月: 2024年7月

1. The Bank of Japan has taken a big step to exit its monetary easing measures. The central bank has decided to raise its short-term interest rate again this year, to around 0.25 percent from roughly 0 to 0.1 percent.
2. The US Democratic Party says it will hold an online vote from August 1 through August 5 to nominate Vice President Kamala Harris as its candidate to succeed President Joe Biden. The Democratic National Committee says 3,923 delegates from across the United States petitioned to put Harris on the ballot for the Democratic nomination. It says Harris secured the support of 99 percent of the participating delegates and noted she is the only person who has qualified for the ballot.
3. Japanese judoka Nagase Takanori has won his second straight gold medal in the men’s 81-kilogram category at the Paris Olympics. He earned his first at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

1. Weather officials are forecasting localized thunderstorms in northern parts of Japan on Tuesday. Previous rainfalls have loosened the ground and damaged river embankments in areas of Yamagata and Akita prefectures in Tohoku, raising the risk of disaster even if only a small amount of rain falls.
2. Japan continued its strong start to the Paris Olympics on Monday when the men’s gymnastics team staged an impressive comeback to defeat China and claim one of two gold medals on the day. Japan had the upper hand after a Chinese gymnast fell off the high bar twice. This is Japan’s firs gold in the event since the 2016 Rio Games. China won the silver and the US took the bronze.
3. US tech billionaire Elon Musk has been accused of spreading an apparently digitally-altered video of Vice President Kamala Harris on his social media platform X. The video appears to have been altered from a campaign ad created by Harris’ team. US media and observers argue that his repost could be a violation of x’s policies which state, “You may not deceptively share synthetic or manipulated media that are likely to cause harm.”

1. The mercury topped 40 degrees Celsius in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, on Monday morning. Japanese weather officials say a high pressure system is bringing sunny weather to western and eastern Japan, driving up temperatures from the morning.
2. Foreign ministers from Japan, the United States, Australia and India are meeting in Tokyo. This is the first time in four years for the Quad countries’ top diplomats to convene in the Japanese capital. The talks began on Monday morning, attended by Japan’s Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. 3. Japanese shoppers looking for appliances are increasingly opting for used products as prices for the latest models are putting them out of reach for some consumers. Electronics maker Panasonic sells returned products or display models that have been repaired and inspected. It offers a one-year guarantee on home appliances and discounts of up to 20 percent.

1. The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics will play out on the River Seine on Friday with the slogan — “Games wide open!” The French capital is hosting the Olympics for the first time in 100 years.
2. Japan’s Meteorological Agency downgraded the emergency rain warning issued in Yamagata Prefecture from the highest level to a warning early on Friday. But officials say the danger is not over yet.
3. US Vice President Kamala Harris has told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that it is time to secure a Gaza ceasefire deal and the release of hostages.

1. Japanese weather officials have issued a heavy rain emergency warning for the northern prefecture of Yamagata. Places in the prefecture are being battered by heavy rain of an intensity recorded only once in several decades. Weather officials say there is a high possibility that flooding, landslides and other severe disasters have already occurred. 2. US President Joe Biden has given his first public address in Washington since deciding to drop his bid for re-election. He says it’s time to make way for younger voices. Biden said he has decided that the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation, adding that it’s the best way to unite the nation. He’s endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. She’s expected to officially become the party’s nominee in the coming weeks. 3. The Ukrainian men’s soccer team has made its Olympic debut, ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paris Games.

1. Two new opinion polls in the United States suggest Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck in the race for the White House. Reuters news agency and research firm Ipsos conducted a nationwide survey after Biden announced his intention to withdraw from the presidential race. Registered voters were asked who they would pick if the election were held today. Those who said they would vote for Harris totaled 44 percent, while 42 percent said they would pick Trump. This suggests that Harris has given her Democratic Party a slight popularity boost.
2. Wednesday marks the midsummer Day of the Ox, when eating eel is traditionally believed to help people maintain their stamina in the summer heat. Kagoshima Prefecture in southwest Japan is the nation’s top producer of farmed eel. People in Kagoshima City flocked to a grilled eel restaurant in the downtown Tenmonkan district that has been in business since 1932. The restaurant opened 10 minutes earlier than the usual time of 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday as a long line of customers formed outside.
3. Amazon has started online sales and deliveries of prescription drugs in Japan in partnership with major pharmacy and drugstore chains. Amazon Japan on Tuesday announced it is teaming up with Welcia Holdings, Ain Holdings and seven other companies in the industry. The e-commerce giant says some 2,500 pharmacies will offer the service. It comes with an app for users to register electronic prescriptions. They receive guidance on use of the medication via video call. The drugs will then be delivered to homes or other designated locations.

1. A poll by CBS News shows that 79 percent of respondents think Vice President Kamala Harris should be the Democratic Party’s nominee for the US presidential election in November. 2. US Vice President Kamala Harris has rallied support from campaign staff who have been supporting President Joe Biden’s reelection bid.
3. US Vice President Kamala Harris has clarified her resolve to confront Republican nominee Donald Trump and win the November presidential election. President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday, and said he would back Harris as the Democratic nominee.

1. US President Joe Biden has dropped out of the presidential race. He has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic Party’s nominee to take on Republican Donald Trump in November. Biden made the announcements on his X account on Sunday. He says it is “in the best interest” of his party and the country for him to stand down to focus solely on fulfilling his duties as president for the remainder of his term. 2. An American historian and expert on US presidential elections says the Democrats may still have a very good chance of winning in November if they unite behind the new candidate. American University Professor Allan Lichtman made the remark in an online interview with NHK after President Joe Biden announced his withdrawal from the November race. Lichtman is known for correcting predicting the outcomes of many presidential elections. Lichtman said it is an “incredibly profound development for the sitting president to step down from the race just before the party convention.
3. Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida Fumio says he thinks that US President Joe Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race as Biden believed it was the best political judgment. Kishida added that it goes without saying that the Japan-Us alliance is the cornerstone of his country’s diplomacy and security. Kishida said he will closely monitor future developments.

1. Former US President Donald Trump has formally accepted the Republican Party’s nomination as its candidate for the November presidential election. Trump said: “The discord and division in our society must be healed quickly. As Americans, we are bound together by a single fate and a shared destiny.”
2. The number of overseas visitors to Japan hit an all-time high for a single month in June. The figure for the first half of this year also broke the previous record.
3. A research team from the University of Tokyo says it has found what may be living microbes from 2-billion-year-old geological strata in South Africa.

1. Leaders of Japan and Pacific Islands nations have jointly expressed their strong opposition to unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force. They issued a declaration after wrapping up their discussions on Thursday, the final day of the three-day summit. The document highlights climate change as the biggest threat. It says that Japan will support efforts to implement more resilient disaster-prevention measures and promote decarbonization. 2. Japanese weather officials said on Thursday that the rainy season appears to have ended in the Kanto-Koshin region including Tokyo, and the Tokai region to its west. They made the announcement based on the forecast that fine weather will prevail in the coming week in the two regions.
3.The White House says US President Joe Biden tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday. He is reportedly experiencing mild symptoms. Biden was in the western state of Nevada to attend an event. The White House says he will return to the eastern state of Delaware, where he will self-isolate.