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Abe to make 3-day visit to Myanmar from next Friday

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to make a three-day visit to Myanmar from next Friday in a bid to strengthen bilateral ties, a Japanese government source said Saturday. Abe, who will be accompanied by top executives from more than 30 Japanese companies, is expected to hold talks with Myanmar President Thein Sein on improving the investment environment in the southeast Asian nation for expansion of Japanese investments there.

Abe said he will visit Myanmar soon to help its economic development

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday he will visit Myanmar "soon" with the aim of helping the Southeast Asian nation's economic development. "I will not hold back from any cooperation" for the development of Myanmar, which has overcome a great number of difficulties, Abe said in a speech on his government's growth strategy. The Japanese government and the public sector will "work as one" to assist Myanmar, Abe said.

Abe vows to double crop exports by 2020 as pillar of growth strategy

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Friday to double the scale of Japan's crop exports to 1 trillion yen ($9.76 billion) by 2020 as a pillar of his government's economic growth strategy, with an eye on the country's entry into talks on the U.S.-led tariff-cutting pact. Abe also said in a speech in Tokyo that the world's third-largest economy will aim to become a nation which allows not only Japanese companies but those abroad to put new technologies such as self-driving cars to the test exceptionally if they meet certain conditions.

Japan PM pledges to slash red tape for growth

Japan's premier said Friday he would slash red tape in a bid to boost corporate investment as he seeks to capitalise on the feel-good mood of a soaraway stock market and a plunging yen. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe set out broadbrush outlines of the third of his "three arrows" of a plan dubbed "Abenomics", which is intended to turn around years of deflation in the world's third-largest economy. The first two "arrows" -- a colossal government spending plan and aggressive monetary easing -- have fuelled optimism in an economy that has struggled for two decades.

Abe eager to accelerate territorial talks with Putin

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed eagerness Friday to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of international meetings this year to make progress on a long-standing territorial dispute. "If I have the time I would like to hold a summit and move forward" on the territorial issue, Abe said in a television program, adding that such opportunities may arise when the two leaders attend meetings of the Group of Eight in June, the Group of 20 in September and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in October.

Hashimoto clarifies remarks on "comfort women" after flak

Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto on Wednesday sought to clarify his remarks on a system to recruit women into sexual servitude for Japan's soldiers during World War II, saying he personally does not condone the scheme. Two days after he made controversial remarks that the so-called comfort women were "necessary to maintain discipline" in the Japanese military, Hashimoto told reporters he simply stated a fact that people at the time had that kind of view.

Abe aims at achieving stronger growth to implement tax hikes

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday his government will keep up efforts to achieve sustainable growth in the Japanese economy, a precondition for planned sales tax hikes. "I want to bring about the economic environment that would warrant the tax hikes," Abe told a Diet committee session, in reference to economic policies encompassing monetary easing, flexible fiscal spending and growth strategy.

Respectful debate needed for constitutional revision: Abe

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Sunday it is necessary for his Liberal Democratic Party to discuss "in a respectful manner" with its coalition partner New Komeito his proposal to revise Article 96 of the Constitution. Abe's remark to reporters apparently reflects his consideration for the coalition partner, which remains cautious about the revision to make it easier to rewrite the Constitution. "Public debates over the issue have not deepened yet, and we have not yet gained sufficient support," Abe also said.

Japan marks 66th anniv. of Constitution enforcement as Abe eyes change

Japan on Friday marked the 66th anniversary of the pacifist Constitution coming into force, at a time when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is determined to amend the country's supreme law. Abe, whose Cabinet has been riding high in opinion polls since its launch last December, is keen to rewrite the current war-renouncing Constitution and create stronger defense forces, much to the dismay of neighboring China and South Korea that suffered Japan's wartime aggression.

Japan, UAE sign nuclear agreement during PM Abe's visit

Japan and the United Arab Emirates signed a civil nuclear agreement Thursday during Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to the oil-rich country, setting the stage for more sales of Japanese atomic technologies overseas. It was the first bilateral nuclear agreement signed by Japan since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear crisis triggered by the devastating earthquake and tsunami.
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