Japan

25 August 2007, Osaka, Japan (By David Byrd) -- Kenya has captured the first gold medal of the World Athletics Championships in Osaka, Japan. As VOA's David Byrd reports, Luke Kibet of Kenya ended his country's long world championship drought on a steamy day in Osaka.

Luke Kibet finished the 42.195 kilometer race in 2:15:59. The Kenyan is the first men's marathon world champion from his country in 20 years. The last Kenyan to win the title was Douglas Wakiihuri.

Luke Kibet said that his victory was driven by a promise he made before coming to Osaka.    » read more »

20 August 2007 -- Asian stock markets opened dramatically higher Monday morning, rebounding from last week's losses.

Japan's Nikkei 225 Stock Average and South Korea's Kospi Index each rose more than three percent early in the trading session, and Taiwan's main stock index was up by four percent after 15 minutes of trading.    » read more »

20 August 2007 -- An airliner flown by Taiwan's China Airlines burst into flames Monday after landing on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa.

Airport officials say everyone aboard the jet - 157 passengers and crew of eight - escaped safely. Officials say at least one person was injured.

Billows of black smoke and sheets of orange flames erupted from the fuselage of the China Airlines jet, which had just flown from Taipei to the Japanese airport.

TV pictures showed fire crews spraying the burning aircraft with foam. The blaze has been brought under control.    » read more »

Yanmar America Corp. to invest $20 million, add up to 200 employees

August 15, 2007 -- ATLANTA — Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Japanese machinery company Yanmar American Corp. will more than double the size of its Adairsville plant, adding up to 200 jobs and investing $20 million.    » read more »

Tokyo, August 9, 2007 – World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick visited Japan for two days during which he met Prime Minister Abe, Foreign Minister Aso, Finance Minister Omi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shiozaki, President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mrs. Ogata, Governor of Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Mr. Shinozawa, other key policymakers and Diet Members, and opinion leaders.    » read more »

16 July 2007 -- A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 hit northwestern Japan Monday.

Japanese authorities say the quake was also felt in Tokyo and a tsunami warning was issued.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency said waves as high as 50 centimeters were believed to have hit off the coast of Niigata, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage

The U.S. Geological Survey says the epicenter of the quake was 220 kilometers northwest of Tokyo at a depth of 29 kilometers.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries.

Source: VOA News

June 26, 2007 -- WASHINGTON – The United States has filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against Toyobo Co. Ltd. of Japan and its American subsidiary, Toyobo America Inc., for their roles in the manufacture and sale of defective Zylon bullet-proof vests to U.S., state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies, the Justice Department announced today. According to the suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the vests were paid for by federal funds.    » read more »

June 26, 2007 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in support of a resolution calling on the Japanese government to formally acknowledge and apologize for its Imperial Armed Forces’ coercion of young women into sexual slavery, known as ‘comfort women,’ during its occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands during the World War II era:    » read more »

$8.6 million investment to hire 80; First vehicle assembly plant in West Virginia

June 25, 2007 -- WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. – At a ceremony today, West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin joined Hideichiro Chikahiro, president of Hino Motors Manufacturing U.S.A. Inc. (HMMUSA), Sen. Jay Rockefeller and local officials to announce that the company will assemble medium and heavy-duty trucks here. This is the first vehicle assembly facility in West Virginia.    » read more »

05 June 2007 -- Leaders of the G8 group of major industrial nations are gathering in Germany's Baltic Sea resort of Heiligendamm for three days of discussions to include climate change, economic issues and debt relief for Africa. But differences were evident before the summit began and security was extremely tight to keep protesters away from the meeting site, as VOA's Sonja Pace reports from Heiligendamm.    » read more »

07 June 2007 -- U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet Thursday in Germany amid renewed tensions between the two sides.

The presidents will hold talks on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit at the German Baltic Sea port of Heiligendamm.

Mr. Putin is angry at U.S. plans to install a missile defense system in Europe, calling it a threat to Russian security, and he vowed to aim his nation's missiles at the region if the system is built.    » read more »

04 June 2007 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set Wednesday to host the annual summit of the G8 leading industrial democracies plus Russia. VOA's Barry Wood reports a recent sharp deterioration in western relations with Moscow is casting a chill over the meeting that will take place at a Baltic Sea resort in eastern Germany.    » read more »

06 May 2007 -- Japan is devoting a sizable sum of money to making Asia's use of energy more earth-friendly. Tokyo's announcement came at the meeting of the Asia Development Bank in the Japanese city of Kyoto, where bank officials and government leaders are struggling to strike a balance between the need for strong economic growth and the devastating environmental effects of fossil fuel consumption.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2007 – U.S. and Japanese defense and diplomatic leaders today reaffirmed their commitment to realigning U.S. forces in Japan.

Speaking to reporters here after a meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Japanese Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma said that the plan, which was finalized in the 2006 “two-plus-two” meeting, as it’s called, is on track.    » read more »

April 25, 2007 -- PARTICIPANTS:

Dana Perino, Deputy White House Press Secretary
Dennis Wilder, NSC Senior Director for Asian Affairs
David McCormick, NSC Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs

MS. PERINO: Good morning. I'm going to do the schedule for you, and then we have some guests from NSC to set up the Abe visit. And then I'll take the rest of your questions.    » read more »