投稿者: tomoyasu

1. The UNESCO world heritage city of Verona in northern Italy was the stage for the closing ceremony of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Sunday. Athletes and volunteers carrying the flags of participating countries and territories marched into the arena.  They included Japanese figure skater Sakamoto Kaori, who won two silver medals, and Japanese speed skater Morishige Wataru.
2. Ukraine says Russia’s forces attacked railway and water facilities in the country ahead of the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s military invasion.  The Ukrainian Air Force says Russia’s forces launched an attack on the capital Kyiv and other places through Sunday morning.  It notes the forces used 50 missiles and nearly 300 drones.
3. Japan’s Emperor Naruhito turned 66 on Monday.  Ahead of his birthday, he spoke to reporters at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.  This year marks 15 years since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and 10 years since the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake. The Emperor said his heart aches even now to think that the disasters caused enormous damage in various places.

1. Japan has collected two medals in the women’s single figure skating at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games.  Sakamoto Kaori won the silver and Nakai Ami won the bronze. The gold medal went to Alysa Liu of the United States.
2. Japan’s government has submitted a record draft budget to the Diet for the fiscal year starting in April.  It amounts to 122.3 trillion yen, or 789 billion dollars. More than 30 percent of the expenditure is allocated to social security, reflecting the aging of the population.  Almost 58 billion dollars is earmarked to significantly upgrade defense capabilities.
3. A Japanese health ministry expert panel has conditionally endorsed two products using iPS cells, paving the way for the world’s first practical use of iPS cell-derived products.

1. Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been sentenced to life in prison on a charge of leading an insurrection by declaring martial law.
2. A court in South Korea has sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for playing a key role in an insurrection related to former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024.
3. Japan’s education ministry has decided to allow three national universities to take in more students from abroad, amid intensifying international competition to attract foreign students. The ministry says there were a record 336,708 foreign students in Japan in 2024.  It aims to increase the figure to 400,000 by 2033.

1. The Japanese Diet is soon expected to re-elect Takaichi Sanae as prime minister.  Her Liberal Democratic Party achieved a landslide victory in the Lower House election.  There are now 106 first-time Lower House members, which is seven more than the last election two years ago.  After every Lower House election, lawmakers in both chambers have to vote to choose a prime minister.
2. The Japanese government has announced that it will make additional financial contributions to support UNESCO projects in Ukraine, Palestine and elsewhere. Japan’s government says it will provide about 1.378 billion yen, or over 8.9 million dollars, to support 27 countries and regions.
3. Warner Bros. Discovery says it is reopening merger talks to give Paramount Skydance a one-week deadline to come up with a final buyout offer. The move comes after rival Netflix in December agreed to buy Warner’s video-streaming and studio businesses for 72 billion dollars.

1. Japan’s Miura Riku and Kihara Ryuichi won the gold medal in the pairs figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Monday. It is the first time ever that a Japanese pair has won a medal in Olympic pairs figure skating. Miura and Kihara slipped to fifth after an error on a lift in Sunday’s short program.
2. Japan’s transport ministry has simplified inspections for US automobile imports based on a bilateral tariff agreement.  The transport ministry revised an ordinance on automotive safety standards to allow imports of US vehicles without additional tests as long as they confirm to US safety standards.
3. Tokyo police have arrested three Chinese men in connection with what they believe is a group cheating scheme targeting the Test of English for International Communication, also known as the TOEIC exam.

1.A district court in Tokyo has sentenced a 41-year-old man to life in prison as requested for his alleged involvement in a series of robberies by a group with a mastermind who used the name “Luffy.” The Tokyo District Court handed down the ruling on Monday against Fujita Toshiyas, a senior member of the group that was based in the Philippines.

2.Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae has met with Bank of Japan Governor Ueda Kazuo for the first time after the Lower House election on February 8.  They reportedly discussed the state of the economy and finance in general. Asked about whether Takaichi had asked for any BOJ policies, Ueda said there were no specific requests.

3. Japan collected two more medals on Sunday, Day 10 of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Freestyle skier Horishima Ikuma won the silver in the men’s dual moguls competition.  Speed skater Takagi Miho won the bronze in the women’s 500 meters.

1. Tokyo and Washington have yet to agree on the first US projects to be part of the multibillion-dollar investment agreement between the two countries.
2. Nearly four years have passed since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.  The head of NATO is calling on member countries to step up their support.
3. Japanese police say the amount of damage nationwide from cases of “special fraud” hit a record high last year at 141.4 billion yen, or about 928 million dollars.

1. US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that instructs the Department of Defense to purchase coal-based electric power.  The document says that “it is the policy of the United States that coal is essential to our national and economic security.” But the step is expected to face criticism from environmental groups.
2. Two lawmakers of Japan’s opposition Centrist Reform Alliance have registered as candidates in the race for a new party leader.  The party was formed just before this month’s general election by Lower House lawmakers from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. But its co-presidents, Noda Yoshihiko and Saito Tetsuo, both announced their intention to step down to take responsibility for the party’s massive defeat on Sunday.
3. Analysts believe that Japan’s economy rebounded in the last three months of 202s economy rebounded in the last three months of 2025 on the back of solid corporate and personal spending. Eleven research institutions have presented their GDP projections for the October-December period. They all believe that GDP expanded in inflation-adjusted terms following a contraction in the previous quarter.

1. A shooting in Canada has left at least nine people dead and more than 20 others injured.  The suspected shooter was described as a woman.  She was also found dead in the school.
2. Japan’s ski jumping mixed team won bronze at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games on Tuesday. The sport has been contested since the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, and this was Japan’s first medal in the event.
3. Japan has announced a new 3.8-million-dollar contribution to Ukraine via UNESCO to help repair cultural assets in the country damaged from Russia’s invasion. UNESCO says that as of last month, more than 500 cultural sites in Ukraine have been verified as damaged.  They include buildings of historical and artistic interest.

1. The Japanese prime minister’s decision to hold a snap election has paid off.  Takaichi Sanae led her ruling Liberal Democratic Party to a historic win in Sunday’s vote, netting the LDP a two-thirds majority in the Lower House. A landslide victory for one, and a major loss for another.  The main opposition party is trying to figure out its next steps, as its leaders say they intend to step down.
2. The co-leaders of Japan’s Centrist Reform Alliance say they will resign from their posts after the newly formed opposition party suffered a crushing defeat in Sunday’s Lower House election. The CRA, formed by two opposition parties, secured only 49 seats, or less than one-third of the seats the separate parties had before the poll.
3. NHK has learned that Japan plans to join a NATO-led initiative to provide US-made munitions and equipment to Ukraine. NATO and the United States established the mechanism in July 2025 to coordinate the purchase and delivery of US-manufactured munitions and equipment to Ukraine.