Kyodo News Digest: April 30, 2022

The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News.

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U.S., Japan defense chiefs to meet Wed. to discuss Ukraine war, China

WASHINGTON – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will meet with his Japanese counterpart Nobuo Kishi on Wednesday in the United States to discuss Russia’s war in Ukraine and ways to beef up the bilateral alliance amid China’s growing assertiveness, according to the Pentagon.

The meeting will take place during Kishi’s trip to the United States from Tuesday to May 6, with North Korea’s missile and nuclear ambitions also to be broached, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told a press conference Friday.

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North Korea’s Kim vows pre-emptive use of nuclear weapons if threatened

BEIJING – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reiterated his intention to “pre-emptively” use the country’s nuclear weapons if the nation is threatened by what it regards as “hostile forces,” state-run media reported Saturday.

While praising top military officials who directed a vast military parade in Pyongyang earlier in the week, Kim was quoted by the official Korean Central News Agency as expressing his eagerness to continue developing nuclear weapons.

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FOCUS: Descendants of wartime Korean workers remember their past in new museum

UJI, Japan – Once declared to be squatters in a ruling by the nation’s top court, descendants of wartime Korean laborers in western Japan opened a museum Saturday, aiming to celebrate the civic collaboration that eventually secured their right of abode.

The Utoro Peace Memorial Museum, located in Kyoto Prefecture’s Uji, chronicles 77 years of struggle, starting with the first generation of Korean residents there who chose to stay in Japan at the end of World War II, partly because of the difficulties of returning to the Korean Peninsula. They had been involved in building an airfield when the war came to a close in 1945, but Japan’s defeat stopped construction.

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Japan’s Kitano gets lifetime achievement award at Italy film festival

TOKYO – Japanese film director Takeshi Kitano was honored Friday with a lifetime achievement award at the 24th Far East Film Festival in Italy for his contributions to the industry over more than 30 years.

Kitano, known by his stage name Beat Takeshi in Japan, was recognized with the Golden Mulberry Award for Lifetime Achievement for crafting “stories that were personal and universal, that amused and shocked and captivated audiences everywhere,” a presenter at the award ceremony said.

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Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hits 4th homer of season as Angels win 6th straight

CHICAGO – Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani blasted his fourth home run of the season Friday while batting cleanup for the first time since September 2020 as the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 5-1 for their sixth straight win.

The reigning American League MVP went deep in the first inning at Guaranteed Rate Field, blasting a high 3-1 fastball from Lucas Giolito (0-1) over the left-center-field wall for the Angels’ second solo shot after Taylor Ward led off with a homer.

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No safety flaws found so far in Fukushima water discharge plan: IAEA

TOKYO – The International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday Japan’s preparations for the planned discharge of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant are proceeding largely in line with relevant international safety standards.

The IAEA task force, consisting of independent and highly recognized experts with diverse technical backgrounds from various countries, is reviewing the safety of the plan to enhance transparency and gain international understanding amid neighboring China and South Korea expressing concerns.

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Japan, Indonesia confirm cooperation toward free, open Indo-Pacific

JAKARTA – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday confirmed to strengthen cooperation toward realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Widodo said Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations stand ready to build cooperation with their partners, and Kishida, who is on the first stop of his trip to Southeast Asia and Europe, underscored the importance of upholding the rules-based international order.

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Ethnic Korean singer hopes hometown’s changeover will spur inclusiveness

UJI, Japan – An ethnic Korean singer said Saturday she hopes the transformation of her hometown, from a site fighting decades of discrimination to a place promoting peace and human rights, will lead to Japanese society becoming more inclusive.

Chong Ami, who was a member of the major Japanese theater group Shiki Theatre Company for more than 10 years, sang Arirang during a ceremony marking the opening of a museum chronicling the history of her hometown Utoro.