World

NAGOYA — Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda spoke at a press conference Feb. 5 in Nagoya, expressing his deep regret for the inconvenience and concern caused to the automaker’s customers.

He also announced that he personally will take the lead toward improving quality around the world by establishing a global quality task force that will conduct quality improvement activities region by region.

The committee headed by Toyoda will have a six-point action plan:

TOKYO — Japan Airlines issued the following statement on Jan. 19 to announce that it is filing for bankruptcy.

JAL. We’re Here to Stay.

This is to confirm that Japan Airlines Corporation, Japan Airlines International, and JAL Capital are now receiving the support of the Enterprise Alternative Initiative Corporation of Japan.

The National JACL issued the following statement on Jan. 14:

The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) would like to express its condolences and sympathies to the people of Haiti following the massive earthquake. The JACL commends the President for taking quick and efficient action to assist Haiti in the chaos and disastrous situations they are experiencing. In a press conference yesterday, President Obama stated:

Dear Editor,

Thank you for reviewing the true-life eco suspense thriller movie “The Cove” on Aug. 7. The Hokubei Mainichi was one of the very few Asian newspapers to even mention this award-winning documentary about the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan.

TOKYO — The White House released the following transcript of a speech given by President Barack Obama at Suntory Hall in Tokyo on Nov. 14:

Arigatou. Thank you very much. Good morning. It is a great honor to be in Tokyo — the first stop on my first visit to Asia as president of the United States. ...

It is good to be among so many of you — Japanese and I see a few Americans here — who work every day to strengthen the bonds between our two countries, including my long-time friend and our new ambassador to Japan, John Roos.

TOKYO — The White House issued the following joint statement from President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Nov. 13 following their meeting in Tokyo:

Prime Minister Hatoyama and President Obama strongly affirmed their commitment to continuing to work together to usher in a new era in the global fight against climate change, and they recognized each other's achievements toward this shared goal.

KYOTO — Some 100 scholars, priests, and students attended the 14th Biennial Conference of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies held on June 12-14 at the Ryukoku University Omiya Campus in Kyoto.

With the theme “Shin Buddhism in the World of the 21st Century: Challenges and Potential,” 52 scholars, priests and students from Japan, the U.S., China, South Korea, Taiwan, South America and Europe presented papers on a variety of topics committed to Shin Buddhist studies.

The families of Laura Ling and Euna Lee, the U.S. reporters being held by the North Korean government, issued a statement on June 8 after learning that the two have been sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp for allegedly entering the country illegally and unspecified hostile acts against North Korea.

Ling and Lee had traveled to the Chinese-North Korean border to do a story on North Korean refugees for San Francisco-based Current TV, founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

The families said that they are “shocked and devastated by the outcome their trial.

WASHINGTON — The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) announced that it is pleased at the news that American journalist Roxana Saberi has been released from prison in Iran.

She had been held since January on charges of espionage.

The JACL, which is the nation's oldest and largest Asian American civil and human rights organization, is one of the groups that came out in support of Saberi, an American citizen of Japanese and Iranian descent. The U.S. government and human rights groups had called for her release and due process.

The Asian American Journalists Association, which is headquartered in San Francisco, issued the following statement on May 11:

The Asian American Journalists Association is extremely relieved that journalist Roxana Saberi has been released from prison in Iran and will soon be returning home to the United States and her family and friends. We are grateful to all who supported her and worked tirelessly worldwide to raise awareness about her situation.

According to the Associated Press, President Barack Obama praised Saberi’s release but continues to stress that she was wrongly accused.