Some 15,000 people gathered in Hanoi at the shrine of the Vietnamese martyrs to celebrate the conclusion of a Holy Year marked by more than a thousand pilgrimages. Celebrations were also held in dioceses in mainland China. In Japan, Cardinal Kikuchi addressed the Church of Tokyo: "May the flame of hope never be extinguished.”
Japan is looking to the region with projects worth billion over five years. The Land of the Rising Sun's soft power policy in the area is strengthening. For Central Asians, the Japanese are ‘very reliable partners focused on practical results’. Key elements include human capital development, training and administrative programmes, technological standards and high-quality projects.
The Special Autonomous Region halted cultural initiatives following a diplomatic row between China and Japan. Chief Executive John Lee reiterated the need to support the central government's position. Although Hong Kongers have not scrapped trips to Japan, US President and Xi Jinping were caught up by the tensions today.
The governor of Niigata Prefecture approved the partial restart of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, marking a turning point in Japan's energy strategy, spearheaded by Sanae Takaichi’s government. The prime minister is also considering a revision of the country’s three historic non-nuclear principles, sparking outrage among survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
A meeting in Beijing between senior officials from the two foreign ministries failed to solve the heated dispute. The number of tourist cancellations over the weekend reaches early COVID-19 levels. Beijing is also putting pressure on Chinese students, who, faced with visa difficulties in the United States, increasingly opted for Japanese universities.
On the day celebrating the Jubilee of the Poor, a priest from the Diocese of Tokyo reflects on how he included the night-time “tent city” in St. Peter's Square in the Holy Year itinerary with a group of fellow countrymen. ‘An invitation not to judge, but to set out on a journey in our poverty together with others.’
