Chinese and Russian bombers conduct joint flight around Japan; government conveys serious concern

Chinese and Russian bombers conduct joint flight around Japan; SDF fighters scramble The Defense Ministry announced on the 27th that two Chinese military bombers and four Russian military aircraft conducted a joint flight from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea, with another Chinese aircraft joining and flying to the Pacific Ocean off Shikoku. No airspace violations occurred, but the Japanese government conveyed serious concern to both countries through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1

Prime Minister Takaichi responds to defamatory video questioning: 'I've hardly slept' At the House of Representatives Budget Committee on the 22nd, Prime Minister Takaichi, when questioned about the Sanae Token and defamatory video issues, stated, 'I've hardly slept from Friday night until this morning.' The unusual move of submitting a secretary's written statement in lieu of a response drew strong backlash from the opposition. 2

Consumption tax 'effectively zero' reduction: a tightrope walk between cash register upgrades and opposition consent Regarding Prime Minister Takaichi's pet project of reducing the consumption tax on food to effectively zero percent, the interim summary at the end of June is at a critical juncture. Two major hurdles stand in the way: an unusual schedule requiring companies to upgrade cash registers before the bill is passed, and the need to secure opposition consent in the upper house. Strong opposition has already emerged from the opposition at the National Council meeting on the 24th. 3