The Japanese car parts maker Takata has agreed to pay US$1bn in penalties in the US for concealing dangerous defects in its exploding airbags. The firm, which also has assembly plants in Brazil and Uruguay, also pleaded guilty to a single criminal charge, the company and the US Department of Justice said..
Takata will pay a US$25m fine, US$125m to people injured by the airbags and US$850m to carmakers that used them. The faulty airbags have been linked to at least a dozen deaths and more than 100 injuries worldwide. Most major carmakers have been affected by the fault, with about 100 million Takata airbags recalled globally.
The company’s chief executive, Shigehisa Takada, said: “Takata deeply regrets the circumstances that have led to this situation and remains fully committed to being part of the solution.”
Takata has previously acknowledged some of its airbag inflators expanded with too much force and sprayed metal shrapnel into cars.
“For more than a decade, Takata repeatedly and systematically falsified critical test data related to the safety of its products, putting profits and production schedules ahead of safety,” said Andrew Weissmann, head of the Justice Department’s fraud section.
“I offer my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those who died and to those who were injured as a result of the Takata Corporation’s failure to fulfil its obligation to ensure the safety of its airbag systems,” said Calvin L Scovel, inspector general of the US Department of Transportation.
Three former Takata executives were also charged by the US authorities on Friday for their part in the scandal. The charges for conspiracy and wire fraud were filed against Shinichi Tanaka, Hideo Nakajima and Tsuneo Chikaraishi. All three were long-serving executives at Takata until 2015.
Arrest warrants have also been issued for the three executives, although a spokeswoman for the US Attorney’s Office in Detroit said it was unclear where the defendants were. They do not have a date to appear in court.
Earlier on Friday Takata shares closed almost 17% higher in Tokyo on reports of the settlement with US regulators. It has not disclosed the total cost of the global recall, but reports have suggested it is working on a restructuring deal and potential bankruptcy protection.

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An optimistic earnings season may run into the buzz saw of a self-fulfilling “sell the inauguration” prophecy if quarterly results are not near flawless in the coming week. See full story.
The annual Davos conference is a gathering of the rich, powerful, and disconnected, writes Satyajit Das. See full story.
What do you give a billionaire president-elect for Christmas? For U. K. Prime Minister Theresa May, the answer to that question was a copy of her predecessors’s historic speech on Christmas Eve 1941. See full story.
In holiday-thinned trade, investors shied away from global equities in favor of perceived safe-haven assets such as gold and the Japanese yen, and as fresh concerns over Brexit hit the pound. See full story.
The pound slumped to the lowest level since its flash crash in October on Monday, yanked lower by lingering concerns that the U. K. is headed for a so-called hard Brexit. See full story.
All of this man’s immediate family were left out of his trust. See full story.

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INDONESIA and Japan have agreed to step up maritime security and start discussions on a major railway project to link the Southeast Asian nation’s capital and second-biggest city, the leaders of both countries said on Sunday.
Japan has historically been one of Indonesia’s biggest investors, but was dealt a blow in 2015 when President Joko Widodo’s government awarded China a high-speed train project linking Jakarta with the city of Bandung in West Java.
Tensions around railway deals seemed to have eased on Sunday, when Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after meeting Widodo in Bogor, south of Jakarta, that Japan will cooperate with Indonesia to build infrastructure in the railway and other sectors.
The two leaders also discussed North Korea, with Abe saying its development of nuclear capability and missiles has reached “a new level of threat”.
SEE ALSO:  Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines reach agreement to coordinate maritime security
North Korea said last week it can test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, adding the United States’ hostile policy was to blame for its arms development.
On South China Sea, Abe said that Japan asserts the importance of the principle of upholding the law and solving a dispute peacefully.
“The issue of South China Sea has drawn the attention of the international community and directly affects the peace in the region,” Abe said.
Maritime security cooperation is of utmost importance for fellow maritime nations, Japan and Indonesia, he said.
“Japan will actively encourage cooperation in maritime security and the development of the remote islands in Indonesia.”
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines , Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea.
While Indonesia is not part of the dispute over claims in the South China Sea, it objects to China’s claim to waters around the Natuna Islands.
RAILWAY WARS
At an estimated cost of US$5.5 billion, the Jakarta-Bandung line was seen in 2015 as a coup for China, which is vying for influence in the region under its “One Belt, One Road” policy and has ambitions to be a global train supplier.
The roughly 600-km (400-mile) Jakarta-Surabaya project is likely to cost less than the Jakarta-Bandung rail as the speed of the trains is slower and most of the land has been secured, according to Indonesia’s transport minister.
SEE ALSO:  Indonesia starts construction of high-speed rail line
The minister told Reuters in October that the government had invited Japan to work on the Jakarta-Surabaya project, which is aimed at slashing journey times between the capital and the East Java city by more than half to around five hours.
Japan and Indonesia also plan to develop the Masela gas block in Indonesia’s Maluku Province and Patimban port in West Java, Widodo said on Sunday.
On other regional issues, Abe said North Korea’s kidnapping of Japanese citizens is a very important challenge for his administration to resolve.
Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades ago. Abe has made resolving the emotive issue a signature pledge of his political career. – Reuters

© Source: https://asiancorrespondent.com/2017/01/indonesia-boost-maritime-security-railway-project-japan/
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The group said the Nisshin Maru was spotted trying to cover up a dead minke whale carcass with a tarp when a helicopter approached the vessel in the waters of the Australian Whale Sanctuary.
Captain Adam Meyerson of the Ocean Warrior, Sea Shepherd’s newest Southern Ocean patrol ship, says that the crew was caught “red-handed. ”
Japan’s Whaling affairs division of its Fishery Agency said it was aware of the Sea Shepherd statement and photographs, but said it would hold off on commenting until it gets a report of its own from the Japanese vessel.
Whaling loophole
Sea Shepherd says the photographs it released are the first documenting the killing of whales by Japanese whaling fleets since the International Court of Justice ruled against the program in 2014.
After the ruling, Japan announced new research program, under which it would kill up to 333 Antarctic minke whales each year. The country’s Ministry of Fisheries says the program is necessary to study the best methods of managing minke populations.
Australia, New Zealand anti-whaling groups say Japan’s exploiting a loophole in the 1986 international ban on commercial whaling, which allows whales to be killed if it’s for scientific research.
Australia ‘deeply disappointed’
In a statement Monday, Australia’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Josh Frydenberg reiterated the country’s opposition to killing whales.
“The Australian Government is deeply disappointed that Japan has decided to return to the Southern Ocean this summer to undertake so-called ‘scientific’ whaling,” the statement said.
“Australia is opposed to all forms of commercial and so-called ‘scientific’ whaling. It is not necessary to kill whales in order to study them. ”
The Australian Whale Sanctuary covers Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends around 200 nautical miles (around 370 kilometers) from the coast.
It’s illegal to kill, injure or interfere with whales, dolphins and porpoises within the sanctuary.

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HANOI/BOGOR, INDONESIA – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, met Monday in Hanoi to discuss a coordinated response to China’s increasingly aggressive maritime moves amid uncertainty about incoming U. S. leader Donald Trump’s commitment to the region’s stability.
During the summit, Japan was to announce a fresh offer of patrol vessels to the Southeast Asian country, which is embroiled in a territorial row with China in the contested South China Sea, Japanese officials said.
The vessels would help strengthen Hanoi’s maritime law enforcement capabilities as tensions simmer with Beijing over the strategic waterway.
Although Japan is not a claimant in the South China Sea disputes that involve China, Vietnam and four other governments, it remains concerned about China’s growing military presence in the busy shipping lane and is keen to maintain a rules-based order at sea.
Tokyo meanwhile is involved in a dispute with Beijing over the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea that are claimed by China.
Vietnam is Abe’s last stop on a four-nation tour that also took him to the Philippines, Australia and Indonesia, which — along with Vietnam — have been key Asia-Pacific nations that Abe has sought to strengthen ties with amid China’s rise and uncertainties over Trump’s Asia policies.
Amid concerns about a shift to a protectionist U. S. trade policy under Trump, the leaders were likely to discuss promoting free trade, including the U. S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, of which both countries are members, the officials said.
RCEP is an Asia-Pacific mega-pact that — unlike the TPP — excludes the United States but includes China.
The outlook for the TPP is dim as Trump, who takes office Friday, has vowed to reject the agreement in its current form.
Nguyen Xuan Phuc is holding out hope that Trump will reconsider the TPP, noting that recent comments by officials who are set to take senior roles in Trump’s Cabinet give him reason to be optimistic.
“Many of the newly appointed members of the new Cabinet are in favor of the TPP, so I think that Washington might reconsider its decision because it will also benefit the U. S.,” he said.
Phuc, 62, is working with other Asia-Pacific leaders to keep momentum going on the 12-nation trade treaty.
Vietnam, however, has yet to submit a proposal to ratify the TPP in its National Assembly.
In addition to strengthening security dialogue and defense cooperation, Abe was set to offer Japanese cooperation on infrastructure development in Vietnam, including a sewage system project and the development of the Hoa Lac high-tech park on the outskirts of Hanoi, the officials said.
Vietnam’s decision last year to withdraw contracts to build nuclear power reactors with Japanese assistance was a blow to the Abe government, which views the export of infrastructure as a pillar of his economic growth strategy.
On Sunday, Abe met Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, with the two agreeing to start discussions on a major railway project linking Jakarta and the nation’s second-biggest city.
Japan has historically been one of Indonesia’s biggest investors but was dealt a blow in 2015 when Jokowi’s government awarded China a high-speed train project that links Jakarta with the city of Bandung in West Java.
Tensions surrounding the railway deals appeared to have eased Sunday, when Abe said after meeting Jokowi in Bogor, south of Jakarta, that Japan will cooperate with Indonesia to build infrastructure in the railway and other sectors.
Abe also announced that Tokyo will provide Indonesia with yen loans worth ¥73.9 billion for irrigation and coastal protection projects.
In response, Jokowi said the two leaders had agreed to hold a “two-plus-two” meeting of their defense and foreign ministers in Jakarta by the end of the year.
The two leaders also discussed North Korea, with Abe saying its development of nuclear capability and missiles has reached “a new level of threat.”
North Korea said last week it can test launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any time from any location set by leader Kim Jong Un, adding that the hostile U. S. policy was to blame for its arms development.
On the South China Sea, Abe stressed that Japan places a high level of importance on upholding the law and solving disputes peacefully.
“The issue of the South China Sea has drawn the attention of the international community and directly affects the peace in the region,” Abe said.
Maritime security cooperation is of the utmost importance for fellow maritime nations Japan and Indonesia, he added.
“Japan will actively encourage cooperation in maritime security and the development of the remote islands in Indonesia,” he said.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims to parts of the sea.
While Indonesia is not part of the dispute over claims in the South China Sea, it objects to China’s claim to waters around the Natuna Islands.
At an estimated cost of $5.5 billion, the Jakarta-Bandung rail line was seen in 2015 as a coup for China, which is vying for influence in the region under its “One Belt, One Road” policy and has ambitions to be a global train supplier.
The roughly 600-km Jakarta-Surabaya project is likely to cost less than the Jakarta-Bandung rail as the speed of the trains is slower and most of the land has been secured, according to Indonesia’s transport minister.
The transport minister said in October that his government had invited Japan to work on the Jakarta-Surabaya project, which is aimed at slashing journey times between the capital and the East Java city by more than half, to around five hours.
Japan and Indonesia also plan to develop the Masela gas block in Indonesia’s Maluku Province and Patimban port in West Java, Jokowi said Sunday.
On other regional issues, Abe said North Korea’s kidnapping of Japanese citizens is a very important challenge for his administration.
Pyongyang admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades ago. Abe has made resolving the emotive issue a signature pledge of his political career.

© Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/16/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-jokowi-unite-south-china-sea-disputes-plan-two-plus-two-meeting/
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U. S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy called her three years in Japan “the greatest privilege of my life” and said in a farewell video message released Monday that she hopes to come back for a visit.
Her duty will end in tandem with Donald Trump’s formal transition to the U. S. presidency on Jan. 20, Washington time.
Kennedy, the first female to serve in the role, punctuated her four-minute speech with words of gratitude for everyone from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the people of Japan.
She thanked Abe for his efforts to strengthen what she called an “alliance of hope” and echoed President Barack Obama’s comments on the “power of reconciliation” made in a speech at Pearl Harbor in December.
She also praised Abe for “many landmark achievements” over the past three years, an apparent reference to Obama’s historic visit to Hiroshima in May and Abe’s reciprocal visit to Pearl Harbor in December.
She said people in Okinawa helped her “better understand their struggle and our shared history,” adding she is “proud” that Tokyo and Washington were able to conclude a return of around 4,000 hectares of land in northern Okinawa last month — the largest such return in 30 years.
Kennedy extended her gratitude to people who helped her track down the late Tsuyako Matsumoto, who had sent a set of hina dolls to a young Kennedy in the White House in 1962 and “sparked my love of Japan.” Matsumoto passed away last year.
The clip, uploaded to YouTube by the U. S. Embassy in Tokyo, was immediately met with a deluge of comments from Japanese thanking her for her service and begging her to come back.
“You made us feel that Japan and the U. S. understand each other heart-to-heart. Thank you,” one commenter wrote.

© Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/16/national/politics-diplomacy/caroline-kennedy-calls-ambassador-role-japan-greatest-privilege-farewell-message/
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SYDNEY – Australia said Monday it is “deeply disappointed” that Japan has continued whaling in the Southern Ocean after anti-whaling activists published a photograph of a dead whale two days after Australian and Japanese leaders discussed the issue.
Australia has long opposed Japanese whaling and the contentious issue was raised in talks between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Sydney on Saturday, sources familiar with the talks said.
“The Australian government is deeply disappointed that Japan has decided to return to the Southern Ocean this summer to undertake so-called scientific whaling,” Australian Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg said Monday.
“It is not necessary to kill whales in order to study them,” Frydenberg added, without confirming the exact location of the current hunt.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 2014, in a case brought by Australia, that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop, prompting the government to suspend the hunt for one season, though it resumed in 2015.
The government maintains that most whale species are not endangered and that eating whale is part of Japanese culture. The government started what it calls scientific whaling in 1987, a year after an international whaling moratorium took effect.
The anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd published a photograph Sunday of what it said was a minke whale on the deck of the whaling ship Nisshin Maru. The whale appeared to have been punctured by a harpoon. Sea Shepherd claimed the ship was hunting in an Australian sanctuary off the Antarctic coast.
The photograph is the first of the Japanese whaling fleet hunting in the Southern Ocean since the 2014 court ruling, Sea Shepherd said in a statement. Footage shows the dead whale was later covered with a blue tarp.
Frydenberg said Australia will continue to press its strong opposition to whaling at the International Whaling Commission.

© Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/01/16/national/politics-diplomacy/australia-disappointed-japans-whale-hunt-southern-ocean/
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