月: 2022年11月

1.Protests against China’s tough COVID restrictions have spread to Hong Kong. Many people gathered near a station in central Hong Kong Island on Monday night with flowers in a response to an online call to hold a vigil for the victims of an apartment fire in China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Dozens of them held up blank sheets of paper in a silent show of protest for the victims in the city of Urumqi.
2.US government officials have backed the right of people to “peacefully protest” in China as protesters in multiple Chinese cities have demonstrated against the government’s “zero-COVID” policy.
3.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said “the golden era” with China is over in his response to Beijing’s crack-down on massive protests against its zero-COVID policy. Sunak said on Monday that Britain needs to evolve its approach to China, saying “the so-called golden era is over, along with the naïve idea that trade would lead to social and political reform.”

1.Japan’s Emperor Naruhito has left a Tokyo hospital after undergoing a prostate biopsy, or examination of tissue samples. Earlier this month, the Emperor had an MRI prostate scan at the same hospital after a blood test showed a level of protein, called PSA, was a little higher than normal.
2.Japan’s top government spokesperson says the government will promote comprehensive measures to help increase the number of childbirths. The health ministry released a preliminary report last week which said the number of babies born with Japanese nationality in the whole of the year could be fewer than 800,000 for the first time since record-keeping began.
3.Female leaders from African countries attending an international conference in Tokyo have stressed the need to take measures to ensure a stable food supply. The first Asia Pacific and Africa Women’s Economic Exchange Summit opened on Monday. In the summit, Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow, the wife of the Gambian president, expressed concern about the current food situation.

1.The United Nations Human Rights Council has decided to establish an independent mission to probe Iran’s alleged suppression of ongoing mass protests. The public anger in Iran was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly improperly wearing her hijab headscarf. Her death has led to protests across Iran for more than two months. The UN and human rights groups say Iranian security authorities have been cracking down on demonstrators, killing more than 300 people.
2.Authorities have raided Dentsu, one of Japan’s major ad agencies, over alleged bid-rigging involving test events for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Tokyo prosecutors and the Japan Fair Trade Commission searched Dentsu’s head office and an event-organizing firm, both in the capital, on Friday. Authorities suspect the two violated Japan’s anti-monopoly law.
3.Artisans in a city north of Tokyo are busy producing traditional daruma dolls in a bid to root for the Japan squad in the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament in Qatar. Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture is the top producer of the dolls, which are a symbol of good luck. They are modeled after the legendary Buddhist monk Dharma. A local workshop has been producing the dolls to support Japan’s national team since the 2006 World Cup tournament in Germany.

1.In the World Cup, Japan pulled off its biggest upset since first appearing in the tournament back in 1998. The Samurai Blue came from behind in Wednesday’s Group E clash to defeat four-time champion Germany 2-1.
2.Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned Russian attacks on his country’s energy-related infrastructure as “energy terror.” The president said Ukraine was hit by almost 70 missiles on Wednesday alone, affecting hospitals, schools, transport, and residential areas.
3.Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the unity of former Soviet republics as an alliance sharing a common history. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is a Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet states.

1.People in Ukraine are bracing for the toughest winter ever, following Russian missile attacks that have knocked power supplies down to half their original level. Residents are trying to save energy and stocking up on clothes and blankets. They have been told to expect power outages through the end of March.
2.In the soccer World Cup in Qatar, Saudi Arabia has pulled off what is being called one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia took on Argentina, ranked third in the world and one of the pre-tournament favorites. Argentina took control early with superstar Lionel Messi scoring on a penalty kick. But early in the second half, Saudi Arabia tied the game. Then just five minutes later, Salem Al-Dawsari scored from distance to complete the stunning comeback.
3.Japan’s soccer squad faces a crucial World Cup opener against four-time champions Germany. The Group E match is set for Wednesday in Qatar. The Samurai Blue has a history of relying on first match results in the tournament.

1.The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Java on Monday has risen to 62. The magnitude 5.6 quake hit western Java in the afternoon. The National Disaster Management Agency said 62 people had been confirmed dead in the Cianjur district of West Java province.
2.The World Health Organization says this winter “will be life-threatening” for millions of people in Ukraine. It cites as reasons Russia’s attacks against energy infrastructure and over 700 medical facilities.
3.Japan’s education and culture minister, Nagaoka Keiko, says she will exercise the government’s legal authority on Tuesday to question the religious group formerly known as the Unification Church. The group is accused of soliciting large donations from followers and conducting dubious marketing practices known as spiritual sales.

1.The FIFA men’s soccer World Cup finals got underway on Sunday in Qatar amid some controversial changes. It’s the first time the tournament has been awarded to a Middle Eastern country, and also the first held outside the traditional European summer window. The opening ceremony featured a taste of the local culture alongside a lineup of international artists.
2.A member of Iran’s national soccer team is speaking out on the eve of the country’s opening game at the World Cup. The player voiced concern about deadly anti-government protests at home. Iranian captain and defender Ehsan Hajsafi told a news conference that players support Iranians who are suffering. He said they have to accept that conditions in Iran are not right and that people are not happy.
3.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio on Monday appointed former Foreign Minister Matsumoto Takeaki as the new internal affairs minister. Matsumoto is replacing Terada Minoru, who had come under fire over a series of problems linked to political funds.

1.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and Chinese President Xi Jinping have met in Bangkok. It marks the first bilateral in person summit for their countries in three years. Kishida said, “It is important for both sides to accelerate efforts to build constructive and stable Japan-China relations.” Xi said, “We want to grasp the direction of bilateral ties from a strategic point of view and build relations that meet the demands of the new era.”
2.Russia’s economy shrank for the second consecutive quarter as it continued to feel the impact of Western sanctions imposed in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The Russian federal statistics service said gross domestic product shrank 4 percent year-on-year in the July-September period.
3.Japan’s top government spokesperson says what appeared to be an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired from near the west coast of the Korean Peninsula at around 10:14 a.m. on Friday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu added that the missile likely landed at around 11:23 a.m. inside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, in waters about 200 kilometers west of Oshima-oshima in Hokkaido.

1.The United States and Britain have criticized Russia over the recent deadly missile explosion in Poland in the UN Security Council. Russia has argued that Ukraine’s air defense fired the missile. Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward called the incident “a tragedy that indisputably stems from Russia’s illegal and unjustified invasion.”
2.A spokesperson for Myanmar’s military has told NHK that Japanese journalist Kubota Toru will be released from detention on Thursday under amnesty. The Japanese Embassy in Myanmar said on Thursday it had been notified by Myanmar authorities that Kubota would be released later in the day and it is confirming the details.
3.South Korea’s military says Pyongyang has fired a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. The launch comes four days after the leaders of the United States, Japan and South Korea held a bilateral summit.

1.The summit of the Group of 20 economies in Bali, Indonesia, came to a close on Wednesday with the leaders adopting a declaration. The declaration said, “Most members strongly condemned the war in Ukraine.” But it also acknowledged, “There were other views and different assessments of the situation and sanctions.”
2.Former US President Donald Trump has announced his bid for the 2024 presidential race, stressing that he will “make America great and glorious again.” Trump spoke to supporters on Tuesday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
3.US space agency NASA says its new unmanned Orion spacecraft is on its way to the moon, after separating from a rocket. NASA’s new moon rocket, the Space Launch System, blasted off from the US state of Florida early on Wednesday.