nagoid 4 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Wow I did not think he was 80. He doesn't look it. Batty he may be, but... Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Shouldn't he be doing other stuff at 80? (please). Link to post Share on other sites
cal 6 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Just retire would be good. Is it me not understanding the nuances or is he quite offensive in the way he talks about other people/politicians? Didn't he refer to another one yesterday as "the one who looks like a tanuki (raccoon)?" Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted October 25, 2012 Share Posted October 25, 2012 Sure sounds it, but is he allowed to being their senior? Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted October 27, 2012 Share Posted October 27, 2012 He's a rogue maverick. Link to post Share on other sites
brit-gob 9 Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 And doesn't he just love it. Link to post Share on other sites
hellyer 216 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Japan's Foreign Minister tells Australia there is no dispute with China. We (Japan own it - no dispute) DJ Japan's Foreign Minister Calls for Calm Over Islands Dispute 13/01/2013 08:13PM AEST By Enda Curran SYDNEY--Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday sought to ease tensions with China in a spat over disputed islands and also played down expectations that the government would revise past apologies made for its wartime actions. Speaking in Sydney at the end of a four-day swing tour through the Asia-Pacific that took in the Philippines, Brunei, Singapore and Australia, Mr. Kishida described Japan's relationship with China as "extremely important" and said his government wants "concrete cooperation" with China from a "broad perspective." "However, there is the issue of the islands, and we need to have a response to this issue without getting heated about it...we have [an] attitude of managing the challenge in a solid manner between Japan and China," he said. Mr. Kishida made clear his government's view that the islands belong to Japan, with no room for negotiations over ownership with China. "With regard to the Senkaku islands, the islands are the territory of Japan both in terms of international law and history, and thus the territorial problem that needs to be resolved between Japan and China does not exist. I said this in the countries that I have visited," he said. A spokeswoman for Japan's foreign ministry later told reporters the government wants tensions to ease and doesn't want to see the dispute escalate further. Tensions have been growing between Tokyo and Beijing in recent months over the ownership of a group of five uninhabited islands located in the East China Sea known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China. Japan has protested moves by China to deploy maritime patrol boats to the region, and on Thursday, Japanese media reported sightings of Chinese fighter jets near Japan's airspace. Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who swept to office in December on a nationalist platform, has signaled little room for compromise on the issue and has promised a bold foreign policy designed to reassert Japan as a power in the region in the face of a rising China. On the issue of Japan reconsidering past apologies for its wartime actions, Mr. Kishida said the government won't be seeking to rewrite a 1993 statement made by then-chief cabinet secretary Yohei Kono that the Japanese government and military were responsible for forcing "comfort women" to serve in front-line military brothels. "The 1993 Kono statement covers the issue of comfort women. Prime Minister Abe is truly distressed with the suffering, which was indescribable, that the affected people experienced. The thoughts of our current prime minister have not changed from the previous prime ministers since the statement," the foreign minister said through an interpreter. Mr. Kishida said he wants to deepen ties with Australia, including working closely on nuclear non-proliferation. Already this past week, Japan and the Philippines discussed the need for greater security and maritime cooperation. Dealing with the rise of China as a military powerhouse was a key theme in his talks with governments in the region during his tour, Mr. Kishida said. "How we respond to China's expansion, which it is seeking to implement...[is] a common challenge to various countries in the region," he said. Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted January 17, 2013 Share Posted January 17, 2013 Not much has changed then Link to post Share on other sites
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