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

The Top Headline

—Prime Minister Shinzo Abe returning to the rightwing theme that the Peace Constitution must be revised because it was written “during the Occupation” by the Allies after the Pacific War. In other words, he’s trying to emphasize the alien origins of postwar pacifism.

Politics

—Akira Koike mocks Shinzo Abe: “Stopping the prime minister’s ambition to revise the Constitution is the Japan Communist Party’s ‘historical mission!’”

—Fumio Kishida declares that, “as I politician I’d like to rise one step higher.” In other words, he is repeating his intention to run for the post of prime minister.

International

—Abe government apparently sees Vladimir Putin as their best hope to negotiate a return of the Southern Kuriles-Northern Territories. They seem to calculate that his strong domestic position would allow him to make an unpopular deal which his successors might shrink from.

—Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga: “We won’t change our policy of maximizing pressure on North Korea through every means in cooperation with the United States, South Korea and relevant countries including China and Russia.”

—Donald Trump again manifests his new antagonism toward “Sloppy Steve Bannon.” Bannon was apparently on the verge of strengthening his ties with rightwing circles in Japan. Does this mean the Bannon-Japan axis is now effectively done before it started?

—A US Marine helicopter based at Futenma involved in yet another mishap. This time it is an emergency landing at Ikeijima island. Initial reports suggest that no one was injured.

Society

—Fourteen hours ago phone alarms went crazy over a very minor quake. Now a much stronger quake, characterized by a short sharp jolt, occurred without any alarm. The quake magnitude estimated at 4.8.

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