Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his chief spokesman declined Monday to say if Abe had nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, though they praised Trump for dealings with North Korea.
Questioned in parliament about reports he had done so, Abe said: "In light of the Nobel Committee's policy of not disclosing recommenders and nominees for 50 years, I decline to comment."
Neither the prime minister nor his spokesman denied Trump's comment to reporters Friday that Abe had nominated him. Trump said Abe had sent him a "beautiful copy" of a letter sent to the Nobel committee.
Trump's claim could not be immediately verified.
Abe praised Trump on Monday in a lower house budget committee meeting.
"President Trump has been decisively responding toward resolving North Korea's nuclear and missile problems, and last year he held historic U.S.-North Korea summit talks," he said.
Abe added that Trump had also passed on to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Japan's own concerns about abductions of Japanese citizens by Pyongyang, saying "he and the entire White House also actively cooperated in resolving the issue.
"I highly praise President Trump's leadership," Abe said.
The government's top spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, echoed Abe in telling reporters that Japan highly valued Trump's efforts on North Korea's nuclear disarmament, but also refused other comment.
The Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported on Sunday, citing unnamed government sources, that Abe nominated Trump's at the president's request.
The deadline each year for nominations is midnight, Jan. 31. According to the website of the Nobel committee, there are 304 candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize for 2019. It said 219 are individuals and 85 are organizations.
The U.S. is Japan's ally and anchor for national defense and Abe has assiduously cultivated cordial ties with Trump. He was the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after he won the 2016 presidential election.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said he was optimistic three key documents needed to begin construction on a new stadium for the Athletics would be approved Dec. 5.
“We're rounding third and heading for home,” Hill said after Thursday's Las Vegas Stadium Authority board meeting.
Hill and the LVCVA were so hopeful the approvals would come at that December meeting that three others were canceled. The board will next meet Oct. 17, and a meeting has been set aside for Dec. 12 as a “safety valve.”
The three documents that need to be approved for the planned $1.5 billion, 33,000-seat domed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip are the lease, non-relocation and development agreements. The lease agreement was presented Thursday without a vote.
That agreement provides an initial 30-year lease that ultimately can be extended up to 99 years. The agreement for the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders is 30 years without language beyond that time frame.
Allegiant Stadium, which is home to the Raiders, opened in 2020. The A's hope to open their ballpark in time for the 2028 season.
“I think mostly it wasn’t contemplated in 2016 when we passed the law,” Hill said. “You don't necessarily need that information in the law. It gives us optionality. We talked about it during the process that we’re going to get to 15 or 20 years and the parties involved will probably reopen the lease and renegotiate it.”
This is the A’s final season in Oakland. They agreed to play the following three seasons, with an option for a fourth, in a Triple-A stadium in West Sacramento, California. The A’s will share that facility with the River Cats, the San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A club.
The A's have said they expected to spend $350 million in public money rather than the $380 million allocated by the Nevada Legislature.
The club has said it plans to finance $300 million of the stadium cost and the other $850 million would come from private equity. Hill said it's possible the A's could present their financing plan at the October meeting.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Oakland Athletics' JJ Bleday (33) and Zack Gelof (20) celebrate with teammates after a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in New York. The Athletics won 7-6. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
FILE - The Oakland Athletics and their design teams released renderings, March 5, 2024 of the club's planned stadium in Las Vegas. (Negativ via AP, File)
