Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at one of the strongest storms to ever hit Japan, Israeli raids shifting focus in the West Bank, and Germany enacting tougher migration policies.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at one of the strongest storms to ever hit Japan, Israeli raids shifting focus in the West Bank, and Germany enacting tougher migration policies.
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Millions Flee Japan’s Storm
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued flood and landslide warnings in two dozen prefectures on Friday for Tropical Cyclone Shanshan, including in the Japanese capital of Tokyo and regions as far northeast as Iwate and as far southwest as Kyushu. Having made landfall on Thursday as a typhoon and since been downgraded to a tropical depression, Shanshan has recorded gusts of up to 112 miles per hour. Authorities warn of high waves and tides as well as possible lightning storms and tornadoes. At least six people have been killed and more than 100 others injured in storm-related incidents thus far.
Scientists believe that Shanshan could be one of the strongest storms to hit the region in history. Authorities worry that its slow movement across Japan could increase the likelihood of prolonged heavy rain in some areas of the country.
According to a study by Imperial College London, climate change likely intensified Shanshan. Researchers found that the storm’s maximum wind speeds were 7.5 percent stronger due to the region’s warmer climate, and they warned that such powerful storms could become more common in the future, potentially even occurring nearly six times a decade.
Japanese officials have already issued evacuation notices to more than 5 million people nationwide, mostly in the Kyushu area but also in Japan’s central and eastern regions, including Tokyo and the nearby city of Yokohama. ANA and Japan Airlines canceled hundreds of domestic flights and some international ones on Friday after high winds forced some planes to abort their landings. Ferry and railway transportation, including Shinkansen bullet trains between Tokyo and Osaka, suspended operations on Friday. And Kyushu Electric Power recorded around 200,000 households without power across seven prefectures in Kyushu, though services have begun to be restored.
Major companies were also forced to shutter production due to the storm. Toyota factories suspended operations in all domestic plants through Monday. Automakers Nissan and Honda, semiconductor firms Renesas and Tokyo Electron, and electronics giant Sony also paused production at some factories across the country.
The last major storm to hit Japan was Typhoon Ampil during a major summer holiday week this month. Authorities grounded hundreds of flights at the time, and tens of thousands of people evacuated from the east as blackouts swept the country.
Today’s Most Read
What We’re Following
Pivoting to Jenin. Israel’s three-day raid on the West Bank appeared to enter a new phase on Friday as Israeli forces shifted their focus away from the city of Tulkarm and to the city of Jenin, where they said they killed Wisam Khazem, a local Hamas commander, and two other fighters. At least 19 people have been killed thus far, including Mohammed Jaber, a commander of Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s local branch.
Israel maintains that the operation is necessary to root out Iranian-backed militants hoping to create an eastern front in the Israel-Hamas war. However, the United Nations, the United Kingdom, and France have expressed concern about the methods that Israel is employing in the territory as well as the risk of exacerbating an already volatile situation. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said it has suspended services in some West Bank communities due to the violence, even as locals report a lack of water, electricity, and internet access.
Fighting also continued in Gaza this week, with the Israeli military firing a missile at the lead vehicle of an aid convoy on Thursday that it claimed was hijacked by militants. At least four people were killed. The U.S.-based nonprofit Anera, which organized the convoy, said its movements were coordinated with the Israeli military. Anera said those killed were from a local transportation company and that an Anera employee who was part of the convoy was unharmed. The Israel Defense Forces said the convoy, which was carrying medical supplies and fuel to a hospital, ultimately “reached its destination as planned.” This was Israel’s fourth attack on aid workers this week.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said on Thursday in her first major interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee that she would not withhold U.S. weapons shipments to Israel. Instead, she stressed the need for an immediate cease-fire, echoing the Biden administration’s current policy. Truce and hostage release negotiations remain ongoing in Cairo.
Berlin deports Afghan criminals. Germany sent dozens of Afghans convicted of crimes back to their home country on Friday for the first time since the Taliban took power in August 2021. The deportees were given around $1,100 in cash and accompanied by a doctor to Kabul. Qatar mediated the deportations, as Berlin does not have diplomatic relations with the Taliban.
“Germany’s security interests clearly outweigh the protection interests of criminals,” said Steffen Hebestreit, a spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He did not specify what the convictions were for.
Calls for Berlin to deport foreign citizens convicted of crimes have risen in recent weeks as anti-migrant sentiment in Germany grows. On Thursday, Germany’s ruling coalition announced tougher migration measures following a deadly stabbing in Solingen last week allegedly carried out by a Syrian asylum-seeker suspected of being associated with the Islamic State.
And this weekend, Germans in Saxony and Thuringia will vote in regional elections that could see major wins for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which touts xenophobic policies. If the AfD comes in first, it will mark the first time that a far-right party has obtained the most seats in a German state parliament since World War II.
Intelligence leak. A South Korean intelligence official leaked classified data to a suspected Chinese agent in exchange for cash, South Korean defense officials said on Friday. The information, given at least 30 times since 2019, allegedly included a list of undercover operatives working in China, Russia, and other countries. The 49-year-old civilian employee accused of the leak worked for Korea Defense Intelligence Command, which specializes in spying on North Korea, before being arrested last month and formally indicted on Tuesday.
The leak comes as South Korea is working to expand military intelligence-sharing with the United States and Japan to counter North Korea and China. Seoul and Washington have already cooperated via satellites and cyber-intelligence, and in late June, the three nations conducted military drills across land, sea, air, and the cyber-domain for the first time.
What in the World?
On Tuesday, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador put relations with the U.S. and Canadian embassies in Mexico “on pause” after the ambassadors did what?
A. Requested a review of the United States-Mexico-Canada AgreementB. Demanded the extradition of high-level drug lordsC. Voiced concerns over a proposed judicial overhaulD. Called for more extreme anti-immigration laws
Odds and Ends
The U.S. military wants people in the Middle East looking for love to swipe right on deterrence. Literally. Last week, popular dating app Tinder featured an ad written in Arabic that warned users not to “take up arms against the United States or its partners” at a time when Iran is threatening to attack Israel and continues to back Hamas and Hezbollah militants. The message went on to threaten deploying F-16 and A-10 aircraft already in the region were such an attack to happen. Tinder removed the ad last Thursday.
And the Answer Is…
C. Voiced concerns over a proposed judicial overhaul
López Obrador’s proposed changes for his final month as president include reforms to the country’s electoral process and Mexico’s Congress, Lillian Perlmutter writes.
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The post Tropical Cyclone Shanshan Wreaks Havoc Across Japan appeared first on Foreign Policy.
