October 28, Thursday, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline read by Ms. Keiko Kitagawa

1.The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has called on Myanmar to accept the group’s special envoy to mediate dialogue between the military and the pro-democracy force. ASEAN held a summit online on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Brunei and issued a chairman’s statement.
2.Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has confirmed in a U.S. TV interview that U.S. troops have been deployed in Taiwan to train its military. CNN says the interview was conducted on Tuesday. It comes as China is ramping up military pressure over Taiwan.
3.The Bank of Japan has decided to press on with its massive monetary easing program. The decision came at a two-day policy meeting during which the Bank also scaled back its outlook for the country’s growth rate.