /TASS/: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the participation of his country in a possible delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine is not on the agenda.

"First of all, everyone knows that we don’t even have such planes," Scholz said in an interview with RTL and Ntv television channels speaking on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Japan.

HIROSHIMA, Japan, May 21 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that it was time to reform both the Security Council and Bretton Woods to align with the "realities of today's world".

Speaking at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan, where the Group of Seven summit meeting had been held, Guterres said both institutions reflected the power relations of 1945 and needed to be updated.