月: 2022年1月

1.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and US President Joe Biden will meet virtually on Friday, US Eastern Time.
2.Japan’s government says North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on Monday morning. Japanese Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo said North Korea fired a missile at around 8:49 a.m. Japan time, and then launched a second one at about 8:52 a.m.
3.People across China have started returning to their hometowns ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays. Meanwhile, Beijing city authorities are on a high alert for the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus. They are calling on residents to refrain from traveling to regions where cases have been confirmed.

1.Former Japanese Prime Minister Kaifu Toshiki has died at the age of 91. He was best-known for sending Japan’s Self-Defense Force to an overseas mission for the first time. Kaifu served as a cabinet minister twice before becoming the country’s prime minister in 1988. He was Japan’s first leader born in the Showa era.
2.More than 20, 000 new coronavirus infections were confirmed across Japan on Friday. The surge in cases, which is attributed to the Omicron variant, is spurring authorities to consider how to maintain social and economic activity.
3.The Japanese government says North Korea has launched what is believed to have been a ballistic missile. This is the third time Pyongyang has fired a projectile this year. The government has lodged a protest with North Korea through diplomatic channels in Beijing.

1.NATO envoys have grown increasingly concerned about the buildup of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine. They met with Russian diplomats in Brussels on Wednesday but failed to break their impasse.
2.The US government has imposed sanctions on six North Koreans and one Russian, accusing them of being involved in North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.
3.An official with South Korea’s presidential office has revealed that President MoonJae-in is not considering attending next month’s Beijing Olympics.

1.The World Health Organization has warned that more than half of the population in Europe, Russia and Central Asia could be infected with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in the next six to eight weeks.
2.The head of the US Federal Reserve says the economy no longer needs the same supports the central bank introduced during the pandemic. Jerome Powell warned of the “severe threat” posed by high inflation. He said the Fed would be prepared to raise interest rates repeatedly if it sees persistent inflation.
3.Japan’s foreign ministry says more than 3,600 people at US military facilities in Japan were infected with the coronavirus as of Monday afternoon. Over 60 percent of the cases were in the southern prefecture of Okinawa.

1.NHK’s latest poll shows the Cabinet of Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has an
approval rating of 57 percent, up 7 percentage points from the previous survey last month. The disapproval rating stands at 20 percent, down 6 points.
2.The Japanese government has decided to extend the border restrictions that have
resulted in a virtual ban on new foreign entrants. The measures are aimed at curbing the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
3.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio will unveil a new set of measures on Tuesday
to address a recent surge in coronavirus cases. NHK has learned that the measures include accelerating a booster shot campaign aimed at seniors and other citizens by utilizing nationwide stockpiles of vaccines, as some experts have said Japan is facing a sixth wave of COVID infections.

1.The Japanese feature film “Drive My Car” has won the Golden Globe award for
Best Picture in the non-English language category. The movie, directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke, received the prestigious honor on Sunday. The Golden Globe awards are said to offer a preview of possible winners of the Academy Awards.
2.Japan plans to help Indonesia use ammonia as a mixed fuel for thermal power
generation to help promote carbon-neutral society in Southeast Asia. Japanese industry minister Hagiuda Koichi is expected to exchange a memorandum of understanding on the project with Indonesia’s energy minister during his current tour of ASEAN countries.
3.An Australian court has ruled that world number one tennis player Novak Djokovic
should be allowed to enter the country. The ruling on Monday is likely to pave the way for Djokovic to play in the Australian Open starting on January 17.

1. A Japanese government senior official says nearly 1,800 cases of coronavirus
infections have been confirmed in US military installations in Japan. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Isozaki Yoshihiko said on Friday that the number of cases stood at 1,784 as of the previous day.
2. North Korea says it will not take part in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics and
Paralympics, citing the worldwide spread of the coronavirus among other reasons.
3. A Japanese expert on central Asia says the ongoing massive protests in Kazakhstan are an indication of public dissatisfaction with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retains a degree of political clout in the country.

1. North Korea’s state-run media have confirmed the country test-fired a hypersonic
missile on Wednesday.
2. The president of Kazakhstan has sought help from a Russia-led security alliance of
former Soviet states to quell the unrest in his country. Protests over soaring fuel prices have been held across Kazakhstan since the beginning of this year.
3. Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has landed in Melbourne but was refused
permission to enter the country over an issue with his COVID-19 vaccine status. The world’s number one player arrived at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport on Wednesday to compete at the Australian Open, but his entry was not permitted.

1. Japan’s officials are monitoring a rapid spread for coronavirus infections. Okinawa
confirmed 623 new cases on Wednesday, well over double the day before.
2. A number of European countries are reporting record levels of daily new infections
of the coronavirus. In France, the figure marked a record high of more than 270,000 on Tuesday. Britain reported more than 200,000 new cases, also the highest daily tally.
3. The World Health Organization has been alarmed by the spread of the coronavirus
Omicron variant. But the organization confirmed on Tuesday that this strain is causing milder symptoms.

1. The Japanese government is seeing an increase in COVID-19 infections. On
Monday it confirmed more than 780 new cases, the first time since October that the daily count has surpassed 700. The Tokyo Government reported 103 new cases that day—the first time the figure has risen above 100 since October 8.
2. The world’s nuclear powers have begun the New Year with a pledge to avoid arms
races. The United States, Russia, China, France and Britain have affirmed the importance of nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament. The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council issued their joint statement on preventing nuclear war on Monday.
3. Just one month before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games, Chinese
authorities are busy implementing measures to prevent coronavirus outbreaks. This will be the first time that the Winter Olympics will be held in China. The event will start on February 4 in the capital Beijing, and the city of Zhangjiakou, in the neighboring province of Hebei.