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【バンコク時事】タイの首都バンコクで昨年末に起きた火災で重傷を負って病院に搬送された日本人2人のうち1人が死亡したことが1日、分かった。 One of the two Japanese who were taken to hospital after being seriously injured in a fire in Bangkok late last year died, officials of the Japanese Embassy in the Thai capital said Wednesday.
One of the two Japanese who were taken to hospital after being seriously injured in a fire in Bangkok late last year died, officials of the Japanese Embassy in the Thai capital said Wednesday.
トルコ西部アフヨンカラヒサルで横転した観光バス、17日【イスタンブール時事】トルコ西部で17日に日本人観光客らが乗った大型バスが横転した事故で、現地の病院で治療を受けていた乗客の日本人男性1人が24日に死亡した。 A Japanese man died Thursday following a bus accident in western Turkey on Oct. 17, officials at the Japanese Embassy in Ankara said Friday.
A Japanese man died Thursday following a bus accident in western Turkey on Oct. 17, officials at the Japanese Embassy in Ankara said Friday.
【ニューデリー時事】在パキスタン日本大使館によると27日、パキスタン北部カラコルム山脈にあるK2で30代と40代の日本人男性2人が滑落した。 Two male Japanese climbers fell from K2, the second-highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest, on Saturday, according to the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
Two male Japanese climbers fell from K2, the second-highest mountain in the world after Mount Everest, on Saturday, according to the Japanese Embassy in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan.
城崎勉受刑者1986年にインドネシアの日本大使館に迫撃弾が撃ち込まれた「ジャカルタ事件」で、殺人未遂などの罪で服役中だった元日本赤軍メンバー、城崎勉受刑者が死亡したことが21日、関係者への取材で分かった。 Former Japanese Red Army member Tsutomu Shirosaki died while serving his sentence for his involvement in the 1986 terrorist attack on the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta, informed sources said Sunday. He was 76.
Former Japanese Red Army member Tsutomu Shirosaki died while serving his sentence for his involvement in the 1986 terrorist attack on the Japanese Embassy in Jakarta, informed sources said Sunday. He was 76.
日本人の母子が襲撃されたとみられるバス停、25日、中国江蘇省蘇州市【蘇州時事】中国江蘇省蘇州市で日本人の母子が中国人とみられる男に刃物で襲われ負傷した事件を受け、北京の日本大使館は24日深夜、在留邦人に対し、外出時は身の安全に注意を払うよう呼び掛ける情報を発信した。 The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned Japanese nationals to be on alert following a knife attack Monday against a Japanese mother and her child by an apparent Chinese man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing has warned Japanese nationals to be on alert following a knife attack Monday against a Japanese mother and her child by an apparent Chinese man in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.
The Japanese Embassy in Pakistan has identified a body found on Spantik peak in the country's northern region as a Japanese man in his 50s.
【ニューデリー時事】在パキスタン日本大使館は19日、北部ギルギット・バルティスタン地域にあるスパンティーク峰で見つかった遺体について、行方不明の50代の日本人男性と確認したと明らかにした。 The Japanese Embassy in Pakistan has identified a body found on Spantik peak in the country's northern region as a Japanese man in his 50s.
Over the years I have had the incredible pleasure of emceeing the Embassy Chef Challenge, and with that came the ability to chat with embassy chefs, ambassadors, their families, and attache's. You may remember during the last round, I went to several of the embassies and cooked with their chefs. Oh my goodness it was so much fun, I learned so much, and it gave me the opportunity to share their histories, culture, and of course, cuisine! If you don't know, Events DC's Embassy Chef Challenge is a gathering of embassy chefs from around the world, showcasing the flavors of their home countries in this delicious culinary competition. And the chefs take it seriously! This experience is so DC … in fact DC is truly the only place in the country where an event like this can be executed with such dramatic flair! Mark your calendars for March 7th! Now… where am I? I'm in the Cuban Embassy. Isn't that amazing? For so long this gorgeous building was not utilized or accessible because of the relations between our two countries. But in 2015 that all changed — I mean isn't this what it is all about? Maintaining diplomatic relations with others? Now, I understand that there is a Hemingway bar in here — so you know we are going to get all into it. AND, I am so delighted to reestablish my relations with Jinhee Kim - Chief Creative Officer for Events DC - and create a new relationship with David Ramírez - Cultural Attache for the Embassy of Cuba. So, normally at this part of the show I take you on my culinary tour of where I have been eating this past week — and your girl has been out, so I'm not going to get all into it — because I have some very special guests sitting here with me — But just a quick list! -The New La Bonne Vache in Gtown — get on line! -The New Aventino in Bethesda — make your rez now -Cork celebrated their sweet 16 -Gravitas & Kappo did a collab dinner -The Emperor's birthday at the Japanese Embassy See that fits — Tuesday I'm at the Japanese Embassy and today, I'm here at the Cuban Embassy. Quotes "Help amplify the message you all want to convey, utilizing shared experiences rather than transactions."- Jinhee Kim "Our primary objective is to focus on increased engagement and diplomatic ties through cultural connections and bridges."- David Ramírez "Culinary diplomacy is at the core of embassy practices, where food, art, and music act as universal languages."- Jinhee Kim Chapters 00:00 - Introduction 00:37 - Embassies Exhibit Culture and Cuisine in Washington, DC 04:00 - Insights from Cuban Embassy's Cultural Attaché 09:22 - Cultural Engagement's Role in Diplomatic Relations 12:44 - Inquiry on Architectural Elegance Sparks Enthusiasm 13:10 - Diplomatic Shifts: Repurposing of the Cuban Embassy Building 15:21 - Former Apple Executive Leads DC's Event Scene 18:20 - Embassy Chef Challenge: Uniting Food, Culture, and Pride 21:13 - Bridging DC's International Community Beyond Language Barriers 24:21 - Rome's Enduring Historical Connections with Cuba 28:08 - Dynamic Embassy Events Fuel Engagement in DC 30:36 - Exploring Cultural Heritage Across City Neighborhoods 34:32 - Conclusion Guests Social Media Links: Jinhee Kim and David Ramirez Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/embacubaus/ Website: https://misiones.cubaminrex.cu/es/eeuu/ Featuring Nycci Nellis https://www.instagram.com/nyccinellis/ https://www.thelistareyouonit.com/ Produced by Heartcast Media http://www.heartcastmedia.com
GoodActor #CarlWeathers peacefully died in his home last week, according to his family, he leaves a great legacy behind that started with his appearance in the Rocky films. BadThe 2026 FIFA World Cup Final will be held in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. #FIFA requires all their matches to be played on natural grass, so officials are having to change from turf to grass. USA fans warned fans from other countries about how dangerous #MetLife stadium is because of how many NFL players that have had season-ending injuries. Dumb Patrick Mahomes father was arrested for a 3rd time with DWI charges, and is potentially facing up to 2-10 years in prison. People were upset that #TravisKelce was not at the #Grammys with #TaylorSwift; it was impossible for Travis to attend as #SuperBowl week starts today and he has requirements to fulfil. The Japanese Embassy insured #TaylorSwift fans that she should and would make it to the #SuperBowl in time to support #TravisKelce; Swift is performing in Japan this week.
Super Bowl Build Up: Jeff Murphys's 49ers are headed to the BIG GAME! Taylor Swift is headed to the BIG GAME! Las Vegas is ready for BIG tailgate events and professional athletes to descend upon us and commit many crimes. Perfect Society: We theorize a perfect society where prisoners are paid at least $2.50 an hour for every hour of every day. Or you get paid a dollar for every mile per hour you are going during the crime. Trust us, it makes sense. Beloved People: Tom Hanks was beloved until the rubble rousers slowly got louder and now there are crazy accusations. Who is the next beloved person that they want to take down!? KEANU REEVES? LET'S JUST TALK!, BOOGIE NIGHTS!, DON CHEADLE!, BOOPAC BLESS!, YOUTUBE!, KICK!, TWITCH!?, JEFF MURPHY!, CONGRATULATIONS!, SUPER BOWL!, SUPER BOWL SONG!, YOU KNOW WE GOIN WIN THAT BOWL!, CHIEFS!, KANSAS CITY!, PATREON!, HYPE VIDEOS!, PARODY SONGS!, VIRAL!, PATRICK MAHOMES!, HATE!, GOAT!, COMPLAIN!, ANNOYING!, TRAVIS KELCE!, BACKLASH!, TOM BRADY!, TAMPA BAY!, TOKYO!, JAPANESE EMBASSY!, USHER!, OUTRAGE!, MICHAEL JACKSON!, VANILLA FROSTY!, EMINEM!, DETROIT LIONS!, SWAG SURFIN'!, LOCAL!, TAILGATING!, GUY FIERI!, ROB GRONKOWSKI!, LAS VEGAS EVENTS!, ALLEGIANT STADIUM!, TJ LAVIN!, HENRY RUGGS III!, SPEEDING!, ACCIDENT!, VEHICULAR MANSLAUGHTER!, DUI!, 156MPH!, BLOOD ALCOHOL!, $2.50 AN HOUR!, NEVADA PRISON CAMP!, PAID EVERY HOUR!, CAN'T GO HOME!, STILL AT WORK!, INFINITE MONEY GLITCH!, BEES!, CANDYMAN!, GREEN MILE!, TEXAS!, LETHAL INJECTION!, NEW DEATH PENALTY!, URBAN LEGEND!, FREE TO GO!, LEAVE!, LOOPHOLES!, A DOLLAR PER MILE AN HOUR!, $156 DOLLARS AN HOUR!, HOMELESS!, HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS!, HIGH SPEED CRIMES!, PERFECT SOCIETY!, JERK OFF!, BULLET TRAIN!, MURDER!, MANNING BROTHERS!, COMMENTARY!, TOM BRADY!, FOX SPORTS!, ANNOUNCER!, COMEDY!, JOHN HAMM!, NETFLIX STAND UP!, DUSTY SLAY!, DAVID CROSS IN A WIG!, FAKE COMEDIAN CHARACTER!, DISHWASHER!, WORKIN' MAN!, JOBS!, NATE BARGATZE!, JACQUELINE NOVAK!, OPEN MIC!, GOOD OL BOY!, NORMIE!, FAMILY HUMOR!, SOUTH!, CLEAN COMEDY!, BRIAN REGAN!, JIM GAFFIGAN!, GET ON YOUR KNEES!, NATASHA LYONNE!, EARLY LIFE!, DONNIE DARKO!, RICHARD KELLY!, DIRECTOR'S CUT!, RUINED!, THE BOX!, SOUTHLAND TALES!, THE WORST!, TOM HANKS!, ACCUSATIONS!, UNIVERSALLY LOVED!, RUBBLE ROUSERS!, ALLEGATIONS!, KEANU REEVES!, WHO IS BELOVED!?, CHRISTOPHER NOLAN!, JORDAN PEELE!, WRESTLING!, VINCE MCMAHON ACCUSATIONS!, TRIPLE H!, MARK!, NICKNAME!, SHAWN MICHAELS!, PAUL LEVESQUE!, MICHAEL HICKENBOTTOM!, ATTITUDE ERA!, THE ROCK!, RETURN!, WRESTLEMANIA 40!, ROMAN REIGNS!, CODY RHODES!, TKO BOARD!, ROYAL RUMBLE!, NXT!, TATUM PAXLEY!, GAMETIME!, FEE!, CHARGE FOR INTERVIEW!, $500 DOLLARS!, GIFT CARD! You can find the videos from this episode at our Discord RIGHT HERE!
外務省、東京都千代田区【北京時事】反スパイ法違反容疑で中国当局に拘束されたアステラス製薬の日本人男性に在中国日本大使館が初めて対面での領事面会をしたことが21日、分かった。 The Japanese Embassy in Beijing made its first consular visit in person to a Japanese man detained by Chinese authorities for allegedly violating the anti-spying law, it was learned Friday.
The Japanese Embassy in Beijing made its first consular visit in person to a Japanese man detained by Chinese authorities for allegedly violating the anti-spying law, it was learned Friday.
The Knitting Nannas were outside Forestry NSW demanding an end to the destruction of our forests that provide ecosystem services and species. They also offer some caring advice and hope to young people. In Canberra, outside the Japanese Embassy more Nannas, climate and forest defence groups ask the Japanese government to reconsider its green transition strategy as it means burning more of our forests, coal and gas. Petition to End Native Forest Logging in Australia: 20,000 signatures needed by July 1st, 2023End Native Forest Logging Now - Bob Brown Foundation Music: Morning in the Australian Bush: Andrew Keoch and Sarah Koschak Green Odyssey: Pierre Perez-Vergara Links: Knitting Nannas – Saving the land, air and water for the kiddies (knitting-nannas.com) Coastwatchers See Facebook : Knitting Nannas for Native Forests - South Coast Loop Knitting Nannas in the MUD Birdlife Shoalhaven, Treading Lightly Inc, Knitting Nannas for Native Forests - South Coast Loop, Brooman State Forest Conservation Group, Knitting Nannas Against Gas Manyana Move Beyond Coal Canberra Canberra Forest Alliance Earth Matters #1406 was produced by Bec Horridge
A message from the Deputy Executive Director at Friends of the Earth Japan, Ayumi Fukakusa (pictured) was read out to those at a Bourke St, Melbourne protest staged out the front of the Japanese Embassy. The Melbourne protest was organised by that city's Friends of the Earth. Ms Fukakusa's message, delivered at similar protests all around the world said: "Japan is one of the top financier of fossil fuel projects. Japan uses public money to support destructive projects. Back in April, the G7 Ministers' Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Sapporo. The joint communiqué included a commitment to achieving a decarbonized power sector by 2035, as in the previous year. It also noted that accelerating the transition to “clean energy" is the key to energy security, and that the phase-out of unabated fossil fuels must be accelerated. This statement is an indication of the international community's strong sense of urgency regarding the need to strengthen measures in the face of the accelerating climate crisis. On the other hand, Japan's backward-looking stance was conspicuous among the G7 members, as it opposed the inclusion of a deadline for phase-out of coal-fired power generation and insisted that gas be maintained as a “bridge fuel” in the shift to clean energy. "The promotion of an international “Green Transformation" was clearly stated in the Ministers' Meeting's Joint Communique. It needs to be emphasised that Japan's “Green Transformation” is full of “misguided climate change measures" that have uncertain carbon reduction effects and are not consistent with the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, such as building or extending the operation of nuclear power plants, extending the life of thermal power generation through co-firing of hydrogen, ammonia, and biomass or CCS. Fuel sources and technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia, and CCS, have yet to be proven for practical application and commercialization, and their emission reduction effects and economics are questionable, which will delay real measures from being implemented, and these technologies will not be ready in time for 2035. Although hydrogen and ammonia are mentioned in the joint statement as low-carbon technologies, various conditions are attached to their development and use, including the need to be able to demonstrate emission-reducing effects and consistency with the 1.5°C target. "It is very important for us that you all from Australia to put pressure on the Japanese government and Japanese corporations that are still running fossil fuel projects in Asia and Australia by holding a protest and showing solidarity during the G7 summit. We need to strengthen our international cooperation to make Japan completely withdraw from all of their fossil fuel projects and financial supports. Not only during the G7 summit, let's continue to focus on amplifying the voices of people throughout the world, especially from Asia where many Japanese fossil fuel projects are ongoing despite the severe impacts of climate change in the region, against the Japanese government and Japanese corporations." --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/robert-mclean/message
Hasekura Rokuemon Tsunenaga was a samurai who led a diplomatic delegation to New Spain, Spain and Rome in the 17th century. But many of the Japanese records about their mission were lost or destroyed after they returned. Research: Carl, Katy. “Aiming for Japan and Getting Heaven Thrown In.” Genealogies of Modernity. 12/2/2020. https://genealogiesofmodernity.org/journal/2020/11/25/scales-of-value-shusaku-endos-the-samurai Christensen, Thomas. “1616: The World in Motion.” Counterpoint. 2012. https://archive.org/details/1616worldinmotio0000chri/ Corradini, Piero. “Some Problems concerning Hasekura Tsunenaga's Embassy to the Pope." From Rethinking Japan Vol. 2. Routledge. 1995. Frederic, Louis. “Japan Encyclopedia.” Translated by Käthe Roth. 2002. https://archive.org/details/japanencyclopedi0000loui/mode/1up Fujikawa, Mayu. “Pope Paul V's global design.” Renaissance Studies, APRIL 2016, Vol. 30, No. 2 (APRIL 2016). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26618847 Gessel, Van C. “Historical Background.” From The Samurai by Shusaku Endo. Gutierrez, Ed. “Samurai in Spain.” Japan Quarterly, Jan. 1, 2000. Jones, Josh. “The 17th Century Japanese Samurai Who Sailed to Europe, Met the Pope & Became a Roman Citizen.” Open Culture. 11/29/2021. https://www.openculture.com/2021/11/the-17th-century-japanese-samurai-who-sailed-to-europe-met-the-pope-became-a-roman-citizen.html Kamens, Edward. “'The Tale of Genji' and ‘Yashima' Screens in Local and Global Contexts.” Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin , 2007, Japanese Art at Yale (2007). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40514681 KCP International. “Hasekura Tsunenaga and his Travels.” KCP International Japanese Language School. 9/6/2017. https://www.kcpinternational.com/2017/09/hasekura-tsunenaga-and-his-travels/ Lee, Christina H. “The Perception of the Japanese in Early Modern Spain: Not Quite ‘The Best People Yet Discovered'.” eHumanista: Volume 11, 2008. Massarella, Derek. “The Japanese Embassy to Europe (1582–1590).” The Japanese Embassy to Europe (1582–1590). February 2013. https://www.hakluyt.com/downloadable_files/Journal/Massarella.pdf Mathes, W. Michael. “A Quarter Century of Trans-Pacific Diplomacy: New Spain and Japan, 1592-1617.” Journal of Asian History , 1990, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1990). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41925377 Musillo, Marco. “The Borghese papacy's reception of a samurai delegation and its fresco image at Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome.” From Western visions of the Far East in a transpacific age, 1522-1657. Ashgate, 2012. Pasciuto, Greg. “Hasekura Tsunenaga: The Adventures of a Christian Samurai.” The Collector. 12/7/2022. https://www.thecollector.com/hasekura-tsunenaga-christian-samurai/ Sanabrais, Sofia. “'Spaniards of Asia': The Japanese Presence in Colonial Mexico.” Bulletin of Portuguese Japanese Studies. 2009, 18/19. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/361/36129851009.pdf Shigemi, Inaga. “Japanese Encounters with Latin America and Iberian Catholicism (1549–1973): Some Thoughts on Language, Imperialism, Identity Formation, and Comparative Research.” The Comparatist, Vol. 32 (MAY 2008). Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26237176 Strusiewicz, Cezary Jan. “The Samurai Who Met the Pope.” Tokyo Weekender. 4/26/2021. https://www.tokyoweekender.com/art_and_culture/japanese-culture/the-samurai-who-met-the-pope/ Theroux, Marcel. “The samurai who charmed the courts of Europe.” The Guardian. 6/7/2020. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2020/jun/07/hasekura-rokuemon-tsunenaga-japan-samurai-charmed-courts-europe Tucci, Giuseppe. “Japanese Ambassadors as Roman Patricians.” East and West , JULY 1951, Vol. 2, No. 2. Via JSTOR. https://www.jstor.org/stable/29757935 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome manga creator Edward Welch to unpack the story that is his journey from British Museum to full-time manga creator. Edward is the 2021 winner of the Japanese Embassy's Manga Jiman competition and gives us his perspective on finding your way as an independent comic creator. We talk about how he has used his academic background in history and experiences from other industries to power the work he does today. We also get into the manga Edward is reading...and why keeping dinosaurs in Zoo doesn't always end in disaster! Show notes: https://mayamada.com/story-x-story-136-edward-welch/
About the Lecture America can escape “forever” wars, but it cannot escape “forever” debates about American foreign policy. The debate today about Ukraine reflects four time-tested ways of thinking about America's role in the world. Nationalists urge America to stay out of Ukraine and conflicts in general outside the western hemisphere. Realists, now called Restrainers, envision a “frozen conflict” or status quo outcome that splits the difference between western and Russian/ Chinese interests in Ukraine and Taiwan. Liberal internationalists appeal to diplomacy and the Minsk process to reach a cease fire, demilitarization and gradual settlement of disputes through peaceful processes and institutions. Finally, conservative internationalists address the conflict in ideological terms, authoritarian versus democratic governments, and insist that freedom “wins” in Ukraine and Taiwan through a Cold War process of balancing power and eventual negotiations that tilt toward freedom. About the Speaker Henry R. Nau is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University. He holds a B.S. degree in Economics, Politics and Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He taught at Williams College (1971-73) and George Washington University (1973-2019) and as visiting professor at Columbia University, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins SAIS. His books include Conservative Internationalism: Armed Diplomacy Under Jefferson, Polk, Truman, and Reagan (Princeton 2013, paperback with new preface 2015); The Myth of America's Decline (Oxford 1990, paperback with new preface 1991); At Home Abroad (Cornell 2002); and Perspectives on International Relations (Sage 2021, 7th edition 2021). His latest articles include “Why Reagan Matters,” The National Review, July 10, 2022; “Why Nation-Building is Inevitable,” Providence, August 31, 2021; and “What Trump Gets Right about U.S. Foreign Policy,” The National Interest, April 30, 2020. From January 1981 to July 1983, he served on President Reagan's National Security Council as senior staff member and White House sherpa for the Annual G-7 Economic Summits at Ottawa (1981), Versailles (1982), Williamsburg (1983) and a special summit with developing countries at Cancun, Mexico (1982). Dr. Nau also served, in 1975-1977, as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs in the Department of State and, from 1963-65, as Lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. From 1989-2016 he directed the U.S.-Japan-South Korea Legislative Exchange Program bringing together semiannually legislators from the U.S. Congress, Japanese Diet and South Korean National Assembly, the only forum for regular off the record political discussions among these three major Asia allies. In recognition of this Program, the Japanese Government awarded Professor Nau The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, presented by the Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the United States, Kenichiro Sasae, at the Japanese Embassy, September 29, 2016. Learn more about IWP graduate programs: www.iwp.edu/academic-programs/ Make a gift to IWP: interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/Web…31090&id=18
【図解】ソロモン諸島南太平洋の島国ソロモン諸島で8日、日米の激戦となった「ガダルカナル島の戦い」から80年の慰霊式に出席していた海上自衛隊員1人が、刃物とみられる凶器で襲われた。 A member of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force was attacked Monday in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese Embassy in the South Pacific island country said.
A member of Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force was attacked Monday in the Solomon Islands, the Japanese Embassy in the South Pacific island country said.
Vocabulary せんきょ senkyo: election にほんたいしかん nihon taishikan: Japanese Embassy きもちがよかった kimoti ga yokatta : It was feeling good にぎやか nigiyaka: lively かんこうきゃく kankoo kyaku: tourist とうひょう toohyoo: vote
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it will be picketing the Japanese Embassy in Pretoria on Friday. The union intends to hand over a memorandum of demands regarding a “number of grievances” against Nissan's management in South Africa. Included in the list of demands is clarity on what Numsa says is the Japanese car maker's failure to engage the union on its electric vehicle (EV) ambitions, and transparency on the future of the South African plant. “ . . . Some workers are likely to be displaced because the new {EV] technology is not labour intensive,” says Numsa in a statement. “Workers want to know what the plans are and whether they will be trained and upskilled to adjust to the new technology. “There are also plans to terminate at least 150 fixed-term contracts at the plant, and rumours that the Nissan plant [in Pretoria] will be moved to Egypt, thus threatening the livelihoods of over 1 200 workers.” Nissan Ambition 2030 will see the car maker accelerate the electrification of its vehicle line-up with investments of 2-trillion yen over the next five years. Nissan says it will introduce 23 new electrified models, including 15 new EVs by fiscal year 2030, aiming for an electrification mix of more than 50% globally across the Nissan and Infiniti brands. Nissan SA last year started production of the Nissan Navara pickup for the local and selected export markets. Production at the plant reached just more than 22 500 units last year. Some Contracts Coming to an End, Says Nissan SA Nissan SA says it is incorrect that “150 workers have been released”. The company notes, however, that there are a number of fixed-term contractors in its manufacturing operations whose fixed-term contracts have come to an end. “Resourcing needs are currently being reviewed, taking into account operational requirements, along with micro- and macro-factors, such as semi-conductor availability.” The global auto industry has been battling a shortage of computer-chips since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nissan SA says it “remains committed to maintaining open engagements with Numsa and key stakeholders in order to find mutually beneficial resolutions”. The local arm of the Japanese manufacturer also denies that it is shutting its doors. “Africa has been identified as the last frontier of automotive growth and, to this end, Nissan has expansion plans across the continent. “This is evidenced by the recent R3-billion investment into the South African manufacturing plant and skills development of employees to locally manufacture the new Nissan Navara. “With a six-decade legacy of producing light commercial vehicles, the strategic goal is to establish Nissan's South Africa operation to be the continental light commercial vehicle hub.” It also does not seem as if Nissan's Rosslyn plant will soon produce EVs. “Our Rosslyn facility's primary strategic role in our broader global business is focused on continuing to manufacture LCVs for the African market,” says Nissan SA. “The future of the EV ecosystem in South Africa, including supply and demand, is currently at policy formulating phase. Key stakeholders . . . are actively co-creating the country's EV policy. Ultimately, it will be policy that guides [vehicle manufacturer] activity moving forward.”
In March 2011, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and then a massive tsunami struck Japan's Tohoku region along the northeast coast. Near-total devastation and more than 20,000 deaths, Wiping out most of its food production it had forced the Japanese to reimagine the framework of the local economy, and it's responding with surprising economic vigor thanks to new approaches to farming and fishing. Here in the US, the Japanese Embassy works to connect & educate US chefs and consumers on Tohoku's farmers and fishermen. On the next Industry Night, Ryo Tsuzukihashi, Agriculture attaché at the Embassy of Japan, and Misaki Tanida, of Horaiya Honten Join Nycci to discuss how the region literally is rising from ashes. Tuesdays at 7pm on Real Fun DC.
Hello and Welcome back to Our Japan Podcast. Today our hosts Roza and Kiyoshi talk about the changes your personality can take when you speak Japanese versus when you don't. They talk about the HBO show Tokyo Vice, Americanness, problems at the Japanese Embassy, and how to properly slurp ramen. Only the best advice from the best purveyors of Japanese culture. THE JAPANESE WORD OF THE EPISODE: Seikaku (せいかく, 性格) = PERSONALITY Ourjapanpodcast@gmail.com for all of your questions and comments which may be read on the podcast. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ourjapanpodcast/support
Frank Griffin Jr, the grandson of the original Invisible Man, runs a print shop in Manhattan under the assumed name of Frank Raymond (Jon Hall). One evening, he is confronted in his shop by four armed men who reveal that they are foreign agents working for the Axis powers and they know his true identity. One of the men, Conrad Stauffer (Cedric Hardwicke), is a lieutenant general of the S.S., while a second, Baron Ikito (Peter Lorre), is Japanese. They offer to pay for the invisibility formula and threaten amputation of his fingers if it is not revealed. Griffin manages to escape with the formula. Griffin is reluctant to release the formula to the U.S. government officials, but following the Attack on Pearl Harbor agrees to limited cooperation (the condition being that the formula can only be used on himself). Later, while in-flight to be parachuted behind German lines on a secret mission, he injects himself with the serum, becoming invisible as he is parachuting down, to the shock and confusion of the German troops tracking his descent, and after landing strips off all of his clothing. Despite walking into Stauffer's trap, Griffin manages to obtain the list of agents, and start a fire to cover his escape. Griffin takes the list of agents to Arnold Schmidt for transmission to England. Conrad Stauffer tries to hide the loss of the list from the prying Baron Ikito, who has been staying at the local Japanese Embassy. When Stauffer refuses to answer Ikito's questions, the two confess to each other that German and Japanese cooperation is not one of trust. Without revealing their plans to each other, both men start separate hunts for the Invisible Agent.Griffin steals into a German prison to obtain information from Karl Heiser about a planned German attack on New York City. Griffin returns with Heiser to Schmidt, who in the meantime has been arrested and tortured by Stauffer. Heiser escapes detection and attempts to save his life and career by phoning in Ikito's activities to Stauffer. Griffin and Sorensen are taken to the Japanese embassy, but manage to escape during the mayhem that ensues when Stauffer's men arrive. For their joint failure to safeguard the list of Axis agents, Ikito kills Stauffer and then performs seppuku, ritual suicide, as Heiser watches from the shadows. Assuming command, Heiser arrives too late to the local air base to stop Griffin and Sorenson from escaping. The couple acquires one of the bombers slated for the New York attack, and destroy other German planes on the ground as they fly to England. Stauffer's loyal men catch up with Karl Heiser and he is shot. Griffin succumbs to his injuries before he can radio ahead. England's air defense shoots down their craft, but not before Sorenson parachutes them to safety. Later, in a hospital, Griffin has recovered and is wearing facial cream so that he can be visible again. Sorenson appears with Griffin's American handler, who vouches for Sorenson that she has been an Allied double-agent all along. Sorenson is left alone with Griffin. Griffin reveals that he is actually visible under the facial cream, and they kiss. Sorenson happily accepts the challenge of discovering how Griffin regained his visibility.
In this episode of the National Security Podcast, the third instalment of our special three-part Indo-Pacific Futures series, we explore two key geoeconomics trends in the region.In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we look at the rise of geoeconomics and what it means for the future of regional security. In particular, the program explores supply chain security and economic decoupling as two key geoeconomic trends in the Indo-Pacific and consider how they might play out in coming decades. Economists, strategic thinkers, researchers, and people with policy-making experience join us to define these issues, help us think about what they look like today, and discuss where they may go in years to come.Dr Jeffrey Wilson is the Research Director at the Perth USAsia Centre.Dr Xue Gong is Assistant Professor in the China Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.Helen Mitchell is a Sir Roland Wilson PhD Scholar at The Australian National University (ANU).Roland Rajah is the Lead Economist and Director of the International Economics Program at the Lowy Institute.Dr Benjamin Herscovitch is a Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance.Dr Dirk van der Kley is a Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance and the ANU National Security College.Dr Alicia García Herrero is the Chief Economist for the Asia Pacific at Natixis and a Senior Fellow at the European think-tank Bruegel.Dr Misato Matsuoka is Associate Professor in the Department of Language Studies at Teikyo University, Japan.This mini-series forms part of the Indo-Pacific Futures Project underway at ANU National Security College. The project, which explores the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, offers a range of analysis and ideas, all of which is available on the Futures Hub website. Don't miss the first and second episodes of this mini-series.The Indo-Pacific Futures Project receives support from the Japanese Embassy in Australia. ANU National Security College is independent in its activities, research, and editorial judgment and does not take institutional positions on policy issues. Accordingly, the author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this publication, which should not be taken as reflecting the views of any government or organisation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
In this episode of the National Security Podcast, the second instalment of our special three-part series looking at key trends influencing the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific, we consider the technologies that have become critical to national security and how they're going to shape the region over the coming decades.Technology has been part of human life since shale was shaped to cut animal hide. Things have come a long way since stone was the leading edge of innovation. In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we speak to a number of scientists, researchers, strategic thinkers and analysts to find out what technologies they are working on and the ones that they think could plausibly influence the future strategic landscape.Jennifer Jackett is a Sir Roland Wilson Scholar in the National Security College at The Australian National University.Professor Claudia Vickers is leads the Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).Dr Amy Parker is Vice-President of Earth Observation Australia.Dr Sue Keay is Chief Executive Officer of the Queensland AI Hub and Chair of Robotics Australia.Dr Atsushi Sunami is the President of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.Michael O'Hanlon is Director of Research for Foreign Policy and Co-Director of the Center for Security, Strategy, and Technology at the Brookings Institution.Elsa Kania is Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Centre for a New American Security.Chris Farnham is the Senior Outreach and Policy Officer at the ANU National Security College.This mini-series forms part of the Indo-Pacific Futures Project underway at ANU National Security College. This project, which explores the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, offers a range of analysis and ideas, all of which is available on the Futures Hub website. In the rest of this series, experts from across the national security community will interrogate the future of the Indo-Pacific strategic landscape, evaluate the influence of critical technology on the region, and examine the rise of geoeconomics as a feature of great power competition. Don't miss the first episode of the series.The Indo-Pacific Futures Project receives support from the Japanese Embassy in Australia. ANU National Security College is independent in its activities, research, and editorial judgment and does not take institutional positions on policy issues. Accordingly, the author is solely responsible for the views expressed in this publication, which should not be taken as reflecting the views of any government or organisation.We'd love to hear your feedback for this podcast series! Send in your questions, comments, or suggestions for future episodes to podcast@policyforum.net. You can also Tweet us @APPSPolicyForum or find us on Facebook. The National Security Podcast and Policy Forum Pod are available on
In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we bring you the first of a special three-part series looking at key trends influencing the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific. This episode unpacks two competing trends that are shaping the regional order: the rise of grey zone and hybrid threats, and the emergence of ‘minilateralism'.Grey zone and hybrid threats have been rising in prominence as tools used by authoritarian states as they attempt to reshape the regional order. But what are they, who are they being used against, and how they are likely to evolve in coming years? And with minilateralism emerging as a preferred format for states to meet the challenges of great power competition, how might diplomacy evolve to match the shifting security landscape of the coming decade? In this episode of the National Security Podcast, we ask how these trends intersect and whether minilateralism is an effective tool to deal with grey zone and hybrid threats.Professor Sascha Bachmann is a Professor in Law at Canberra Law School and co-convener of the National Security Hub at the University of Canberra. He is also a Research Fellow at the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa at Stellenbosch University.Elisabeth Braw is a Resident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute where she focuses on defense against emerging national security challenges, such as hybrid and grey zone threats.Professor Akiko Fukushima is a Senior Fellow at the Tokyo Foundation for Policy Research. She has previously held roles as Director of Policy Studies at the National Institute for Research Advancement and as Senior Fellow at the Japan Foundation.Dr Frank Hoffman is a Distinguished Research Fellow at the National Defense University's Center for Strategic Research.Professor Takashi Shiraishi is Chancellor of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto and Professor Emeritus at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.Abhijit Singh is a Senior Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, where he heads the Maritime Policy Initiative.Dr Sarah Teo is a Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Regional Security Architecture Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University.Aarshi Tirkey is a Junior Fellow at Observer Research Foundation, working in its Strategic Studies Programme. Her research focuses on international law, especially its relevance and application to Indian foreign policy.Professor Jingdong Yuan is an Associate Professor at the Department of Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney. He specialises in Asia-Pacific security, Chinese defence and foreign policy, and global and regional arms control and non-proliferation issues.Chris Farnham is the Senior Outreach and Policy Officer at the ANU National Security College.This mini-series forms part of the Indo-Pacific Futures Project underway at ANU National Security College. This project, which explores the future strategic landscape of the Indo-Pacific region, offers a range of analysis and ideas, all of which is available on the Futures Hub website. In the rest of this series, experts from across the national security community will interrogate the future of the Indo-Pacific strategic landscape, evaluate the influence of critical technology on the region, and examine the rise of geoeconomics as a feature of great power competition.The Indo-Pacific Futures Project receives support from the Japanese Embassy in Australia. ANU National Security College is independent in its... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
진행자: 임현수, Paul Kerry1. Koreans protest Berlin district's order to remove 'statue of peace'요약: 베를린 마테구에 설치된 소녀상에 떨어진 허가가 철회되어 철거 위험에 놓인 동상[1] A legal battle to protect a statue erected in the German capital commemorating the victims of Japan's wartime sexual slavery began on Monday as Koreans based in Germany sought to invalidate a Berlin district office's order to remove the statue.*commemorate: 기념하다*wartime: 전쟁 중의*invalidate: 틀렸음을 입증[2] Korea Verband, a Germany-based civic organization with Korean ties, were set to file for an injunction in protest against the central Mitte district's order to remove the statue, which was installed late last month with the city authorities' approval. *civic: 시민의*ties: 관계[3] Funded by the Korean Council for Justice and Remembrance for the Issues of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan, Korea Verband set up the statue, formally called the Statue of Peace, in a busy area of Berlin's Mitte district near the Japanese Embassy to raise awareness about wartime sexual enslavement.*raise awareness: 의식을 높이다*enslavement: 노예화[4] It was the third such statue installed in Germany and the first to stand in a public space.* be first to: 첫째로기사 원문: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=202010140010782. Chinese fans upset by BTS' Korean War remark: report요약: BTS가 한미관계 발전에 기여한 공로로 '밴 플리트상'을 수상하며 소감 중 한국전쟁을 언급한 것이 중국에서 논란[1] Hit K-pop act BTS has come under fire in China for a remark about the Korean War, according to a Chinese news outlet.*come under fire: 비난받다*remark: 발언[2] BTS recently received the General James A. Van Fleet Award from the Korea Society, a US-based nonprofit organization. The award, named after a US commander who fought in the Korean War (1950-1953), is given to South Korean and US nationals who have strengthened the ties between the two nations.*strengthen: 강화하다[3] In a video clip released by the organization on Wednesday, BTS member RM made an acceptance speech in which he said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations share together and sacrifices of countless men and women.”*sacrifice: 희생*share: 공유하다[4] According to the Global Times, under the Chinese Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper, the speech enraged Chinese online users because it reflects a “one-sided attitude.”*enrage: 격분하게 하다*one-sided: 한쪽에 치우친[5] Many Chinese deem the remark inconsiderate as China participated in the Korean War to assist North Korea and fought against South Korea and the US.*deem: ~로 여기다*inconsiderate: 사려깊지 못한기사 원문 : http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201012001127
A Japanese diplomat in New Zealand says his country harbours no hatred at all towards the United States over atomic bombs dropped 75 years ago. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagaskai on 6 August and 9 August and killed an estimated 140,000 of Hiroshima's 350,000 population and at least 74,000 people in Nagasaki. David Tsunakake is consul at the Japanese Embassy in Christchurch and is from Hiroshima. He spoke at a gathering at the World Peace Bell in Christchurch last week to commemorate the anniversary. He speaks to Corin Dann.
This week Mattie gets excited about inherited traits that don't have a clear genetic cause, cellular memory, and we both reach out to some mad scientists with some unethical experiments. Austin talks about the time some Samurai went to New York City and became the talk of the town. we also get bummed out about the passing of John Lewis. If you haven't yet, read March written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and illustrated and lettered by Nate Powell. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram:Twitter: @onthetestpodFacebook: facebook.com/onthetestpodInstagram: @onthetestpod
After a little hiatus, we're back and our first episode of 2020 is a Must-Listen for anyone interested in creating comics! This is our live interview with the Judges at the Manga Jiman competition, recorded on the 14th February at the Japanese Embassy in London and then our chat with Winner of this years Manga Jiman, Tori Jones. In this episode, find out what the professionals think makes a good story, what the winner of one of the UK's most prestigious manga competitions experience was, the inspiration and process behind her number 1 entry "A heart of Gold or some other metal" and what she's planning next. Links to everything mentioned below. https://www.facebook.com/MangaJiman/photos/the-winners-exhibition-is-on-now/1546508395403204/ https://www.instagram.com/tori.echo/?hl=en https://twitter.com/hackneycomics?lang=en
See the full story with pictures at: https://www.otsuka.co.jp/en/company/global-topics/2019/20191114_vol113.html The Otsuka group of companies in Spain hosted commemorative events in Madrid and Barcelona to celebrate its market entry in Spain 40 years ago, and subsequent long-standing commitment there since the establishment in 1979 of an office in Madrid. Shortly thereafter, the former Miquel Laboratories in Barcelona was acquired by Otsuka. The 40th anniversary celebrations were an opportunity for the four Otsuka group companies in Spain to present themselves inclusively and simultaneously to national and regional authorities, opinion leaders, customers, and other stakeholders. The four group companies with a presence in Spain are Otsuka Pharmaceutical S.A. (prescription drugs), Hebron S.A. (coatings, polymers, inks and adhesives), Trocellen Ibérica (polyethelyne foams), and Nutrition & Santé (dietetic and organic foods). More than 150 people participated in the events in Madrid and Barcelona on November 14 and 15, respectively. Numerous personalities from the government sector, the business world, the health sector and the Japanese Embassy in Madrid and Consulate in Barcelona took part. At the ceremonies, Otsuka Pharmaceutical S.A. Managing Director Concha Caudevilla and Hebron SA Managing Director Marc Monnin said they felt proud of their companies' successes, which have contributed to improve the quality of life of the Spanish citizenry and to the sustainability of employment and the economy. Currently, Otsuka group companies have more than 600 employees in Spain and four plants. Export activity represents 15% of total consolidated net sales. Mr. Andy Page, (interim) president and CEO of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Europe, Ltd., stressed the importance of trust in long-term relationships as a key success factor. Francesc Miralles, the award-winning Spanish author, who co-authored the bestseller Ikigai: The Secrets of Japan for a Long and Happy Life, explained to attendees the meaning of the word ikigai and shared points from the book. He noted, "Identifying the ikigai brings passion, satisfaction and happiness to the life of the individual." He also referred to the Japanese concept ichi-go ichi-e, which literally translates as "one time, one meeting", the concept of the unrepeatable and therefore cherishable nature of a moment. The events were a splendid culmination of the 40-year commitment to Spain by the Otsuka group of companies.
Iran denies President Trump’s statement that a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf after it threatened the ship. This comes less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway. The Iranian military says all its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with a U.S. vessel. Police say a 78-year-old South Korean man who set himself on fire near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul has died. This comes, amid rising trade and political disputes between Seoul and Tokyo. A growing number of Republicans are criticizing a crowd at President Trump's rally in North Carolina who chanted "send her back" after he challenged the loyalty of Somali-born congresswoman Ilhan Omar. Now Trump is criticizing those chants. The Republicans says the episode could damage the party's efforts in the 2020 elections. Omar says "This is about fighting about what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be."
Mark Daniels and his wife Miranda manage Bonnie Plants in Ithaca, which is a greenhouse operation that grows 175 different vegetable and herb transplants. Mark enjoys watching his sons play football, spends time chasing escapee goats, and loves going to his cabin in Sterling where he pretends they don't have cell service. Listen as Mark talks about:How the goats help them get rid of any extra moneyWhy working in wholesale is a microcosm of what happens in social mediaHow it's impossible to walk past a historical plaque without reading it, and how it's geneticWhat advice resonated when he was building a business at age 24How he felt speaking to people at the Japanese Embassy www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Plants/158109500887521
Mark Daniels and his wife Miranda manage Bonnie Plants in Ithaca, which is a greenhouse operation that grows 175 different vegetable and herb transplants. Mark enjoys watching his sons play football, spends time chasing escapee goats, and loves going to his cabin in Sterling where he pretends they don’t have cell service. Listen as Mark talks about: How the goats help them get rid of any extra money Why working in wholesale is a microcosm of what happens in social media How it’s impossible to walk past a historical plaque without reading it, and how it’s genetic What advice resonated when he was building a business at age 24 How he felt speaking to people at the Japanese Embassy www.facebook.com/pages/Bonnie-Plants/158109500887521
A fragmented model of digital governance is emerging. Data regulation, technical and ethical standards, and market leadership are all in flux, raising questions about whose rules, if any, will become the global standard. This CSIS Simon Chair event will look at the evolution of technology and digital governance in the world's major economies – the United States, Europe, China, and Japan – and how competing visions and differing priorities are shaping national and regional approaches to digital governance. Featuring a keynote address from Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) Closing remarks from former Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Holleyman Expert panel featuring: Peter Fatelnig, Minister Counsellor for Digital Economy Policy, Delegation of the European Union to the United States Naoki Ota, Founder, New Stories Ltd. Former Special Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan Diane Rinaldo, Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce Paul Triolo, Practice Head, Geotechnology, Eurasia Group Shaundra Watson, Director, Policy, BSA | The Software Alliance Stephanie Segal (Moderator), Simon Chair Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, CSIS This event was made possible by support from the Japanese Embassy.
A fragmented model of digital governance is emerging. Data regulation, technical and ethical standards, and market leadership are all in flux, raising questions about whose rules, if any, will become the global standard. This CSIS Simon Chair event will look at the evolution of technology and digital governance in the world’s major economies – the United States, Europe, China, and Japan – and how competing visions and differing priorities are shaping national and regional approaches to digital governance. Featuring a keynote address from Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) Closing remarks from former Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Holleyman Expert panel featuring: Peter Fatelnig, Minister Counsellor for Digital Economy Policy, Delegation of the European Union to the United States Naoki Ota, Founder, New Stories Ltd. Former Special Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan Diane Rinaldo, Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce Paul Triolo, Practice Head, Geotechnology, Eurasia Group Shaundra Watson, Director, Policy, BSA | The Software Alliance Stephanie Segal (Moderator), Simon Chair Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, CSIS This event was made possible by support from the Japanese Embassy.
A fragmented model of digital governance is emerging. Data regulation, technical and ethical standards, and market leadership are all in flux, raising questions about whose rules, if any, will become the global standard. This CSIS Simon Chair event will look at the evolution of technology and digital governance in the world’s major economies – the United States, Europe, China, and Japan – and how competing visions and differing priorities are shaping national and regional approaches to digital governance. Featuring a keynote address from Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA) Closing remarks from former Deputy US Trade Representative Ambassador Robert Holleyman Expert panel featuring: Peter Fatelnig, Minister Counsellor for Digital Economy Policy, Delegation of the European Union to the United States Naoki Ota, Founder, New Stories Ltd. Former Special Adviser to the Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan Diane Rinaldo, Deputy Assistant Secretary, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), Department of Commerce Paul Triolo, Practice Head, Geotechnology, Eurasia Group Shaundra Watson, Director, Policy, BSA | The Software Alliance Stephanie Segal (Moderator), Simon Chair Senior Fellow and Deputy Director, CSIS This event was made possible by support from the Japanese Embassy.
Late on a Thursday evening in February 2017, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s plane landed at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland for his first visit with President Donald Trump. A few hours earlier, the casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s Boeing 737, which is so large it can seat 149 people, touched down at Reagan National Airport after a flight from Las Vegas. Adelson dined that night at the White House with Trump, Jared Kushner and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, were among Trump’s biggest benefactors, writing checks for $20 million in the campaign and pitching in an additional $5 million for the inaugural festivities. Adelson was in town to see the Japanese prime minister about a much greater sum of money. Japan, after years of acrimonious public debate, has legalized casinos. For more than a decade, Adelson and his company, Las Vegas Sands, have sought to build a multibillion-dollar casino resort there. He has called expanding to the country, one of the world’s last major untapped markets, the “holy grail.” Nearly every major casino company in the world is competing to secure one of a limited number of licenses to enter a market worth up to $25 billion per year. “This opportunity won’t come along again, potentially ever,” said Kahlil Philander, an academic who studies the industry. The morning after his White House dinner, Adelson attended a breakfast in Washington with Abe and a small group of American CEOs, including two others from the casino industry. Adelson and the other executives raised the casino issue with Abe, according to an attendee. Adelson had a potent ally in his quest: the new president of the United States. Following the business breakfast, Abe had a meeting with Trump before boarding Air Force One for a weekend at Mar-a-Lago. The two heads of state dined with Patriots owner Bob Kraft and golfed at Trump National Jupiter Golf Club with the South African golfer Ernie Els. During a meeting at Mar-a-Lago that weekend, Trump raised Adelson’s casino bid to Abe, according to two people briefed on the meeting. The Japanese side was surprised. “It was totally brought up out of the blue,” according to one of the people briefed on the exchange. “They were a little incredulous that he would be so brazen.” After Trump told Abe he should strongly consider Las Vegas Sands for a license, “Abe didn’t really respond, and said thank you for the information,” this person said. Trump also mentioned at least one other casino operator. Accounts differ on whether it was MGM or Wynn Resorts, then run by Trump donor and then-Republican National Committee finance chairman Steve Wynn. The Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported the president also mentioned MGM and Abe instructed an aide who was present to jot down the names of both companies. Questioned about the meeting, Abe said in remarks before the Japanese legislature in July that Trump had not passed on requests from casino companies but did not deny that the topic had come up. The president raising a top donor’s personal business interests directly with a foreign head of state would violate longstanding norms. “That should be nowhere near the agenda of senior officials,” said Brian Harding, a Japan expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “U.S.-Japan relations is about the security of the Asia-Pacific, China and economic issues.” Adelson has told his shareholders to expect good news. On a recent earnings call, Adelson cited unnamed insiders as saying Sands’ efforts to win a place in the Japanese market will pay off. “The estimates by people who know, say they know, whom we believe they know, say that we're in the No. 1 pole position,” he said. After decades as a major Republican donor, Adelson is known as an ideological figure, motivated by his desire to influence U.S. policy to help Israel. “I’m a one-issue person. That issue is Israel,” he said last year. On that issue — Israel — Trump has delivered. The administration has slashed funding for aid to Palestinian refugees and scrapped the Iran nuclear deal. Attending the recent opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Adelson seemed to almost weep with joy, according to an attendee. But his reputation as an Israel advocate has obscured a through-line in his career: He has used his political access to push his financial self-interest. Not only has Trump touted Sands’ interests in Japan, but his administration also installed an executive from the casino industry in a top position in the U.S. embassy in Tokyo. Adelson’s influence reverberates through this administration. Cabinet-level officials jump when he calls. One who displeased him was replaced. He has helped a friend’s company get a research deal with the Environmental Protection Agency. And Adelson has already received a windfall from Trump’s new tax law, which particularly favored companies like Las Vegas Sands. The company estimated the benefit of the law at $1.2 billion. Adelson’s influence is not absolute: His company’s casinos in Macau are vulnerable in Trump’s trade war with China, which controls the former Portuguese colony near Hong Kong. If the Chinese government chose to retaliate by targeting Macau, where Sands has several large properties, it could hurt Adelson’s bottom line. So far, there’s no evidence that has happened. The White House declined to comment on Adelson. The Japanese Embassy in Washington declined to comment. Sands spokesman Ron Reese declined to answer detailed questions but said in a statement: “The gaming industry has long sought the opportunity to enter the Japan market. Gaming companies have spent significant resources there on that effort and Las Vegas Sands is no exception.” Reese added: “If our company has any advantage it would be because of our significant Asian operating experience and our unique convention-based business model. Any suggestion we are favored for some other reason is not based on the reality of the process in Japan or the integrity of the officials involved in it.” With a fortune estimated at $35 billion, Adelson is the 21st-richest person in the world, according to Forbes. In August, when he celebrated his 85th birthday in Las Vegas, the party stretched over four days. Adelson covered guests’ expenses. A 92-year-old Tony Bennett and the Israeli winner of Eurovision performed for the festivities. He is slowing down physically; stricken by neuropathy, he uses a motorized scooter to get around and often stands up with the help of a bodyguard. He fell and broke three ribs while on a ferry from Macau to Hong Kong last November. Yet Adelson has spent the Trump era hustling to expand his gambling empire. With Trump occupying the White House, Adelson has found the greatest political ally he’s ever had. “I would put Adelson at the very top of the list of both access and influence in the Trump administration,” said Craig Holman of the watchdog group Public Citizen. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I’ve been studying money in politics for 40 years.” ***** Adelson grew up poor in Boston, the son of a cabdriver with a sixth-grade education. According to his wife, Adelson was beaten up as a kid for being Jewish. A serial entrepreneur who has started or acquired more than 50 different businesses, he had already made and lost his first fortune by the late 1960s, when he was in his mid-30s. It took him until the mid-1990s to become extraordinarily rich. In 1995, he sold the pioneering computer trade show Comdex to the Japanese conglomerate SoftBank for $800 million. He entered the gambling business in earnest when his Venetian casino resort opened in 1999 in Las Vegas. With its gondola rides on faux canals, it was inspired by his honeymoon to Venice with Miriam, who is 12 years younger than Adelson. It’s been said that Trump is a poor person’s idea of a rich person. Adelson could be thought of as Trump’s idea of a rich person. A family friend recalls Sheldon and Miriam’s two sons, who are now in college, getting picked up from school in stretch Hummer limousines and his home being so large it was stocked with Segway transporters to get around. A Las Vegas TV station found a few years ago that, amid a drought, Adelson’s palatial home a short drive from the Vegas Strip had used nearly 8 million gallons of water in a year, enough for 55 average homes. Adelson will rattle off his precise wealth based on the fluctuation of Las Vegas Sands’ share price, said his friend the New York investor Michael Steinhardt. “He’s very sensitive to his net worth,” Steinhardt said. Trump entered the casino business several years before Adelson. In the early 1990s, both eyed Eilat in southern Israel as a potential casino site. Neither built there. Adelson “didn’t have a whole lot of respect for Trump when Trump was operating casinos. He was dismissive of Trump,” recalled one former Las Vegas Sands official. In an interview in the late ’90s, Adelson lumped Trump with Wynn: “Both of these gentlemen have very big egos,” Adelson said. “Well, the world doesn't really care about their egos.” Today, in his rare public appearances, Adelson has a grandfatherly affect. He likes to refer to himself as “Self” (“I said to myself, ‘Self …’”). He makes Borscht Belt jokes about his short stature: “A friend of mine says, ‘You’re the tallest guy in the world.’ I said, ‘How do you figure that?’ He says, ‘When you stand on your wallet.’” By the early 2000s, Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands had surpassed Trump’s casino operations. While Trump was getting bogged down in Atlantic City, Adelson’s properties thrived. When Macau opened up a local gambling monopoly, Adelson bested a crowded field that included Trump to win a license. Today, Macau accounts for more than half of Las Vegas Sands’ roughly $13 billion in annual revenue. Trump’s casinos went bankrupt, and now he is out of the industry entirely. By the mid-2000s, Trump was playing the role of business tycoon on his reality show, “The Apprentice.” Meanwhile, Adelson aggressively expanded his empire in Macau and later in Singapore. His company’s Moshe Safdie-designed Marina Bay Sands property there, with its rooftop infinity pool, featured prominently in the recent hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” While their business trajectories diverged, Adelson and Trump have long shared a willingness to sue critics, enemies and business associates. Multiple people said they were too afraid of lawsuits to speak on the record for this story. In 1989, after the Nevada Gaming Control Board conducted a background investigation of Adelson, it found he had already been personally involved in around 100 civil lawsuits, according to the book “License to Steal,” a history of the agency. That included matters as small as a $600 contractual dispute with a Boston hospital. The lawsuits have continued even as Adelson became so rich the amounts of money at stake hardly mattered. In one case, Adelson was unhappy with the quality of construction on one of his beachfront Malibu, California, properties and pursued a legal dispute with the contractor for more than seven years, going through a lengthy series of appeals and cases in different courts. Adelson sued a Wall Street Journal reporter for libel over a single phrase — a description of him as “foul-mouthed” — and fought the case for four years before it was settled, with the story unchanged. In a particularly bitter case in Massachusetts Superior Court in the 1990s, his sons from his first marriage accused him of cheating them out of money. Adelson prevailed. Adelson rarely speaks to the media any more, with occasional exceptions for friendly business journalists or on stage at conferences, usually interviewed by people to whom he has given a great deal of money. “He keeps a very tight inner circle,” said a casino industry executive who has known Adelson for decades. Adelson declined to comment for this story. ******* Adelson once told a reporter of entering the casino business late in life, “I loved being an outsider.” For nearly a decade he played that role in presidential politics, bankrolling the opposition to the Obama administration. As with some of his early entrepreneurial forays, he dumped money for little return, his political picks going bust. In 2008, he backed Rudy Giuliani. As America’s Mayor faded, he came on board late with the John McCain campaign. In 2012, he almost single-handedly funded Newt Gingrich’s candidacy. Gingrich spent a few weeks atop the polls before his candidacy collapsed. Adelson became a late adopter of Mitt Romney. In 2016, the Adelsons didn’t officially endorse a candidate for months. Trump used Adelson as a foil, an example of the well-heeled donors who wielded outsized influence in Washington. “Sheldon or whoever — you could say Koch. I could name them all. They’re all friends of mine, every one of them. I know all of them. They have pretty much total control over the candidate,” Trump said on Fox News in October 2015. “Nobody controls me but the American public.” In a pointed tweet that month, Trump said: “Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to [Marco] Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!” Despite Trump’s barbs, Adelson had grown curious about the candidate and called his friend Steinhardt, who founded the Birthright program that sends young Jews on free trips to Israel. Adelson is now the program’s largest funder. “I called Kushner and I said Sheldon would like to meet your father-in-law,” Steinhardt recalled. “Kushner was excited.” Trump got on a plane to Las Vegas. “Sheldon has strong views when it comes to the Jewish people; Trump recognized that, and a marriage was formed.” Trump and his son-in-law Kushner courted Adelson privately, meeting several times in New York and Las Vegas. “Having Orthodox Jews like Jared and Ivanka next to him and so many common people in interest gave a level of comfort to Sheldon,” said Ronn Torossian, a New York public relations executive who knows both men. “Someone who lets their kid marry an Orthodox Jew and then become Orthodox is probably going to stand pretty damn close to Israel.” Miriam Adelson, a physician born and raised in what became Israel, is said to be an equal partner in Sheldon Adelson’s political decisions. He has said the interests of the Jewish state are at the center of his worldview, and his views align with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-of-center approach to Iran and Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories. Adelson suggested in 2014 that Israel doesn’t need to be a democracy. “I think God didn’t say anything about democracy,” Adelson said. “He didn’t talk about Israel remaining as a democratic state.” On a trip to the country several years ago, on the eve of his young son’s bar mitzvah, Adelson said, “Hopefully he’ll come back; his hobby is shooting. He’ll come back and be a sniper for the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces. On domestic issues, Adelson is more Chamber of Commerce Republican than movement conservative or Trumpian populist. He is pro-choice and has called for work permits and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, a position sharply at odds with Trump’s. While the Koch brothers, his fellow Republican megadonors, have evinced concern over trade policy and distaste for Trump, Adelson has proved flexible, putting aside any qualms about Trump’s business acumen or ideological misgivings. In May 2016, he declared in a Washington Post op-ed that he was endorsing Trump. He wrote that Trump represented “a CEO success story that exemplifies the American spirit of determination, commitment to cause and business stewardship.” The Adelsons came through with $20 million in donations to the pro-Trump super PAC, part of at least $83 million in donations to Republicans. By the time of the October 2016 release of the Access Hollywood tape featuring Trump bragging about sexual assault, Adelson was among his staunchest supporters. “Sheldon Adelson had Donald Trump's back,” said Steve Bannon in a speech last year, speaking of the time after the scandal broke. “He was there.” In December 2016, Adelson donated $5 million to the Trump inaugural festivities. The Adelsons had better seats at Trump’s inauguration than many Cabinet secretaries. The whole family, including their two college-age sons, came to Washington for the celebration. One of his sons posted a picture on Instagram of the event with the hashtag #HuckFillary. The investment paid off in access and in financial returns. Adelson has met with Trump or visited the White House at least six times since Trump’s election victory. The two speak regularly. Adelson has also had access to others in the White House. He met privately with Vice President Mike Pence before Pence gave a speech at Adelson’s Venetian resort in Las Vegas last year. “He just calls the president all the time. Donald Trump takes Sheldon Adelson’s calls,” said Alan Dershowitz, who has done legal work for Adelson and advised Trump. Adelson’s tens of millions in donations to Trump have already been paid back many times over by the new tax law. While all corporations benefited from the lower tax rate in the new law, many incurred an extra bill in the transition because profits overseas were hit with a one-time tax. But not Sands. Adelson’s company hired lobbyists to press Trump’s Treasury Department and Congress on provisions that would help companies like Sands that paid high taxes abroad, according to public filings and tax experts. The lobbying effort appears to have worked. After Trump signed the tax overhaul into law in December, Las Vegas Sands recorded a benefit from the new law the company estimated at $1.2 billion. The Adelson family owns 55 percent of Las Vegas Sands, which is publicly traded, according to filings. The Treasury Department didn’t respond to requests for comment. Now as Trump and the Republican Party face a reckoning in the midterm elections in November, they have once again turned to Adelson. He has given at least $55 million so far. ***** In 2014, Adelson told an interviewer he was not interested in building a dynasty. “I want my legacy to be that I helped out humankind,” he said, underscoring his family’s considerable donations to medical research. But he gives no indication of sticking to a quiet life of philanthropy. In the last four years, he has used the Sands’ fleet of private jets, assiduously meeting with world leaders and seeking to build new casinos in Japan, Korea and Brazil. He is closest in Japan. Japan has been considering lifting its ban on casinos for years, in spite of majority opposition in polls from a public that is wary of the social problems that might result. A huge de facto gambling industry of the pinball-like game pachinko has long existed in the country, historically associated with organized crime and seedy parlors filled with cigarette-smoking men. Opposition to allowing casinos is so heated that a brawl broke out in the Japanese legislature this summer. But lawmakers have moved forward on legalizing casinos and crafted regulations that hew to Adelson’s wishes. “Japan is considered the next big market. Sheldon looks at it that way,” said a former Sands official. Adelson envisions building a $10 billion “integrated resort,” which in industry parlance refers to a large complex featuring a casino with hotels, entertainment venues, restaurants and shopping malls. The new Japanese law allows for just three licenses to build casinos in cities around the country, effectively granting valuable local monopolies. At least 13 companies, including giants like MGM and Genting, are vying for a license. Even though Sands is already a strong contender because of its size and its successful resort in Singapore, some observers in Japan believe Adelson’s relationship with Trump has helped move Las Vegas Sands closer to the multibillion-dollar prize. Just a week after the U.S. election, Prime Minister Abe arrived at Trump Tower, becoming the first foreign leader to meet with the president-elect. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner were also there. Abe presented Trump with a gilded $3,800 golf driver. Few know the details of what the Trumps and Abe discussed at the meeting. In a break with protocol, Trump’s transition team sidelined the State Department, whose Japan experts were never briefed on what was said. “There was a great deal of frustration,” said one State Department official. “There was zero communication from anyone on Trump’s team.” In another sign of Adelson’s direct access to the incoming president and ties with Japan, he secured a coveted Trump Tower meeting a few weeks later for an old friend, the Japanese billionaire businessman Masayoshi Son. Son’s company, SoftBank, had bought Adelson’s computer trade show business in the 1990s. A few years ago, Adelson named Son as a potential partner in his casino resort plans in Japan. Son’s SoftBank, for its part, owns Sprint, which has long wanted to merge with T-Mobile but needs a green light from the Trump administration. A beaming Son emerged from the meeting in the lobby of Trump Tower with the president-elect and promised $50 billion in investments in the U.S. When Trump won the election in November 2016, the casino bill had been stalled in the Japanese Diet. One month after the Trump-Abe meeting, in an unexpected move in mid-December, Abe’s ruling coalition pushed through landmark legislation authorizing casinos, with specific regulations to be ironed out later. There was minimal debate on the controversial bill, and it passed at the very end of an extraordinary session of the legislature. “That was a surprise to a lot of stakeholders,” said one former Sands executive who still works in the industry. Some observers suspect the timing was not a coincidence. “After Trump won the election in 2016, the Abe government’s efforts to pass the casino bill shifted into high gear,” said Yoichi Torihata, a professor at Shizuoka University and opponent of the casino law. On a Las Vegas Sands earnings call a few days after Trump’s inauguration, Adelson touted that Abe had visited the company’s casino resort complex in Singapore. “He was very impressed with it,” Adelson said. Days later, Adelson attended the February breakfast with Abe in Washington, after which the prime minister went on to Mar-a-Lago, where the president raised Las Vegas Sands. A week after that, Adelson flew to Japan and met with the secretary general of Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo. The casino business is one of the most regulated industries in the world, and Adelson has always sought political allies. To enter the business in 1989, he hired the former governor of Nevada to represent him before the state’s gaming commission. In 2001, according to court testimony reported in the New Yorker, Adelson intervened with then-House Majority Whip Rep. Tom DeLay, to whom he was a major donor, at the behest of a Chinese official over a proposed House resolution that was critical of the country’s human rights record. At the time, Las Vegas Sands was seeking entry into the Macau market. The resolution died, which Adelson attributed to factors other than his intervention, according to the magazine. In 2015, he purchased the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the state’s largest newspaper, which then published a lengthy investigative series on one of Adelson’s longtime rivals, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which runs a convention center that competes with Adelson’s. (The paper said Adelson had no influence over its coverage.) In Japan, Las Vegas Sands’ efforts have accelerated in the last year. Adelson returned to the country in September 2017, visiting top officials in Osaka, a possible casino site. In a show of star power in October, Sands flew in David Beckham and the Eagles’ Joe Walsh for a press conference at the Palace Hotel Tokyo. Beckham waxed enthusiastic about his love of sea urchin and declared, "Las Vegas Sands is creating fabulous resorts all around the world, and their scale and vision are impressive.” Adelson appears emboldened. When he was in Osaka last fall, he publicly criticized a proposal under consideration to cap the total amount of floor space devoted to casinos in the resorts that have been legalized. In July, the Japanese Diet passed a bill with more details on what casinos will look like and laying out the bidding process. The absolute limit on casino floor area had been dropped from the legislation. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has made an unusual personnel move that could help advance pro-gambling interests. The new U.S. ambassador, an early Trump campaign supporter and Tennessee businessman named William Hagerty, hired as his senior adviser an American executive working on casino issues for the Japanese company SEGA Sammy. Joseph Schmelzeis left his role as senior adviser on global government and industry affairs for the company in February to join the U.S. Embassy. (He has not worked for Sands.) A State Department spokesperson said that embassy officials had communicated with Sands as part of “routine” meetings and advice provided to members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. The spokesperson said that “Schmelzeis is not participating in any matter related to integrated resorts or Las Vegas Sands.” Japanese opposition politicians have seized on the Adelson-Trump-Abe nexus. One, Tetsuya Shiokawa, said this year that he believes Trump has been the unseen force behind why Abe’s party has “tailor-made the [casino] bill to suit foreign investors like Adelson.” In the next stage of the process, casino companies will complete their bids with Japanese localities. ****** Adelson’s influence has spread across the Trump administration. In August 2017, the Zionist Organization of America, to which the Adelsons are major donors, launched a campaign against National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster. ZOA chief Mort Klein charged McMaster “clearly has animus toward Israel.” Adelson said he was convinced to support the attack on McMaster after Adelson spoke with Safra Catz, the Israeli-born CEO of Oracle, who “enlightened me quite a bit” about McMaster, according to an email Klein later released to the media. Adelson pressed Trump to appoint the hawkish John Bolton to a high position, The New York Times reported. In March, Trump fired McMaster and replaced him with Bolton. The president and other cabinet officials also clashed with McMaster on policy and style issues. For Scott Pruitt, the former EPA administrator known as an ally of industry, courting Adelson meant developing a keen interest in an unlikely topic: technology that generates clean water from air. An obscure Israeli startup called Watergen makes machines that resemble air conditioners and, with enough electricity, can pull potable water from the air. Adelson doesn’t have a stake in the company, but he is old friends with the Israeli-Georgian billionaire who owns the firm, Mikhael Mirilashvili, according to the head of Watergen’s U.S. operation, Yehuda Kaploun. Adelson first encountered the technology on a trip to Israel, Kaploun said. Dershowitz is also on the company’s board. Just weeks after being confirmed, Pruitt met with Watergen executives at Adelson’s request. Pruitt promptly mobilized dozens of EPA officials to ink a research deal under which the agency would study Watergen’s technology. EPA officials immediately began voicing concerns about the request, according to hundreds of previously unreported emails obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. They argued that the then-EPA chief was violating regular procedures. Pruitt, according to one email, asked that staffers explore “on an expedited time frame” whether a deal could be done “without the typical contracting requirements.” Other emails described the matter as “very time sensitive” and having “high Administrator interest.” A veteran scientist at the agency warned that the “technology has been around for decades,” adding that the agency should not be “focusing on a single vendor, in this case Watergen.” Officials said that Watergen’s technology was not unique, noting there were as many as 70 different suppliers on the market with products using the same concept. Notes from a meeting said the agency “does not currently have the expertise or staff to evaluate these technologies.” Agency lawyers “seemed scared” about the arrangement, according to an internal text exchange. The EPA didn’t respond to requests for comment. Watergen got its research deal. It’s not known how much money the agency has spent on the project. The technology was shipped to a lab in Cincinnati, and Watergen said the government will produce a report on its study. Pruitt planned to unveil the deal on a trip to Israel, which was also planned with the assistance of Adelson, The Washington Post reported. But amid multiple scandals, the trip never happened. Other parts of the Trump administration have also been friendly to Watergen. Over the summer, Mirilashvili attended the U.S. Embassy in Israel’s Fourth of July party, where he was photographed grinning and sipping water next to one of the company’s machines on display. Kaploun said U.S. Ambassador David Friedman’s staff assisted the company to help highlight its technology. A State Department spokesperson said Watergen was one of many private sponsors of the embassy party and was “subject to rigorous vetting.” The embassy is now considering leasing or buying a Watergen unit as part of a “routine procurement action,” the spokesperson said. A Mirilashvili spokesman said in a statement that Adelson and Mirilashvili “have no business ties with each other.” The spokesman added that Adelson had been briefed on the company’s technology by Watergen engineers and “Adelson has also expressed an interest in the ability of this Israeli technology to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are affected by water pollution.” ***** Even as the casino business looks promising in Japan, China has been a potential trouble spot for Adelson. Few businesses are as vulnerable to geopolitical winds as Adelson’s. The majority of Sands’ value derives from its properties in Macau. It is the world’s gambling capital, and China’s central government controls it. “Sheldon Adelson highly values direct engagement in Beijing,” a 2009 State Department cable released by WikiLeaks says, “especially given the impact of Beijing's visa policies on the company's growing mass market operations in Macau.” At times, Sands’ aggressive efforts in China crossed legal lines. On Jan. 19, 2017, the day before Trump took office, the Justice Department announced Sands was paying a nearly $7 million fine to settle a longstanding investigation into whether it violated a U.S. anti-bribery statute in China. The case revealed that Sands paid roughly $60 million to a consultant who “advertised his political connections with [People’s Republic of China] government officials” and that some of the payments “had no discernible legitimate business purpose.” Part of the work involved an effort by Sands to acquire a professional basketball team in the country to promote its casinos. The DOJ said Sands fully cooperated in the investigation and fixed its compliance problems. A year and a half into the Trump administration, Adelson has a bigger problem than the Justice Department investigation: Trump’s trade war against Beijing has put Sands’ business in Macau at risk. Sands’ right to operate expires in a few years. Beijing could throttle the flow of money and people from the mainland to Macau. Sands and the other foreign operators in Macau “now sit on a geopolitical fault line. Their Macau concessions can therefore be on the line,” said a report from the Hong Kong business consultancy Steve Vickers & Associates. A former Sands board member, George Koo, wrote a column in the Asia Times newspaper in April warning that Beijing could undercut the Macau market by legalizing casinos in the southern island province of Hainan. “A major blow in the trade war would be for China to allow Hainan to become a gambling destination and divert visitors who would otherwise be visiting Macau,” Koo wrote. “As one of Trump’s principal supporters, it’s undoubtedly a good time for Mr. Adelson to have a private conversation with the president.” It’s not clear if Adelson has had that conversation. According to The Associated Press, Adelson was present for a discussion of China policy at the dinner he attended with Trump at the White House in February 2017. In September, Trump escalated his trade war with China. He raised tariffs on $200 billion Chinese imports. China retaliated with tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. products. Adelson has said privately that if he can be helpful in any way he would volunteer himself to do whatever is asked for either side of the equation — the U.S. or China, according to a person who has spoken to him. ****** Torossian, the public relations executive, calls Adelson “this generation’s Rothschild” for his support of Israel. In early May, the Adelsons gave $30 million to the super PAC that is seeking to keep Republican control of the House for the remainder of Trump’s term. A few days later, Trump announced he was killing the Iran nuclear deal, a target of Adelson’s and the Netanyahu government’s for years. The following day, Adelson met with the president at the White House. Five days later, Adelson was in Israel for another landmark, the opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem. Trump’s decision to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem marked a major shift in U.S. foreign policy, long eschewed by presidents of both parties. Besides dealing a major blow to Palestinian claims on part of the city, which are recognized by most of the world, it was the culmination of a more than 20-year project of the Adelsons. Sheldon and Miriam personally lobbied for the move on Capitol Hill as far back as 1995. In an audience dotted with yarmulkes and MAGA-red hats, the Adelsons were in the front now, next to Netanyahu and his wife, the Kushners and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. A beaming Miriam, wearing a dress featuring an illustration of the Jerusalem skyline, filmed the event with her phone. She wrote a first-person account of the ceremony that was co-published on the front page of the two newspapers the Adelsons own, Israel Hayom and the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “The embassy opening is a crowning moment for U.S. foreign policy and for our president, Donald Trump. Just over a year into his first term, he has re-enshrined the United States as the standard-bearer of moral clarity and courage in a world that too often feels adrift.” Adelson paid for the official delegation of Guatemala, the only other country to move its embassy, to travel to Israel. “Sheldon told me that any country that wants to move its embassy to Jerusalem, he’ll fly them in — the president and everyone — for the opening,” said Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce CEO Duvi Honig, who was in attendance. Klein, the Zionist Organization of America president, was also there. The Adelsons, he said, “were glowing with a serene happiness like I’ve never seen them. Sheldon “said to me, ‘President Trump promised he would do this and he did it.’ And he almost became emotional. ‘And look, Mort, he did it.’
Dishonor In No Declaration On December 8, 1941, the United States Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day. It was formulated an hour after the Infamy Speech of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Japan had sent a message to the United States to its embassy in Washington earlier, but because of problems at the embassy in decoding the very long message – the high-security level assigned to the declaration meant that only personnel with very high clearances could decode it, which slowed down the process – it was not delivered to the U.S. Secretary of State until after the Pearl Harbor attack. Following the U.S. declaration, Japan's allies, Germany and Italy, declared war on the United States, bringing the United States fully into World War II. The attack on Pearl Harbor took place before a declaration of war by Japan had been delivered to the United States. It was originally stipulated that the attack should not commence until thirty minutes after Japan had informed the US that it was withdrawing from further peace negotiations, but the attack began before the notice could be delivered. Tokyo transmitted the 5,000-word notification – known as the "14-Part Message" – in two blocks to the Japanese Embassy in Washington. However, because of the very secret nature of the message, it had to be decoded, translated and typed up by high embassy officials, who were unable to do these tasks in the available time. Hence, the ambassador did not deliver it until after the attack had begun. But even if it had been, the notification was worded so that it actually neither declared war nor severed diplomatic relations, so it was not a proper declaration of war as required by diplomatic traditions. The United Kingdom declared war on Japan nine hours before the U.S did, partially due to Japanese attacks on the British colonies of Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong; and partially due to Winston Churchill's promise to declare war "within the hour" of a Japanese attack on the United States. Information Sourced From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_declaration_of_war_on_Japan Body Sourced From: https://youtu.be/H_xoByhDdEE Public Access America PublicAccessPod Productions Footage edited by PublicAccessPod producer of Public Access America Podcast Links Review us Stitcher: goo.gl/XpKHWB Review us iTunes: goo.gl/soc7KG Subscribe GooglePlay: goo.gl/gPEDbf join us on YouTube goo.gl/xrKbJb
EPISODE DESCRIPTION:In this episode I talk about my sixth trip to Korea, the various film and art projects I'm involved with, a talk in Jeju I was preparing for, a Speech outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul which I made on the same day I landed in South Korea and a little more. Recorded on 20th June 2017 in Jeju City, Jeju Island, South Korea.SERIES DESCRIPTION:"F. L. I. C. K. S." is a podcast by filmmaker and journalist Jason Verney, in collaboration with his production company, NativeNomadPictures.com (NNP) and his movies & music website, MiniMiniMovie.com (MMM), and stands for:FilmsLifeInterviewsCameraKoreaSoundsSelf-quoted as: "An Odd Plod, Nod & Pod to 'NO-MADe-land'..."This podcast can be seen as an apology perhaps, to those who may be awaiting the yet to be completed South Korean documentary by Mr Verney. Jason talks about various aspects of Korea, the Korean culture, movies (both Korean and international), music, life, travelling & more. Like the #KDOC14 documentary project itself, this too is a work in progress. Over time it will evolve... be this in format or from an audio to a visual podcast.Note: "F. L. I. C. K. S." is the new name for what was known as "Jason Verney's PLODCAST". Previous potential comic titles for this podcast were Prodcast*, Probcast** and Oddcast*** but the original name of "Plodcast" was used. * To represent 'still in Production'** For either 'Problematic' or 'Probably'*** Simply because it's all kind of 'Odd'PLODCAST, although probably in existent by other broadcasters, was thought most apt... Not so much due to the fact that the podcast itself is slow, plodding or boring (well, you can be the judge of that!) but indicating that the Korean documentary, and other filmic projects are slowly, but surely on their way!"F. L. I. C. K. S." was more recently thought of a more memorable and relevant name & not only indicates that it's related to movies but also spells out what else it covers: Films; Life; Interviews; Camera; Korea; Sounds. Jason Verney is an independent filmmaker and journalist, whose websites (and company/ies) include Native Nomad Pictures Limited and MiniMiniMovie.com & is also proud co-founder of the London Asian Film Society.Follow on Instagram & Twitter at:@MiniMiniMovies @_dOKumENtARy @NativeNomadPicsExamples of work:-JASON VERNEY:Jason Verney and Native Nomad Pictures can be found on YouTubeand:http://www.Vimeo.com/channels/NativeNomadPictureshttp://genero.tv/watch-video/38133 (Damon Albarn interactive music video - Note: If played on tablet or smartphone, an app download may be required) http://www.Vimeo.com/channels/JasonVerneyNATIVE NOMAD PICTURES:NativeNomadPictures@gmail.com/ NativeVerney@naver.com (Film Production)http://www.NativeNomadPictures.com/http://www.Twitter.com/NativeNomadPicshttp://www.Facebook.com/NativeNomadPicturesInstagram: @NativeNomadPicsMINI MINI MOVIE & OTHER N.N.P. Links: http://www.Twitter.com/_dOKumENtARyhttp://www.Facebook.com/SouthKoreaDocumentaryhttp://www.MiniMiniMovie.com/http://www.Twitter.com/miniminimovieshttp://www.Facebook.com/MiniMiniMovieshttp://www.Twitter.com/LondonAsianFShttp://www.Facebook.com/LondonAsianFilmSocietyNative Nomad Pictures Limited is a Registered company in England (No. 08185761)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION:In this episode I talk about my sixth trip to Korea, the various film and art projects I'm involved with, a talk in Jeju I was preparing for, a Speech outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul which I made on the same day I landed in South Korea and a little more. Recorded on 20th June 2017 in Jeju City, Jeju Island, South Korea.SERIES DESCRIPTION:"F. L. I. C. K. S." is a podcast by filmmaker and journalist Jason Verney, in collaboration with his production company, NativeNomadPictures.com (NNP) and his movies & music website, MiniMiniMovie.com (MMM), and stands for:FilmsLifeInterviewsCameraKoreaSoundsSelf-quoted as: "An Odd Plod, Nod & Pod to 'NO-MADe-land'..."This podcast can be seen as an apology perhaps, to those who may be awaiting the yet to be completed South Korean documentary by Mr Verney. Jason talks about various aspects of Korea, the Korean culture, movies (both Korean and international), music, life, travelling & more. Like the #KDOC14 documentary project itself, this too is a work in progress. Over time it will evolve... be this in format or from an audio to a visual podcast.Note: "F. L. I. C. K. S." is the new name for what was known as "Jason Verney's PLODCAST". Previous potential comic titles for this podcast were Prodcast*, Probcast** and Oddcast*** but the original name of "Plodcast" was used. * To represent 'still in Production'** For either 'Problematic' or 'Probably'*** Simply because it's all kind of 'Odd'PLODCAST, although probably in existent by other broadcasters, was thought most apt... Not so much due to the fact that the podcast itself is slow, plodding or boring (well, you can be the judge of that!) but indicating that the Korean documentary, and other filmic projects are slowly, but surely on their way!"F. L. I. C. K. S." was more recently thought of a more memorable and relevant name & not only indicates that it's related to movies but also spells out what else it covers: Films; Life; Interviews; Camera; Korea; Sounds. Jason Verney is an independent filmmaker and journalist, whose websites (and company/ies) include Native Nomad Pictures Limited and MiniMiniMovie.com & is also proud co-founder of the London Asian Film Society.Follow on Instagram & Twitter at:@MiniMiniMovies @_dOKumENtARy @NativeNomadPicsExamples of work:-JASON VERNEY:Jason Verney and Native Nomad Pictures can be found on YouTubeand:http://www.Vimeo.com/channels/NativeNomadPictureshttp://genero.tv/watch-video/38133 (Damon Albarn interactive music video - Note: If played on tablet or smartphone, an app download may be required) http://www.Vimeo.com/channels/JasonVerneyNATIVE NOMAD PICTURES:NativeNomadPictures@gmail.com/ NativeVerney@naver.com (Film Production)http://www.NativeNomadPictures.com/http://www.Twitter.com/NativeNomadPicshttp://www.Facebook.com/NativeNomadPicturesInstagram: @NativeNomadPicsMINI MINI MOVIE & OTHER N.N.P. Links: http://www.Twitter.com/_dOKumENtARyhttp://www.Facebook.com/SouthKoreaDocumentaryhttp://www.MiniMiniMovie.com/http://www.Twitter.com/miniminimovieshttp://www.Facebook.com/MiniMiniMovieshttp://www.Twitter.com/LondonAsianFShttp://www.Facebook.com/LondonAsianFilmSocietyNative Nomad Pictures Limited is a Registered company in England (No. 08185761)
Thursday, August 13th Korean News Update Podcast:An elderly Korean man has set himself on fire near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, 14 descendants of Koreans who collaborated during Japanese occupation have won lawsuits against the government for land that was illegally seized, and a South Korean hospital network has been hacked by North Korea. For more news, talk radio & independent music from Korean peninsula, subscribe in the iTunes Store, with your favorite Android application, or visit KoreaFM.net.
Thursday, August 13th Korean News Update Podcast:An elderly Korean man has set himself on fire near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, 14 descendants of Koreans who collaborated during Japanese occupation have won lawsuits against the government for land that was illegally seized, and a South Korean hospital network has been hacked by North Korea. For more news, talk radio & independent music from Korean peninsula, subscribe in the iTunes Store, with your favorite Android application, or visit KoreaFM.net.
A few weeks ago, I was invited to a pre-departure orientation for new JET Program participants, organized by the JET Program Office at the Embassy of Japan. The orientation covered a wide range of topics, and I am very grateful to the Japanese Embassy for allowing me to record the event and use the […]
In this episode, Nick Harling talks with Sara Tilliotson, program director of the JET office at the Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., about the JET Program application process. Together, they discuss the JET Program’s: purpose & history types of positions & responsibilities eligibility criteria salary & benefits common application mistakes application deadline & hiring process timeline […]
In 1997, left-wing rebels held 71 people hostage for over four months in Peru. One of the diplomats taken captive was the Bolivian ambassador to Peru. Photo: Peruvian soldiers bring the siege to an end. AP Wire
今回の会話の舞台は、ロンドンの日本大使館(the Japanese Embassy in London)です。日本人にとっての在外公館は、海外滞在中のパスポート発券や不在者投票など、海外で日本人として生活するためのお世話をしてくれます。一方で、外国人が日本で留学・就労する際に必要なビザの発行なども行っており、外国人にとっては最も身近な日本の窓口と言えるでしょう。 今回の会話は、この後者の「日本の窓口」としての顔を見ることができます。イギリス人の男女が日本に留学するために大使館を訪れています。彼らはそれぞれ日本のどこに留学しようとしていますか。また、会話の最後で男性が女性にプレゼントしようとしているのは何でしょうか。 今回お借りした素材 写真:Wikimedia Download MP3 (18:31 10.7MB 初級~中級)** Script *** (Slow speed) 02:40-05:15 (Natural speed) 14:10-16:05 At the Japanese Embassy in London W: I just cannot believe the Japanese embassy is opposite the RITZ! M: I've never been to this part of London before. It's all so rich-looking! W: I feel incredibly out of place, in my jeans and hoodie. Oh god, there are security guards checking people at the entrance! M: Don't worry; they're just asking what we're here for. (to guard) Hi. We're here for visas. M2: OK. Could I see your passport? W: My passport? Hang on… Ah, it's all the way at the bottom of my bag. Oh, I found it!… M: Thank goodness. They let us through. That was kind of scary. Wow, this place is amazing. W: I'm really excited. Getting the visa is like final proof that we're actually going to Japan! M: Yeah, it's like, there's no changing our minds now! Right? W: A whole year! I can't believe we're going to different places, though. Me in Hiroshima, you all the way in Tokyo?! M: I know. It's going to be hard being away from you. But hopefully we'll be having loads of fun and it won't be so bad. W: My Japanese isn't nearly good enough yet. M: Yours is better than mine! Remember when I mistakenly told the teacher I'd borrowed a book from the cafeteria? W: Ha ha. That was brilliant! I've made some bad mistakes too, though. I'm terrified I'm going to meet someone really important and forget to speak in polite form. M: Oh, you'll be fine. By the way, after we've got our visas, do you want to go sightseeing a bit? W: Yes! Berkeley Square is around here, isn't it? Like the song, "And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…" M: And Bond Street is quite near here too! That's where all the really expensive designer clothes and jewelry shops are. W: Oh, I wish I had loads of money… M: Actually, I have a surprise for you… Since we're going away for a year, I've been saving some money for a goodbye present. How does a very expensive necklace sound?! (Written by Anna Hill)
今回の会話の舞台は、ロンドンの日本大使館(the Japanese Embassy in London)です。日本人にとっての在外公館は、海外滞在中のパスポート発券や不在者投票など、海外で日本人として生活するためのお世話をしてくれます。一方で、外国人が日本で留学・就労する際に必要なビザの発行なども行っており、外国人にとっては最も身近な日本の窓口と言えるでしょう。 今回の会話は、この後者の「日本の窓口」としての顔を見ることができます。イギリス人の男女が日本に留学するために大使館を訪れています。彼らはそれぞれ日本のどこに留学しようとしていますか。また、会話の最後で男性が女性にプレゼントしようとしているのは何でしょうか。 今回お借りした素材 写真:Wikimedia Download MP3 (18:31 10.7MB 初級~中級)** Script *** (Slow speed) 02:40-05:15 (Natural speed) 14:10-16:05 At the Japanese Embassy in London W: I just cannot believe the Japanese embassy is opposite the RITZ! M: I've never been to this part of London before. It's all so rich-looking! W: I feel incredibly out of place, in my jeans and hoodie. Oh god, there are security guards checking people at the entrance! M: Don't worry; they're just asking what we're here for. (to guard) Hi. We're here for visas. M2: OK. Could I see your passport? W: My passport? Hang on… Ah, it's all the way at the bottom of my bag. Oh, I found it!… M: Thank goodness. They let us through. That was kind of scary. Wow, this place is amazing. W: I'm really excited. Getting the visa is like final proof that we're actually going to Japan! M: Yeah, it's like, there's no changing our minds now! Right? W: A whole year! I can't believe we're going to different places, though. Me in Hiroshima, you all the way in Tokyo?! M: I know. It's going to be hard being away from you. But hopefully we'll be having loads of fun and it won't be so bad. W: My Japanese isn't nearly good enough yet. M: Yours is better than mine! Remember when I mistakenly told the teacher I'd borrowed a book from the cafeteria? W: Ha ha. That was brilliant! I've made some bad mistakes too, though. I'm terrified I'm going to meet someone really important and forget to speak in polite form. M: Oh, you'll be fine. By the way, after we've got our visas, do you want to go sightseeing a bit? W: Yes! Berkeley Square is around here, isn't it? Like the song, "And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…" M: And Bond Street is quite near here too! That's where all the really expensive designer clothes and jewelry shops are. W: Oh, I wish I had loads of money… M: Actually, I have a surprise for you… Since we're going away for a year, I've been saving some money for a goodbye present. How does a very expensive necklace sound?! (Written by Anna Hill)