投稿者: tomoyasu

1. Japan is on alert for a possible mega quake after a magnitude 7.5 tremor hit northern regions late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings. Authorities say the next few days will be critical. The city of Hachinohe recorded tremors with an intensity of upper 6 on the Japanese intensity scale of 0 to 7. Authorities in Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate prefectures have reported 33 people injured, as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
2. Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has called for national unity as the country marked a year since the fall of the autocratic regime of former President Bashar al-Assad. The Assad regime, which controlled Syria for more than half a century over two generations, collapsed on December 8, 2024. The country is trying to rebuild itself under Sharaa, who had been a leader of anti-government forces.
3. Group of Seven finance ministers say the nations will work together to diversify and derisk supply chains for critical minerals, including rare earths. They warned that export controls on the minerals used in a vast array of electronic devices are a threat to the global economy. The ministers issued a statement after an online meeting on Monday. The statement doesn’t mention any country by name, but China imposed export controls on rare earths this year.

1. A Tokyo court ruled Monday that a man who deceived a woman he met through a dating app must pay about 1.5 million yen, or nearly 10,000 dollars in damages. The married man had told the plaintiff, who lives in Kanagawa Prefecture neighboring Tokyo, that he was single, even though he was married. The woman sued and demanded about 50,000 dollars in damages after discovering he was a married father.
2. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said using search radar during training flights is normal to ensure safety. At a news conference Monday, Guo said Japanese fighter jets had entered the Chinese military’s training area without permission and had obstructed its activities. Guo also said Japan distorted the facts and blamed China. The spokesperson said China expressed strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition and lodged a strong protest.
3. This year’s two Japanese Nobel Prize winners spoke at separate venues in Stockholm ahead of Wednesday’s Nobel Prize award ceremony. Sakaguchi Shimon, a distinguished honorary professor of the University of Osaka, is one of the three winners of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. He gave a lecture at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm on Sunday.

1. A German magazine has obtained the transcript of a phone call between the leaders of Europe and Ukraine. The transcript reportedly quotes Emmanual Macron as saying, “There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory, without clarity on security guarantees.”
2. Japan has sent a second letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rebutting China’s assertions regarding remarks that Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae made about Taiwan. This comes after China sent Guterres a second letter about the issue. Takaichi told the Diet in November that a possible Taiwan emergency involving the use of force by China could be considered a situation that threatens Japan’s survival.
3. The governments of Japan and South Korea are making arrangements to hold a bilateral summit in Nara, western Japan, as early as mid-January. Nara is Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s home prefecture.

1. South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has stressed his intention to promote ties with Japan. He also expressed readiness to play a mediating role to ease tensions between Japan and China.
2. The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a resolution calling for the immediate return of Ukrainian children who were deported to Russia. The Ukrainian government says more than 19,000 children have been taken away from Russian-occupied areas and elsewhere since Moscow’s invasion began in February of 2022. The draft resolution submitted on Wednesday demands that Russia “ensure the immediate, safe and unconditional return” of the children.
3. NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday and reaffirmed their commitment to providing military support for Ukraine. Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance is “not going anywhere.” Rutte said NATO ministers “strongly welcome” the peace process that is being led by the US. However, he added that the success of the plan is not yet guaranteed.

1. The death toll from torrential rain, floods and mudslides has risen to 1,379 in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Evacuees living in shelters say they will not be able to return home anytime soon and they are worried about their children’s health.
2. Japan has signed a deal to give Ukraine an aid package worth about 26 million dollars to help the country clear away landmines. In October, the Japanese government hosted an international conference in Tokyo to discuss support for landmine removal efforts in Ukraine. The government decided to provide the nation with the financial aid package during that meeting. The money will be used to acquire mine clearing equipment and for other purposes.
3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has hosted US special envoy Steve Witkoff for talks on ending the fighting in Ukraine. They likely discussed a peace plan backed by the US and issues related to territory. However, Russia and Ukraine remain divided in their positions, and it is unclear if a breakthrough was reached.

1. The head of Japan’s technology and investment conglomerate SoftBank Group says artificial intelligence is set to make huge contributions to the global economy. Chairman and CEO Son Masayoshi dismissed concerns about overinvestment in the technology and said he is confident the company will recoup its massive spending on AI in a short period.
2. US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Moscow to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The visit comes soon after US-Ukraine talks in Florida over the weekend. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Witkoff and Putin are expected to meet on Tuesday. Ahead of the talks in Moscow, Zelenskyy met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday. He stressed that the “territorial issue” is the most difficult.
3. The head of the International Criminal Court has urged members to stay unified in the face of pressure from the United States and Russia, saying “coercive measures” are clearly aimed at undermining the existence and reputation of the court. ICC President Akane Tomoko stressed: “The response of the Court has been absolutely unambiguous. Our independence and impartiality are our polar stars and remain unaffected. The ICC’s mandate is to try individuals charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

1. Japan’s Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, has visited her grandparents, Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko, on the occasion of her 24th birthday.
2. Japan’s Tohoku University says it will raise master’s and undergraduate degree tuition for overseas students.
3. Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s vow to “work, work, work, work, work” and “female prime minister” have together won the award for Japan’s buzzword of the year for 2025.

1. Hong Kong media say the death toll from a massive fire at a high-rise residential complex has climbed to at least 94. More than 70 have been injured, with many others unaccounted for.
2. Pope Leo XIV has expressed a sense of alarm about the future of humanity during his first trip abroad as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.
3. Tokyo’s consumer inflation remained flat in November as food prices continued to rise across the capital.

1. A massive fire at a high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong has so far left 55 people dead. The blaze erupted on Wednesday in seven residential buildings over 30 stories high in the northern district of Tai Po. The fires have been brought under control in four of the buildings, but firefighters are still battling the flames in the other three.
2. The Wall Street Journal says US President Donald Trump advised Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae during their recent phone talks not to provoke China over the issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty. The report said Trump suggested that Takaichi “temper the tone of her comments about Taiwan.”
3. An international conference on trade in endangered species held a vote Thursday on the protection of all types of eel. The European Union proposal that all kinds of eel, including Japanese eel, should be regulated, was rejected.

1. Ukrainian sumo wrestler Aonishiki has won promotion to the second-highest rank of Ozeki. The Japan Sumo Association made the decision at an extraordinary meeting of its board of directors on Wednesday. Aonishiki earned his first grand sumo tournament title in the Kyushu tourney that ended on Sunday. He has notched 34 wins over the past three tournaments, surpassing a benchmark for promotion.
2. The United Nations is beginning the process of selecting its next secretary-general, and member states are being encouraged to nominate women for the top post. The current secretary-general, Antonio Guterres, is due to step down at the end of 2026, when he completes his second five-year term.
3. A 380-kilogram brown bear was found in a box trap Tuesday morning in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan. Tuesday morning, the bear was found inside the trap. It filled the trap from side to side. The bear weighed 380 kilograms, was 1.9 meters in length, and had paws roughly 17 centimeters wide. It was later put down.