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Prime Minister Shinzo Abe renewed his commitment to empower women and improve gender parity across the globe at the Women Political Leaders (WPL) Summit 2019 in Tokyo on Wednesday, ahead of the Group of 20 summit due to start Friday in Osaka.

Speaking to female politicians gathered for the two-day summit via a prerecorded video, Abe said that “societal change is possible if there is a clear vision coupled with concrete action.”

He added that he will ask G20 leaders to commit to providing an additional 4 million young women with at least 12 years of high-quality education by 2020, and reducing the workforce participation gap between men and women by 25 percent by 2025.

The WPL started its annual two-day summit — the first to be held in Asia — on Wednesday. Nearly 400 participants, mostly including female political leaders, from 87 countries have gathered to discuss this year’s theme — taking action to advance society toward the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In addition to taking place on the eve of the G20 summit, the event is also being held during Japan’s government-designated annual Gender Equality Week.

WPL President Silvana Koch-Mehrin reiterated the importance of women’s rights in relation to achieving the SDGs, saying that “in every one of those 17 SDG goals, women can gain. There is of course the specific goal for equality between women and men, but all other goals have the importance of women recognized — and women’s views as being key to — any improvement in the other 16 policy areas.”

House of Representatives speaker Tadamori Oshima echoed that sentiment, saying in his opening statement that “the opinions and insight of women will be essential to the achievement of the SDGs.”

“Having female leaders exchange opinions here at this summit will not only give us insight into what concrete actions are needed to achieve the SDGs, but also improve the visibility of female politicians,” he added.

That being said, Oshima raised concerns regarding the lack of female representation in Japanese politics.

“It’s true that women in Japan have not thrived in the realm of politics in comparison to other countries,” he said, noting that the situation persists despite “an increasing awareness in recent years of the lack of diversity in politics.”

Abe first touted his womenomics policy six years ago, pledging to create a society “where women can shine” and take on more leadership roles within the workplace while maintaining a work-life balance.

However, the nation continues to struggle with realizing the kind of changes Abe may have hoped for when he first promised better gender parity.

Japan has continued to languish in recent years in the World Economic Forum’s annual World Gender Gap Index, consistently ranking below 100 in recent years. The most recent report, published in 2018, ranked the nation 110 out of 149 countries in terms of gender parity.

Political participation has been particularly low, with women representing a mere 10 percent of 463 seats in the Lower House. Female representation is higher in the Upper House, but still hovers around the 20 percent mark.

In a bid to boost female participation and achieve better gender parity in politics, the government enacted the Law on Promotion of Gender Equality in the Political Field last year. The law urges organizations and institutions such as government, political parties and local municipalities to make an effort to achieve an equal number of male and female political candidates.

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However, the law falls short of setting quotas or including obligations, and has been criticized by some as merely a symbolic measure without any teeth.

The WPL is a network of women who hold political office across the globe, and aims to increase female participation and empower women in politics.

On Saturday they will submit the outcome of the meeting to Abe, who is set to host the G20 summit.

The Yoshida trail, the most popular of the four routes taken to climb Mount Fuji, will open Monday for the climbing season, but climbers using the trail won’t yet be able to reach the summit.

The route is still blocked by a rock-slide caused by a typhoon last September, according to the Yamanashi Prefectural Government, which operates the trail.

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Officials said Tuesday that it was only possible to start reconstruction of the trail recently because until then snow had been an issue, adding that they are not certain when the work will be completed.

The other three trails, which start from Shizuoka Prefecture, will open to trekkers on July 10. But if reconstruction work on the Yoshida trail is not finished by then, it will not be possible to approach the summit using the Subashiri route as it connects to the Yoshida trail from the eighth station of the mountain. The Fujinomiya and Gotenba trails are likely to see a drastic increase in visitors hoping to ascend to the summit.

Whether to mark the beginning or the ending of a trip to Japan, the nation’s highest mountain — designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — has always attracted tourists from all over the world. In 2017 alone, 284,862 people climbed the mountain.

The Yoshida trail, recommended for beginners, attracted 172,657 people in 2017, with 14 mountain lodges available between stations seven and eight-and-a-half. Subashiri, which had 23,475 climbers, allows trekkers to see rich forest scenery on the way up, and is less crowded than Yoshida. Fujinomiya, the shortest trail, attracted 70,319 people, but the rising sun can’t be appreciated around areas lower than the new seventh station because of the course of the trail. On the other trails, climbers can watch the sun rise at any point of the 3,766-meter-high mountain.

The Gotenba trail, used by 18,411 climbers, tends not to be as busy as the Yoshida trail, but is more suited for experienced climbers as there are only four mountain lodges after the seventh station. Mountain lodges in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures are grappling with a growing number of foreign tourists, as camping is prohibited on the mountain.

An event is planned on July 10, to wish for a safe climbing season from July through September, at the Fujisanhongu Sengentaisha grand shrine, located on the Shizuoka side of the mountain.

Arsenal have made an ‘improved’ offer for Kieran Tierney that still falls short of Celtic’s reported valuation.

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The Gunners remain ‘optimistic’ of their hopes of signing Celtic left-back Tierney despite having an opening bid of £15m rejected last week.

John Hartson thinks Arsenal were “taking the p*ss” with that offer, which was around £10m short of the Scotland international’s valuation.

Arsenal are likely to have to break two records to land Tierney, and their latest bid of £19m is unlikely to be enough.

The Daily Mail say Arsenal ‘are hopeful of reaching a compromise’ for Unai Emery’s ‘No.1 left-back target’, offering below £20m in the belief that it could tempt Celtic to do business.

Emery is said to be ‘on the hunt for defenders’ this summer, with Hector Bellerin sidelined, Stephan Lichtsteiner released and Shokdran Mustafi being Shkodran Mustafi.

 

David Silva has laid out his intentions to leave Manchester City at the end of next season.

The 33-year-old has amassed 395 appearances since moving to the Etihad Stadium in 2010 but the 2019/20 campaign looks set to be his last for the club.

Silva, who has won four Premier League titles, two FA Cups and four League Cups during his time at City, featured in 33 league games last season as Pep Guardiola’s side retained their crown as part of a domestic treble.

The Spain midfielder, who has also lifted two European Championships and the World Cup with his country, moved to City from Valencia.

He has established himself as a firm fan favourite since then, hitting 70 goals which included the opener in May’s 6-0 FA Cup final thrashing of Watford.

But now he has set a date for when he will depart the club, telling reporters at a press conference in Gran Canaria that reaching a decade seems like the right time to call it a day.

“No, this is the last one,” he replied when asked if he could stay beyond next season. “10 years for me is enough. It’s the perfect time for me.

“Initially, City were talking about two years, but I decided to sign another one, so I finished at 10 years.

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“It completes the cycle. It’s a nice round figure. I can never see myself playing against City for another team. So 10 years – that’s it.”

 

Liverpool have dismissed claims that there have been “concrete discussions” over a potential transfer for Lille’s Nicolas Pepe, according to reports.

In an interview with Get French Football News, RMC Sport‘s Mohamed Bouhafsi claimed yesterday that the Reds are in talks over a deal worth €80million.

“This is an €80m situation. So it is a situation that needs time and calm,” Bouhafsi said.

“What I can say is that there are very concrete discussions with Liverpool. Discussions that are not even denied by Lille, at Lille they don’t deny the very concrete interest and discussions from and with Liverpool.

“I know that Jurgen Klopp adores Nicolas Pepe’s profile, he brings a lot of speed and he is made to play in England, with quick transitions and an exceptional ability to counter-attack,” he said.

“Discussions have been had with Liverpool, who have a very profound interest. The other thing that I know is that Nicolas Pepe is at AFCON and wants a couple of days to make his decision.

“It needs time, because Nicolas Pepe is asking for time, and we have to respect the player’s wishes, who wants to concentrate on his national team.

“And don’t be surprised if other clubs dive into the race in the coming days, at Lille, I’m told that they are anticipating other Premier League clubs to get involved. It is not unthinkable.”

However, the Liverpool Echo say that the Reds are ‘furious’ over the speculation and have dismissed it as ‘pure lies’.

Sporting director Michael Edwards was in contact with Lille earlier in the month to say there was ‘zero interest’ from Liverpool to make a deal happen and that he was unsure where the reports were coming from.

Liverpool feel they are being ‘used’ to increase interest in the Ligue forward and they have made it clear they ‘will not be taking any interest’ in the player.

 

Holland boss Sarina Wiegman has called on her players to continue writing history after a controversial late penalty saw them reach the quarter-finals of the Women’s World Cup at the expense of Japan.

The ongoing furore surrounding the handball rule continued as the Dutch were awarded a contentious spot-kick after Japan captain Saki Kumagai was penalised for blocking an effort with her arm.

Lieke Martens scored her second of the game to secure a 2-1 victory, Yui Hasegawa having pulled Japan level at Rennes’ Roazhon Park.

The win means Holland reach the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time and, ahead of their last-eight meeting with Italy, Wiegman issued a rallying cry.

“We were standing in the circle after the match and we were so happy, yelling at each other,” she said at her post-match press conference.

“We were saying ‘let’s continue writing history!’ For the first time, we got to this stage at the World Cup. All the players then used this mantra.”

Japan created plenty of chances to win the game themselves, twice hitting the woodwork and also missing a number of decent opportunities.

Head coach Asako Takakura felt it was that profligacy which ultimately decided the contest in favour of the Dutch.

“We knew it was going to be a difficult match and we needed to change our tactics – that was how we were going to play and overall we played really calmly,” she said.

“Towards the end of the match in the second half we created many goalscoring opportunities, it was really unfortunate that we couldn’t take them.

“I think we lacked the clinical edge. We have to accept the result, we’re defeated, we’re very disappointed and for all the players I feel very sorry for them and frustrated.”

 

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Jill Scott emphasised her pride in the way England handled their Women’s World Cup last-16 clash with Cameroon – and does not believe she will ever play in another game like it.

Phil Neville’s side emerged with a 3-0 victory from a remarkable match in Valenciennes that saw Cameroon twice react to VAR decisions going against them by remonstrating with the officials at length and looking as if they might not continue playing.

England’s players – most notably Nikita Parris and Steph Houghton – were also on the receiving end of some considerably rough treatment, while Toni Duggan’s arm was spat on by Cameroon’s Augustine Ejangue. FIFA has said it is “looking into” the on-field incidents and will update in due course.

Houghton, Ellen White and Alex Greenwood got the goals as England set up a quarter-final against Norway in Le Havre on Thursday.

According to the BBC, Sunday’s clash set a new record as the UK’s most watched women’s football match, with a peak television audience of 6.9million.

England midfielder Scott said: “I don’t think I’ll ever play in another game like that to be honest.

“There were a lot of VAR incidents and a lot of protests. It kind of had everything.

“I think one thing that I’m proud of is how logical this team stayed and we just focused on the next moment that we could control. I thought we did that fantastically well.”

The 32-year-old now stands alone as England’s record World Cup appearance maker, surpassing Peter Shilton as she played her 18 match at a finals on Sunday.

She added: “We knew it was going to be physical and that if you took three or four touches on the ball you’d probably get it taken off you.

“I think we moved the ball well at times and that we’re growing nicely in this tournament. Hopefully we can continue that on Thursday.

“There was obviously a few rough challenges, but you know in games like this everybody is just so desperate to get to the next round.

“I think that was the same for Cameroon and they probably knew we were going to be technically too good for them, so they probably had to play a more physical game and I think that’s probably what you have seen.”

After Parris took an elbow in the face early on from Yvonne Leuko, who was booked by referee Qin Liang, England went ahead in the 14th minute when Cameroon were judged to have been guilty of a back pass. Duggan, spat on by Ejangue just after the incident, rolled the resulting indirect free-kick to Houghton and the captain fired in.

Then came the two moments of fierce protest from Cameroon where it seemed play might not be able to continue – in first-half stoppage time when the decision to rule out White’s finish for offside was overturned via VAR and just after the break, once again involving an offside call, as Ajara Nchout’s strike was disallowed following a review.

Greenwood subsequently struck to made it 3-0 just prior to the hour mark, before Houghton was caught on the ankle late on by an awful tackle by Alexandra Takounda, who was also shown a yellow card.

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England defender Millie Bright said: “That’s my first time playing against Cameroon. It was quite an experience.

“It was a strange game, we always knew they were going to be physical, so we had to win that battle first.”

On Cameroon looking as if they might walk off, Bright said: “It’s the first time in my career I’ve experienced anything like that. I was thinking, ‘Get on with it’, but I was trying to remain focused on the game and we kept all the focus on ourselves, we will do that against any opponent.”

Newcastle have confirmed that manager Rafael Benitez will leave the club when his contract expires on June 30.

Reports early on Monday suggested that there was ‘no realistic prospect’ of Benitez staying beyond the end of his current deal.

The Spaniard signed a three-year contract to replace Steve McClaren in March 2016, guiding the club to Championship promotion in his first full season and Premier League safety in each of his next two.

But Newcastle were unwilling to meet the Spaniard’s pleas for more ambition in the transfer market, and announced on Monday that he will leave at the end of the week.

“It is with disappointment that we announce manager Rafael Benitez will leave Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract on 30th June 2019,” read a statement on their official website.

“We have worked hard to extend Rafa’s contract over a significant period of time, however it has not been – and will not be – possible to reach an agreement with Rafa and his representatives.”

Newcastle confirmed Benitez’s coaching staff, Paco de Miguel Moreno, Antonio Gomez Perez and Mikel Antia, will also leave the club.

“We would like to thank Rafa and his coaching team for their efforts over the last three years and their significant contribution to what has been collectively achieved,” the Magpies added.

“We would also like to thank our supporters, players and staff for their patience during a period of uncertainty.

“The process to appoint a successor will now begin.”

 

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Manchester City have no interest in pursuing Napoli centre-half Kalidou Koulibaly this summer.

A number of clubs have been linked with a move for Koulibaly, including City’s bitter rivals Manchester United.

Liverpool have been warned off what would be a “disaster” of a transfer, and City have followed a similar tact.

The Manchester Evening News suggest they ‘have NO interest’ in the Senegal international, and that ‘he is not even on a short-list of centre backs they drew up after the departure of Vincent Kompany’.

Harry Maguire remains their ideal replacement for the Belgian, but Koulibaly ‘does not fit the bill’ for four specific reasons.

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His fee, a reported £107m, is mentioned, along with the 28-year-old’s age and lack of homegrown status in comparison to his Leicester counterpart.

But City are also ‘still smarting’ from their last negotiations with Napoli, which saw the Italian side break a ‘verbal agreement’ over Jorginho before selling him to Chelsea last summer.

 

Liverpool and Manchester United ‘have not said their last word’ on Lille winger Nicolas Pepe.

Although we have never seen him play, Ivory Coast international Pepe has emerged as one of the most sought-after players across Europe this summer.

Liverpool have been heavily linked with a player Jurgen Klopp is apparently ready to risk losing Mohamed Salah to sign.

But United are also interested in the 24-year-old, who remains a target for Champions League clubs.

Local French newspaper La Voix Du Nord, described as ‘hyper-reliable’ by Get French Football News, offer an update on the forward’s future.

They say Liverpool and United ‘have not said their last word’ on the player, with the latter ‘especially’ eager ‘to build an ambitious group for next season’.

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Pepe is said to welcome the idea of playing in the Premier League, but ‘the shortlist’ of potential suitors ‘seems to be reduced to four or five contenders’.

Along with the two English clubs, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid are monitoring developments. PSG could also be weighing up a ‘surprise’ offer if Neymar leaves for Barcelona.