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Japan-GCC foreign ministerial meeting in Kuwait

The foreign ministers of Japan and the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council meet in Kuwait City on Sept. 1, 2025.

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Japan-GCC foreign ministerial meeting in Kuwait

The foreign ministers of Japan and the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council meet in Kuwait City on Sept. 1, 2025.

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Ministers visit World Expo 2025 site

Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto (4th from R) and Yoshitaka Ito (3rd from R), minister for the World Expo 2025, visit the exposition site in Osaka on Oct. 6, 2024, ahead of the six-month event to be held in the western Japan city from mid-April 2025.

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Palestinian new gov't sworn in

STORY: Palestinian new gov't sworn in SHOOTING TIME: March 31, 2024 DATELINE: April 1, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:54 LOCATION: RAMALLAH, Palestine CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the sworn-in ceremony STORYLINE: The Palestinian new government headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa was sworn in Ramallah in the West Bank on Sunday. The new government consists of 23 ministerial portfolios, including at least six ministers from the Gaza Strip. Mustafa will also take over the position of foreign minister from veteran diplomat Riyad Al-Maliki. During the swearing-in ceremony in front of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Mustafa pledged that his new government would serve all Palestinians, stressing the government's political references are the Palestine Liberation Organization and its political program and international commitments, as mandated by the letter of assignment outlined by Abbas. At a meeting with the new government after the ceremony, Abbas reaffirmed that work is underway in coordi

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Japanese PM reshuffles cabinet amid slipping support rates

STORY: Japanese PM reshuffles cabinet amid slipping support rates DATELINE: Sept. 14, 2023 LENGTH: 0:02:48 LOCATION: Tokyo CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Japanese Prime Minister's office 2. various of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and his new cabinet members (courtesy of Japanese Prime Minister's official residence) 3. various of street views in Tokyo STORYLINE: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday revamped his cabinet and the executive lineup of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) as public support for the government is waning. The second cabinet reshuffle by Kishida since last year included changes to 13 out of 19 ministers, with 11 of them entering the cabinet for the first time. According to the lineup announced on Wednesday, Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, among six current cabinet members, remained in their posts, as Kishida seeks to maintain stability in key positions

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Thai new PM, cabinet sworn in before king

STORY: Thai new PM, cabinet sworn in before king DATELINE: Sept. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:02:03 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his cabinet ministers swearing in before King Maha Vajiralongkorn STORYLINE: Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his cabinet ministers on Tuesday were sworn in before King Maha Vajiralongkorn, following the royal endorsement of the new portfolios last week. Srettha and 33 cabinet members under the Pheu Thai Party-led government recited the oath of allegiance before an audience with the king at the Dusit Palace in Bangkok. Six deputy prime ministers from four major parties in the coalition, including Pheu Thai, Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharath, and the United Thai Nation, attended the ceremony, along with other cabinet ministers and their deputies. Speaking at the government house after the swearing-in ceremony, Srettha said, "This government is a people's government. Every cabinet member is here today as a repre

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Egypt sets up gov't unit to facilitate cooperation with BRICS countries

STORY: Egypt sets up gov't unit to facilitate cooperation with BRICS countries DATELINE: Aug. 31, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:58 LOCATION: Cairo CATEGORY: ECONOMY/POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the cabinet meeting (File) (courtesy of Egyptian Cabinet) STORYLINE: Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Wednesday approved the establishment of a unit at the cabinet's headquarters to facilitate the country's cooperation with BRICS countries, the cabinet said in a statement. The unit, which is located in the northern coastal city of New Alamein, "will be responsible for any work related to promoting cooperation with the BRICS group," the statement read. The unit will comprise ministers and officials who are concerned with BRICS, an acronym for a bloc of emerging economies that groups Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the statement added. On Aug. 24, BRICS countries agreed to invite six countries, namely Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, to join the group

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Pakistan verifies 241.49 mln population as top body approves 7th census

STORY: Pakistan verifies 241.49 mln population as top body approves 7th census DATELINE: Aug. 7, 2023 LENGTH: 00:00:55 LOCATION: Islamabad CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of Pakistan STORYLINE: Pakistan on Saturday verified that its population has reached 241.49 million after the country's top body the Council of Common Interests (CCI) unanimously approved the 7th census conducted earlier this year, said the Prime Minster's office. The media wing of the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif chaired the CCI's 50th session, which was attended by chief ministers and representatives of all political parties, and all participants deliberated and fully agreed with the results of the census. On the occasion, the prime minister said the country's population increased by over 35 million during the last six years, which is a cause for concern and a challenge because it is more than Pakistan's economic growth. The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics told the meeting that t

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Commissioners discuss Spain's EU Council presidency plans in Madrid

STORY: Commissioners discuss Spain's EU Council presidency plans in Madrid DATELINE: July 4, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:31 LOCATION: Madrid CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the College of European Commissioners led by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen 2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish): PEDRO SANCHEZ, Spanish Prime Minister 3. various of Spanish ministers and the College of European Commissioners taking photos 4. various of the meeting STORYLINE: Seventeen members of the College of European Commissioners led by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met in Madrid on Monday with Spain's government headed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to review the country's plans and policy priorities. On July 1, Spain took over the rotating six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) from Sweden. For the next six months, Spain has established the following priority issues: reindustrializing the EU and ensuring its open strategic auto

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Spain Begins Its Presidency of the EU Council - Madrid

Family photo, in the center, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, pose with Spanish government ministers who are members of the Council of the European Union, on their arrival at the inauguration of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on July 3, 2023, in Madrid (Spain). Spain has acceded, since last Saturday July 1, to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it will lead for six months after Sweden has handed over the baton. The next six months is the last stretch of the European institutional cycle before the appointment of a new Commission after the elections to the European Parliament, to be held in May 2024. It will be the fifth time that Spain has presided over the Council, after holding the presidency for the first time between January and June 1989 and again in 1995, 2002 and 2010. Photo by Eduardo Parra / Europa Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Spain Begins Its Presidency of the EU Council - Madrid

Family photo, in the center, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, pose with Spanish government ministers who are members of the Council of the European Union, on their arrival at the inauguration of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, on July 3, 2023, in Madrid (Spain). Spain has acceded, since last Saturday July 1, to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which it will lead for six months after Sweden has handed over the baton. The next six months is the last stretch of the European institutional cycle before the appointment of a new Commission after the elections to the European Parliament, to be held in May 2024. It will be the fifth time that Spain has presided over the Council, after holding the presidency for the first time between January and June 1989 and again in 1995, 2002 and 2010. Photo by Eduardo Parra / Europa Press/ABACAPRESS.COM

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Kenyan president meets with Russian FM in Nairobi

STORY: Kenyan president meets with Russian FM in Nairobi DATELINE: May 31, 2023 LENGTH: 0:00:58 LOCATION: Nairobi CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of Kenyan President William Ruto shaking hands with the Russian delegation led by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov 2. various of the meeting between William Ruto and Sergei Lavrov STORYLINE: Kenyan President William Ruto met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the State House in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Monday. Ruto said that Kenya and Russia will sign a trade pact to increase trade volumes between the two countries. Lavrov praised the six decades of friendship between the two countries, especially after the 2019 Russia-Africa Summit. Lavrov was in Nairobi on his way to the upcoming BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Cape Town in June. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Nairobi. (XHTV)

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Ministers of ASEAN, 6 regional partners meeting

SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Economic ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its six regional partners join hands as they meet in the Cambodian resort of Siem Reap on Aug. 30, 2012. The ministers agreed to launch negotiations for a region-wide free trade agreement.

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ASEAN mends differences over S. China Sea disputes

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong releases in Phnom Penh on July 20, 2012, a statement on behalf of ASEAN foreign ministers reaffirming the group's commitment to the "six-point principles on the South China Sea." The principles call for peacefully settling territorial disputes with China over rival claims to islands in the sea.

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Japanese astronauts play musical instruments together

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese astronauts Soichi Noguci (L in back) and Naoko Yamazaki (R in back) at the International Space Station talk to Moeka Kusuda, a six-grader at an elementary school, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo during a video chat event on April 12, 2010. Two Cabinet ministers and six schoolchildren took part in the event during which Noguchi and Yamazaki played musical instruments together.

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Ministers from Indonesia, Japan, business leaders eye economic zones

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa (L) and Japan's Economic Minister Masayuki Naoshima attend a joint press conference after co-chairing a one-day meeting of the Indonesia-Japan Joint Economic Forum 2010 in Jakarta on Jan. 11, 2010. Delegations of government and business leaders from the two countries discussed development of six special economic zones in Indonesia to strengthen the strategic bilateral economic relationship.

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Ministers from 6-party N. Korea nuclear talks meet in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Foreign ministers from North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia sit for informal talks in Singapore on July 23 for the first such meeting since the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea began five years ago.

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Cabinet minister Kutsukake, other lawmakers visit Yasukuni Shrine

TOKYO, Japan - Fifty-six members of a nonpartisan parliamentary group visit Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. They included National Public Safety Commission Chairman Tetsuo Kutsukake, one of the 17 ministers in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet, three senior vice ministers and three parliamentary secretaries.

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Key WTO members fail to plug gaps in talks to promote Doha Round

LONDON, England - Japan's trade minister Toshihiro Nikai (far right) and farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa (2nd from R) attend a joint press conference with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (C) and other ministers at the end of their two-day meeting in London on March 11. The ministers from six major World Trade Organization economies failed to make tangible progress in promoting the current Doha Round of global trade liberation talks.

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WTO ministers close to deal after all-night talks

HONG KONG - Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai speaks with reporters after all-night talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 18. The ministers are expected to strike a deal on the final day of their six-day meeting, negotiators said.

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WTO ministers close to deal after all-night talks

HONG KONG, Hong Kong - Japanese farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa speaks with reporters after all-night talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 18. The ministers are expected to strike a deal on the final day of their six-day meeting, negotiators said.

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Gov't upgrades economic view for July on higher spending

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (C) presides over a meeting of his economic ministers at his office on July 13. The Cabinet office upgraded its assessment of Japan's economy for the first time in six months, using the strongest words to describe an improvement in personal spending since the burst of the asset-inflated bubble economy in the early 1990s.

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(4)Koizumi's top aide Fukuda resigns over pension scandal

TOKYO, Japan - Economic, Trade and Industry Minister Shoichi Nakagawa (L) and Taro Aso, minister of public management, home affairs, posts and telecommunications, sits side by side during a House of Representatives plenary session on May 7. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi denied earlier in the day that he will replace six ministers, including Nakagawa and Aso, who have failed to pay their national pension premiums.

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Japan extends Arabian Sea refueling mission for 6 months

TOKYO, Japan - Cabinet ministers (shown) at a meeting on Oct. 21 extended the government's naval logistic support in the Arabian Sea for U.S. antiterror operations in Afghanistan for six months following the extension this month of a two-year law on the mission.

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Japan, S. Korea to seek early resumption of 6-party talks

NEW YORK, Japan - South Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young Kwan (L) and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi shake hands prior to their talks at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 23. The two foreign ministers reaffirmed their commitment to seek an early resumption of six-party talks to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue.

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Mori greets science council

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori (L) gives an opening speech to the first meeting of the government's Council for Science and Technology Policy. Mori chairs the 14-member council comprising six cabinet ministers, five academics, two business executives and the president of the Science Council of Japan.

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Chilean president reshuffles cabinet after rejection of proposed constitution

STORY: Chilean president reshuffles cabinet after rejection of proposed constitution DATELINE: Sept. 7, 2022 LENGTH: 0:03:55 LOCATION: Santiago CATEGORY: POLITICS SHOTLIST: 1. various of the ceremony 2. previous voting scenes 3. crowd cheering to celebrate the non-passage of the constitution STORYLINE: Chilean President Gabriel Boric on Tuesday replaced six cabinet ministers after voters rejected the proposed new constitution in a referendum Sunday. He called on the new government to continue reconciliation efforts to push forward the process of drafting a new constitution. "We must listen to and walk together with the people, that is what I ask of this new cabinet," he said. The ministries involved in the reshuffle are the Interior Ministry, the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Science, Technology, knowledge and Innovation. The Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency also has a new chief. Xinhua News Agency correspo

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FRANCE-PARIS-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Overseas Minister Yael Braun-Pivet arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Minister of Sports and Olympic and Paralympic Games Amelie Oudea-Castera arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French State Secretary for the Sea Justine Benin arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Higher Education and Research Minister Sylvie Retailleau arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Health and Prevention Minister Brigitte Bourguignon arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Education and Youth Minister Pap Ndiaye arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Culture Minister Rima Abdul-Malak arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- The new French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French Minister for Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state.

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FRANCE-PARIS-GOVERNMENT

(220523) -- PARIS, May 23, 2022 (Xinhua) -- French European and Foreign Affairs Minister Catherine Colonna arrives for the first weekly cabinet meeting of the new cabinet at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, on May 23, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed on Friday ministers for the new government of the country. In total the new government has 27 members with 17 ministries, six ministries delegates and four secretaries of state. (Xinhua/Gao Jing)

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WTO ministers close to deal after all-night talks

HONG KONG, Hong Kong - Japanese farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa speaks with reporters after all-night talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 18. The ministers are expected to strike a deal on the final day of their six-day meeting, negotiators said. (Kyodo)

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WTO ministers close to deal after all-night talks

HONG KONG - Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshihiro Nikai speaks with reporters after all-night talks at the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial conference in Hong Kong on Dec. 18. The ministers are expected to strike a deal on the final day of their six-day meeting, negotiators said. (Kyodo)

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Key WTO members fail to plug gaps in talks to promote Doha Round

LONDON, England - Japan's trade minister Toshihiro Nikai (far right) and farm minister Shoichi Nakagawa (2nd from R) attend a joint press conference with EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (C) and other ministers at the end of their two-day meeting in London on March 11. The ministers from six major World Trade Organization economies failed to make tangible progress in promoting the current Doha Round of global trade liberation talks. (Kyodo)

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Cabinet minister Kutsukake, other lawmakers visit Yasukuni Shrin

TOKYO, Japan - Fifty-six members of a nonpartisan parliamentary group visit Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo on Aug. 15. They included National Public Safety Commission Chairman Tetsuo Kutsukake, one of the 17 ministers in Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinet, three senior vice ministers and three parliamentary secretaries. (Kyodo)

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16 Asia-Pacific nations seek to agree on tariff elimination targets

Trade ministers and officials from Asia-Pacific countries, including Daishiro Yamagiwa (C front), a Japanese vice minister of trade and industry, and Mustapa Mohamed (L front), the minister of international trade and industry of Malaysia, get ready for commemorative photos in Kuala Lumpur on July 13, 2015. The gathering involving the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and six other countries including China, Japan and India marked a fresh round of talks on a free trade scheme known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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16 Asia-Pacific nations seek to agree on tariff elimination targets

Trade ministers and officials from Asia-Pacific countries pose for commemorative photos in Kuala Lumpur on July 13, 2015. The gathering involving the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and six other countries including China, Japan and India marked a fresh round of talks on a free trade scheme known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Ministers from 6-party N. Korea nuclear talks meet in Singapore

SINGAPORE - Foreign ministers from North and South Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia sit for informal talks in Singapore on July 23 for the first such meeting since the six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea began five years ago. (Kyodo)

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Japanese astronauts play musical instruments together

TOKYO, Japan - Japanese astronauts Soichi Noguci (L in back) and Naoko Yamazaki (R in back) at the International Space Station talk to Moeka Kusuda, a six-grader at an elementary school, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo during a video chat event on April 12, 2010. Two Cabinet ministers and six schoolchildren took part in the event during which Noguchi and Yamazaki played musical instruments together. (Kyodo)

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Gov't upgrades economic view for July on higher spending

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi (C) presides over a meeting of his economic ministers at his office on July 13. The Cabinet office upgraded its assessment of Japan's economy for the first time in six months, using the strongest words to describe an improvement in personal spending since the burst of the asset-inflated bubble economy in the early 1990s. (Kyodo)

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Japan extends Arabian Sea refueling mission for 6 months

TOKYO, Japan - Cabinet ministers (shown) at a meeting on Oct. 21 extended the government's naval logistic support in the Arabian Sea for U.S. antiterror operations in Afghanistan for six months following the extension this month of a two-year law on the mission. (Kyodo)