SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported today by the Shingetsu News Agency.

Politics

—The Central Committee of the Japan Communist Party decides they will continue to offer electoral cooperation to like-minded opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Social Democratic Party.

—Yukio Edano makes clear that the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan welcomes the electoral cooperation offered by the Japan Communist Party.

—Party of Hope to refund all the money to the candidates who had to put up their own deposits to run in the October 22 general election. Now that taxpayer subsidies are rolling in, the party’s cash crisis is lifting.

—The Central Committee of the Japan Communist Party decides that Akahata will begin publishing a full digital edition beginning next July. This is part of an effort to appeal to a younger audience.

International

—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Trump administration clearly “wants to provoke new actions” by North Korea, and that the US statement at the United Nations amounted to “a very bloodthirsty tirade.”

Economy

—Abe government to impose 1,000 yen (about US$9.00) departure tax on everyone traveling abroad from April 2019.

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