With ulterior political motives and despite criticism, Japan will add fin whales to the list of whales that can be hunted commercially. The announcement was made on Thursday, May 9, by government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi, who spoke of “an important food resource. We believe it should be exploited sustainably, like all other marine resources, on a scientific basis. It is also important to perpetuate Japan’s traditional food culture.”

The government has adopted a proposal from the Fisheries Agency and is expected to approve the new guidelines in mid-June. The agency has proposed adding fin whales to the list of cetaceans – Minke, Bryde’s and Sei whales – that can be hunted by Japanese whalers. It is based on studies confirming sufficient numbers of fin whales in the North Pacific.

The initiative prompted a reaction from the director of international relations at the NGO Ocean Care, Nicolas Entrup, who condemned “the aggressive development of a useless and cruel activity that meets no pressing human need.” The fin whale is the second largest living mammal. It is classified as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Japan remains committed to whaling, even though the Japanese hardly consume whale meat anymore. In the years of malnutrition following the Second World War, it was an affordable source of protein, abundantly served in school restaurants. Peak consumption reached 233,000 metric tons in 1962.

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Fumio Kishida made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday.

Kishida assessed last year’s negotiations with the Iranian president as important and emphasized the importance of Iran-Japan relations.

He expressed his satisfaction with the new positive developments in the Persian Gulf region, adding that Japan supports regional cooperation in order to promote lasting security.

He also welcomed the continuation of positive interactions between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, assessed the Japanese Prime Minister’s high knowledge of bilateral relations and developments in the region as a valuable asset for promoting the interactions between the two countries.

Welcoming the drawing of a road map for long-term cooperation between the two countries, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized the necessity of promoting political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.

The Iranian minister also emphasized the prominent role of Iran in promoting energy security in the Persian Gulf region.

He considered the new developments in the region to be promising for the deepening of regional cooperation in the direction of promoting stability, security and inclusive development and prosperity, adding that the role of Japan in supporting that process is important.

He also briefed the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the necessity of a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.

In this meeting, the two sides also discussed the developments related to talks on the removal of the sanctions between Iran and the world powers (P4+1) and Iran’s safeguard cooperation with the IAEA.

The Iranian top diplomat also met and held talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi on Monday.

In that meeting, Amir-Abdollahian called the reorganization of bilateral relations and the drawing of a roadmap for long-term cooperation important for the expansion of relations.

He also voiced Iran’s readiness to continue consultations within the framework of the cooperation council and the continuation of consultations between the deputy foreign ministers and general managers of the two countries’ ministries of foreign affairs.

The Iranian minister reiterated Iran’s principled policy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis which is based on a political solution and emphasized that it is necessary for the international community to support such an approach.

The Japanese foreign minister, for his part, reemphasized the importance of continuing talks and cooperation between the two countries.

Yoshimasa Hayashi further explained Japan’s viewpoints on different topics including the developments in the Persian Gulf region, the talks to remove sanctions on Iran, the developments in Ukraine and cooperation between Iran and Japan in relation to Afghanistan.

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According to officials, Sunday, the two countries were still in talks over the size of the Korean inspection team and what they will be allowed to do at the tsunami-damaged nuclear plant among other issues, ahead of their four-day visit to the area next week.

The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant’s operator, say the release of the contaminated water into the sea will begin in the coming months ― possibly this July after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases its final report on the issue.

Before releasing the irradiated water, TEPCO says it will be filtered through a system designed to remove hazardous radionuclides. But the filtering process cannot separate tritium, a harmful radioactive isotope of hydrogen, which concerns many local residents as well as neighboring countries.

Suh Kune-yull, a professor emeritus of nuclear engineering at Seoul National University, is among those who remain skeptical that the Korean inspectors will dispel safety and environmental concerns about the water.

“It’s too late to do anything meaningful to change the course,” Suh told The Korea Times. “Whatever the inspectors find or say, which I doubt they will, Japan will most likely follow its water-release schedule.”

His skepticism comes from the formation of the group, which is expected to exclude civilian experts, as well as the “questionable timing” following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s summit with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida earlier this month.

“I think the inspection was motivated by politics rather than science,” he said. “We could’ve sent such a team earlier like Taiwan did last year … What concerns me is that there has been little PR effort by Japan after the Taiwan inspection team’s repeated visits to the Fukushima area. If it was confirmed to be safe, I think Japan would have promoted it.”

Members of liberal opposition parties and civic groups stage a rally against a planned visit by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the National Assembly in Seoul, May 4. AP-Yonhap

Speaking at a media conference, Friday, Park Ku-yeon, the first deputy chief of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, said that Korea would be able to analyze the situation more thoroughly by taking advantage of all the data available as a member country of the IAEA ― unlike Taiwan ― through the international organization. Asked whether Korea’s safety confirmation of the water discharge plan would lead to the lifting of Korea’s ban on sea product imports from the region, Park vehemently dismissed the possibility, saying it “will never happen.”

But that cannot be guaranteed, Suh said. Japan could capitalize on the Korean government’s report to shore up its case if it decides to bring the issue to the World Trade Organization or other international bodies when it feels necessary, he noted.

However, some experts such as Shin Kak-soo, former Korean ambassador to Japan, say the government should focus rather on what it can earn through the inspection. Japan, they say, can and will release the contaminated water ― with or without Korea’s approval.

This issue may well be another big test of the government, which, under President Yoon, has been struggling to maintain public approval ratings while trying to improve ties with Tokyo after years of diplomatic disputes over many issues.

According to a poll released on Sunday, 51.6 percent of the respondents said they think sending an inspection team to Fukushima is a diplomatically wrong decision, with 41.3 percent approving it.

As part of the effort to ensure safety, Korea’s oceans ministry said it plans to conduct a rapid radiation test on ballast water from ships departing from 17 ports near Fukushima. If Japan begins to release some 1.25 million tons of wastewater as planned, the ministry said it will order all ships coming from the ports to refill their ballast water before entering Korean waters.

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The organizing committee’s CEO Toshiro Muto, however, said it will consider allowing in foreign-based volunteers with skills necessary for the smooth running of the games under special entry rules.

Officials with knowledge of the planning said the exception could be made for around 500 volunteers, whose roles cannot easily be performed by somebody living in Japan, such as those who are capable of speaking minority languages.

“It’s very painful, but we have to decide on a shift,” Muto said at a press conference. “Delaying any further to make a decision will cause confusion.”

Muto said about 2,300 foreign nationals living abroad have been registered as volunteers.

The announcement came after the organizing bodies of the Tokyo Games, including the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, formally agreed Saturday that the global sporting event will be staged without overseas spectators due to public concern over the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the Japanese organizing committee, foreign nationals made up roughly 10 percent of a total of 80,000 volunteers before the pandemic forced the one-year postponement of the games.

Japanese citizens living abroad are expected to be allowed to volunteer, according to the officials.

Holding an executive board meeting, the organizing committee also said Monday it will launch a program aimed at making Japanese society more diverse.

Under the program, tentatively called the declaration to aim for a society easy for everyone to live, the committee will set goals to promote respecting diversity.

The meeting was the first with its 12 new female members, including Sydney Olympic marathon gold medalist Naoko Takahashi and Paralympic Alpine skier Kuniko Obinata.

The new members brought the number of women on the 45-member board to 19, raising female participation to above the 40 percent target set by the committee’s new President Seiko Hashimoto, who succeeded Yoshiro Mori in February after he was forced to step down over sexist remarks.

“We want to lay the foundation to help trigger social changes in Japan after the Tokyo Olympics,” Takahashi told reporters following the meeting, during which gender equality was discussed among other issues.

Various measures being considered by the committee’s team tasked with promoting gender equality, led by its sports director Mikako Kotani, were explained at the meeting, including giving consideration to the balance of women and men presenting medals to athletes at the Tokyo Games in ceremonies.

It also decided to ban those entering competition venues from taking, sending or crafting images and movies of athletes that could be suspected of having sexual-harassment purposes.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will hold four days of talks with the Japanese and South Koreans. This will coincide with White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s Thursday meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, with Chinese officials.

While American officials seek to reassure its Asian allies that a steady hand is operating U.S. foreign affairs, they also want to remind allies that they will continue to defend them from aggression.

At the same time, in spite of numerous attempts to contact North Korea, there has been no response from the communist dictatorship.

It is no secret that Blinken and Austin will discuss an increasingly aggressive China, as well as North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.

A much-touted priority in the new Biden administration has been to return Asia-Pacific concerns to the top of the U.S. foreign policy agenda.

Last week, Biden, participating in an online summit, said “A free and open Indo-Pacific is essential. The United States is committed to working with you, our partners, and all of our allies in the region, to achieve stability.”

Meanwhile, Sung Kim, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia, has said, “Diplomacy is back at the center of our foreign policy, and we are working to strengthen America’s relationships with our allies, as well as the relationships among them,”

Yet, to date, the Biden administration has not reversed any Trump policies regarding China.

Indeed, Biden has announced he would maintain existing sanctions on China due to human rights abuses in western Xinjiang and Hong Kong. The Americans will also continue to reject outright most of China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea.

Long-time areas of contention between China and the United States include the continuing crackdown in Hong Kong, along with China’s threatening rhetoric towards Taiwan.

Meanwhile, at the conclusion of this meeting with the Japanese and South Koreans, Blinken and Sullivan will fly back to Washington via Anchorage, where they will meet senior Chinese officials.

Additionally, Austin will fly from Seoul to New Delhi for meetings with Indian leaders.

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The emblem of the Russian Olympic Committee should include the colors of the Russian tricolor on a white background, it said.

“If the uniform includes the words ‘Russian Olympic Committee’, such wording should be removed altogether or be replaced with the acronym ROC,” the IOC said.

If it was not possible to remove the words ‘Russian Olympic Committee’ or if the words ‘Russia’ or ‘Russian’ appear separately, “then the words ‘Neutral Athlete’ for example must be included in a position and size that is no less prominent,” the IOC added.

In accordance with the two-year sanctions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which came into effect last December, Russia’s national teams will have to compete at the world championships and Olympic Games without using their country’s symbols or playing the national anthem.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland’s Lausanne upheld on December 17 WADA’s previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports. According to the CAS decision, Russian athletes were deprived of their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for the two-year period.

The national anthem of Russia was also ruled out to be played at international sport tournaments in the course of the next two years, including at the upcoming Olympic Games in Japan this summer and in China next year. The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for the period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022.

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The tally brought Tokyo’s cumulative total to 39,649.

By age group, the highest number of cases were people in their 20s (147), followed by 120 in their 30s and 76 in their 40s.

The number of infected people in Tokyo with severe symptoms is 61, up one from Thursday, health officials said.

Nationwide, the number of reported cases as of 6:30 p.m. was 2,523. After Tokyo, the prefectures with the most cases were Osaka (383), Hokkaido (252), Aichi (234), Kanagawa (219), Chiba (107), Hyogo (103), Saitama (103), Shizuoka (58), Fukuoka (58), Ibaraki (45) and Okinawa (38).

Twenty-one coronavirus-related deaths were reported nationwide.

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Tokyo was awarded the Games in 2013, beating Madrid and Istanbul.

“I don’t believe I’ve done anything illegal,” Takeda said as he announced he would not seek re-election.

“It pains me to have created such a fuss, but I believe it is my responsibility to serve out the rest of my term,” he added.

Takeda’s tenure ends in June.

The Japanese government has always insisted its Tokyo bid is clean.

The company to which the payment was made is linked to the son of former world athletics chief Lamine Diack, who was a member of the International Olympic Committee when it awarded the Games to Tokyo and is the subject of corruption allegations being looked at by French investigators.

The son, Papa Massata Diack, also faces corruption allegations – which he denies.

A JOC panel has already cleared Japanese bidding officials of any illegal activity in the case, their 2016 report said the payment was a legitimate one for consulting services.

Mr Takeda is a veteran Olympics official who competed as a show jumper in 1972 and 1976.

He has been JOC president since 2001.

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The infant was nurtured in intensive care until he was released last week, two months after his due date.

He had grown to a weight of 3.2kg, and is now feeding normally.

Born at 24 weeks, the tiny boy spent five months in hospital.

“I can only say I’m happy that he has grown this big because honestly, I wasn’t sure he could survive,” the boy’s mother said, according to Tokyo’s Keio University Hospital.

Doctor Takeshi Arimitsu, who treated the extraordinary baby, told the BBC he was the smallest infant born (on record) to be discharged from a hospital, according to a database of the world’s littlest babies held by the University of Iowa.

He said he wanted to show that “there is a possibility that babies will be able to leave the hospital in good health, even though they are born small”.

The previous record-holder was a boy born in Germany, weighing 274g. The smallest surviving baby girl in that same database was also born in Germany, in 2015, and reportedly weighed 252g.

Keio University Hospital said the survival rate of babies born weighing less than a kilogram is about 90% in Japan. But for those born under 300g, that falls to around 50%.

Among the very smallest babies, the survival rate is much lower for boys than girls. Medical experts are unsure why, though some believe it could be linked to the slower development of male babies’ lungs.

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February 10, 2018, the unified Korean team took to the ice for the first time in Winter Olympics history

The latter could be problematic as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has declared North Korea as non-compliant with the WADA code.

What to expect from a second Trump-Kim summit

But, in a press release, the IOC said: “The IOC will explore the possibility with WADA and other parties of providing additional support to the National Olympic Committees (NOC) of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) to strengthen the fight against doping.

“The IOC has been advised by the two Korean NOCs and WADA that there is already an agreement in place with the China Anti-Doping Agency to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”

The IOC’s executive board will make a decision about Tokyo 2020 at its next meeting in Lausanne, held from March 26 to 28.

IOC President Thomas Bach said: “The discussions at the working meeting are one further step showing how sport can once more make a contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the world.

“We have a good foundation to build on and make further progress ahead of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. Sport will continue to build bridges and demonstrate the unifying power of the Olympic Games.

Therefore, we warmly welcome the historic initiative of the two Koreas to put forward a joint Korean candidature for the Olympic Games 2032.”

Do Jong-hwan, South Korea’s Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism, said his country would “continue to work closely” with the North on a joint bid, while Kim Il-guk, North Korea’s NOC President and Minister of Physical Culture and Sport, said he was “moved and excited.”

“I am very moved and excited by the prospect of bidding together with South Korea. We agree with the concepts put forward by South Korea, and ask for the support of President Bach and the IOC to jointly host the Olympic Games in Seoul and Pyongyang,” he said.

Last year’s Winter Olympics eased tensions on the peninsular. Two months after the 2018 Games, Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-in met for inter-Korean talks, the North Korean leader crossing into the South for the first time since the Korean war.

There were two further summits in 2018 between the leaders, with Moon becoming the first South Korean president since 2007 to travel North, and, in June 2018, a meeting was held between US President Donald Trump and Kim in Singapore. A second summit between Trump and Kim is planned for later this month.

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