Nakasone wants G8 to condemn North Korea
Japan aims to ensure that the chairman's statement at the upcoming Group of Eight foreign ministers' meeting condemns North Korea for its recent nuclear tests.
The G8 foreign ministers, including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, are scheduled to meet in Trieste, Italy for 3 days from Thursday next week.
Japanese Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone will call for further non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament efforts, especially for nuclear powers to reduce their warheads.
Nakasone hopes that a chairman's statement can be agreed that demands North Korea adhere to UN resolutions and refrain from provocative actions.
Since the chairman's statement will lay the ground for the G8 summit meeting next month, Nakasone seeks a strong condemnation to put pressure on North Korea.
On the issue of Iran's nuclear program, he will urge Iran to enter into dialogue with the United States.
Anti-piracy bill enacted
Japan's Diet has enacted an anti-piracy law and 2 other important bills.
With parliamentary debate on the crucial bills now almost over, the struggle between the ruling and opposition camps appears to be intensifying ahead of the dissolution of the Lower House and the general election that must be held by October.
On Friday morning, the opposition-controlled Upper House voted down the 3 bills. One of them authorizes the Self-Defense Forces to protect any commercial ship from pirates, regardless of a Japanese connection.
The 2 remaining bills cover the raising of the state's share of contributions to the national pension fund to 50 percent and a revision of the tax system, including a reduction in the gift tax.
The 3 bills were immediately sent back to the Lower House, where the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic and New Komeito parties passed them with a two-thirds majority.
The Constitution stipulates the superiority of the Lower House on legislative matters.
Other key bills related to the supplementary budget are also expected to be approved next week.
The current session of the Diet has already been extended to July 28th.
Iranian supreme leader's warning to protestors
Following Iran's supreme leader's warning to end demonstrations triggered by last week's presidential election, sources say the reformist group may stop their street protests.
In his first public speech after days of protests, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the election outcome had to be decided by the ballots cast, not on the street. Khamenei went on to say that the consequences of any further violence would be borne by those responsible.
The supreme leader made clear there would not be a re-run of the election, saying that the margin between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponents was too large to have been manipulated by the vote-rigging claimed by reformists.
President Ahmadinejad was with other prominent conservatives in the audience, but former prime minister Mir Hossein Moussavi and other reformists were absent.
The street protest did not take place on Friday, and some aides to Moussavi voiced concerns about a demonstration planned for Saturday.
US military tracking N.Korean ship
The US military has been tracking a North Korean ship in the South China Sea that it believes may be carrying weapons.
US media outlets have reported that the North Korean-flagged ship left a North Korean port on Wednesday and is traveling off the coast of China
toward Singapore.
They say the vessel may be carrying weapons, missile parts and nuclear-related material in violation of a UN Security Council resolution passed last week.
The ship is believed to be the Kang Nam, which allegedly had been involved in arms exports before.
In October 2006, shortly after North Korea's first nuclear test, the ship was searched by Hong Kong maritime authorities.
The US military reportedly believes that the Kang Nam is the most likely vessel to be carrying banned items among the North Korean ships being monitored.
Media reports say the US military will continue tracking the ship until it enters a port.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, stressed that the US military will enforce the latest UN resolution against North Korea.
He said the US military will request permission to search the ship for illegal material if it becomes necessary.
North Korea has yet to react to the media reports, but it has previously threatened to use force if its vessels are searched.
Mutation of new flu virus confirmed
Japanese researchers have found that a new flu virus detected in China has mutated into a strain that multiplies easily in the human body.
A group of researchers at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Medical Science analyzed genetic information about the new flu virus from around the world.
They confirmed that the virus detected from a 22-year-old woman in Shanghai late last month had a genetic mutation.
They say the change occurred in the gene called PB2, which activates when a virus multiplies, making it possible for the flu virus to proliferate more efficiently in a human body.
Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka says that if the mutated virus spreads, it could lead to more serious health problems.
He adds that it is important to cooperate with other countries to detect possible links between the mutation and an increase in serious cases.
最終更新：2009年06月20日 11:00
