Daily Yomiuri Online :: Sunday, April 19, 2009

• IOC team briefed on bid finance (Apr.19) ★
  Ken Marantz / Daily Yomiuri Sportswriter
  Before being treated to a luxurious state dinner in their honor Saturday evening, the IOC Evaluation Commission got a heaping helping of the financial aspects of the Tokyo 2016 bid.
  Finances and marketing were among the themes addressed during presentations made by bid officials and experts on Saturday, the third day of the IOC delegation's four-day visit. continued ...


• Asp policy seeks 'secure society' / Administration wants to depart from unsettling Koizumi structural reforms (Apr.19) ★
  Prime Minister Taro Aso aims to correct the structural reform drive set out by former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi by launching a panel to hammer out a vision of society giving greater priority to providing a sense of security in social welfare and the economy.
  The panel, whose mission is to explore ways to realize a secure society, held its first meeting Monday at the Prime Minister's Office. The body is discussing revisions to basic economic and social welfare policies in employment, medical services and nursing care, public pensions and child-raising assistance. continued ...


• Donors see need for stable Pakistan (Apr.19)
  Hiroaki Matsunaga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
  Friday's donors' conference for Pakistan marked the start of the international community's full-fledged support for the country, with the aim of helping eradicate terrorism.
  The international community, which pledged more than 5 billion dollars in aid at the conference, understands that a stable Pakistan will directly lead to the stabilization of Afghanistan, the frontline in the fight against terrorism. continued ...


• Editorial: Don't amend antipiracy bill without good reason (Apr.19) ★
  Cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties is desirable to ensure the early enactment of the antipiracy bill. But such cooperation should not result in the bill being amended without due consideration, as changes could compromise the effectiveness of antipiracy measures.
  Deliberations on the antipiracy bill started in the House of Representatives last week. The bill is aimed at enabling Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to escort not only Japan-related, but also foreign ships. Also, MSDF vessels would be able to fire at pirate ships that approach and pursue commercial ships with the aim of disabling them. These are the pillars of the government-sponsored bill. continued ...