月: 2020年7月

1. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has commended the democratic achievements of former President Lee Teng-hui, who died on Thursday. Tsai said in a statement that she believes former President Lee’s contribution to Taiwan’s democratization is irreplaceable and his passing is a great loss.
2. Local media in Hong Kong are reporting the government is going to postpone Legislative Council elections scheduled to take place on September 6. This comes on the heels of the government banning 12 pro-democracy candidates from running in the upcoming vote.
3. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is reporting another record for newly confirmed infections for a second day in a row. The trend is compelling local officials to urge residents to do what they can to contain the spread of the virus. Governor Koike Yuriko says 463 cases were confirmed in the capital on Friday.

 

1. Former Taiwanese president Lee Teng-hui has died at the age of 97. Lee steered the island from authoritarian rule and became Taiwan’s first democratically elected leader. Lee was hospitalized after falling ill in February.  He was diagnosed with pneumonia.
2. The U.S. GDP dropped by 32.9 percent from April to June as the pandemic put the brakes on economic activity. It’s the worst figure since data-keeping began in 1947.
3. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko says she will ask restaurants, bars and karaoke parlors in the capital to shorten their opening hours from next week, as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

 

1. Torrential rain has caused the Mogami River in Yamagata Prefecture, northeastern Japan, to overflow its banks in four different locations. The Meteorological Agency says unstable atmospheric conditions brought record-level rainfall to parts of the prefecture on Tuesday.
2. European countries are on the alert against a resurgence of coronavirus infections that could deal another blow to their hard-hit tourism industries. Spain is seeing a rise in cases mainly in the northeastern region of Catalonia. The nationwide case count topped 900 on Tuesday.
3. The foreign and defense chiefs of the United States and Australia have agreed that China’s maritime claims in the South China Sea are unacceptable. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, and Defense Minister Linda Reynolds met in Washington on Tuesday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. The head of the World Health Organization says the coronavirus pandemic continues to accelerate as the total number of cases has roughly doubled in the past six weeks. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on people to continue taking such steps as maintaining distance from one another, washing hands and avoiding crowded and enclosed areas.
2. U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien has tested positive for the coronavirus. The White House added that there is no risk of exposure to Trump or Vice President Mike Pence.
3. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte says his country cannot afford to go to war with China over territorial issues in the South China Sea. He said China is in possession of the contested waters, so “what can we do?”

 

1. The Japanese government is pushing ahead with plans to get the economy back on track even as the outbreak continues to spread. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide said, “I think it’s necessary to strike a balance of social and economic activities while taking effective measures to prevent infection.”
2. Florida has become the second U.S. state, following California, to exceed New York’s total number of coronavirus cases. The spread of infection remains serious across the country, especially in the West and the South.
3. The death of Japanese fashion designer Yamamoto Kansai has been widely reported overseas. Reuters reported that Yamamoto became the first Japanese designer to hold a show in London in 1971, blending traditional Japanese motifs, including designs from Kabuki theater, with fantasy in bright, bold designs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Heavy rains are pounding parts of Kyushu and Shikoku. Weather officials warn that wide areas of western and eastern Japan may also be subject to more rain through Sunday.
2. Chinas has launched a space probe in the hope of landing a rover on Mars next year, when the country marks the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party’s founding.
3. An online survey has revealed that one in four full-time homemakers in Japan don’t want their husbands to continue to work from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

 

 

 

1. Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko says a record 366 new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday. This is the first time the daily total has exceeded 300 in Tokyo.
2. NHK has learned that the organizing committee of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games is studying detailed measures to prevent coronavirus infections. Informed sources say committee officials have drawn up more than 400 proposals for anti-virus measures. They are working with Saitama Super Arena, the venue for basketball, as a model.
3. The White House has formally acknowledged that it ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement on Wednesday that the closure was “to protect American intellectual property and Americans’ private information.”

1. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says he wants to build a global coalition to counter what he calls the threat the Chinese Communist Party poses. Pompeo told reporters that China ahs exploited the coronavirus outbreak to further its own interests. Rather than helping the world, Pompeo said, the country has been bullying its neighbors and pushing its claims for maritime regions that it has no lawful claim to.
2. The Japanese government’s travel incentive program has started to promote domestic tourism hit hard by the coronavirus. The “Go To Travel” campaign involves discounts for travel costs, and issuing coupons that can be used at tourist facilities and souvenir shops. Discounts became available on Wednesday.
3. Data released in the United States i3.ndicates that the number of coronavirus infections could be more than 10 times the reported figure in parts of the country. The U.S. Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention analyzed blood samples from 10 areas for coronavirus antibodies. The samples were collected and tested by commercial labs from March to June.

1. The world health crisis has led to multiple efforts to create a coronavirus vaccine—and a British team seems to be leading the way. Oxford University says an experimental vaccine it is developing looks promising. The scientists say it has induced immune responses in human clinical trials.
2. Japan’s government says it will compensate people for cancelation fees for bookings made under a discount program to promote domestic tourism. The “Go To Travel” campaign is set to start on Wednesday. It’s aimed at helping revive the economy, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
3. Japan Airlines is considering a freeze on hiring university graduates and others next spring as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep many of its flights suspended.

 

1. Officials are celebrating a successful launch of a Japanese rocket. It is part of the United Arab Emirates mission to Mars. Scientists and researchers in the UAE hope it will shed new light on the red planet.
2. Officials of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 168 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday. The daily tally for the capital has remained below 200 for the second day in a row.
3. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has warned that the island will face intensifying pressure from China. Tsai gave a speech on Sunday at the convention of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. She was returned as party leader after winning a second term as president in a January election.