N. Korea issues notification of shooting drill
The Japan Coast Guard has issued an alert to ships in the Sea of Japan after it received an email from North Korea notifying it about a scheduled shooting drill.
The Coast Guard received the message on Monday. It said the drill would take place from 8 AM to 8 PM, between June 25th and July 10th, in waters northeast of Wonsan.
The Coast Guard says the zone stretching 450 kilometers by 110 kilometers basically matches the area where North Korea issued a navigational ban twice this month.
Before its rocket launch in April, North Korea sent an email to the Coast Guard but it only mentioned the expected danger areas.
The email received on Monday referring to shooting drills was the first that specified the activity involved.
N.Korea warns US of retaliation
North Korea has accused the United States of increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula by tracking a North Korean ship.
The accusation came in the official newspaper of the Korean Workers' Party, The Rodong Sinmun, on Monday. It denounced US remarks that US naval ships would stop and search North Korean cargo ships.
The newspaper implied that North Korea would retaliate if attacked by the US. It said North Korea is a proud nuclear power, and that the US should 'take a correct look at whom it is dealing with.'
The US military has been tracking the North Korean ship, the Kang Nam, now heading south along the Chinese coast.
The US suspects the vessel could be carrying weapons such as missile components and nuclear-related material in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
North Korea's latest commentary is apparently aimed at warning the US not to carry out cargo inspections. Observers say this shows the North is becoming sensitive about US moves on the inspections.
Iran demonstrators vow to continue protests
The possibility of more violence in Iran is mounting, as supporters of former Prime Minister Mir Hossein Mousavi have vowed to continue their rallies on Monday.
The protestors have been demanding a rerun of the presidential election and have ignored calls from the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to stop demonstrating.
At least 10 protestors died in clashes between protestors and security forces on Saturday.
Iran's state-run media says security authorities arrested 457 protestors.
On Monday, the Iranian foreign ministry blamed western governments and media for fueling the protests, and causing confusion and destruction in the country.
Mousavi criticized the large number of civilian arrests saying that the move will only harm the relations between security authorities and civilians.
Aso seeks Russia's reply to territorial dispute
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso hopes that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will present a proposal to resolve the long-standing territorial dispute between the two countries when the two leaders meet in Italy in July.
Aso met the Russian Presidential Executive Office chief of staff, Sergei Naryshkin, on Monday in Tokyo.
Aso said that when he met President Medvedev in February, he urged Russia to clarify its stance on the four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan in the next summit.
Aso said he looks forward to hearing Russia's efforts to resolve the dispute when he meets President Medvedev on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit talks in Italy.
Naryshkin replied that preparations to discuss the territorial issue in July are in place. He hopes the issue will be discussed in a quiet atmosphere.
Nikai criticizes S. Korea's batteries regulation
The Japanese government has voiced concern over South Korea's plan to introduce a compulsory certification system for lithium-ion batteries.
Trade minister Toshihiro Nikai told reporters on Monday that Japan will ask South Korea to review the planned regulation. He said it may amount to a trade barrier for foreign companies.
He added that the government intends to express its concern over the plan at a WTO meeting later in the week.
South Korea plans to oblige firms, which manufacture or sell products installed with lithium-ion batteries in the country, to obtain approval from authorities. Such products include personal computers and cell phones.
South Korea says the measure starting next month is aimed at preventing accidents involving lithium-ion batteries, such as overheating and catching fire.
Japan accounts for about 60 percent of the global production of lithium-ion batteries.
最終更新：2009年06月23日 07:40
