1. A strong earthquake struck northern Japan at around 7:30 a.m. on Thursday. The Japan Meteorological Agency says people in areas that saw the strongest shaking should be alert for similar jolts over the coming week or so.
2. On Thursday, Venezuela’s Interim President Delcy Rodriguez reported on state-run TV that at least 164 people were killed and 971 others were injured in two massive earthquakes which hit the country the day before.
3. A Bank of Japan policymaker has indicated that the central bank needs to raise its key interest rate every few months following this month’s rate hike.Tamura Naoki, a member of the BOJ Policy Board, said that the bank may also need to accelerate the pace of interest rate hikes depending on future inflation trends.