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The United States is poised to remove five extremist groups, all believed to be defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations, including several that once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Although the groups are inactive, the decision is politically sensitive for the Biden administration and the countries in which the organizations operated, and could draw criticism from victims and their families still dealing with the losses of loved ones.The organizations are the Basque separatist group ETA , the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories and Egypt.
Removing the groups from the list has the immediate effect of rescinding a range of sanctions that the designations had entailed. Those include asset freezes and travel bans as well as a prohibition on any Americans providing the groups or their members with any material support. In the past the material support provision has been broadly defined to encompass money or in-kind assistance, in some cases even medical care.
Aum Shinrikyo (AUM), the Japanese “Supreme Truth” cult that carried out the deadly sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway in 1995 that killed 13 people and sickened hundreds more. The group has been considered largely defunct since the executions of its top echelons, including leader Shoko Asahara, in 2018. It was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
How ‘transitory’ is Japanese inflation?
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For over a year, the Federal Reserve insisted that the rise in U.S. inflation was “transitory,” while evidence mounted to the contrary. It dropped the claim in November and the word is now a punchline for critics of the central bank, who say it should have acted to tame prices sooner.
Yoon rushes to improve ties with Tokyo
asiasentinel.com – May 16
South Korea’s new President Yoon Suk-yeol is rushing to mend years of troubled relations with the country’s key neighbor Japan, but the road ahead to reconciliation is littered with detritus of history that won’t be easy to negotiate.
Japan wholesale prices hit record 10% as energy costs soar
Business Times – May 16
Japan’s wholesale prices in April jumped 10 per cent from the same month a year earlier, data showed on Monday (May 16), rising at a record rate as the Ukraine crisis and a weak yen pushed up the cost of energy and raw materials.
Inside Tokyo’s Insane $36,000 Private Hotel Room
Abroad in Japan – May 16
Tokyo’s luxurious accommodation knows no limits. This time we go inside a private members club with a $39,000 fee, where members are rewarded with the ultimate luxury escape.
US set to remove Aum Shinrikyo from foreign terrorism blacklist
13newsnow.com – May 16
The United States is poised to remove five extremist groups, all believed to be defunct, from its list of foreign terrorist organizations, including several that once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
Children’s medical visits fall 20% as parents opt not to skip work
Nikkei – May 15
TOKYO — Young children in Japan made 20% fewer doctor visits last year. Some experts credit widespread mask-wearing but others say many parents kept their children away from hospitals out of fear they would not be able to work if their kids contract the novel coronavirus.
Japan Parade in New York
Japan Today – May 15
George Takei, justice activist and pioneering actor most famously known for his role as Hikaru Sulu in the “Star Trek” series, waves to the crowd as the grand marshal for the first-ever Japan Parade in New York City on Saturday.
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