月: 2021年5月

1. Japan is pushing ahead with up its mass immunization program against the coronavirus. The Self-Defense Forces are setting up large-scale vaccination venues in Tokyo and Osaka. The sites will be up and operating for senior citizens in need of shots starting next week. The newly formed SDF inoculation unit is made up of licensed doctors and nurses. 180 will head to the Tokyo site. 100 will go to Osaka.
2. U.S. President Joe Biden touched on ongoing violence between the Israeli military and the Palestinians in a video on the Muslim Eid holiday. Standing beside the first lady, he said Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live in safety and security.
3. Myanmar’s ambassador to the United Nations has urged the international community to cut off financial flows to the country’s military. He called on the international community to suspend investments and tie-ups with companies linked to the military, in order to stop the crackdowns on people protesting against the February coup.

1. The Japanese government has decided to add three prefectures to its state of emergency as coronavirus cases continue to rise.
2. Israeli-Palestinian tensions continue to rise as the Israeli military deployed troops along the border with the Gaza Strip, suggesting a possible ground invasion.
3. A Japanese journalist detained in Myanmar has been released and is back in Japan. Kitazumi Yuki left Yangon at around noon local time on Friday and has arrived in Japan. Officials at Japan’s foreign ministry say he is in good health.

1. U.S. President Joe Biden has expressed hope that the violence between the Israelis and Palestinians will end soon, after a phone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 2. A number of anti-coup protesters in Myanmar have reportedly taken up arms to confront the military. 3. A union of hospital doctors in Japan has urged the government to cancel this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics due to the coronavirus pandemic.

1. The United Nations Security Council is to hold an emergency session on Wednesday to address Israeli-Palestinian violence.
2. With just two months to go, the head of the International Olympic Committee has reiterated that the Tokyo Games will be held safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. But two prominent Japanese tennis stars have expressed concerns.
3. A Japanese Cabinet minister tasked with tackling loneliness is likely to hold talks with his British counterpart, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

1. The World Health Organization has added a coronavirus variant first detected in India to its list of variants of global concern, amid reports suggesting its high transmissibility. 2.Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi is expected to attend her next court hearing, scheduled for later this month, in person.
3. In the Middle East, clashes in Jerusalem between Israeli security forces and Palestinians that have sputtered for weeks have escalated into rocket attacks and airstrikes over a wider area.

1. An NHK opinion poll shows that the approval rating for Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s Cabinet has fallen to the lowest since its launch last September. The approval rating stands at 35 percent, down 9 points from last month. The disapproval rating rose 5 points to 43 percent. As for government responses to the coronavirus pandemic so far, 33 percent gave a positive assessment, while 63 percent gave a negative view.
2. A gunman has opened fire at a birthday party in the U.S. state of Colorado, killing six people and himself. Police say the shooting occurred just after midnight Sunday in a trailer at a mobile home park in Colorado Springs.
3.A European Union official in charge of procuring coronavirus vaccines says the body has not placed orders beyond June for doses developed by British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca. The EU launched legal action against the company in April for a breach of contract. It said AstraZeneca failed to supply COVID-19 vaccines on time.

1. It’s been almost two weeks since the latest state of emergency came into effect in four Japanese prefectures including Tokyo and Osaka. Now the government is set to extend the measure by three weeks and expand the area it covers.
2.The International Olympic Committee says the U.S. pharmaceutical firm Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech will donate coronavirus vaccine doses for participants in this year’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
3. China has reacted sharply against a joint communique issued by foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries. The document takes a strong line on the country.

1. The Japanese government is considering extending its coronavirus state of emergency for Osaka and two neighboring prefectures beyond May 11. It will decide whether to do the same for Tokyo after hearing the governor’s opinion. The move comes as the number of critically-ill patients in the country hit an all-time high.
2.Pre-democracy forces in Myanmar say they have created what they call a “People’s Defense Force” to protect civilians from the military crackdown on protesters against the February 1 coup. The National Unity Government, which was set up last month by opponents of the military rule, announced the formation of the force on Wednesday.
3. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Mexico and Guatemala next month. She is in charge of dealing with a surge in migration at the U.S. southern border.

1. Japan’s foreign minister has voiced concern over China’s attempts to change the status quo in the East China and South China seas, and the human rights situation in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
2.Mexican authorities say they will launch a full investigation into the fatal collapse of a subway overpass in the capital Mexico City.
3.U.S. President Joe Biden says his administration will quadruple the number of refugees allowed into the country in a year, replacing the limit set under former President Donald Trump.

1.The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar says a Japanese journalist was charged on Monday with disseminating fake news. Kitazumi Yuki was detained last month by the country’s military. Embassy officials say Kitazumi is accused of fueling anxiety among citizens and spreading false information. 2.India’s tally of confirmed coronavirus infections has topped 20 million. It is now the second country after the United States to pass the grim milestone. India’s government reported 357,229 new cases on Tuesday, marking the 13th consecutive day of more than 300,000 new infections. The nation’s accumulated number of infections is now 20,282,833. 3. Osaka Governor Yoshimura Hirofumi is casting doubt on the feasibility of ending a state of emergency in the western prefecture next week. The medical situation is critical in the region due to surging coronavirus cases. Yoshimura told reporters on Tuesday that he thinks it will be difficult to ease or lift restrictions under the current state of emergency.