月: 2022年5月

1.European Union leaders have reached a compromise to impose a partial oil embargo on Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. But it’s not a total ban. They’re allowing a temporary exemption for imports by pipeline. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Council should now be able to finalize a ban on almost 90% of all Russian oil imports by the end of the year. This is an important step forward.”
2.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is causing a global food crisis by blocking his country’s ports. Zelenskyy said the blockade is destabilizing the situation on a global scale and, as a result, food is becoming increasingly expensive in different countries.
3.A Japanese Defense Ministry think tank says Russia likely launched its invasion of Ukraine without fully understanding the capabilities of Ukrainian forces. The report compiled by the National Institute for Defense Studies concludes that Russia began the invasion because President Vladimir Putin was determined to annex Ukraine. However, Russian forces underestimated Ukraine’s military capabilities and their operations lacked sufficient preparation.

1.Japan’s top government spokesperson says the maritime survey South Korea conducted in Japan’s exclusive economic zone near the Takeshima Islands is unacceptable as no prior consent was given. South Korea controls the islands in the Sea of Japan. Japan claims them.
2.Russian troops are intensifying their offensive in Severodonetsk. The city is seen as Ukraine’s last stronghold in the eastern region of Luhansk. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country is trying to obtain more modern weapons. He says peace will return to Ukraine in the end. Russia is stepping up operations and trying to surround Severodonetsk in order to gain full control of Luhansk.
3.Authorities in Shanghai say restrictions on businesses will be removed from Wednesday, for the first time since the city was hit by a recent coronavirus outbreak. The decision comes following two months of lockdown measures for the Chinese commercial hub.

1.Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin visited Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, on Thursday and held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine’s presidential office reported that Marin said, “The heroic spirit of the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for their freedom and the whole of Europe, is admirable.”
2.Small groups of foreigners have been arriving in Japan to take part in government-sponsored guided tours, as the country prepares to welcome tourists next month. A participant from a travel agency in Australia said, “we really hope that the Japanese people are excited about having tourism back in the country again.”
3.US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the most serious long-term challenge to the international order is the one posed by China. Blinken said US officials can’t rely on the Chinese to change their trajectory. So, he said, the Americans want to shape the strategic environment to advance their vision of an open and inclusive international system.

1.US media say the 18-year-old gunman who attacked an elementary school in the state of Texas on Tuesday had been bullied at school for a speech impairment. Salvador Ramos, who was a student of a local high school, broke into an elementary school in Uvalde and shot to death 19 children and two teachers.
2.The mayor of Hiroshima says he decided not to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the annual ceremony marking the US atomic bombing of the city to ensure the event can be held smoothly. Matsui Kazumi explained the reason for not inviting Putin at a news conference on Thursday.
3.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has asked for more military aid, saying his country’s forces are far outnumbered by Russian troops and military equipment in some eastern regions.

1.Three months of fighting in Ukraine have left thousands dead and millions fleeing to other countries. The conflict shows no signs of ending but Russian military officials say they remain confident they will achieve their goals on the battlefield in the long run. Commanders in the east say their troops destroyed an arms depot. Now, they’re making a push for the Ukrainian stronghold of Severodonetsk.
2.Nineteen students and two other people have been killed in a mass shooting at an elementary school in the US state of Texas. Local authorities say the suspect is an 18-year-old high school student. He is believed to have been shot dead by police at the scene. The incident took place around noon on Tuesday in the city of Uvalde.
3.Ukrainian President Volodymryr Zelenskyy sat down for an exclusive interview with NHK on Tuesday. After months of war, his defiance is undimmed. Zelenskyy said, “The world initially thought Ukraine would only last for three days after Russia invaded. But much to the surprise of the world, we have fought not for three days, not 30 days but already three months. The interview took place in Kyiv. Zelenskyy suggested peace in Ukraine must come without ceding any land.

1.The leaders of Japan, the United States, Australia and India say they’ll work closer on economic development, climate change and security. The Quad summit touched on fears that fighting in Ukraine could spark unrest elsewhere with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio presenting a united front.
2.Colombia’s defense ministry on Monday announced it will dispatch a team of demining experts to train Ukrainian troops. Colombia, a NATO partner, reportedly made the decision at the request of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Eleven Colombian military engineers will be dispatched to a NATO member neighboring Ukraine.
3.Western countries and Russia traded accusations Monday at a UN Security Council meeting over information warfare and cyberattacks in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The exchanges came during a session on the use of digital technologies to maintain peace.

1.The leaders of Japan and the US have committed to boosting regional defense. Prime Minister Kishida Fumio met with President Joe Biden amid rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific. Kishida said, “I announce my resolve to secure a larger defense budget, and President Biden strongly supported this. We also agreed to expand and deepen our Japan-US cooperation to ensure security.”
2.Tuesday’s Quad meeting will be a major test for Australia’s new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, who is attending the summit less than a week after taking office.
Speaking in his first news conference as prime minister, he said his government would stand up for Australian values and he singled out China.
3.Russian commanders have found victories in Ukraine have not come easy. On Monday, they marked three months since they invaded. They’ve killed thousands of civilians. But military success has eluded them. The Russians have launched a series of assaults on Sievierdonetsk, one of the last cities in the region under Ukrainian control. But, once again, they’re facing determined resistance.

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has agreed with the head of the international nuclear watchdog to work together to ensure the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants. Kishida Fumio said, “Japan highly appreciates the IAEA’s efforts to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Ukraine.”
2.The United Nations Security Council held a ministerial meeting on Thursday to discuss the issues of food security and conflict. This comes amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are major exporters of wheat, other grains and fertilizer. But Russia’s invasion has disrupted exports from the two countries. this has caused prices to soar and raised concerns about food shortages.
3.Russian forces appear poised to intensify their offensive to capture the whole of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as more Ukrainian fighters surrender at a steel plant in Mariupol. But Ukrainian forces may be preparing to mount counterattacks on all fronts.

1.Japanese experts on coronavirus infections are offering new advice on face masks. They say there may be more situations where people do not need to wear them. Health ministry experts say people don’t necessarily need to wear masks outdoors as long as they and people around them are not talking much. They say that applies even when people can’t social-distance.
2.The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has visited the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to assess progress in its decommissioning and preparations for releasing treated water from the plant. Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, along with four other IAEA officials, spent two hours inspecting the plant on Thursday morning. The visit was Grossi’s first to the plant since February 2020.
3.Russia is poised to take full control of the port of Mariupol, but Ukraine says it is not giving up on the city. The mission to defend its final stronghold ended this week, leading the way for Kremlin’s biggest victory so far. Fighters have been emerging from the devastated steel plant for days.

1.Japan’s nuclear regulator has approved a plan to release treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. At a meeting on Wednesday, members of the authority concluded they could find no problems in the submitted document. Their review included how to check the levels of tritium and other substances before releasing treated water into the sea. They also discussed effects on the surrounding environment and people.
2.Finland and Sweden have officially applied for NATO membership. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels called it a “historic moment” and said he warmly welcomes the requests by Finland and Sweden to join NATO. He added, “You are our closest partners, and your membership in NATO will increase our shared security.”
3.Mariupol has become both a symbol of Ukrainian resistance and a sign of Russia’s relentless military drive. Now a final stronghold has fallen. Ukrainians who fought for weeks to defend a steel mill have been carried out on stretchers.