Stay updated with breaking news from Akira minami. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga speaks about his trip to the United States at the Upper House plenary session on April 21. (Koichi Ueda) Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s “trophy” from his brief trip to Washington immediately gathered rust after his return home. Commenting on an issue dominating the minds of the Japanese public, Suga told reporters on April 19 that Japan had secured enough doses of a COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate all eligible people by September. Under the central government’s definition, that would mean about 110 million people who are 16 or older. Suga said that in his 10-minute phone conversation with Pfizer Inc.’s CEO, Albert Bourla, on April 17, he asked the pharmaceutical company to provide additional vaccines to Japan. The prime minister quoted Bourla as replying that Pfizer “will pursue consultations in a rapid manner.” ....
Students argue against the revision bill to toughen Japan’s asylum system at a gathering in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on April 14. (Ryuichi Kitano) Opposition lawmakers joined international criticism of a revision bill that would make it easier for the government to deport foreigners who are illegally staying in Japan, including those seeking asylum. “It could endanger their lives if they were deported based on a mistaken judgment,” Tomohiro Yara, a member of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, said at the Lower House plenary session on April 16. Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa, however, underlined the urgency and significance of amending the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law. ....