Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, May 20-Xinhua

Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, May 20

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2026-05-21 00:00:46

SEOUL -- A South Korean oil tanker is leaving the Strait of Hormuz after consultations with Iran, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Wednesday.

Cho made the remarks while attending a parliamentary foreign affairs committee meeting, saying the tanker was passing through the strait "at this moment." (SKorea-Strait of Hormuz-Iran)

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SEOUL -- A labor union at South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said Wednesday it would suspend a planned general strike and hold a vote on a tentative wage agreement.

The general strike, scheduled from May 21 to June 7, will be put on hold until further notice, the union said in a notice to members. (SKorea-Samsung Electronics-Strike)

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TOKYO -- The number of visitors from the Chinese mainland to Japan fell 56.8 percent year on year in April, marking the fifth consecutive month of decline, government data showed Wednesday.

Data released by the Japan National Tourism Organization showed that Chinese mainland visitor arrivals in the first four months of 2026 dropped 55.1 percent from the same period a year earlier. (Japan-China-Tourists)

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TOKYO -- Thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of Japan's National Diet Building in Tokyo on Tuesday evening to protest the government's attempts to undermine the country's pacifist constitution through constitutional revision and military expansion policies.

According to the organizers, about 10,000 people attended the rally, voicing strong opposition to the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and its recent security and defense initiatives. (Japan-Protest-Constitutional Revision)