月: 2021年5月

1. China’s Communist Party says it will allow married couples to have up to three children instead of two in hopes of slowing the impact of an aging population.
2.Japanese tennis player Osaka Naomi has been fined 15,000 dollars for skipping a post-match news conference at the French Open. The organizers of the Grand Slam tournaments warned of possible expulsion from the tournament and future Grand Slam suspensions if she continues to ignore “her contractual media obligations.”
3. Vietnam’s health authorities say a new coronavirus variant has been found in four people infected with a variant first discovered in India.

1. An advisory panel to the Japanese government has approved an extension of emergency coronavirus measures for Tokyo and eight other prefectures. Emergency declarations for Hokkaido, Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Okayama, Hiroshima and Fukuoka are set to end on Monday. 2. A Japanese cargo ship capsized after colliding with a Marshall Islands-flagged vessel in Japan’s Inland Sea on Thursday night. Nine of the 12 people on board the Japanese ship have been rescued, but three are missing.
3. Volunteer tour guides held a celebration after UNESCO officially recommended adding a group of archaeological sites in northern Japan to its list of important cultural spots. The Jomon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region consist of 17 ancient ruins in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita prefectures. The World Heritage Committee is expected to include the sites on the list at a meeting in July.

1. The United Nations Security Council remains divided over the forced landing of a passenger plane in the Belarusian capital and the subsequent detention of a dissident journalist on board. Western members condemned the act, while Russia defended Belarus. 2. Syrian voters are heading to the polls in a presidential election in which incumbent Bashar al-Assad appears almost certain to extend his grip on power.
3. U.S. IT giant Amazon says it is acquiring film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, or MGM, amid competition in the video-streaming business.

1. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced aid for Gaza as part of efforts to keep a ceasefire in place between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. 2.The United States and Iran have resumed indirect consultations aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear accord.
3. The top U.S. diplomat in Japan has called on the representative of Taiwan in Tokyo. Charge d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Japan Joseph Young dined at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan on Monday.

1. Osaka Prefecture in western Japan has decided to ask the central government to extend the prefecture’s coronavirus state of emergency now set to expire at the end of May. Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi said daily new infection cases are on a declining trend, but that a resurge would clearly lead to a crisis. He added that the prefecture’s medical system continues to be overwhelmed. 2. The U.S. State Department has issued a stronger warning to its citizens against traveling to Japan due to the coronavirus situation in the country. The U.S. on Monday raised its travel advisory level for Japan by one notch to the highest on its four-tier scale—“Level 4: Do Not Travel.” It cited the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says, “Travelers should avoid all travel to Japan.”
3. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee says the United States’ elevated travel warning to Japan due to the country’s coronavirus situation will not affect the visit by its delegation to the Tokyo Games.

1. Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has appeared in court in person for the first time since she was detained during February’s military coup. Her lawyers quoted her as saying her party, the National League for Democracy, exists “wherever the people are.” 2. Belarusian authorities detained a dissident activist on Sunday after diverting a jetliner he was on and forcing it to land in the capital, Minsk. Media critical of President Alexander Lukashenko reported that Roman Protasevich was detained at an airport in Minsk. 3. At least 15 people have reportedly died in a volcanic eruption of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with many children feared missing. Mount Nyiragongo in the central African nation erupted on Saturday. The 3,400-meter volcano is located near the border with Rwanda.

1. Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have put an end to 11 days of deadly violence. A ceasefire is now in effect. Other nations have pledged support, but there are fears both sides would retaliate if the agreement is broken.
2.The Japanese government’s expert panel on the coronavirus has approved a plan to add Okinawa to a list of prefectures where a state of emergency has been declared.
3. Japan’s health ministry says the number of severe COVID-19 cases in the country hit a record high on Friday. The ministry said 1,294 patients are on ventilators or being treated at intensive care units, up six from a day earlier.

1. A Japanese government panel of experts has given the green light for the health minister to approve the use of two more coronavirus vaccines, one developed by U.S. drug maker Moderna, the other by British-based AstraZeneca.
2. Fierce fighting continues between the Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas as negotiations for a ceasefire are underway behind the scenes.
3. U.S. customs authorities have blocked a shipment of Uniqlo shirts, saying the Japanese clothing giant violated an import ban on cotton products from China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

1. Japan’s government is considering expanding the coronavirus state of emergency.
2. The two mass coronavirus vaccination centers set up by the Self-Defense Forces will accept reservations from people in wider areas starting Monday. They will cover residents aged 65 and older in all parts of Tokyo and Osaka.
3.The head of the International Olympic Committee has reiterated his commitment to holding the Tokyo Games in a safe manner.

1. Taiwan had decided to suspend face-to-face lessons at all of its schools from Wednesday through May 28 and switch to online learning amid a sharp surge in coronavirus cases. 2. In the latest development on controversial changes proposed for Japan’s immigration laws, the main ruling party says it intends to postpone any further debate on the bill until after the current session. The issue of lengthy detentions became a political flashpoint as concern mounted over a Sri Lankan woman who became ill at an immigration facility in Nagoya and died. 3. Japan’s health ministry is set to authorize the use of Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine later this week. Currently, the Pfizer vaccine is the only one being used as Japan inoculates the elderly and others. Applications for the Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines have been filed with the ministry, following Pfizer’s.