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A group of North Koreans claim to have hijacked a Chinese fishing boat, are holding hostages, and demand some 600,000 yuan in ransoms. The initial hijacking took place on May 6, but authorities are struggling to pin down exactly what happened. They are investigating the boat owner's claims that his ship and its crew were taken, but officials have been silent. North Korea isn't just fun-runs and basketball stars; there is a serious concern that the hijackers were in the nation's military, and may be harming their prisoners, as South China Morning Post reports: Yu [the boat owner] was not...

Japan Maritime Self Defense Force warships JS Atago, foreground, and JS Shimokita, at Pearl Harbor naval base, Hawaii. The superstructure of a third Japanese warship, the helicopter carrier JS Hyuga, can be seen at right. On the deck of Shimokita are ground vehicles and helicopters – shrink-wrapped to protect against salt air -- that will take part in major amphibious warfare training in southern California.Warships from Japan’s Maritime Self Defense Force have making stops at the American naval base at Pearl Harbor for more than two decades. But it’s going to seem strange, indeed, when Japanese ground troops clamor aboard...

China is attempting to open a new front in its territorial dispute with Japan by questioning Tokyo's sovereignty over the island of Okinawa, home to 25,000 US troops. The two countries are already pushing rival claims to the Senkakus, a chain of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are controlled by Tokyo. The dispute over the islands, known as the Diaoyu in China, has hit bilateral trade and sent diplomatic relations to their lowest point for decades. Beijing began its attempt to broaden the territorial dispute earlier this month when the communist party newspaper, the People's Daily, ran...

NIKKEI 15,000! First Time Since January 2008 Sam Ro May 14, 2013, 8:07 PM Markets just opened in Asia, and they're following the U.S. markets way higher. Of note is Japan's Nikkei 225, which just burst through 15,000. Dow Jones reports this is the first time the Nikkei has been above 15,000 since January 4, 2008. Leading the way is electronics maker Sony, which is up by around 12%. Hedge fund heavy hitter Dan Loeb made a proposal to management to split up the company. Loeb said he was willing to commit a significant amount of capital to support the...

An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military's forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to "maintain discipline" in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle. The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan's wartime aggression and have long complained that Japan has failed to fully atone for wartime atrocities.

An outspoken nationalist mayor said the Japanese military's forced prostitution of Asian women before and during World War II was necessary to "maintain discipline" in the ranks and provide rest for soldiers who risked their lives in battle. The comments made Monday are already raising ire in neighboring countries that bore the brunt of Japan's wartime aggression and that have long complained that Japan has failed to fully atone for wartime atrocities. Toru Hashimoto, the young, brash mayor of Osaka who is also co-leader of an emerging conservative political party, also told reporters that there wasn't clear evidence that the...

From time to time Japan’s political leaders visit the Yasukuni Shrine where Class A war criminals are included on the list of remembrance, then make controversial remarks that deny or gloss over the acts of aggression that Japan committed in the first half of the 20th century. By so doing, they give legitimacy to a self-centered and distorted interpretation of Japan’s ignoble history that many Japanese harbor, as illustrated below. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan embarked on an ambitious modernization program, modeling itself on advanced European countries such as Britain, France and Germany. To emulate those countries which...

On Fox Business’ Varney and Company today, Stuart Varney asked me about mortgage foreclosures. Are they ending? I said sure, “As long as The Fed doesn’t take away the punch bowl.” Will The Fed take away the punch bowl? Not likely. Sputh Korea just reduced their interest rate making it the 511th rate cut by a Central Bank since June 2007. That’s a whole lot of rate cuts! Sovereign rates are dropping towards the zero barrier. But the GDP growth rates in Europe are stagnant at best. At least China and Australia are experiencing above 3% real GDP growth. In...

Now China Says It May Own Okinawa, Too Agence France PresseMay 8, 2013 US Sale Of Armed Drones To Japan And South Korea Would Transform Tensions In The Pacific China's top newspaper on Wednesday published a call for a review of Japan's sovereignty over the island of Okinawa -- home to major US bases -- with the Asian powers already embroiled in a territorial row. The lengthy article in the People's Daily, China's most-circulated newspaper and the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist party, argued that the country may have rights to the Ryukyu chain, which includes Okinawa. The island is...

The World Gold Council has advised Italy to deploy its 2,000 tonnes of gold to break free of EMU austerity dictates. By using the reserves – the world's fourth largest – to collateralise the first chunk of any losses for bondholders, Italy could raise €400bn or so on the capital markets and determine its own future for a while. Italy did this in 1974 when it borrowed $2bn from the Bundesbank, using gold as collateral. Portugal did the same thing to borrow $1bn from the BIS in the 1975-1977, and India used its gold to borrow from Japan in 1991....

US objects to Japan’s plans for Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing Posted on May 2, 2013 by John Hofilena inPoliticswith1 Comment The Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant located in Japan’s northern Aomori Prefecture is capable of putting out nine tons of weapons-grade plutonium in a year, and this is exactly why the United States is opposing Japan’s plan to reprocess its nuclear fuel. The annual output of the facility, once at full capacity, is enough to build as many as 2,000 nuclear weapons, a fact not lost on Washington, as Tokyo insists that the program is non-military in nature. The Japanese government has...

My love is enduring and so it must be with you "My children" for I AM a just and loving God visiting these Virtues upon those that choose love in an enduring manner, for to see My River of Life "TRULY" flow through you there can be NO Guile or sorrow, no hopeless desires for My hope in you "IS" Christ Jesus and his desire is My will and My will alone and so as you enter into my will all guile and tribulation begins to subside and a new and fresh awakening begins. So take on my will for...

WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said Tuesday that it is Japan, not China, that is taking "unilateral or coercive actions" on their islands dispute. Cui made the remarks in response to U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's unfounded assertion on the dispute between Japan and China over the Diaoyu Islands. Addressing a joint news conference Monday with visiting Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Hagel claimed that the U.S. "opposes any unilateral or coercive action that seeks to undermine Japan's administrative control, a message (Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff) General (Martin)...

For anybody disheartened about years of disappointing economic news, Japan's recent announcement that it intends to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) offers a real reason to celebrate.Free trade agreements (FTAs) historically are some of the most surefire ways to open up new markets to U.S. exporters while enhancing American interests abroad. They create economic growth by fostering innovation and efficiency and, as a bonus, they generally produce invaluable political benefits.As FTAs go, Japan's participation in TPP makes this trade pact the Super Bowl and the World Cup of trade agreements wrapped into one. It's a game changer.It will give American...

My Spirit IS The Fruit ! Let Me Flow ~ ~ ~ Do you see my children I have come to bring you my love ; In Correction , Guidance , Promises , Blessings and more but in all these things I bring , as I look down upon some I see a talent hidden or buried not bearing fruit ?! So let My spirit as your eternal gift move and flow Freely for it is The Fruit I Bear through you my children ~ ~ ~ So Do My will and do not fear the enemy for I AM...

My children die through a lack of knowledge and this is from a position and choice of abidance or avoidance for there can only be one cup you drink. Protruding your head(vanity) into the heavenlies to take instead of what is given through abiding in my presence as my friend bears no fruit , BUT to those that rest in me as Benjamin the gates and storehouses of my kingdom are freely given and received as Jacob at Peniel for I have opened heaven for those that receive my friendship in loyal trust yet those that waiver are as a...

Since becoming Japan’s prime minister for a second time last December, Shinzo Abe has done a decent job of keeping his nationalistic instincts in check, choosing to focus instead on reviving the world’s third largest economy. But this week, with his administration buoyant in the polls amid positive signs for the economy, the “other” Shinzo Abe has stepped into the spotlight in dramatic style, angering Japan’s neighbors and possibly fomenting another round of regional tension. … (Abe) has made no secret of his desire to reinterpret Japan’s wartime past, distance himself from apologies issued by his predecessors, and, critically, rewrite...

look at this country's debt situation, especially relative to the United States, is truly amazing. This country is paying 21% of government revenue on interest payments to support a 236% debt-to-GDP ratio. With annual spending twice as high as its revenue, the government is running a deficit of $455 billion a year and adding to its $11.2 trillion debt. This is all before the monetary stimulus programs announced recently by its central bank. If you thought the United States government was a financial basket case, Japan is exponentially worse. A collapse in the yen and the stock market is all...

Turns Back To Coal, Abandons Emissions TargetsFrom Dr. Benny Peiser at The GWPFThe Japanese government is moving to speed up the environmental assessment process for new coal-fired power plants. According to Japanese media reports, the government intends to make 12 months the maximum period for assessing and approving new coal-fired power plants as its utilities seek to develop more power stations to stem surging energy supply bills. With the government considering the closure of much of the installed nuclear capacity over the medium term, the spotlight is back on coal as the cheapest energy source, notwithstanding plans to cut carbon...

The Federal Reserve, Bank of Japan, and the European Central Bank are in a race to the bottom … on interest rates. After Germany’s output fell, the ECB is prepared to … turn its monetary volume to 11. Currently, the ECB Rate is at 0.75, but a meeting is coming up on May 2nd where it may be lowered (hopefully to 0.11!). And here is Germany’s Manufacturing PMI Market Survey for April that may drive the ECB to turn up the volume. Europe’s GDP growth is anemic to say the least. With sovereign yields in larger economies already below 2%...

The news in early March that a Japanese company had finally successfully extracted natural gas from methane hydrate deposits under the seabed offshore Japan was hailed as a breakthrough for the energy industry around the world. There are large deposits of methane hydrate, or "ice gas", in several locations around the planet which means, if successfully exploited, they could bring to many regions around the world the low gas prices currently seen in North America as a result of the shale gas boom. Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) reported March 12 that it successfully extracted natural gas...

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed on Tuesday to "expel by force" any attempt by China to land on a disputed island chain after eight state-owned Chinese ships sailed into the territorial waters surrounding the archipelago. Japan's prime minister Tuesday vowed to "expel by force" any Chinese landing on islands at the centre of a territorial row, after eight government vessels from China sailed into the disputed waters.The latest clash over the islands came as 168 Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial Yasukuni war shrine in central Tokyo, seen as a potent symbol of Japan's imperialist past, riling its neighbours China...

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Friday named Mark Lippert, a Navy veteran and Pentagon official, as his chief of staff. Lippert, 40, currently assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, takes over May 1 as Hagel’s right-hand man. Marcel Lettre, Hagel’s acting chief of staff for the moment, will become Lippert’s deputy, and later move to an still-undetermined senior position, officials said. A White House insider, Lippert has ties to both Hagel and President Barack Obama that stretch back years. He accompanied both men, when they were still senators, on a 2008 visit to Afghanistan,...

Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Now, South Korea is mimicking the Bank of Japan and The Federal Reserve and is attempting to stimulate economic growth mostly through issuing new debt (15T won), April 16 (Bloomberg) — South Korea plans 19.3t won of additional fiscal support to spur growth, Finance Ministry says in an e-mailed statement. • Stimulus package will boost growth by 0.3 percentage points and create 40,000 jobs • Of the total stimulus amount, 15.8t won will be financed by issuing new bonds and adjusting a debt buyback program • Additional bond issuance may raise bond...

National Security: Our secretary of state tells the Chinese we'll restrain missile defense activities in Asia in exchange for their help in reducing the threat of a nuclear North Korea. Isn't this where we came in? In a news conference after meetings with China's top leaders on Saturday, Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States would reduce its missile defenses in Asia if North Korea abandoned its nuclear weapons program. Well, at least he didn't bow. In response to North Korea's threat to fire some of its latest missiles, including the road-mobile Musudan, amidst news that it can...

If you have felt disappointed because Secretary of State John Kerry hasn’t yet joined most of his Obama administration colleagues to offer an ignorant opinion on the gun debate, well, this post is for you. While on a trip to Asia ostensibly to deal with the crisis on the Korean peninsula, Kerry took time out to poll his hosts on their views of gun control: (VIDEO-AT-LINK) It’s difficult to know where to start with this nonsense. First, as we have repeatedly pointed out, gun deaths have declined each year since the expiration of the nonsensical “assault weapons” ban in 2007,...

There will be a ministry rise up from out of these ashes for this "IS" the Sequoia you have been waiting for . Do you see my children there is no waste in my kingdom so use ALL and cast not out what I call Holy for each member has been given a cause and a calling and you are "ALL" my creation says The Lord for I am God and not man . So get along by "doing" my will for it "IS" the active branch I do NOT prune but the dormant fail and fall away . Seek...

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article entitled “A Yen for Yield Could Rock U.S. REITs.” In a low-return world, the steady dividends U.S. REITs provide have made them an investor favorite, especially in Japan, where the central bank is going all out to end two decades of stagnation that has left an aging population desperate for income. No kidding. With Japan’s Fed-like asset purchase targets, the yield curve for Japan lies well below that of the QE-crazy US. The Japanese ten year sovereign yield is at a measly 0.609%, over 100 basis points under the US 10 year...

(snip) "Destroying the North Korean missile before it is launched is the best of bad options on the Korean Peninsula. A prolonged crisis would undermine regional security and global efforts to stop nuclear proliferation. And a future war would be much worse. The most prudent move is to eliminate the most imminent military threat in self-defense, establish clear and reasonable limits on future belligerence, and maintain allied unity for stability — not forced regime change — in the region. This is the kind of pre-emptive action that would save lives and maybe even preserve the uneasy peace on the Korean...

Well, sorta. Maybe it will be his last, but I wouldn't count on it.Kim Il-sung s Poster (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption] Kim Il-sung was born (it is written and may even be true) on April 15, 1912. There are over 500 statues of Kim Il-sung in North Korea.[53] The most prominent are at Kim Il-sung University, Kim Il-sung Stadium, Mansudae Hill, Kim Il-sung Bridge and the Immortal Statue of Kim Il-sung. Some statues have been reported to have been destroyed by explosions or damaged with graffiti by North Korean activists.[54][55]Yeong Saeng ("eternal life") monuments have been erected throughout the country, each dedicated to the departed "Eternal Leader", at which...

The U.S. Treasury on Friday warned Japan not to actively weaken its currency as it again refrained from naming China a manipulator. In its twice-a-year assessment of whether any nation is a currency manipulator, Treasury said it will “closely monitor” Japan’s policies and the extent to which they support the growth of domestic demand. The new Shinzo Abe administration has pushed for aggressive bond-buying at the Bank of Japan, and the yen has dropped 13% against the dollar this year. The Japanese currency rose in Friday afternoon trade after the report was released. … China, meanwhile, escaped being branded a...

North Korea Missile Test Delayed By Windows 8, Kim Jong-Un To Declare War On Microsoft? /snip The New Yorker is claiming the North Korea missile test was delayed by Windows 8 since previously their computers were running on Windows 95. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) says they are “working with Windows 8 support to resolve the issue” and the North Korea missile test has “been delayed indefinitely.” It’s said “Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un is furious about the Windows 8 problems” and may declare war on Microsoft. /snip

No comment. That’s what China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said earlier today (April 12) in response to a report by a US spy agency saying North Korea has a nuclear weapon it could mount on a missile. Several US and South Korean officials were also quick to deny the report. This is after promises by North Korea to turn its enemies’ strongholds into a sea of flames. Even with an aggressive, potentially nuclear rogue regime sharing a border with China, Hong Lei maintained dialogue was the way to resolve tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Obama: North Korea should end belligerence now Associated Press – 46 mins ago WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says now is the time for North Korea to end its belligerence. He says the United States will take, in his words, "all necessary steps" to protect its people. But Obama also says that no one wants to see a conflict on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea ratcheted up its threats against the U.S. after the U.N. Security Council levied new economic sanctions on the isolated nation. The penalties were in response to a February rocket launch.

Via Eli Lake, who had a separate timely piece this morning quoting experts who think the world should be taking this latest NorK tantrum more seriously than it is. Fast-forward to this afternoon’s House Armed Services Committee hearing with Hagel and Joint Chiefs Chair Martin Dempsey. Lake: According to the [Defense Intelligence Agency] report, “DIA assesses with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles however the reliability will be low.” That line was read aloud by Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado, on Thursday during a House Armed Services Committee hearing. Lamborn...

WASHINGTON, April 11 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. military intelligence agency believes that North Korea has learned how to mount nuclear bombs on ballistic missiles, a U.S. congressman said Thursday, citing a classified report. But the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) still questions whether the secretive nation has mastered the sophisticated technology, according to Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO). In a congressional hearing, he quoted the report as saying, "DIA assesses with moderate confidence the North currently has nuclear weapons capable of delivery by ballistic missiles; however the reliability will be low." Both Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman...

U.S. and allied intelligence agencies have identified the launch zone on North Korea’s east coast... The North Koreans recently began fueling two road-mobile Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles located along the east coast between the cities of Wonsan and Hamhung,.. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said in addition to the 2,500-mile-range Musudans the North Koreans could conduct test firings of several 620-mile-range Nodong missiles and shorter-range Scuds simultaneously as a way to thwart U.S. missile defenses. Unlike earlier launches, the North Koreans are not expected to provide advance warning of the timing for the launches, such as announcing a...

On April 6, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed severe concern over the current tense situation on the Korean Peninsula to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon over the phone, and said Beijing "does not allow troublemaking at the doorsteps of China." In wake of the rising tensions on the Korea Peninsula, for the regional peace and stability and to safeguard China's national interest, it is necessary to address relevant sides over the issue: To DPRK: do not misjudge the situation To the United States: do not add fuel to the flames To South Korea: do not miss the focus To...

NEW DELHI: Fewer countries are carrying out executions than a decade ago, but India along with nations like Gambia, Pakistan and Japan bucked the trend to resume handing out death penalties. An Amnesty International report says that 21 countries executed convicts last year as compared to 28 in 2003. But there is greater concern that Indian courts had meted out at least 78 death sentences with more than 400 estimated to be on death row at the end of this year. The new death sentences given by India (78) are second only to Pakistan (242) in the Asia-Pacific region. At...

Jesus only did the Father's will ! Do not be disarmed by others any more or care for their concerns but be filled with MY will for you, for in this alone shall you be able to do all things. You see it is in this place where truly the flesh dies yet I remain and this IS complete surrender as true as the sky is blue for in my atmosphere all else pales to compare for My Glory even rests here ! I establish all things so where I AM you "MUST BE" and begin to inhabit for "I...

(CNN) – Republican leaders in Congress received a dire warning on Tuesday from former Vice President Dick Cheney on the ongoing crisis in North Korea.“We’re in deep doo doo,” Cheney told lawmakers, according to a GOP leadership aide.Cheney added the current North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, is unpredictable and doesn't share the United States worldview.One lawmaker present at the session, Rep. Steve Southerland of Florida, said Cheney wore a cowboy hat and "looked really good, spoke really clearly, lucidly.”

Tonight there's urgent new evidence that north korea is ready to launch a missile at any hour, any moment, a show of force, a defiant test of world reaction. ABC news has been told that the fuel has been loaded. The missile is on the pad. And our bob woodruff is in south korea to bring us more details right now. Reporter: The top u. S. Defense official responded to kim jong-un'sising rhetoric today. North korea's actions have been skating very close to a dangerous line. Reporter: There is some anxiety growing on the streets and in the subways of...

Next week, a United States Air Force Academy cadet will once again turn over a cup to signify that another "hero" has passed. 76 cups upside down...4 remaining. This "tradition " has been going on for 71 years and this will be the last time these few brave gentlemen will be together in one place, at one time. For you see, there are now only 4 remaining of the original 80 men who took off on a cold wet April 18th day knowing that they had insufficient fuel to reach a safe destination. Knowing full well that this may be...

At the end of World War II, huge swaths of Europe and Asia had been reduced to ruins. Borders were redrawn and homecomings, expulsions, and burials were under way. But the massive efforts to rebuild had just begun. When the war began in the late 1930s, the world's population was approximately 2 billion. In less than a decade, the war between the Axis the Allied powers had resulted in 80 million deaths -- killing off about 4 percent of the whole world. Allied forces now became occupiers, taking control of Germany, Japan, and much of the territory they had formerly...

The yen plunged to its lowest level in nearly four years and showed no signs of slowing its weakening trend in response to the Bank of Japan's latest push to ease monetary policy. Investors have been aggressively selling the Japanese currency since policy makers at the BOJ announced last week they will print trillions of yen to pump money into Japan's sluggish economy in a bid to keep interest rates low and spark faster growth. "Both Japanese and non-Japanese investors appear to be selling Japanese government bonds equally aggressively," said Michael Woolfolk, senior currency strategist at Bank of New York...

Many of China's top economists are livid at what they view as an effective currency devaluation by Japan and are calling on the People's Bank of China to retaliate by weakening the yuan to defend itself in what they see as a new currency war. These economists, including Tsinghua University professor Li Daokui and ANZ Bank's Liu Ligang, see Japan's plan to double its monetary base within two years as "blackmail" and have criticised the Japanese central bank's decision to open the liquidity floodgates to bump up the economy. Liu said Japan's unprecedented easing programme, aimed at ending more than...

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The United States and South Korea have reportedly drawn up joint plans for a retaliatory set of tit-for-tat responses to any strikes by North Korean on its neighbour. The scale of the response has been set down in a new war plan to ensure that there is no unintended escalation into broader war. The new "counter-provocation" plan is calling for an immediate but proportional "response in kind" to North Korea if it decides to launch a ground attack or a missile, the New York Times reported last night, citing unnamed US officials. Under the plan, the source of any North...

Ever notice that this administration is only lightning-fast when it comes to shifting blame when things don’t work out perfectly? They practically left a vapor trail in their zeal to anonymously accuse the US military of being responsible for our tense situation with North Korea: So, it’s the Navy’s fault that the U.S.-North Korea spat has gone so far? That’s the apparent message from senior administration officials who, according to the Wall Street Journal on Thursday, said that they had long planned to send B-52s, B-2 stealth bombers, and F-22 fighters to the Korean Peninsula as part of preplanned wargames...

The Bank of Japan announced their “Shock and Awe” monetary strategy on April 4th to inject $1.4 trillion into their economy in less than two years. (Reuters) – The Bank of Japan unleashed the world’s most intense burst of monetary stimulus on Thursday, promising to inject about $1.4 trillion into the economy in less than two years, a radical gamble that sent the yen reeling and bond yields to record lows. That was on April 4th. But on closing on Friday April 5th, the 10 year Japanese sovereign yield regained most of its decline. If we look at the change...