月: 2021年8月

1. U.S. President Joe Biden has defended his decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan in his first speech after the effective collapse of the Afghan government. Biden said the only vital national interest of the U.S. in the country has been preventing a terrorist attack on the American homeland, and that remains so today. He said, “American troops cannot and should not be fighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing to fight for themselves.”
2. The Taliban in Afghanistan have stressed that they will protect people’s lives and property, apparently to ease concerns over the possible return to Islamic rule.
3. Japan has officially inaugurated its team of athletes for the Tokyo Paralympics, scheduled to open on August 24. A record 255 athletes will represent Japan at the Tokyo Games. But due to coronavirus restrictions, the number of attendees at the ceremony was limited, with most participating remotely.

1. The four parties involved in organizing the Tokyo Paralympics say there will be no spectators at any of the venues.
2. Japan’s government plans to expand the coronavirus state of emergency to seven more prefectures from Friday. Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Hyogo and Fukuoka are being added to the list as authorities fight the spread of the pandemic.
3. Japan recorded 14, 854 new cases of coronavirus infection across the country on Monday. The health ministry says the number of seriously ill patients, including those on ventilators and in intensive care, reached a record high of 1,603, up 40 from Sunday.

1. Japan’s Meteorological Agency has issued its strongest emergency warning for heavy rain in the western city of Hiroshima. Agency officials say lingering rainclouds have triggered torrential downpours in Hiroshima Prefecture.
2. Japan’s central government plans to work more closely with local governments to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The panel calls for intensifying anti-infection measures over the two weeks through August 26, which includes the annual summer holiday period. 3. People in Japan have been remembering the victims of the country’s worst air disaster. An airline crash 36 years ago claimed 520 lives. Bereaved relatives headed to the site to honor the memory of their loved ones. On August 12, 1985, a Japan Airlines jumbo jet crashed into a mountain in Gunma Prefecture, north of Tokyo. The plane was nearly full because people were traveling during a holiday season. Only four people on board survived.

1. The Japan Meteorological Agency has issued a warning of extremely heavy rains for Fukuoka and Kumamoto prefectures in southwestern Japan. Officials are calling on residents to be on the alert and stay safe. They say a linear band of rain clouds has been bringing torrential rains for hours, raising the risk of life-threatening landslides and floods. 2. NHK has learned that the Japanese government’s coronavirus advisory panel has drafted a proposal calling for a 50-percent reduction in the flow of people in Tokyo to stem the current explosion of cases. It calls for halving foot traffic in Tokyo, both during the day and at night, over the next two weeks from the levels in early July, just before the current coronavirus state of emergency began on July 12.
3. A surge in coronavirus cases in Tokyo is forcing some patients to be hospitalized in neighboring prefectures. Toyo now has a record 3,500-plus coronavirus patients in hospital, while more than 17,000 are recuperating at home.

1.Doug Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, is getting ready to make his first official overseas trip. He will lead the U.S. delegation at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Emhoff retired from his law firm when Harris became vice president. Since then, he has been engaged in official duties as the first “Second Gentleman” in U.S. history. 2. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced his resignation. Cuomo had been under pressure to step down after a report found that he had sexually harassed 11 women. Cuomo made the announcement at a news conference in New York City on Tuesday. He said the best way he can help is if he steps aside and lets government get back to governing.
3. The U.S. Department of Defense has expressed concern about the security situation in Afghanistan, but still plans to completely withdraw U.S. troops by the end of August. The Taliban have been expanding areas under their control and announced that they have captured six provincial capitals since last week.

1. At the Tokyo Olympics, a Japan team packed with top players from the national professional leagues defeated the United States to win the baseball gold medal.
2. The United States claimed its seventh consecutive gold in women’s basketball on the last day of action at the Tokyo Olympics, Japan, in the final for the first time, had to settle for silver. Up against a U.S. team loaded with professional WNBA talent, Japan stuck to a game plan based on speed and looking for three-pointers. But the relentless U.S. went ahead early on, and closed out the game 90-to-75.
3. An NHK poll shows the approval rate for Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s Cabinet has dropped to the lowest level since he assumed office last September. The approval rate stands at 29 percent, down 4 points from last month. The disapproval rate rose 6 points to 52 percent, the highest ever for the Cabinet.

1. People in Japan are taking a moment to remember the victims of one of history’s most catastrophic war events on Monday. On this day 76 years ago, a U.S. military plane dropped an atomic bomb on the southwestern city of Nagasaki, just three days after the world’s first atomic attack leveled Hiroshima. 2. Foreign media outlets have given their assessments of the Tokyo Olympic Games that closed on Sunday. The BBC said, “In Britain, many have loved watching it, and will remember these Olympics as a classic. The BBC also said the circumstances surrounding the Tokyo Olympics may make it harder to attract bidders to host the Games in the future. Reuters reported that “with strict pandemic countermeasures and as COVID-19 variants have surged back around the world, the Olympics fell short of the triumph and financial windfall Japan had wanted.”
3. A tropical storm (Lupit;台風９号) made landfall in Japan’s southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima on Sunday night, bringing heavy rain to parts of the Kyushu region. It is expected to move across the Shikoku and Chugoku regions.

1. People in Japan are taking a moment to pause and remember the victims of one of history’s most catastrophic war events. On this day 76 years ago, a U.S. military plane dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima.
2. Japan’s Kawai sisters achieved their goal of both striking gold in women’s wrestling. Kawai Risako won the freestyle 57-kilogram category on Thursday to match younger sister Yukako, who won 62-kilogram gold the day before.
3. The head of the Paris 2024 organizing committee has praised the operations of the Tokyo Games. Tony Estanquet says athletes are well protected by strict anti-coronavirus measures and restrictions.

1. A Belarusian sprinter who refused orders to fly home from the Tokyo Olympics has arrived in Warsaw, Poland. Krystsina Tsimanouskaya refused to fly home because she feared for her safety. She sought asylum and was granted a humanitarian visa by the Polish government. 2. The number of confirmed coronavirus infections has topped 200 million worldwide. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows the global tally reached 200, 031, 896 as of 21:00 UTC Wednesday. 3.The Tokyo Metropolitan Government reported a record 5,042 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday. The daily tally in the capital has topped 5,000 for the first time, and hit a new high for a second day in a row. The number on Wednesday was 4,166.

1. The head of the Japanese government’s advisory panel on the coronavirus has urged consideration of expanding the current state of emergency nationwide. Omi Shigeru said in a Lower House committee meeting on Wednesday that the Delta variant is definitely a factor in the ongoing surge of infections. 2. Organizers of the Tokyo Olympics say its first coronavirus cluster has been reported, after several members of the Greek national team tested positive. Greece’s artistic swimmers did not take part in Tuesday’s duet and also pulled out of team events due to start on Friday after five of the 12 members, including athletes and coaches, came out positive for the coronavirus. 3. New York City will require people to prove they are vaccinated against the coronavirus before they eat indoors, go to a gym, or see a movie in a theater.