Tokyo, 18 May, /AJMEDIA/
Japan, U.S. leaders to affirm alignment over Taiwan amid Ukraine war
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden are set to affirm in a joint statement that they will strengthen cooperation toward stability in the Taiwan Strait when they meet next week in Tokyo, Japanese government sources said Tuesday.
The premier is also expected to announce Japan’s participation in the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework as he will hold summit talks with Biden on Monday. Kishida views the initiative as a reflection of U.S. intent to boost its involvement in the region in the face of China’s growing clout.
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Japan’s Jan.-March GDP contracts annualized real 1.0%
TOKYO – Japan’s economy in the January-March period contracted a real 0.2 percent from the previous quarter, or an annualized 1.0 percent, government data showed Wednesday.
Japan saw the first contraction in two quarters of real gross domestic product, or the total value of goods and services produced in a country adjusted for inflation, according to the preliminary data released by the Cabinet Office.
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South Korea firm suspected of surveying off disputed isles: Japan gov’t
TOKYO – A South Korean state-run company may have carried out a survey last week in waters off disputed islets within Japan’s exclusive economic zone in the Sea of Japan, the top government spokesman said Tuesday.
Tokyo sought an explanation via diplomatic channels for an apparent marine survey off the contested islets by a ship entrusted by the South Korean government firm and told Seoul it does not accept any probe within Japan’s EEZ, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference.
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Deepwater divers prepare for search inside sunken Hokkaido tour boat
ABASHIRI, Japan – A vessel carrying divers trained to work at great depths arrived at a port in eastern Hokkaido on Tuesday in preparation for a search inside a tour boat that sank off the Shiretoko Peninsula last month, leaving 14 people dead and 12 missing.
The vessel is slated to leave Abashiri port late Wednesday afternoon, with the divers expected to start searching inside the 19-ton Kazu I, located about 120 meters below the surface, as early as Thursday for any bodies that may be inside the wreck.
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North Korea reports 269,500 more fever cases amid COVID spread
BEIJING – North Korea on Tuesday reported more than 269,500 new cases of fever and six more deaths in the past day as suspected coronavirus cases continue to spread rapidly.
The number of new fever cases between Sunday evening and 6 p.m. Monday fell from some 392,900 cases recorded the day before. The total number of deaths now stands at 56, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.
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Asian Para Games in China postponed due to COVID-19
TOKYO – The Asian Paralympic Committee said Tuesday the Asian Para Games scheduled for October in Hangzhou have been postponed and are aimed to be held next year instead amid the continuing impact of the COVID-19 surge in China.
The announcement came after the Asian Games, originally scheduled for September in the same city, were also postponed due to the pandemic earlier this month.
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Japan Cabinet OKs 2.7 tril. yen draft extra budget to fight inflation
TOKYO – Japan’s Cabinet approved Tuesday a 2.7 trillion yen ($21 billion) draft extra budget for fiscal 2022 to ease the pain of surging energy, food and other prices stemming from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government will issue new bonds to entirely finance the budget, adding to concerns about the nation’s fiscal health, already the worst among major developed countries.
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Man mistakenly sent 46.3 mil. yen in COVID funds gambles it all away
YAMAGUCHI, Japan – A 24-year-old man mistakenly sent 46.3 million yen ($360,000) in COVID-19 relief money by the western Japan town he resides in, says he gambled it all away on overseas casino sites, sources close to the matter said Tuesday.
The man is unlikely to be able to return the money transferred to him in error by the town of Abu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, according to his lawyer, who said a resolution through litigation is being considered.
