Japan

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova made the remarks in a statement commenting on Japan's "so-called" protest against the joint strategic air patrol by Chinese and Russian air forces on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

During a bilateral meeting held in Tokyo on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida concurred that the next 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting may be held in Japan at the earliest. Both leaders had a productive exchange of views on enhancing bilateral relations in various spheres as well as on some regional and global issues. They also appreciated the growing economic ties between the two countries.

During the meeting, Suga and Modi recalled their previous interactions, including their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit in Washington D.C. in September 2021. Modi appreciated Suga's contribution in deepening and strengthening India-Japan relations, said the statement.

Noting that the Quad has gained world prominence in a short span of time, PM Modi said that despite the adverse situation created by Covid-19, the coordination was increased for vaccine delivery, climate action, supply chain resilience, disaster response, economic cooperation and other areas. It has resulted in peace, prosperity and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Prime Minister lauded the NEC's role in India's telecommunication sector, especially in undertaking Chennai-Andaman & Nicobar Islands (CANI) and Kochi-Lakshadweep Islands (KLI) OFC projects. He also highlighted India's investment opportunities under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme.

"Supporting the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorist organisations and asking us for support for NATO membership is, to say the least, inconsistent. We asked Sweden to return 30 terrorists, but they refused to do so," Erdogan added on Wednesday while addressing his party's lawmakers.

NATO membership will strengthen security in Sweden as well as in the Baltic Sea region, she added at a press conference on Tuesday with visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Submitting joint applications with Finland "means that we can contribute to security in northern Europe," Andersson said.

"Taking into account the Ukraine crisis and concerns over a power supply crunch, we will make the most of what we have, including nuclear power," the Minister told a press briefing. Hagiuda also said that along with new talent, resources will be directed at developing a new type of nuclear reactor, reports Xinhua news agency.

The large drop reflects a plunge in the number of foreign residents due to strict border controls over the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly aging society, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The population stood at 125,502,000 as of October 1, 2021, down by 644,000 compared to 2020. It declined for the 11th consecutive year.

Several unnamed Japanese government officials told the paper that Tokyo has been informally approached on such a possibility by each of the three members of the alliance, RT reported, citing the Sankei Shimbun newspaper. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, however, denied the report on Wednesday, saying that "there is no fact" in the Sankei Shimbun article. Tokyo was "not asked to participate in AUKUS", he said.