月: 2023年1月

1.China says its population dropped by around 850,000 people last year, marking the first decline in 61 years. The National Bureau of Statistics announced on Tuesday that the total on the mainland stood at an estimated one billion, 411 million, 750 thousand as of the end of 2022. China ended its one-child policy in 2016 after struggling with labor shortages and a rapidly aging demographic.
2.Japan is marking the 28th anniversary on Tuesday of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which left 6,434 people dead. The powerful quake jolted the western prefecture of Hyogo and nearby areas on January 17, 1995, causing scores of buildings to collapse and fires to break out across affected areas.
3.The Japanese government says it has decided to offer debt relief of 7.8 billion yen to Ukraine to help ease the economic burden imposed on the country since it was invaded by Russia. Ukraine was supposed to pay back the amount, which is equivalent to over 60 million dollars at current rates, to Japan by the end of this year. It was to have been part of repayment of financial assistance. Japan’s Foreign Ministry says it has agreed with Kyiv that the money will be repaid in 10 installments over a six-month period, starting June 2027.

1.The world Economic Forum will open its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday with the slogan “Cooperation in a fragmented world.” Participants are expected to discuss the impact on the world economy of the US-China standoff and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They are also expected to exchange views on what can be done to put the economy back on the globalization track.
2.Japanese pharmaceutical firm Eisai on Monday said it has applied to Japan’s health ministry for approval of its Alzheimer’s drug. The drug is designed to slow the progression of the neurodegenerative disease by reducing the accumulation of amyloid beta in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. The abnormal protein is believed to induce neuronal cell death.
3.Bankruptcies of nursing care providers across Japan hit their highest level last year since 2000. Credit research firm Tokyo Shoko Research says 143 care providers went bankrupt in 2022. Businesses with fewer than 10 employees accounted for more than 80 percent of the bankruptcies.

1.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has found some common ground with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau as part of his efforts toward a free and open Indo-Pacific. The two met in Ottawa on Thursday. Kishida is touring five Group of Seven countries and meeting with their leaders ahead of the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May.
2.Japan and the United States are to start discussions for effective operation of Japan’s counterattack capabilities under its new defense policy. Japan’s Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met at the Pentagon on Thursday.
3.Ukraine’s deputy defense minister says a fierce battle is continuing near the Ukrainian stronghold of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk. Hanna Maliar briefed reporters on the status of fighting over the town of Soledar on Thursday. She said Ukrainian soldiers are fighting desperately despite the difficult situation.

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, have affirmed unity ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May. Kishida flew into London on the third leg of a weeklong tour. He previously visited France and Italy, and will travel next to Canada and the United States.
2.Japan and the United States say they are reorganizing their defense cooperation to be more effective. This comes as Tokyo is strengthening its capability to respond to attacks, and as both countries say they want to counter China’s attempts to change the status quo.
3.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has arrived in Ottawa to hold talks with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. Kishida is currently on a tour of France, Italy, Britain, Canada and the United States, ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima slated for May. Canada is the fourth designation of the tour.

1.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni have agreed to upgrade the two countries’ relationship to a strategi partnership. Italy is the second stop of Kishida’s trip to five of the Group of Seven nations. His trip comes ahead of May’s G7 summit, which Japan will host in Hiroshima.
2.The coronavirus is rapidly spreading in China. And, travelers from there are facing restrictions imposed by multiple countries. Those include Japan and South Korea. Beijing is now hitting back with its own. It has suspended issuing certain visas to people from both countries.
3.Japanese Defense officials say a Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer that is stranded in western Japan may have struck rocks, noting shallow waters were spotted nearby.

1.Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed the two nations will work closely to ensure the success of the upcoming Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima. Kishida told Macron that he wants the summit, scheduled for May, to be a forum where G7 nations can express their resolve to uphold a free and open international order based on the rule of law. He also said the meeting will give the G7 countries a chance to show their commitment to strengthening strict sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, as well as their strong support for Kyiv.
2.Researchers in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, have confirmed for the first time that endangered Japanese eels inhabit Dotonbori River in the middle of Osaka City.
3.A Japanese saury fishing cooperative says the country’s catch of the fish hit a record low in 2022 for the fourth year in a row.

1.Brazilian media outlets say security authorities have removed supporters of the country’s former President Jair Bolsonaro from the Congress and other buildings in the capital, Brasilia. But they say clashes between Bolsonaro loyalists and police are continuing in some parts of the city. The mob breached security barricades and entered the Congress building on Sunday. They also stormed into the nearby presidential palace and the Supreme Court.
2.US President Joe Biden has visited the US-Mexico border for the first time since he took office two years ago. Biden visited El Paso on Sunday to inspect immigration control. He exchanged opinions with border security officials and local lawmakers.
3.Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio has left for France on the first leg of his tour of five Group of Seven nations. Kishida plans to visit France, Italy, Britain, Canada and the United States from Monday through Sunday to hold talks with their leaders in the run-up to the G7 summit in Hiroshima in May. Japan holds the presidency this year.

1.Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his troops to observe a ceasefire starting Friday to mark Orthodox Christmas. He said soldiers “along the entire line of contact” with Ukraine will hold their fire for 36 hours. He called on Ukrainian forces to follow suit. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected the idea.
2.Firefighters in Tokyo have held their annual New Year’s drill. They conducted the drill to prepare for a possible major quake, as this year marks the centennial of the magnitude-7.9 Great Kanto Earthquake.
3.A government survey shows that 27.9 percent of Japanese companies allow their employees to stay on the job until age 70. The figure is up 2.3 percentage points from a year earlier. A law that took effect in April 2021 requires companies to do what they can to keep their employees on the payroll until age 70 if they wish to continue working, as Japan’s population is rapidly aging.

1.Fishers based at a port with the largest annual catch in Japan have marked their first day at sea in 2023. The fishers poured sake rice wine into the sea in a ritual to pray for the safety of their operations and good catches in the year ahead.
2.US President Joe Biden has revealed that his country is considering sending armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine to help Ukrainians take back territory from the Russians. Biden is considering Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which run on caterpillar tracks and are equipped with an autocannon and other weapons. They can attack while transporting soldiers.
3.A senior White House official says the United States is considering enhancing defense cooperation with Japan and South Korea amid North Korea’s growing threats.

1. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is set to meet with US President Joe Biden at the White House on January 13. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the meeting Tuesday in a statement that said the leaders will aim “to further deepen ties between our governments, economies, and our people.”
2. Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations has vowed to make efforts to maintain the peace and security of the international community as the country serves as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.
3. The US House of Representatives has failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot for the first time in 100 years. The Republicans won a majority in the chamber following the elections in November and the new session adjourned on Tuesday. Top House Republican Kevin McCarthy was seen as a favorite within the Republican Party to become speaker. But he fell short of a majority in the first ballot after failing to gain support from hardliners and other Republican representatives. He also failed to win a majority in the subsequent two rounds of voting.