January 26, Wednesday, 2022 (1:30 p.m.) Newsline read by Mr. Yamaguchi Hiroaki

1.The Japanese government is facing the challenge of securing proper medical services amid a surge in coronavirus infections. Noting the high transmissibility of the Omicron variant, the government is closely watching nationwide bed occupancy ratios.
2.Global demand for air travel remained sluggish last year compared to pre-pandemic levels, with the rapid spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant denting a recovery. The International Air Transport Association announced its analysis of passenger traffic in 2021 on Tuesday. Despite the resumption of economic activity, global demand for domestic and international flights was down 58.4 percent from 2019 levels, before the pandemic began.
3.The International Monetary Fund has cut its global growth forecast for 2022 to 4.4 percent, which 1.5 percentage points lower than the growth recorded last year. The IMF cites a worsening outlook for the United States and China in its latest world economic outlook report released on Tuesday.