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In this issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at Japan’s challenging start to 2024, and ahead to what might come next. Photo: Kyodo

Economy

Global Impact: Earthquake, plane collision not best start to year for Japan as it faces pressure at home and abroad

Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world
In this issue, we look back at Japan’s challenging start to 2024, and ahead to what might come next

Japan

Maria Siow

Published: 2:00pm, 15 Jan 2024

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Japan faced a stable of diplomatic, security and domestic challenges, even local domestic mishaps, as it wrapped up 2023 and headed towards 2024.

Amid growing tensions in the South China Sea, Japan strengthened maritime security cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) during the commemorative summit marking its 50th year of relations with the 10-member bloc.

Apart from separately boosting defence cooperation with the Philippines and Vietnam earlier, Japan also took part in an 11-day joint military exercise

with forces from the Philippines, United States and Britain to ensure “interoperability” in the event of a regional crisis.

01:26

Japan Airlines flight catches fire after apparent collision with another plane at Haneda airport

Last month, Tokyo approved a 16.5 per cent increase in its 2024 defence spending to a record US$55 billion, focusing on missile-strike capabilities, while lifting restrictions on the export of lethal weapons.

Last Sunday, during a visit to Kyiv, Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa pledged that Tokyo would support Ukraine to the tune of US$37 million for an advanced drone detection system and additional generators.

That amount is on top of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s pledge of US$4.5 billion to Ukraine last month, including US$1 billion in humanitarian aid to support recovery efforts.

The generous assistance drew consternation from the Japanese public, who fumed at what they called “completely crazy” aid to Ukraine especially in the immediate aftermath of the country’s deadly earthquake in central Japan.

02:31

Five killed after coastguard plane collides with Japan Airlines passenger jet at Haneda airport

Amid criticisms from regional countries over the discharge of Fukushima nuclear waste water into the ocean, Japan continues to call on its neighbours, including Hong Kong, to lift the ban on seafood imports from Japan.

At home, Japan ushered in a grim Christmas amid sharply rising prices for basic foodstuffs, with many choosing to forego traditional bonenkai, or end-of-year company parties.

The city of Sapporo is said to be on the brink of ending its campaign to host the Winter Olympic Games until at least 2042, due to public concerns that the cost would far exceed initial projections.

Amid the snowballing kickbacks scandals that has engulfed Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida’s popularity has dramatically plunged, with a survey by the Mainichi newspaper revealing that the “disapproval rate” was at a high of 79 per cent.

03:03

Woman in her 90s miraculously survives 5 days buried under Japan earthquake rubble

Then there was the devastating earthquake which hit Japan on New Year’s Day, killing over 160 and disappearing more than 100, with survivors describing the tremor as the most powerful and frightening they had ever felt.

A day after the quake, an airliner collided with a smaller coastguard plane at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. All 379 people miraculously escaped the Japan Airlines Airbus A350 which erupted into flames after the collision, but five of the six crew members from the coastguard plane, which was bound for the earthquake zone, died.

But it is not all doom and gloom.

Japan is said to have taken a significant step in the race to be the first country to have flying taxis serving its major cities following the signing of an agreement to develop take-off and landing infrastructure.

03:36

‘Just want my cats back’: Japanese craftsman looks for his cats in the ruins of earthquake

To ease the country’s labour shortage due to its ageing population, Japan has agreed to quadruple the number of Indonesian migrant workers, a move that is expected to bring in an additional 100,000 workers in the next five years.

Last month, Japan’s space probe entered the moon’s orbit in a major step towards the country’s first successful lunar landing – which is expected next week.

If successful, the touchdown would make Japan only the fifth country to have successfully landed a probe on the Moon, after the United States, Russia, China and India.

60-Second Catch-up

30 Hong Kong tourists feel minor tremors in Japan’s Toyama as 7.6-scale quake strikes neighbouring Ishikawa

Video: Woman in her 90s miraculously survives 5 days buried under Japan earthquake rubble

2 leading Hong Kong travel agents cancel or divert planned trips to Japan’s earthquake-hit Ishikawa

As Japan seeks ‘normal country’ status, its US Patriot missile deal, record defence budget rankle pacifists

Opinion: Why Asia largely backs Japan’s defence boost despite its ‘history of aggression’

Video: Five killed after coastguard plane collides with Japan Airlines passenger jet at Haneda airport

Video: Japan Airlines flight catches fire after apparent collision with another plane at Haneda airport

Japan PM Kishida’s support plunges amid stale ideas, LDP scandals: ‘he’s on autopilot’

Deep dives

Upgrade of Japan-Asean ties a ‘natural’ move amid growing Chinese influence

Tokyo is expected to seek a comprehensive strategic partnership with the Southeast Asian bloc at a time ‘China’s military power is set to increase’
Analysts say it is a ‘natural’ progression that will show what a ‘rules-based order’ can do to bring peace and stability in the region

Tokyo is expected to elevate ties with Asean at a coming summit marking the 50th anniversary of official partnership between Japan and the Southeast Asian bloc, in a bid to catch up with growing Chinese influence in the region.

The move is a “natural” effort, according to analysts, who added that by providing greater security, Japan would present the region with greater “options” and a buffer against Chinese interest “directed at” the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

‘Pretty frightening’: survivors recall experience of powerful Japan quake

Many described the magnitude-7.6 tremor, which left at least 48 dead and caused considerable destruction, as the biggest one they have ever felt
‘It was pretty frightening. But all we can hope for now is that the worst is over,’ said a resident of Toyama City

Survivors of the magnitude-7.6 earthquake that rocked large parts of central Japan on New Year’s Day have described the tremor as the most powerful and frightening they had ever felt.

“I’m 66 years old and that was the biggest quake that I have ever experienced,” said academic Yoichi Shimada, who lives in Fukui City, some 200km southwest of the epicentre of the temblor that struck on Monday evening and triggered a tsunami alert.

Japan urges vigilance as fake posts on earthquake put ‘more lives in danger’

One of the biggest concerns has been accounts posting fake calls to help rescue trapped individuals, potentially diverting help from other victims
The problem has been exacerbated by well-meaning social media users who pass the original inaccurate messages on, amplifying the lie and giving it legitimacy

The Japanese government is calling on the public not to be taken in by fake social media posts with inaccurate information about the earthquake that struck the central region on New Year’s Day, or fall for false appeals for financial help.

One of the biggest concerns has been accounts posting fake calls to help rescue individuals trapped beneath rubble, potentially diverting help from other victims. Given that the critical 72-hour window for rescuers to reach victims expired at 4pm on Thursday, every minute could mean the difference between life and death, officials have said.

For Kishida, new scandal over Tokyo Olympics comes when ‘he can ill afford it’

The accusations centre on unlimited funds for ‘gifts’ to win over members of the IOC who chose the host city for the Games
PM Fumio Kishida has ‘deniability’ as it occurred under Shinzo Abe, but allegations will ‘hurt him politically at a time when he can ill afford it’

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s waning popularity has taken another hit with new corruption allegations emerging this week over “secret funds” Tokyo had at its disposal that were allegedly used to sway the vote for Japan to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The accusations reportedly centre on unlimited funds for Tokyo to win over members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) who chose the host city for the Games, and that 20 million yen (US$135,000) was spent on photo albums for IOC individuals.

‘Completely crazy’: Japanese hit out at Ukraine aid as quake death toll rises

Criticism of Japan’s aid to Ukraine has intensified after the quake, reflecting a shift away from unconditional support for the besieged nation
But others remain adamant that Japan must remain a reliable international partner – in case it too needs help in the event of a military attack

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa’s surprise visit to Ukraine on Sunday saw her assure President Volodymyr Zelensky of Tokyo’s continued support in the war with Russia – but in her homeland there is a growing sense that the Japanese people are shifting away from unconditional backing for the besieged European nation.

Kamikawa’s visit, during which she promised Japan would provide Ukraine with US$37 million for an advanced drone-detection system and additional generators, was covered extensively by the Japanese media. It followed Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledging US$4.5 billion to Ukraine last month, including US$1 billion in humanitarian aid to support recovery efforts.

Global Impact is a weekly curated newsletter featuring a news topic originating in China with a significant macro impact for our newsreaders around the world.