月: 2021年6月

1. The Israeli military says it launched an attack early Wednesday against Hamas-armed compounds in the Gaza Strip. It’s the first airstrikes since the start of last month’s ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group.
2.Japan’s government is set to cap attendance at major events at 10,000 as a transitional measure when it lifts a coronavirus state of emergency or other special measures. 3. U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun their first face-to-face summit in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting comes as relations between the two countries are said to be at their worst level since the end of the Cold War.

1. Japanese opposition parties in the Lower House of the Diet submitted a no-confidence motion on Tuesday morning against Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s Cabinet. The move came after the opposition’s request for a three-month extension to the current Diet session had been rejected by Suga’s government and governing parties.
2. The state-run, large scale coronavirus vaccination sites in Tokyo and Osaka will begin offering shots to younger people. Vaccinations for people aged 65 or older are underway at the venues, which are operated by the Defense Ministry. But the sites have plenty of free slots through June 27. 3. Last year saw a record number of children in Japan’s elementary, junior high and high schools take their lives. While these suicides cannot be definitively linked to the coronavirus pandemic, there’s growing concern that the disruption to normal life has left many children struggling to cope.

1. The Group of Seven leaders closed their three-day summit on Sunday with a message to China. Their communique pledged support for global coronavirus vaccine efforts and a lagging economy and took note of China’s growing international influence. The message comes amid pressure to address a wide range of concerns – from human rights to maritime aggressions to transparency.
2. Russian President Vladimir Putin says his upcoming meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden will help establish a framework for bilateral dialogue about areas of mutual interest, including nuclear arms reduction. He is scheduled to hold his first face-to-face summit with Biden in Switzerland on Wednesday. Putin expressed hope that the meeting will help restore relations. 3. U.S. President Joe Biden has congratulated Naftali Bennet, Israel’s newly inaugurated prime minister. The White House states that Biden “highlighted his decades of steadfast support for the U.S.-Israel relationship and his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.”

1.The Group of Seven summit is set to open soon in Cornwall, southwestern Britain, on Friday afternoon. The G7 leaders are meeting in person for the first time in two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. 2. The leaders of the United States and Britain have unveiled the New Atlantic Charter on bilateral commitments. They pledge to defend democracy, in what appears to be a bid to counter China and Russia. The original Atlantic Charter was issued by the U.S. and British governments 80 years ago. It outlined the goals of U.S.-British cooperation to meet global challenges and led to the creation of the United Nations.
3.International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has reiterated that this summer’s Tokyo Olympics will go ahead as scheduled. Bach spoke at a news conference for the first time in about two months on Thursday after a three-day virtual session of the IOC Executive Board.

1. France has conditionally reopened for foreign tourists amid an easing of coronavirus restrictions. Throughout the European Union, half of people aged 18 or older had received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine as of Wednesday. Member countries are relaxing restrictions on people’s outings, and on activities at restaurants and bars.
2.U.S. President Joe Biden will announce at the upcoming Group of Seven summit that his country will donate half a billion doses of coronavirus vaccines to nearly 100 lower income countries and the African Union. The G7 summit starts in Cornwall, England, on Friday. White House officials say the U.S. will purchase the vaccines from pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
3.Top commerce officials of the United States and China have agreed to continue dialogue on trade and other business issues. China’s Commerce Ministry says Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo talked over the phone on Thursday.

1. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Myanmar to implement the “Five-Point Consensus” agreed to by the leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to help stabilize the situation. The consensus includes a call for immediate cessation of violence and sending a special envoy from ASEAN to facilitate mediation of the dialogue process.
2. China is hosting a trade fair with companies from Central and Eastern Europe as part of efforts to keep these regions involved in economic cooperation. Items exhibited at the four-day fair include wine from Serbia and glassware from the Czech Republic. 3.The U.S. State Department has lowered its travel advisory for Japan by one notch, urging people to reconsider travel to Japan due to COVID-19. The state department on Tuesday downgraded its “Japan Travel Advisory” from the highest “Do not travel” level to the Level 3 on its four-tier scale.

1. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new medication for Alzheimer’s disease. Aducanumab is the first new drug for the disease in 18 years. U.S. company Biogen and Japanese firm Eisai developed the drug. It targets plaques in the brain that researchers believe can affect cognition. Aducanumab is the firs medication to tackle the disease process rather than just treating symptoms of dementia.
2.U.S. President Joe Biden is traveling to Europe for meetings with political and military leaders. It is his first trip abroad since becoming president. Biden will first meet with G7 leaders in Cornwall, England. They will try to formulate a plan to end the pandemic. They will also talk about ways to support developing nations and counteract the influence of China. 3. Peru’s two presidential candidates are in a close race as vote counting continues following the runoff election on Sunday. The next president will face the task of rebuilding Peru’s economy and medical system, both damaged by the coronavirus pandemic.

1. Elderly people formed long lines at a large-scale coronavirus vaccination site in Osaka on Monday morning after eligibility was expanded to residents of two neighboring prefectures. The central government opened two large-scale venues in Osaka and Tokyo on May 24 to speed up inoculations of people aged 65 or older.
2.Dozens of companies in Japan are asking more than 10,000 employees to take early or voluntary retirement as they struggle with the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The figure is an increase of more than 4,100 workers compared to a year before. It surpassed the 10,000-mark three months earlier than last year.
3. Nineteen-year-old Saso Yuka has won the U.S. Women’s Open golf tournament after a playoff with fellow Japanese golfer Hataoka Nasa.

1. Friday marks the 32nd anniversary of China’s deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The incident on June 4, 1989, resulted in a large number of casualties after Chinese troops fired on students and others demanding democracy in the country. 2. Media in Hong Kong is reporting an organizer of a group for annual Tiananmen vigils has been arrested. Chow Hang-tung, vice chairwoman of the group, was reportedly arrested for promoting an unauthorized assembly for Friday evening.
3. The U.S. government has issued a statement harshly criticizing China over what Washington calls “the Tiananmen square massacre” in 1989. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement on Thursday, on the eve of the 32nd anniversary of the deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing.

1. Israel’s opposition parties say they have agreed to form a coalition government. If approved by parliament, they could unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Yair Lapid, the leader of the largest opposition party Yesh Atid, made the announcement on Wednesday – about 30 minutes before the deadline for him to form a majority coalition.
2. The European Union expects an agreement will be reached at the next round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, but it is unclear if that will happen. The U.S. and Iran have been holding indirect talks intermittently in Vienna since early April, through the E.U. and other mediators, with the hope of reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. 3. U.S. President Joe Biden has declared a “national month of action” on coronavirus vaccinations. He says he wants Americans to celebrate their independence from the virus on the national July 4 holiday. Sixty-three percent of American adults have received at least one dose of a vaccine. Biden wants to increase the rate to 70 percent.