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ASIA / PACIFIC Page 4 n THE ASIAN REPORTER October 4, 2021 Japanese princess’s fiancé returns for delayed marriage By Mari Yamaguchi The Associated Press OKYO — Japanese Princess Mako’s fiancé last month returned to Japan for their marriage, which was suspended for more than three years because of a financial dispute involving his mother. Kei Komuro, 29, arrived from New York, where he studied law and plans to work as a lawyer, with his hair in a ponytail, a bold statement by Japanese standards for someone marrying a princess in the tradition-bound imperial family. Mako, also 29, is a niece of Emperor Naruhito. She and Komuro, who were classmates at Tokyo’s International Christian University, announced in September 2017 their intent to marry the following year, but the financial dispute surfaced two months later and resulted in their wedding being suspended. The financial dispute involved whether 4 million yen ($36,000) his mother received from her former fiancé and spent on Komuro’s education in Japan was a loan or a gift. Komuro left for New York in 2018 to study law, and this is the first time he has returned since then. He made no comments at the airport, bowed silently, and left in a car. He and Mako are to hold T AERIAL ACROBATICS. Members of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Aviation Uni- versity’s “Red Falcon” Air Demonstration Team perform during the 13th China International Aviation and Aero- space Exhibition, also known as Airshow China 2021, on September 28, 2021, in Zhuhai in southern China’s Guangdong province. The event took place last month after having been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) China plans to unveil drones, moon rocket at air show ZHUHAI, China (AP) — A military drone whose manufacturer says it can cruise for 20 hours at 50,000 feet was among Chinese warplanes, missiles, and other weapons technology shown in public for the first time at the opening of the country’s biggest air show. The Chinese space program planned to unveil a rocket for crewed space flight capable of carrying a 25-ton payload to lunar orbit at the 13th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, an official newspaper said. The event was postponed from late 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ruling Communist Party is pouring billions of dollars into developing fighter jets, stealth technology, drones, and other hardware for its military wing, the Peo- ple’s Liberation Army (PLA), as it presses claims to disputed seas and other territory. Powered by two turbofan engines, the CH-6 drone can carry early warning radar, air-to-ground missiles, and other weapons, according to its manufacturer, the China Academy of Aerospace Science, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The newspaper Global Times, published by the ruling party, said the CH-6 is aimed at “high-end arms and dual-use markets” but gave no indication to which govern- ments the company might try to sell it. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology planned to unveil a “next-generation manned carrier rocket and a heavy-lift launch vehicle,” the Global Times said. It said the 2,000-ton, three-stage rocket would “support China’s manned lunar probes.” Also at the air show, the PLA’s air force planned to display a J-16D electronic war- fare airplane for the first time, according to the official China News Service. China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. displayed an array of new missiles for the first time. The China Academy of Aerospace Science also planned to show a mini-attack drone, the CH-817. It said the 28-ounce drone can be used by soldiers or released from a bigger drone. ROYAL DELAYS. Kei Komuro, right, the fiancé of Japan’s Princess Mako, bows to the media as he arrives at Narita international airport in Narita, near Tokyo, on September 27, 2021, upon returning to Japan from the United States. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) a news conference after his to decline all official two-week coronavirus wedding rituals and a quarantine, according to payment of up to 150 Kyodo News and other million yen ($1.35 million) Japanese media. she is entitled to receive The couple is expected to when leaving the imperial register their marriage in family. October and start a new life The payment, funded by together in New York. taxpayers, is meant to His mother’s financial maintain the image of dispute was an embarrass- former royal members. ment for the imperial Mako would be the first family and divided public female imperial family opinion. Mako’s father, member since World War II Crown Prince Akishino, to not receive the payment asked Komuro to provide a when marrying a com- clear explanation and moner. expressed mixed feelings The Imperial House Law about the marriage plans. allows only male-line suc- Many Japanese said the cession. Female members marriage should be of the royal family must scrapped, while others said renounce their royal status the couple should pursue when they marry a com- their romance. moner — a practice that Mako, apparently aware has resulted in a decline in that her wedding is not the size of the royal family fully celebrated by the and a shortage of succes- people, reportedly offered sors to the throne. Japan’s next leader: Higher wages cure for pandemic doldrums By Elaine Kurtenbach The Associated Press ITO, Japan — Fumio Kishida, the man soon to become Japan’s prime minister, says he believes raising incomes is the only way to get the world’s third-largest economy growing again. Nearly a decade after long-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to “make Japan great again,” Japan is M in a holding pattern, stalled both by the pandemic and by chronic problems such as an aging and shrinking population, growing inequality, and stagnant incomes. Topping Kishida’s to-do list is another big dose of government spending to help Japan recover from the COVID-19 shock. Kishida says he wants to promote a “new capitalism” that would be more equitable, with fairer distribution of national wealth — the only way to get frugal Japanese families to spend more. “Unless the fruits of growth are properly distributed, a ‘virtuous cycle of growth and distribution’ cannot be realized,” he told reporters after he overwhelmingly was elected leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. “I would like to take economic measures to raise the incomes of many of you.” Despite his ambitious talk, Kishida is viewed as an establishment choice, not a reformer. He’s a former banker and solid member of the political elite: his father and grandfather also were politicians. Analysts say Kishida, who is all-but-certain to be elected prime minister by parliament on October 4, is unlikely to stray far from Abe’s playbook of heavy doses of stimulus. Neither did the current prime minister, Yoshi- hide Suga, who is stepping aside after one year in office. Kishida’s top priority? “The economy,” he told national broadcaster NHK. He said he plans to propose a spending package worth several hundred billion dollars soon. His support for housing and education subsidies should boost consumer spending, said Naoya Oshikubo, senior economist at SuMi TRUST. He expects a “tailwind for the stock market, as it will make clear that ex-Prime Minister Abe’s economic policies will continue.” Under Kishida, the Bank of Japan is likely to stick to its years-long efforts to spur growth by keeping interest rates near zero — making borrowing cheap — by pouring trillions of yen (hundreds of billions of dollars) into the economy through asset purchases. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 0.4% in morning trading last week after data showed factory output and retail sales weakened in August as the country buckled down to fight the pandemic. Share prices are near their highest levels in three decades, but that wealth is not trickling down to average Japanese. Their incomes adjusted for inflation have been falling. Meanwhile, jobs are growing less secure as companies increasingly rely on part-time and contract workers to keep costs low — the average minimum wage in Japan is only 930 yen ($8.30), while the cost of living is higher than in many western countries. The number of families relying on Japan’s meager welfare benefits surged during the pandemic, and poverty has increased, especially in families headed by single mothers. What was labelled the “lost generation” during Japan’s long years of stagnation has become an “underclass” accounting for about four in 10 Japanese, says Waseda University professor Kenji Hashimoto. He and other experts believe the post-World War II formula that made Japan an industrial powerhouse is outdated. A soft-spoken pragmatist, Kishida has not spelled out in detail his vision for “new capitalism” and it’s unclear if he has an overarching strategy for tackling the longer term problems that are constraining growth. That means other party leaders, the central bank, and the bureaucracy may have greater sway and could stymie big changes such as labor reforms that economists say are hindering improvements in productivity. With nearly a third of the population already 65 or older, costs for healthcare and pensions are soaring, and ordinary families are footing a growing share of the bill. Kishida says the sales tax, now at 10%, should not be raised for about a decade to avoid snuffing out a revival in demand. Corporations are holding a growing share of wealth, hoarding their earnings, and paying lower taxes: As of Continued on page 12