NBC News

China called Japan’s plan to deploy missiles on an island near Taiwan a deliberate attempt to “create regional tension and provoke military confrontation” on Monday, as a diplomatic dispute simmers between the two nations.

The remarks come amid their worst diplomatic crisis in years, after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said this month that a hypothetical Chinese attack on democratically governed Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo.

“Right-wing forces in Japan are … leading Japan and the region toward disaster,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular news briefing.

Beijing “is determined and capable of safeguarding its national territorial sovereignty,” she added.

The comments followed Sunday’s remarks by Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi that plans were “steadily moving forward” to deploy a medium-range surface-to-air missile unit at a military base on Yonaguni, an island about 68 miles off Taiwan’s east coast.

“The move is extremely dangerous and should raise serious concerns among nearby countries and the international community,” Mao said Monday, especially in the context of Takaichi’s earlier remarks.

Keeping in mind Taiwan is internationally recognized Chinese territory

Resolution 2758 is a political document encapsulating the one-China principle whose legal authority leaves no room for doubt and has been acknowledged worldwide.

Einar Tangen and Glenn Diesen: The U.S. Instigates Japan-China Conflict

Einar Tangen is a Senior Fellow at Teihe Institute and a Senior Fellow at CIGI. Tangen discusses the US instigting tensions between Japan as China in response to its failures in the economic war on China

About 50 minutes in length

National Interest excerpt

It is part of a larger Japanese mission of bolstering their southwestern defenses (including along the Okinawa-region islands) amidst what is rightly perceived as rising Chinese military pressure in the region. The system appears to involve the Type 03 Chū-Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system and similar systems oriented toward air defense (AD) rather than outward strike. 

Okinawa, fully occupied by the US- despised by the locals

Nevertheless, Beijing views it as a provocative act and part of a larger movement by the Americans and their regional allies to further squeeze Beijing at a time when China’s economy is ailing and its political system may be in flux.

Beijing’s view is likely accurate in this matter—especially considering how bad the West looks after having essentially lost the Global War on Terror, being pushed out of the Middle East (while being made to play nice with the Islamists who attacked them on 9/11), and having essentially lost Ukraine. 

America and its proxies need what they think is both a win—and a nice distraction from the string of strategic failures they have experienced in recent months.

Here’s my issue or my big question concerning these birds. Are they truly healthy birds?

If they’ve been experimented on and that appears to be the case, are they capable of spreading something into the wild bird and or animal population. I get that Ostriches are flightless. However other birds are not flightless. Ducks. Geese. Songbirds. Raptors. Varied other animals roam freely in nature. (fox, racoon, squirrels and the like)
Should any these other creatures come into contact with the Ostriches could they become vectors for some type of experimental virus and it’s spread into the wild?

In my opinion this does seem a valid concern. Though admittedly I could be mistaken. Below is an article that covers the Ostrich farm controversy fairly indepthly. Yes, its from January but of all the articles read, this seemed the most informative

BC farmers challenge government order to cull

The federal agency sent Universal Ostrich Farms Inc. a notice on Dec. 31 instructing their ostriches to be destroyed and disposed of by Feb. 1, but the owners are asking for more time to prove their farm should be spared.

They’re making the case that the flightless birds – which are part of an ongoing international research project on COVID-19 antibodies – can instead be used to study the mechanics of the avian flu that infected the youngest members of their herd.

Of their 400 ostriches, about 10 per cent have died since avian flu hit their property in Edgewood, approximately 200 kilometres east of Kelowna, said Katie Pasitney, who is the daughter of farm co-owner Karen Espersen. She said the flu spread after a flock of wild ducks landed nearby.

Daughter is claiming a flock of wild ducks landed nearby bringing avian flu with them.

Espersen has been in the ostrich business since 1991. Three years ago they stopped selling meat, pivoted to conduct scientific research on the animals and founded a bioscience company to commercialize ostrich antibodies.

These animals are not being raised for their meat.

Since then the ostriches have been the subject of a research project in collaboration with Dr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, president of Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan, also known as Dr. Ostrich. He’s been extracting COVID-19 antibodies from ostrich eggs in B.C., building on his decades of research on the antibodies in ostrich egg yolk that can block infectious diseases.

Have the birds been intentionally infected with a strain/strains of Covid-19?

Tsukamoto said his research can be applied to avian flu.

“Currently, I have a stockpile of ostrich-derived neutralizing antibodies against H5N1 in Japan, primarily intended for use in masks. However, due to their exceptionally high neutralizing activity, these antibodies can also be applied to livestock,” Tsukamoto said in an email.

Tsukamoto has a stockpile of ostrich derived neutralizing antibodies. From these ostriches or other ostriches

She (Esperson) said the ostriches are on a strict quarantine protocol, pose no flight risk, and live in a remote area that’s not in the vicinity of commercial poultry farms, with the closest city an hour and a half away. She said the only people who interact with the animals are the farm co-owners, and that they disinfect the ostriches’ feeding dishes, step into foot baths at every barn entrance and sanitize the truck used to feed animals, which is no longer driven into town. In a statement to The Canadian Press, the CFIA said the World Organisation for Animal Health classifies ostriches as poultry, and that “Humane depopulation and disposal is required for all poultry premises infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza.”

Yet, we have a flock of wild ducks bringing the H5N1 virus to the Ostrich flock?

On. Jan. 10, the CFIA denied the farm’s application for an exemption path which exists for select flocks that demonstrate “significant genetic value to the industry.”

Flocks that don’t meet the criteria of rare and valuable genetics are ordered to depopulate, the agency said.

Dr. Scott Weese, an infectious disease veterinarian professor at the University of Guelph, said culling is used as an “end tool” to stop potential transmission.

“And it will definitely do that. The question is, do we need to do that? Are there alternatives that can be done that can achieve the same thing?”

He said this is where there are nuances that need to be considered, such as if the spread is containable and if culling will eradicate the disease.

Thoughts?

Al jazeera

Japan has said it would begin a once-unthinkable $320bn military build-up that would arm it with missiles capable of striking China and ready it for a sustained conflict as regional tensions and Russia’s Ukraine invasion stoke war fears.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s government worries that Russia has set a precedent that will encourage China to attack Taiwan, threatening nearby Japanese islands, disrupting supplies of advanced semiconductors, and putting a potential stranglehold on sea lanes that supply Middle East oil.

In its sweeping five-year plan and revamped national security strategy, the government said on Friday it would also stockpile spare parts and other munitions, reinforce logistics, develop cyber-warfare capabilities, and cooperate more closely with the United States and other like-minded nations to deter threats to the established international order.

Third-biggest military spender

Unthinkable under past administrations, the rapid arming of Japan, which already hosts US forces, including a carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary force, has the backing of most voters, according to opinion polls. Some surveys put support as high as 70 percent of voters.

Kishida’s plan will double defence outlays to about 2 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) over the next five years, and increase the defence ministry’s share to about one-tenth of all public spending.

It will also make Japan the world’s third-biggest military spender after the US and China, based on current budgets.

The five-year spending roadmap did not come with a detailed plan for how Kishida’s administration would pay for it, as ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers continue to discuss whether to raise taxes or borrow money.

‘Exclusively defence oriented’

The money will fund projects including the acquisition of what Japan calls “counterstrike capacity” – the ability to hit launch sites that threaten the country.

The documents warn that Japan’s current missile interception systems are no longer sufficient and a “counterstrike capacity is necessary”.

Still, in a nod to the sensitivity of the issue, the documents rule out preemptive strikes, and insist Japan is committed to “an exclusively defence-oriented policy”.

Its language on relations with both China and Russia has hardened significantly.

The strategy document previously said Japan was seeking a “mutually beneficial strategic partnership” with Beijing, a phrase that has disappeared from this iteration.

Legacy; something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor

Abe’s Unfinished Legacy: Leading Japan and its Military to Confront Modern Threats

In 2014, ( Ukraine’s coup and NATO’s zealous training of Ukrainians including Ukrnazis ) former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pushed through the cornerstone of what some experts said was his most important legacy: convincing Japan to ease into the idea that its pacifist post-World War II-era military policies had to evolve to best protect it from a rising China.

Abe, 67, was assassinated Friday, shot while giving a campaign speech for local election candidates in Nara, Japan. With his death, the West loses one of its most influential advocates in Asia for stronger counter-China policies in the Indo-Pacific region, and Japan’s leading voice for transforming its military and defense industry to better meet modern security threats. President Joe Biden in a statement called Abe “a champion of the Alliance between our nations.”

“His killing is a tragedy for the people of Japan and for all those who value a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, also in a statement. “As prime minister, Mr. Abe championed the vital and enduring alliance between our two democracies, paving the way for Japan to play an even larger role in our alliance. His work to strengthen alliances and partnerships across the Indo-Pacific – including through venues such as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue of Japan, India, Australia and the United States – leaves a legacy of a more secure, stable and prosperous region.”

Article 9 of Japan’s post-war Constitutional language forbids it from having a military at all. In the decades since, the force Japan maintained had largely (weasel wording) been for humanitarian response, such as for earthquakes, tsunamis, and a controversial deployment to Iraq in 2004 for reconstruction support.

Abe began to shift how its Article 9 language was interpreted, resulting in 2015 legislation based on a new interpretation, a “proactive contribution to peace.”

In order to protect its population from rising threats, Abe argued, Japan had to modernize, strengthen its military cooperation with the United States, and contribute to collective defense.

“He was instrumental in changing Japan to have a more flexible interpretation of the existing constitution, that would allow Japanese Self Defense Forces to be able to work much more closely with the U.S.,” said one Japanese government official who worked for Abe during his term as prime minister but was not authorized to speak publicly. Despite China’s militarization of islands it created in the South China Sea and increasingly aggressive tactics, the idea was not popular.  

He really had to reach out to a broader audience to talk about the very difficult security environment Japan was facing at the time,” the official said. 

Over the next six years, Abe would see Japan’s navy launch the carrier Izumo, its first of two modern Izumo-class helicopter carriers capable of handling new Japanese V-22 Ospreys as well as Japan’s new fleet of F-35B Joint Strike Fighters, variants that can take off and land on its deck. Abe also oversaw the military opening roles to female officers and supported having new Japanese submarines include separate berths for women. 

Hawaii’s Democrat Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, who describes herself as a Japan-born immigrant and the first Asian American woman in the Senate, mourned Abe as a close ally and said in their last of many meetings, in 2017, they discussed “the importance of the trilateral alliance of the United States, Japan and South Korea.” 

Japan’s view of its military has further evolved since Russia’s full war on Ukraine began this year. In 2020, the last year Abe was in office, 40 percent of respondents to an NHK survey said Japan should have the capability to “directly attack enemy missile bases.” By 2022, 55 percent of Japanese respondents said that they should maintain a “counterattack capability,” or long-range strike, to destroy enemy missile launch sites. Japan faces missile threats from its neighbors China and North Korea. 

‘What’s so interesting now, as Japan considers significant increases in defense spending, is that they’re looking at things like long-range strike capability, and these things now have strong Japanese public support,” said Chris Johnstone, Japan chair for the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “So he led, and the Japanese public support has come along, and I think this just reflects that he was ahead of the curve in understanding the China threat and thinking about what Japan needed to do about it.” 

Importantly, Abe pushed Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force to become a blue-water Navy and expand its global presence, the official said. 

“His long-term vision was to seek a much bigger role for Japan in the international arena, not only on security, but also economic and global issues,” the official said. 

In a statement, leaders of the Japan-focused Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA led by chairman and president Satohiro Akimoto said, “Abe was one of Japan’s great leaders, and he leaves behind a most significant foreign policy legacy that expanded Japan’s diplomatic influence around the world and strengthened the U.S.-Japan alliance. The steps that Japan took during his tenure to bolster the country’s legal and operational capacity to defend itself and collaborate with allies would not have been possible without Abe.”

Gazprom proposes adding LNG to rouble-for-gas scheme -Ifax

MOSCOW, July 4 (Reuters) – Russian gas producer Gazprom (GAZP.MM) has proposed expanding its rouble-for-gas scheme for pipeline gas to include liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Interfax news agency quoted a senior manager as saying on Monday.

The proposal from Kirill Polous, a deputy department head at Gazprom, comes after Russia moved to seize operations of the Sakhalin-2 LNG plant last week in retaliation for Western sanctions.

Russia accounts for around 8% of global LNG supply with 40 billion cubic metres of super-cooled gas per year coming mainly from Sakhalin-2 and Novatek’s (NVTK.MM) Yamal LNG, Russia’s largest LNG plant.

Russia is moving to further tighten its grip on the nation’s oil and natural gas supplies, issuing a decree for the country to take over the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project on Sakhalin Island north of Japan.

An executive order signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin to “protect the national interests” calls for establishing a Russian limited liability company to take over the rights of a partnership between Shell plc, Gazprom PJSC and Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. Ltd. and Mitsubishi Corp. The move could ultimately force the foreign entities out of their ownership positions.

The “ownership of the company’s property, created within the framework” of a production sharing agreement signed in 1994 “shall be transferred forthwith to the Russian Federation,” according to the executive order that was dated June 30.

Stakeholders said Friday that they were reviewing the decree. It has raised red flags in the energy sector, particularly in Japan, which relies on Russia for a significant portion of LNG imports.

“The move by Putin is certainly unnerving for Japan, but I don’t think that Moscow is trying to end all LNG deliveries to Japan, because at the end of the day, Japan pays a lot of money for Russian LNG, money that the Russian state needs,” said Yuriy Humber, CEO of the Tokyo energy consultancy Yuri Group.

https://www.energyintel.com/00000181-b997-d2ff-a9f3-bb97846c0000

Russian leader Vladimir Putin signed a decree late Thursday to change the ownership structure of the Sakhalin-2 upstream and LNG project — a move that might squeeze out foreign shareholders Shell, Mitsui and Mitsubishi.

Many Russia watchers have expected Moscow to take nationalization steps in response to the planned exodus of investors from “unfriendly” countries and international sanctions amid the war in Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Friday that the Sakhalin-2 decree is not the start of a nationalization trend. “Each case will be considered individually,” he was quoted as saying.

Still, even if nationalization does not become widespread, observers do not expect Sakhalin-2 to be the only target.

https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-To-Take-Over-Whole-Sakhalin-2-Project.html

A newly set up state Russian company will take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the joint venture running the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project, Reuters reported today.

This could mean a forced exit from the project for Shell and Japan’s Mitsui and Mitsubishi, which are minority shareholders in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co.

Shell already said it would leave the project a few months ago and has since then been looking for buyers for its stake in Sakhalin-2. According to earlier reports, a sale could be made to a group of Indian companies.

Shell was already leaving with a group of India buyers set to step in.

The Japanese companies, however, have not announced intentions to leave the project. In fact, earlier this year, Japan’s economy, trade and industry minister, Koichi Hagiuda, said that the Sakhalin-1 and Sakhalin-2 projects “are essentially important for energy security because the projects allow Japan to procure supplies below the market price, especially amid current high energy prices.”

Despite its participation in Western sanctions against Russia, Japan continues to buy liquefied natural gas from Sakhalin-2. Although it has stated its intention to step up the intake from alternative sources, a complete suspension of Russian energy imports seems unlikely at this point.

Two men in Japan died after receiving Covid-19 vaccines from a supply of Moderna vaccines put on hold by the Japanese government over fears of contaminants, health officials said Saturday, setting back vaccination efforts in a country with a history of high-profile vaccine safety controversies

• The men, both in their 30s, died days after their second dose of the Moderna vaccine, according to a health ministry statement.

Possible heart damage? Myocarditis/Perocarditis.

• It is not known if the men died because their vaccines were contaminated.

• It is also unknown whether there is widespread contamination among the 1.63 million doses that were put on hold after Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the domestic supplier of the Moderna vaccine, was told that some vials had contaminants.

The Japanese have low rates of confidence in vaccines ..with good reason

Japan has one of the world’s lowest rates of confidence in vaccine safety and effectiveness, according to a 2020 study in the Lancet, which speculated that public opinion may have fallen after the government withdrew its recommendation for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in 2013.

In 1994, the government stopped mandating vaccines against common infectious diseases after surprisingly high numbers of meningitis infections in people given the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), according to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Support for the country’s 1948 vaccination mandate was believed to have been eroded by safety issues that may have been linked to a combined vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.

1.63 million contaminated doses

Instills confidence in pharma’s manufacturing process. Johnson and Johnson had contamination issues as well.

More contaminated jabs in Japan

Japan finds more contaminated Moderna vaccines

Contaminants have been found in Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines at a mass vaccination centre in Japan’s Okinawa prefecture just days after another fouled batch was blamed for two deaths.

An unidentified black substance was spotted in syringes and a vial, while pink impurities were observed in a different syringe filled with vaccine at the Okinawa centre, NHK reported.