Lower House to be dissolved on Tuesday
Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso will dissolve the Lower House of the Diet on Tuesday, paving the way for a general election.
The Lower House election would determine if the governing coalition led by the Liberal Democratic Party will be able to stay in power.
He plans to launch an election campaign on August 18th and hold the vote on August 30th.
Aso will announce his intention to dissolve the Lower House at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.
Cabinet ministers are expected to endorse the plan.
He will then attend a gathering of LDP lawmakers from both houses of the Diet.
He is to talk about the LDP's defeats in recent elections, including the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election, and the Cabinet's low support rate.
Aso will call for party unity for the election and stress the outcome of his economic measures.
Speaker Yohei Kono will read out an edict on the dissolution at a Lower House plenary session to be convened in the afternoon.
Afterwards, the government will hold a Cabinet meeting to decide on the election schedule.
The prime minister will hold a news conference in the evening.
Political parties will then launch an election campaign.
This will be the first Lower House election since September 2005 and the first to be held in August in the postwar period.
The focus of the election is whether the governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito will hang onto power, or the main opposition led by the Democratic Party will take over.
The ruling coalition will stress the economic measures it has adopted. The opposition will appeal for a change of government to end politics led by bureaucrats.
Campbell urges N.Korea to take irreversible steps
A senior US government official says his country, along with Japan, South Korea, and China, are ready to offer aid to North Korea if it takes irreversible steps toward denuclearization.
US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific affairs Kurt Campbell spoke to reporters in Seoul on Monday. He made his comments as he was preparing for his meeting with Wi Sung Lac, the South Korean delegate to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program.
Campbell stressed that the United States would work to ensure that UN sanctions against the North are implemented, but that dialogue is still an option.
Campbell suggested that a comprehensive resolution to the standoff is a possibility.
The tougher sanctions are stated in a UN Security Council resolution adopted in June after North Korea conducted its second nuclear test. The country fired seven ballistic missiles toward the Sea of Japan earlier this month.
Uygurs in Kazakhstan hold a major rally
Thousands of ethnic Uygurs in Kazakhstan took part in a rally to protest China's crackdown against their compatriots in the neighboring Chinese region of Xinjiang.
About 8,000 protesters gathered in the country's main city of Almaty on Sunday, demanding that the Chinese government stop its suppression of the Uygurs' human rights.
The group that organized Sunday's event called on China to objectively investigate the cause of the unrest, saying the Uygurs should not be linked to acts of terror.
China maintains that the recent turmoil in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was masterminded by separatists outside China, seeking Uygur independence.
NHK's overseas bureau says the rally was held at a theater in Almaty after receiving permission from the Kazakh government which attaches importance to its ties with China.
The bureau also says that in making its decision the Kazakh government has taken into consideration the sentiments of the Uygurs in the country.
ASEAN foreign ministers discuss human rights
The foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are discussing human rights issues.
The meeting began on the Thai resort island of Phuket on Monday morning.
The talks are believed to be focusing on Myanmar --- specifically, what authority should be given to a regional human rights body the 10-member bloc plans to establish.
The meeting comes amid the trial of Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who the military government accuses of violating terms of her house arrest by allowing an American to stay at her home.
Myanmar's military government is opposing the proposed human rights body, citing the ASEAN principle of not interfering in the internal affairs of other member countries.
Obama has not yet tightened gun control in the US
After six months in office, US President Barack Obama has not yet taken any specific measures to tighten gun control.
During his election campaign, Obama expressed concern about the spread of assault rifles and other deadly firearms in the US and promised tighter gun control.
However, it appears to be difficult for Obama to work on the right to bear arms, an issue certain to divide the nation. He is facing other issues including rebuilding the economy and reforming the health insurance system.
US gun sales surged by about 30 percent after the presidential election in November as people wanted to purchase weapons before the anticipated tighter control.
Every gun fair is always crowded with people and some gun stores are out of inventory. Ammunition manufacturers have seen orders increase amid the sluggish economy.
Pro-gun control organizations find the situation alarming. One group made up of victims of gun crimes is urging the Obama administration to start working on gun control as soon as possible.
最終更新：2009年07月21日 08:20
