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FIFA WC: Japan Script Memorable Comeback, Stun Germany 2-1

By LokMarg 23rd November 2022

Japan made a scintillating comeback to create a massive upset against Germany, defeating the four-time champions 2-1 in the group E match of the FIFA World Cup at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.

Germany was leading at the end of the first half but Japan scaled up their game in the second half, scoring in the 75th minute through Ritsu Doan and in the 83rd minute through Takuma Asano.
Takuma Asano was brought in as a substitution in the 57th minute and proved his mettle in the match as Japanese supporters yelled and cheered from the stands.

The second half saw the Japanese players come with a new fervour, zeal, and confidence as they dominated the ball possession and made constant runs to the German box.

Gundogan, who had scored for Germany through the penalty kick in the first half, continued his good form and came very close to scoring in the 60th minute but his the ball ricocheted off the goalpost to the huge disappointment of German fans.

Germany ended with superior ball possession and shots on goal but piercing attacks by the Japanese team left them vulnerable.

With this win, Japan has got to the top of the table in Group E which also features Germany, Costa Rica, and Spain.

Germany was leading Japan 1-0 at half-time after Ilkay Gundogan scored via penalty kick in the group E match at the Khalifa International Stadium on Wednesday.

Japan goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda failed to prevent a goal in the 32nd minute of the match. Gundogan netted the ball straight into the goal through a penalty kick to give Germany a 1-0 lead.

The four-time FIFA champions wasted no time and came out all guns blazing as they went deep inside the Japanese box in the second minute of the game and looked threatening from the beginning.

Daizen Maeda challenged German Antonio Rudiger to dribble the ball past him but the center-back was alert and cut the Japanese’ run short.

Maeda was in the reckoning once again in the 8th minute as he made a brilliant run to get to the ball perfectly and score, only to be called off-side.

There was a constant struggle between the sides for possession. Japan also had the advantage for some time.

Germany came close to scoring in the 16th minute with a superb corner kick from Joshua Walter Kimmich that was headed just a few inches wide by Rudiger.

A free-kick was given to Germany as Thomas Muller was brought down by Takefusa Kubo in the 18th minute but the Germans failed to score off it.

Gundogan troubled the Japan team with his brilliant football skill as he managed to constantly find vacant spaces in the field.

The German finally scored via a penalty to give Germany a one-goal lead over Japan.

Japanese players seemed a bit demotivated after trailing and faltered with the ball, giving possession to the German players in the first half.

Germany almost took a 2-0 lead in the closing minutes of the first half after Kai Havertz found the back of the net but was called off-side.

The result of the match was similar to that on Tuesday when Saudi Arabia had shocked fancied Argentina 2-1.

Japan caused an upset much similar to the match between Saudi Arabia and Argentina on Tuesday.

Both Japan and Saudi Arabia came from behind to clinch famous victories against their fancied rivals. (ANI)

G7 Warns Of Severe Consequences If Russia Uses Nuclear Weapons

By LokMarg 12th October 2022

A day after Russia’s large-scale missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, Group of Seven (G7) nations condemned the attacks and warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine will have severe consequences, according to a statement released by the White House.

Leaders of G7 states (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France, and Japan) said, “We deplore deliberate Russian escalator steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk. We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.”
Earlier, on Monday, Russia conducted that large-scale strikes on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other locations on Monday, which drew condemnation from several countries.

The statement came after the G7 held a meeting with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that took place against the backdrop of the recent missile attacks against civilian infrastructure and cities across Ukraine, leading to the death of innocent civilians.

Talking about Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s four regions, the G7 said that Russia has blatantly violated the principles enshrined in the UN Charter. “They cannot and do not give Russia a legitimate basis to change Ukraine’s borders. We call upon all countries to unequivocally reject these violations of international law and demand that Russia ceases all hostilities and immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its troops and military equipment from Ukraine,” the statement said.

G7 in the statement said that they have imposed and will continue to impose further economic costs on Russia, and even on other countries who are providing political or economic support for Russia’s illegal attempts to change the status of Ukrainian territory.

“We reiterate our call on the Belarusian authorities to stop enabling the Russian war of aggression by permitting Russian armed forces to use Belarusian territory and by providing support to the Russian military. The announcement of a joint military group with Russia constitutes the most recent example of the Belarusian regime’s complicity with Russia. We renew our call on the Lukashenko regime to fully abide by its obligations under international law,” the statement said.

“We reaffirm our full support for Ukraine’s independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty in its internationally recognized borders. In line with international law, in particular the UN Charter, Ukraine has the legitimate right to defend itself against Russian aggression and to regain full control of its territory within its internationally recognized borders,” the statement added.

G7 also said that they are looking forward to the outcomes of the International Expert Conference on the Recovery, Reconstruction, and Modernisation of Ukraine, which is taking place on October 25.

Talking about the “deliberate damage” in Nordstream pipelines, G7 said that they strongly condemn deliberate disruption of critical infrastructure.

“We will act in solidarity and close coordination to address the negative impact of Russia’s aggression for global economic stability, including by continuing to cooperate to ensure energy security and affordability across the G7 and beyond,” G7 said in the statement. (ANI)

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Jaishankar Reiterates India’s Interest In Joining UNSC As Permanent Member

By LokMarg 6th October 2022

Reiterating that a permanent seat, as well as reforms of the UN Security Council, remains India’s main priority, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Thursday asserted that India voices the interest and aspirations of a broad set of countries and added that the contemporary global issues cannot be solved by few countries only.

While addressing Auckland community business Jaishankar said, “There is a widespread acceptance that the problems of today cannot be solved by one, two, or even five of the countries in the United Nations Security Council. When we look at the reforms at the United Nations Security Council, we have an interest in becoming a permanent member of the security council.”
Currently, United Nations Security Council, also known as the Permanent Five or P5, are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and India have been reiterating its bid for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council.

Over the multilateral Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) grouping, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar reiterated that not joining RCEP was the “right decision.”

During Jaishankar’s address to Auckland Community business, he noted, “When it came to the RCEP, we took a decision in 2019 not to proceed in joining the RCEP. We weigh the pros and cons. We did an evaluation and many of the critical issues were not addressed in the final outcome.”

He continued saying, “India went back to the other 15 countries and shared some of its anxieties with them but they collectively took the view that they had gone as far as they could. So we decided that it was not in our interest.”

India joined the 15-nation ‘Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations in 2012. In 2019, 15 nations, including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand among others, signed the free trade agreement. However, India walked out of the negotiations, citing national interests.

He also emphasized that climate change also remains one of the top issues in today’s time.

Pointing to the discriminatory approaches adopted in the world in responding to the COVID pandemic, Jaishankar said that the pandemic has revealed to us “how iniquitous and how selfish this world is.”

“I am not taking a moral position. There were several discriminatory policies. If you go to South Africa there is a strong sense of anger and how they were treated during COVID,” Jaishankar added.

Moreover, Jaishankar said Thursday that India is one of the biggest manufacturers of vaccines, and even while vaccinating Indians, the country has helped others.

Addressing the Auckland community business here, Jaishankar said, “During Covid, we were one of the biggest manufacturers of vaccines. We still are. And even while we were vaccinating our own people we took a very conscious decision to help others and we prioritized countries that don’t have access to the free vaccines.”

Jaishankar also said that the entire world is suffering from the Russia-Ukraine war and mentioned the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan as also a big issue.

Responding to a question about the existence of a binary view in the world and India’s position in that, Jaishankar believed that the binary view is “outdated” and said, “One of the changes we have seen in the last few years is the US itself much more open to working with countries outside the traditional alliance or treaty or relationship.”

“So, you have mechanisms like the court, which involves some traditional alliance for the US but also a country like India, which has historically stayed away from alliances and treaties,” he added.

“You know my sense of why we should really pit the binary framework to rest if you look at the distribution of power which are the major economies of the world. Economies large enough to have an impact on global decision-making,” he added.

He also said that in the 1970s and 80s the decisions were mainly taken by G7 countries but with time the decisions’ centrality shifted to G20.

Jaishankar said that India is the fifth-largest economy in nominal terms and is expected to become third largest by the end of the decade.

The External Affairs Minister recalled that India was requested to press the Russians on the issue regarding the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant when the countries increased their fighting near the nuclear facility.

Jaishankar said, “When I was in the United Nations, the big concern at that time was the safety of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant because there was some fighting going on very proximate to it.”

“There was a request to us to press the Russians on that issue which we did. There have been other concerns at various points in time, either different countries have raised with us or the UN has raised with us. I think at this time whatever we can do, we will be willing to do,” the EAM added.

Earlier, Jaishankar held talks with his New Zealand counterpart Nanaia Mahuta and took up visa issues being faced by Indian students due to Covid-19 measures imposed by the country.

In Auckland, EAM will participate in an event on October 6 along with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to felicitate members of the Indian community in New Zealand for their exceptional achievements and contributions.

After wrapping up his New Zealand visit, the EAM will be visiting Canberra and Sydney. (ANI)

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India Condemns North Korea’s Ballistic Missile Test

By LokMarg 6th October 2022

India has strongly condemned North Korea’s ballistic missile launch over Japan and said that these moves affect the peace and security of the region and beyond.

While addressing the United Nations Security Council, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj called for the full implementation of the relevant UNSC resolutions relating to DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea).
The 15-member council met on Wednesday after North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile on Tuesday that soared over Japan for the first time in five years and prompted a warning for residents there to take cover.

North Korea on Tuesday conducted its longest-ever weapons test, a nuclear-capable ballistic missile that flew over Japan, after which Tokyo urged residents to evacuate to shelters.

“India would also like to reiterate the importance of addressing the proliferation of nuclear and missile technologies related to DPRK in our region. These linkages have an adverse impact on peace and security in the region including India. We hence, reiterate our continued support for denuclearisation towards peace and security in the Korean peninsula,” Kamboj said.

She also reminded the council about the problems that the “global south” has to go through.

“It is, therefore, important to continue to make all efforts to maintain peace and security.

Ensuring peace and security in the Korean Peninsula is in our collective interest going forward we will continue to support dialogues and diplomacy as a means to resolve the issue in the Korean Peninsula,” India’s envoy added.

Earlier, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield also condemned North Korea’s action and said “The DPRK (North Korea) has enjoyed blanket protection from two members of this council.”

According to Kyodo News, early Tuesday, the government issued an alert urging residents in Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido and the country’s northeastern prefecture of Aomori to stay inside buildings.

The White House said that both US President Joe Biden and Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida confirmed that they would continue to closely coordinate their immediate and longer-term response bilaterally, trilaterally with the Republic of Korea, and with the international community.

“They confirmed they would continue to closely coordinate their immediate and longer-term response bilaterally, trilaterally with the Republic of Korea, and with the international community. The leaders discussed the importance of immediate return and resolution of the cases of Japanese citizens abducted by the DPRK and resolved to continue every effort to limit the DPRK’s ability to support its unlawful ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs,” the statement added.

Tuesday’s missile launch was the first such missile launch in years, prompting a warning for residents to take cover in northern Japan.

Last week, North Korea fired missiles in an apparent protest against joint naval drills involving the United States and South Korea. Under the Kim Jong-un regime, North Korea this year has tested a record number of missiles as it expands its weapons arsenal. (ANI)

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Modi Extends Heartfelt Condolences To Abe San

By LokMarg 27th September 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday extended his heartfelt condolences to his dear friend “Abe San”, late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

In his opening remarks to Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, he conveyed his personal loss as Abe was his dear friend.
“Today we are meeting in this hour of sorrow. The last time I came I had a long conversation with former Japanese PM Shinzo Abe. India is missing Shinzo Abe and remembering him and Japan,” said PM Modi during a bilateral meet with Japanese PM Fumio Kishida.

He said that Abe had taken India and Japan relations to new heights and expanded them into many other areas.

“Abe took India and Japan relations to new heights and expanded it into many other areas. Our friendship played a key role in the growth of the global perspective. The people of India remember Abe San for all the good works he has done. They are missing Abe San. But, I do believe that under your leadership (Kishida), India-Japan relations will grow strong and will attain new heights and will play a major role in solving the problems of the world,” added the Indian Prime Minister.

Japan PM Kishida thanked PM Modi for attending the funeral of Abe and said that PM Modi, along with PM Abe strengthened India-Japan ties.

“PM @narendramodi met Japanese PM @kishida230 & extended his deepest condolences on the untimely demise of former PM Shinzo Abe. Also had a useful exchange on further enhancing bilateral relations and working together towards realization of a free, open & inclusive Indo-Pacific,” tweeted Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

PM Modi will be attending the state funeral of Abe who was attacked on July 8 in the city of Nara during a campaign speech and died later that day.

Abe was shot at about 11:30 am local time in Nara on July 8, east of Osaka, as he gave an election campaign speech on the street. He was taken to the hospital where Abe was pronounced dead at 5:03 pm.

Japan has imposed tight security measures in the capital city Tokyo as it prepares to host foreign dignitaries for the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which will be attended by several foreign dignitaries.

Abe’s funeral will be the second state funeral for a former Japanese prime minister since World War 2. The first one was held in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida. Other deceased prime ministers received a joint Cabinet Office and Liberal Democratic Party service.

The funeral service will likely last for approximately one-and-a-half hours following which the national anthem of the country will be played, according to Japan Times. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver a commemorative speech followed by addresses from other high-level delegates.

The state funeral ceremony will be the first major public event since new police security guidelines were implemented, including sniffer dogs at train stations and police patrols at Tokyo-area airports after Abe’s assassination on July 8.

Japan’s royal family will also pay tributes to Abe at his state funeral, however, maintaining the line of tradition, Emperor Naruhito will not be attending the funeral, and their imperial envoys will pay their respects.

The funeral ceremony will finish with sending off Abe’s remains and placing remembrance wreaths. Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet).

The attacker reportedly plotted the assassination of the 67-year-old former head of government for nearly a year.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, stepped down in 2020, citing health reasons. He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida. (ANI)

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State Funeral Of Abe To Be Held On Sept 27

By LokMarg 25th September 2022

The state funeral of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on July 8 in the city of Nara during a campaign speech, will take place on September 27 and is expected to see thousands of attendees.

According to Japan Times, representatives from over 217 countries and international organizations are expected to participate in the state funeral which is slated to start at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the Nippon Budokan in central Tokyo.
Abe’s funeral on September 27 will be the second state funeral for a former prime minister since World War 2. The first one was held in 1967 for Shigeru Yoshida. Other deceased prime ministers received a joint Cabinet Office and Liberal Democratic Party service.

Several foreign dignitaries are expected to attend the funeral service in Tokyo.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also attend the state funeral of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and separately meet Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Japan Times reported quoting the Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno who told a news conference Wednesday that the funeral planning committee has decided to set aside two flower offering stands in the park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the day of the funeral, however the area around the Nippon Budokan will be off-limits to anyone other than invited guests due to security concerns.

The funeral service will likely last for approximately one-and-a-half hours following which the national anthem of the country will be played, observing silence for the late Prime Minister.

As chair of the funeral committee, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will deliver a commemorative speech that will then be followed by the speeches of the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hiroyuki Hosoda; Speaker of the House of Councilors, Hidehisa Otsuji; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Saburo Tokura; and former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga as a representative of Abe’s closest colleagues, Japan Times reported.

Furthermore, the royal family of Japan will also pay tributes to Abe at his state funeral, however, maintaining the line of tradition, Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko will not be attending the funeral, and their imperial envoys will pay their respects.

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, will lay flowers of condolence, followed by other attendees, Japan Times stated citing sources.

The ceremony will finish with the sending off of Abe’s remains and the placing of remembrance wreaths.

Abe was shot on July 8 in the Japanese city of Nara. Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, approached the politician from behind and fired two shots from a distance of about 10 meters (33 feet).

The attacker reportedly plotted the assassination of the 67-year-old former head of government for nearly a year.

Abe sustained two gunshot wounds to the front of his neck and the bullet that killed him damaged his heart and a major artery, causing blood loss, Hidetada Fukushima, the head of emergency services at Nara Medical University Hospital said.

Doctors attempted a blood transfusion after they were unable to stop the bleeding, Dr Fukushima said. Shinzo Abe arrived at a hospital without any vital signs after being shot during a campaign speech in western Japan.

Abe, Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, stepped down in 2020 citing health reasons. He was Prime Minister of Japan twice, from 2006-07 and again from 2012-20. He was succeeded by Yoshihide Suga and later by Fumio Kishida. (ANI)

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Quad Leaders Sign Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

By LokMarg 23rd September 2022

The United States on Friday hosted a ministerial meeting of the Quad grouping with India, Japan and Australia, the first such meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The leaders from the Quad countries signed the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) partnership guidelines.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who is here on a 10-day official visit to the United States, participated in the meeting and said the HADR partnership is very timely.

“Given the turbulent times, it’s important that Quad goes further in constructive agenda that we’ve set for ourselves that we work together on the delivery of public goods, that our efforts and particularly what we’re signing today the HADR partnership which we discussed and finalized in Tokyo is extremely timely,” Jaishankar said in his opening remarks.

He said there were other initiatives in the making, some a little further in the pipeline like STEM fellowship. “We’re working on economic framework though we’ve other partners beyond Quad on it, on maritime domain awareness. Great idea to meet regularly on the sidelines of the UNGA in our respective countries too,” he added.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who lost his father overnight and is likely to rush out of New York, hosted the Quad meeting.

The top US diplomat started his remarks by announcing that the meeting in New York is evidence that Quad is “strong and is getting stronger”.

“Not one of us alone can do what is necessary to meet these challenges and seize these opportunities and that is the inspiration behind Quad,” Blinken told his counterparts.

“This is the first time that the foreign ministers of the Quad nations got together at the UNGA so my hope is that it will be held as a regular feature at the meetings,” Blinken added.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong talked about Australia’s commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive and resilient.

“Quad is a forum committed to bringing tangible benefits to the region and ensuring a region which is peaceful, stable, prosperous and where sovereignty is respected, where the countries are free to make their own choices,” Wong said.

Wong took a veiled dig at China over the country trying to dominate the Indo-Pacific and said, “No one in this room wants to see a region where countries are not able to make their sovereign choices, where any one country or any one perspective dominates.”

She firmly asserted that the Indo-Pacific region is being reshaped economically and strategically. “We want to represent countries to navigate this period of change together. So this is the heart of the Quad,” Wong noted.

Japan’s Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa highlighted the importance of Quad and, in a veiled swipe at Russia and China, referred to attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by “force”. The minister stated that free and open international order based on the rule of law is under threat.

“It is extremely significant for us to demonstrate together to the international community our firm commitment to the UN charter and free and open Indo Pacific (FOIP),” the minister asserted.

“At the same time, FOIP cannot be achieved without working together with countries in the region. I am confident that the guidelines for Quad partnership on HADR here will further strengthen our collaboration to effectively respond to disasters in the Indo-Pacific region,” the minister concluded. (ANI)

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