月: 2024年2月

1. The unseasonably warm winter in Japan this years has put a damper on a traditional snow festival in a city in the country’s northeast. An annual festival featuring “Kamakura,” or igloo-like snow huts, kicked off in the city of Yokote in Akita Prefecture on Thursday, despite the absence of accumulated snow on the ground.
2. Japan has lost its place as the world’s third-largest economy to Germany. The Japanese economy was the world’s second largest for decades from 1968. But China surged past in 2010, leaving Japan third until 2022. Germany’s population is about two-thirds the size of Japan’s.
3. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has pushed back against former US President Donald Trump. He took aim at comments suggesting member nations would not defend one another.

1. Temperatures across Japan are expected to remain unseasonably high on Wednesday and Thursday, due to a warm air mass flowing over the archipelago. Daytime highs will reach 18 degrees Celsius in central Tokyo and Osaka City, and 10 degrees in northern Japan’s Sapporo City.
2. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and delegates from about 50 Ukrainian organizations are expected to attend a Tokyo conference on how to rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Russia’s invasion. Sources say arrangements are being made for nearly 100 officials to take part from Ukrainian businesses, research institutes and other organizations.
3. The US Senate has approved a foreign aid package worth 95 billion dollars. It includes money for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Senate Majority Leader chuck Schumer said, “It’s certainly been years, perhaps decades, since the Senate passed a bill that so greatly impacts not just our national security, not just the security of our allies, but the security of Western democracy.”

1. A working team put together by Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is set to start discussing potential revisions to the political funds control law. The party has been rocked by a political funding scandal involving some of its factions.
2. An economist says US pop singer Taylor Swift has given a significant boost to Japan’s economy. Eto Mitsumasa says Swift’s four days of concerts in Tokyo last week have generated an economic impact of over 34 billion yen, or about 228 million dollars.
3. US President Joe Biden says the United States is trying to secure at least a six-week pause in the fighting between Israel and Hamas. The US and others have been trying to broker an agreement to pause the fighting in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages being held by Hamas.

1. Recovery and reconstruction efforts are continuing six weeks after a devastating New Year’s Day earthquake struck central Japan. Volunteers are helping out in the Noto Peninsula where most of the damage occurred. But accommodation for them is scarce.
2. The famed Carnival in Rio de Janeiro kicked into high gear on Sunday with the start of a parade of top samba dancers. A contest featuring 12 selected teams began on Sunday night. Each group is made up of about 3,000 members. Dancers in colorful costumes are parading down a 700-meter street, accompanied by huge floats.
3. Ukraine’s air defense capability to intercept Russian missiles and drones is expected to decline unless it gets additional weapons supplies from Western nations. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked Western leaders for new military assistance to improve his country’s air defenses.

1. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says his country will occupy and annex South Korean territory in the event of war, stressing he would not hesitate to use force. The North’s state-run media reported on Friday that Kim visited the defense ministry with his daughter the day before. Thursday is the founding anniversary of the North’s military.
2. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has spoken of his intention to “reset” the
“direction of Ukraine’s leadership” in the war effort against Russia. He announced on Thursday that he will replace his commander-in-chief. Zelenskyy posted a video on social media expressing his gratitude to General Valeri Zaluzhnyi for two years.
3. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed a new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. Zelenskyy on Thursday named Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, to lead the military, replacing Valerii Zaluzhnyi.

1. Volunteers have begun helping people in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Noto Town, which suffered heavy damage from the powerful earthquake on New Year’s Day. These volunteers quickly headed to their designated places after being given shovels, gloves and other equipment for removing quake debris.
2. The US Senate has failed to approve an emergency budget bill that includes aid for Ukraine. A bipartisan group of senators put together a package including security measures for the border with Mexico and wartime aid to Ukraine and Israel. But most Republicans voted against advancing it in the chamber on Wednesday after former President Donald Trump, who is seeking re-election in the presidential race this year, urged them not to compromise.
3. Japan has offered financial aid to Ukraine to restore cultural heritage, education and media through the United Nations’ cultural agency UNESCO.

1. Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward and property developer Mitsubishi Estate have launched a digital tracking and information system to help people left stranded in the area after a major disaster. Officials unveiled their new “Disaster Dashboard” system to media on Wednesday as it went into operation.
2. Orcas trapped by ice off Hokkaido, northern Japan, were no longer seen in the area as of Wednesday morning. Rausu Town officials said they hoped the orcas had been able to free themselves as the ice floes appeared to be loosening on Wednesday morning.
3. Toyota Motor says it will invest 1.3 billion dollars in its flagship US plant in Kentucky to start producing electric vehicles in 2025. Toyota’s North American unit plans to start producing a new three-row electric SUV at the Kentucky facility and add a battery pack assembly line. The batteries will be supplied by another plant in North California.

1. The powerful New Year’s Day earthquake damaged more than 50,000 houses in central Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture, creating one of the biggest challenges in the recovery effort. A little over a month on residential reconstruction has entered a new stage aided by lessons learned from Japan’s many past disasters.
2. Severn schools in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, reopened on Tuesday following the powerful New Year’s Day earthquake. As many as 65 public schools in 9 cities and towns in the prefecture closed at one point, but all have now resumed classes.
3. Buckingham Palace in Britain says King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer, and will postpone his public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment. The palace has not revealed the type or stage of the disease, except that it is not prostate cancer. It says King Charles began receiving treatment as an outpatient in London on Monday.

1. Expressway operators have closed some sections of toll roads in Tokyo and the surrounding areas as a precaution to prevent vehicles from being stranded due to snow and icy roads. Heavy snowfall is expected from Monday afternoon to Tuesday.
2. Heavy snowfall in China’s inland areas is affecting expressways, high-speed railways and flights as people head for their hometowns for the Lunar New Year holidays. China’s weather officials say Hubei and Henan provinces are among the areas that have been hit by heavy snowfall since last week.
3. Apple has rolled out its first mixed-reality headset in the United States. The tech giant says it hopes to start selling the device in other markets later this year. The Apple Vision Pro lets users immerse themselves in virtual reality. They can also experience augmented reality when digital content is overlaid on the physical world.

1. Ukraine says its forces have destroyed a Russian missile ship in the Russian-controlled southern region of Crimea. Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency said on Thursday that one of its units sank the Black Sea Fleet’s Ivanovets in the waters off the western side of Crimea.
2. The Lebanon-based Shia militant group Hezbollah has expressed its determination to continue resistance to Israel unless the country ends its attacks in the Gaza Strip. A senior official of Hezbollah’s political arm, Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, told NHK on Thursday that Israel has failed to produce any results in Gaza and is heading toward defeat.
3. The European Union has agreed on a new aid package for Ukraine. It is worth 50 billion euros, or 54 billion dollars. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Ukraine is fighting for us. So we will support them with the necessary funding and provide them with the much needed predictability they deserve. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy joined the meeting online and later thanked the members.