October 12, 2021 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline

1.Japan’s Immigration Services Agency has launched a new drive to speed up coronavirus vaccinations among foreign nationals, including language assistance. The move follows reports of a slow pace of inoculations among foreigners, with many unable to make appointments due to language barriers or difficulties obtaining vaccination vouchers.
2.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has reiterated that he will prioritize raising wages of corporate employees over reviewing taxes on capital gains of the wealthy. Kishida said discussing capital gains taxes ought to be done sometime in the future, suggesting that a review will not be included in the next fiscal year’s taxation plan.
3.The latest NHK opinion poll shows that Japan’s new Cabinet led by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has an approval rating of 49 percent. The Cabinet was launched on October 4. The initial approval rate is 13 percentage points lower than that of the Cabinet launched by Kishida’s predecessor, Suga Yoshihide, in September 2020.