月: 2020年12月

1. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported 1,337 new cases of coronavirus in the Japanese capital on Thursday.                              2. Japan’s Meteorological Agency is warning of heavy snowfall in many parts of the country during the New Year’s holidays, with the authorities pointing out the possibility of disruptions to transportation networks and blackouts. People are advised to be on the lookout for snow falling from roofs and avalanches.                3.Britain is set to begin a new relationship with the European Union after British lawmakers approved a bill that will put a post-Brexit trade agreement into effect come January 1.

1. Daily coronavirus cases in Britain topped 50,000 on Tuesday, rising sharply from the previous record set on the day before. Concerns are growing that hospital beds may be nearing capacity.
2. U.S. President-elect Joe Biden says he will seek cooperation from the private sector and others in an aggressive effort to ensure that more Americans can be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
3. French fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at the age of 98. The world-renowned creator is also known for bringing stylish clothes to the masses.

1. With less than a month to go before he takes office, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has criticized senior officials of some federal agencies for their lack of cooperation with his transition team. Biden says many of the agencies had been “hallowed out” under President Donald Trump.              2. The United States and Britain have expressed concern over a trial of Hong Kong activists accused of smuggling themselves to Taiwan.                                                                                                  3. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have reaffirmed their alliance ahead of a change of the U.S. government in January.

1. The Japanese government has suspended entry of non-resident foreign nationals to Japan to prevent the transmission of coronavirus variants. The measure is taking effect on Monday and will continue through January 31. A similar restriction is already in effect for travelers from the United Kingdom and South Africa.                                                                                                                                2.  U.S. authorities say a 63-year-old man believed to be responsible for the Christmas Day bombing in the southern state of Tennessee died in the blast. A recreational vehicle blew up in downtown Nashville on Friday morning, injuring three people and damaging more than 40 buildings.                                                                                                                                                                3. Japan’s former transport minister Hata Yuichiro, who died on Sunday at the age of 53, has become the first incumbent lawmaker in the country to die of the coronavirus. Hata developed a fever on Thursday and was due to take a PCR test on Sunday.  His condition deteriorated suddenly while on his way to hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

1. Former Japanese prime minister Abe Shinzo says that some previous comments he made in the Diet regarding parties held by his political support group were not factually correct and offered an apology.
2. Tokyo prosecutors have searched the offices of former agriculture minister Yoshikawa Takamori over suspicions that he took bribes from a former corporate executive while in office.
3. France says President Emmanuel Macron is no longer showing COVID-19 symptoms and is ending his isolation.

1. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government says 888 new cases of coronavirus infection, a new daily high, were confirmed in the Japanese capital on Thursday. The previous record was 821, marked a week ago.     2. Sources say former agriculture minister Yoshikawa Takamori has admitted receiving cash from a former corporate executive while in office. He occupied the post from October 2018 to September of last year.                                                                                                                                                                        3.Britain has detected another new variant of the coronavirus in contacts of people who have travelled from South Africa.

1. Tokyo prosecutors are expected to bring a summary indictment soon against a secretary of former prime minister Abe Shinzo over alleged political funding violations involving his support group.
2. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed a senior U.N. official from Japan to lead its office in the Serbian capital of Belgrade working toward a peace-building mission in Kosovo. A U.N. spokesperson said on Tuesday that Yamashita Mari will serve as Representative and Director of the U.N. Office in Belgrade.
3. A Japanese government panel on the coronavirus has discussed anti-infection measures for the upcoming holiday season, and a new variant of the virus found to be spreading in Britain.

1. Sources say Tokyo prosecutors questioned former prime minister Abe Sinzo on a voluntary basis on Monday over alleged political funding violations involving his support group.
2.  Former agriculture minister Yoshikawa Takamori has resigned as a member of the Lower House of Japan’s Diet. The move came amid allegations that he received cash from a lobbyist.
3.  The Tokyo Metropolitan government reported 563 new coronavirus cases in the Japanese capital on Tuesday. It is the first time for a Tuesday to mark more than 500 confirmed cases.

1. The U.S. Congress has reached a deal on a 900-billion-dollar coronavirus rescue package for businesses and workers affected by the pandemic. The legislation will include a direct payment of 600 dollars per adult and a temporary 300 dollars per week in additional jobless benefits.                                    2. A top U.S. scholar on East Asia, Ezra Vogel, has died at the age of 90.  He was a professor emeritus at Harvard University and was the author of “Japan as Number One.” After obtaining a doctorate in sociology at Harvard, he spent two years in Japan to study the country’s language and society.                     3. U.S. media report that President Donald Trump and some of his aides have discussed the possibility of imposing martial law to overturn the results of November’s presidential election.

 

1. An expert panel at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has endorsed emergency use of a coronavirus vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical firm Moderna.
2. Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf says his country has failed in its response to the coronavirus with its relatively moderate approach to the pandemic. Unlike other European countries such as Britain and France, Sweden has not imposed strict measures, including lockdowns. The country has allowed restaurants and businesses to stay open.  But it has seen a surge in infections since late October , with the number of daily new cases occasionally topping 8,000.
3.  European leaders who had been in recent contact with Emmanuel Macron are self-isolating after the French president tested positive for the coronavirus.