Kyodo News Digest: July 16, 2022

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

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Japan aims to maintain stakes in Russia’s Sakhalin 2 energy project

TOKYO – Japan has decided to maintain its interests in the Sakhalin 2 oil and liquefied natural gas project in the Russian Far East, with the government coordinating with two Japanese stakeholders to that end, government sources said Saturday.

With the plan, Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. would keep 12.5 percent and 10 percent stakes, respectively, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signing of an order that sets up a new operating company to tighten its grip on the project.

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Biden hopes Saudi Arabia takes action over oil supplies within weeks

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he expects Saudi Arabia to take action to ensure the availability of adequate oil supplies following talks with the kingdom’s leader, while stressing he did not sidestep addressing the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Biden’s visit to the Middle East nation is taking place at a time when the major crude oil producer holds great sway as the United States struggles with high gasoline prices amid Russia’s war in Ukraine. The trip has also sparked controversy as critics warn the United States against compromising its position on Saudi Arabia’s human rights record.

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New S. Korea envoy arrives in Japan with mission to improve ties

TOKYO – New South Korean Ambassador to Japan Yun Duk Min arrived at his posting Saturday with a mission to improve bilateral ties that have soured over wartime labor and other issues stemming from Japan’s colonial rule of Korea.

Fluent in Japanese, Yun, 62, is a foreign policy expert who obtained his doctoral degree from Japan’s Keio University. He is expected to coordinate with Japan on behalf of his nation.

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Russia bans 384 Japan lawmakers’ entry in response to Japan sanctions

TOKYO – Russia has banned the entry of 384 Japanese lawmakers from the House of Representatives in retaliation for Japan’s sanctions against Russian lawmakers over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Former prime ministers Taro Aso and Yoshihide Suga are among those barred, the ministry said. The move came after Russia said on May 4 that it will ban indefinitely the entry of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and many high-ranking officials.

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G-20 finance chiefs unlikely to issue joint statement after talks

NUSA DUA, Indonesia – Finance chiefs from the Group of 20 major economies are unlikely to issue a joint statement as they wrap up a two-day meeting Saturday due to their rift over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati is expected to release a chair’s statement instead, which summarizes the meeting of the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors in Bali, Reuters news agency reported, citing two sources.

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U.S. OKs $108 mil. sale of tank parts, other aid to Taiwan

WASHINGTON – The State Department said Friday it has approved the sale of $108 million worth of spare and repair parts for tanks and other assistance to Taiwan, the latest U.S. move in support of the self-ruled democratic island that is facing pressure from China.

The sale will contribute to the “sustainment of the recipient’s vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems and logistical support items, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats,” an agency under the Defense Department said in a press release.

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Over 80% of university seniors in Japan secure job offers

TOKYO – A total of 83.3 percent of university seniors in Japan who are scheduled to graduate next March have secured job offers as of July 1, with the figure almost recovering to pre-pandemic levels, a recent survey found.

The online poll by Recruit Co., the operator of the Rikunabi job information website, found the rate climbed 2.8 percentage points from a year earlier, marking the second-highest after 85.1 percent was logged in 2019.

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Sumo: Mitakeumi forced to leave Nagoya meet after COVID case at stable

TOKYO – Demotion-threatened ozeki Mitakeumi was forced to pull out of the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament on Saturday after a positive COVID-19 case was reported at his Dewanoumi stable.

Mitakeumi needed a winning record of eight wins or more to stay at the sport’s second-highest rank but struggled at Dolphins Arena after going 2-4 in his first six days, due partly to a right shoulder injury he suffered at the Summer meet in May.