Tokyo, 7 November, /AJMEDIA/
North Korea vows “overwhelming” military steps to counter drills
BEIJING – North Korea said Monday it had recently conducted “military operations” including more than 80 missile launches in response to a large-scale air exercise by the United States and South Korea, vowing “overwhelming practical military measures” to continue countering their drills.
Pyongyang launched the missiles from Wednesday to Saturday, as the Vigilant Storm air exercise was taking place in South Korea, according to a report of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
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Gymnastics: Hazuki Watanabe becomes youngest Japanese female world champion
LIVERPOOL, England – Hazuki Watanabe won the women’s balance beam title on Sunday at the world titles to become the youngest Japanese female artistic gymnastics world champion ever.
Making her world championships debut as a substitute, Watanabe scored 13.600 points to beat Elsabeth Black of Canada by just 0.034 point. Fellow debutant Shoko Miyata of Japan finished third with 13.533.
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Japan gov’t urged to end free rollout of COVID-19 vaccines
TOKYO – A panel of experts on Monday proposed that the Japanese government end the free rollout of COVID-19 vaccines administered as a special measure, citing concerns over a further deterioration of its fiscal health, already considered one of the worst among major economies.
The Finance Ministry, which convened a subcommittee meeting of the Fiscal System Council, has also said the COVID-19 vaccine inoculation program should be normalized, as people have started to live with the coronavirus as part of their everyday life and restrictions on social and business activities have been lifted.
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Japan Coast Guard to share real-time surveillance info with navy
TOKYO – Japan’s coast guard is planning to share all surveillance information, including aerial photos taken by unmanned aircraft, with the nation’s Maritime Self-Defense Force in real-time, a source close to the matter said Monday.
The plan comes amid China’s bid for further maritime expansion in the region and several recent ballistic missile launches by North Korea. The Japanese government is also set to update the National Security Strategy, its long-term policy guideline, and compile the fiscal 2023 initial budget, with both initiatives due by the end of this year.
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Japan PM to visit Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand for int’l gatherings
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday he plans to visit three Southeast Asian nations from later this week to attend international meetings.
During his Southeast Asian tour starting Friday, Kishida is scheduled to take part in ASEAN-related gatherings in Cambodia, the summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Indonesia and the meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Thailand.
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2 Americans who helped ex-Nissan chief Ghosn flee Japan sent to U.S.
TOKYO – Two Americans who were in prison for helping former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn jump bail and flee Japan in 2019 have been sent back to the United States based on a treaty to transfer prisoners, sources close to the matter said Monday.
Michael Taylor, a 62-year-old former Green Beret, was sentenced to two years in prison, and his son Peter, 29, to one year and eight months in prison last year for helping Ghosn to escape from Japan hidden in a box on a private jet.
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Ukraine’s “IT army” has conducted 8,000 cyberattacks against Russia
KYIV – Ukraine’s so-called IT army has executed cyberattacks on around 8,000 Russian resources, successfully targeting the defense industry and countering disinformation campaigns by state-sponsored outlets, according to Ukraine’s deputy minister of digital transformation.
Stressing the importance of strengthening joint efforts to stop fake news, Georgii Dubynskyi told Kyodo News in a recent online interview that “Information war, specifically in cyberspace, is a new dimension of this warfare and very, very dangerous.”
