Overview
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara indicated on Oct. 30 that Japan will keep importing Russian gas, including LNG from the Sakhalin‑2 project.
- The European Union plans to end Russian energy imports by the end of next year, and the Oct. 28 U.S.–Japan summit produced no public request from Washington for a halt by Tokyo.
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will visit South Korea on Oct. 30 to meet President Lee Jae‑myung and is arranging a leaders’ meeting with China’s Xi Jinping on Oct. 31 during APEC.
- The Nikkei 225 notched a second straight record close at 51,325.61 after the Bank of Japan left interest rates unchanged.
- The Environment Ministry is considering expanding Kushiro Wetlands National Park in response to a proposed large‑scale solar project.