Zenkoji declines to serve as starting point of Olympics torch relay; PM Fukuda and South Korean President agree to cooperate on a range of issues
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    • Zenkoji temple in Nagano has declined to serve as the starting point of the Japan leg for the Beijing Olympics torch relay citing the ‘indiscriminate killings’ in Tibet1.

    Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak during their bilateral meeting on April 21 in Tokyo decided to expand cooperation between their countries on various crucial issues - including on the North Korean nuclear issue and on the abductions issue. Both countries also agreed to enhance their ties on other issues like climate change, energy security and development assistance to poorer countries2. Prime Minister Fukuda is also expected to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his 3-day tour of Russia beginning on April 25. The sensitive territorial dispute and various economic issues were expected to be discussed3.

    In other developments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel met with the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Merkel expressed her scepticism over the American initiatives to halt the growth of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2025. Criticising the United States as the world’s biggest polluter, Merkel stressed that it was important for the developed countries to show a long-term vision to slash emissions4.

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