How can The Diplomat talk about a meeting of Heads of State when the Head of State in Japan is the Emperor.No unlocked threads for me to post this but if true, then symbolically, it's a huge change in tone.
How can The Diplomat talk about a meeting of Heads of State when the Head of State in Japan is the Emperor.No unlocked threads for me to post this but if true, then symbolically, it's a huge change in tone.
Japan's trade and industry minister has submitted her resignation to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over claims she abused donation funds.
Yuko Obuchi is alleged to have used funds from her political support groups and donations on make-up and other items unconnected to politics.
She handed Mr Abe a letter of resignation during a 30-minute meeting with him, state broadcaster NHK said.
Ms Obuchi was once seen as potentially Japan's first female premier.
By Randall Palmer and David Ljunggren
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OTTAWA (Reuters) - At least one gunman entered Canada's parliament buildings on Wednesday and many shots were fired just outside the room where Prime Minister Stephen Harper was addressing a meeting of legislators.
Harper was safely removed from the building but parliament was locked down. Eyewitnesses said at least 30 shots were fired in dramatic scenes in the heart of the Canadian capital.
"PM (Harper) was addressing caucus, then a huge boom, followed by rat-a-tat shots. We all scattered. It was clearly right outside our caucus door," Treasury Board Minister Tony Clement said.
A spokesman for Harper said: "While the prime minister stated that facts are still being gathered, he condemned this despicable attack."
The suspected gunman was shot dead inside the parliament building, Ottawa police said.
Minutes before the shooting there, a soldier had been shot and fatally wounded at the nearby National War Memorial in Ottawa.
But the incidents, shocking in Canada's normally tranquil capital, were not over.
Ottawa police were searching for more suspects near the war memorial in central Ottawa, and on nearby Parliament Hill, a police spokesman said. Residents were warned to stay away from downtown Ottawa.
Dramatic video footage posted by the Globe and Mail newspaper showed police with guns drawn inside the main parliament building. At least a dozen loud bangs can be heard on the clip, echoing through the hallway.
"All the details are not in, but the sergeant-at-arms, a former Mountie, is the one that engaged the gunman, or one of them at least, and stopped this," Fantino said.
Canadian cabinet minister Jason Kenney said a guard in parliament buildings had also been wounded in the incident.
Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers is pictured in the Senate chamber on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in this file photo from June 3, 2011. According to Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino, Vickers shot dead one of the suspects in the October 22, 2014, shooting incident on Parliament Hill. A gunman shot and wounded a soldier in Ottawa and then entered the country's parliament buildings, chased by police, with at least 30 shots fired. Chris Wattie/REUTERS/Files
A Ottawa police officer and service dog run up Metcalfe Street following shootings in downtown Ottawa October 22, 2014. A Canadian soldier was shot at the National War Memorial in downtown Ottawa and a gunman was shot and killed in a nearby parliament building, media and witnesses reported.
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer stands guard on Metcalfe Street following shootings in downtown Ottawa October 22, 2014.
Police officers take cover near Parliament Hilll following a shooting incident in Ottawa October 22, 2014.
A Ottawa police officer holds up a length of police tape for pedestrians leaving the downtown area following shooting incidents in Ottawa October 22, 2014.
Armed RCMP officers guard access to Parliament Hilll following a shooting incident in Ottawa October 22, 2014.