月: 2021年12月

1. The daily numbers of coronavirus cases have reached record highs in the United States and some European countries.
2. US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken by phone on the situation surrounding Ukraine. They failed to find common ground, but agreed to continue talks in diplomatic sessions next month to decrease tension.
3. US electric carmaker Tesla is recalling more than 470,000 vehicles after problems that could affect safety came to light. It’s the largest-ever recall for the firm and about the same as the automaker’s 2020 worldwide sales.

1. Weather officials are warning of more heavy snow, mainly along the Sea of Japan coast from northern to western Japan, as a winter pressure pattern is expected to intensify again.
2. A group of researchers in Japan says its animal experiments have suggested that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus may be less pathogenic than Delta.
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has called for all-out anti-infection measures against the coronavirus in a video message ahead of the New Year holiday season.

1. The review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons that begins January 4 is expected to be postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States.
2. France confirmed 179,807 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, reaching a record high. The government is tightening measures to curb the infections.
3. The Japanese government is planning to recruit 2.3 million people over the next five years in an initiative to expand digital technologies in rural areas.

1. US President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that allocates more funds for an initiative aimed at boosting deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region. The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2022 authorizes 768.2 billion dollars in defense spending.
2. Japan’s Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo has conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe grave concerns over what he calls unilateral attempts by Beijing to alter the status quo by force. The two spoke by video call on Monday at Japan’s request. It was the first time they held talks since last December. Kishi raised concerns about the situation in the East China Sea, including waters around the Senkaku Islands.
3. Japanese authorities say they suspect a former student from China tried to illegally buy sophisticated computer security software sold in Japan. Investigative sources say the former student, who is in his 30s, allegedly tried to buy the software containing advanced technology in 2016. Only companies in Japan are allowed to buy it.

1.NHK has learned that laboratory tests in Japan show that two coronavirus vaccine shots are far less effective against the Omicron variant than the Delta variant.
2.A strong cold air mass brought record snows to wide areas in western and northern Japan on Monday.
3.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he is considering addressing the upcoming review conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons by video.

1. Japan will not send a government delegation to the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics. The decision comes amid international calls for a diplomatic boycott over China’s human rights record. Japan is still dispatching local Olympic officials to the games, which kicks off February 4. Tokyo 2020 President Hashimoto Seiko and presidents of Japan’s Olympic and Paralympic Committees will attend. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio said on Friday that his government won’t label the move with words like “boycott.” He said Japan made the decision on its own.
2. India said its senior diplomat visited Myanmar on Wednesday and Thursday, and met with the country’s military chief. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Foreign Secretary Shri Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Myanmar’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing. The ministry’s statement said the foreign secretary emphasized India’s “interest in seeing Myanmar’s return to democracy at the earliest,” and “complete cessation of all violence.”
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that diplomats from his country and the United States will likely hold a high-level meeting in Geneva early next year to discuss the situation over Ukraine. As tensions rise over Russia’s massive troop buildup along its border with Ukraine, Putin aired strong concerns about efforts by the US and NATO to boost their ties with that country.

1. The head of the Japanese government’s coronavirus advisory panel worries the Omicron variant could spread rapidly through communities and put the health care system at risk. Government advisory panel chief Omi Shigeru said, “This strain is expected to infect many people in a short period. Some of them will likely develop severe symptoms. The medical system, which is being strengthened, could be overwhelmed.”
2. Japan’s health authorities confirmed 40 new cases of the coronavirus Omicron variant on Thursday, bringing the national tally to 200.
3. Japan’s Emperor Emeritus turned 88 on Thursday. He is the country’s longest-living monarch on record. An event to celebrate the birthday of the former Emperor Akihito was held with a limited number of participants, with measures in place against the coronavirus.

1. The Thai government says it is reintroducing coronavirus quarantine for all international tourists on arrival due to the spread of the Omicron variant.
2. Israel plans to offer a fourth dose of the coronavirus vaccine for the elderly and healthcare workers amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
3. Osaka Prefecture in western Japan is investigating possible community spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant after three people who had not traveled abroad tested positive.

1.The chief of the World Health Organization is warning that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading significantly faster than the Delta variant.
2.US drug maker Moderna says a booster dose of its coronavirus vaccine appears to be highly effective against the Omicron variant in lab testing.
3.The health ministry says 14 travelers who entered Japan between December 12 and 16 have been confirmed to have the omicron coronavirus variant. The ministry says the travelers, ranging in age from under 10 to their 60s, arrived at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Narita Airport near Tokyo, and Kansai International Airport in western Japan. They were coming from the United States, Britain, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan.

1. A Japanese billionaire is back on earth after a 12-day journey to space. Maezawa Yusaku landed on a plain in Kazakhstan on Monday. Maezawa became the first private citizen from Japan to visit the International Space Station.
2. Chilean leftist lawmaker Gabriel Boric has won the country’s presidential runoff election, defeating rightist party leader Jose Antonio Kast. The runoff election was held on Sunday after no candidates secured a majority in November’s election for the successor of President Sebastian Penera.
3. NHK has learned that a 61-year-old man suspected of starting a deadly fire at a medical clinic in Osaka City, western Japan, bought gasoline in the city in late November. Police believe the suspect had made advance preparations for setting the fire. Police say Tanimoto Morio is suspected of carrying out an arson attack on Friday, at the clinic located on the fourth floor of an eight-story building. Twenty-four people were killed.