Tokyo, 28 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan’s Nov. jobless rate rises 0.1 point to 2.8%
TOKYO – Japan’s unemployment rate in November rose 0.1 percentage point from the previous month to 2.8 percent for the first increase in six months, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said Tuesday.
The country’s job availability remained flat in November from the previous month at 1.15, meaning that there were 115 job openings for every 100 job seekers, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.
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Biden signs $778 bil. defense policy bill with eye on China’s rise
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday signed into law a $778 billion defense spending bill that includes further investment in beefing up deterrence in the Indo-Pacific amid China’s rise and a statement of support for the defense of Taiwan.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2022 through next September authorizes about 5 percent more in spending than last year’s budget. It also earmarks $7.1 billion for the “Pacific Deterrence Initiative,” a more than three-fold increase from fiscal 2021.
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Japan, China agree to begin operating defense hotline next year
TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Monday he agreed with his Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe to start operating a hotline between their officials amid tensions over disputed islets in the East China Sea.
Kishi also said at a press conference after holding a videoconference with Wei that peace and stability on the Taiwan Strait are vital for Japan’s security, and Tokyo will closely monitor developments there.
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Record snowfall hits western Japan areas, disrupts traffic
TOKYO – Heavy snow continued to hit areas on the Sea of Japan coast from the country’s north to west on Monday, with many vehicles stranded, air and railway traffic disrupted and some cities in western Japan seeing record snowfall due to a strong winter pressure pattern.
Hikone in Shiga Prefecture saw 68 centimeters of snow accumulate while Asago in Hyogo Prefecture got 71 cm in a 24-hour period through early Monday, both the most ever since such statistics started being compiled, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
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Captain of Japan-owned ship that leaked oil off Mauritius sentenced
NAIROBI – A Mauritian court on Monday handed down a 20-month prison sentence to the captain and first mate of a Japanese freighter for negligence in navigating the vessel after it ran aground off the Indian Ocean island nation in summer last year, spilling a large quantity of oil.
The captain, a male Indian national, was arrested along with a Sri Lankan crew member in August last year. Both pleaded guilty to the charges at their trial but were convicted on Dec. 20.
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Gov’t maps out steps to enable smaller firms to transfer costs
TOKYO – The Japanese government on Monday unveiled a package of steps aimed at enabling small and midsize companies to pass on costs from higher raw material prices and pay hikes properly to bigger firms, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pushes for wage growth.
The government aims to strengthen monitoring to prevent big firms from taking advantage of their relative superiority and setting unfairly low prices when they do business with subcontractors. Such a practice, which goes against the country’s law, often squeezes profitability at small and midsize companies.
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Figure skating: Yuzuru Hanyu says quad axel will help win 3rd Olympic gold
TOKYO – Yuzuru Hanyu said Monday he hopes a successful quadruple axel will help him claim a third straight Olympic gold medal, a night after he secured his place in the Beijing Games with a win at the national championships.
The 27-year-old returned from an eight-month absence from competition due to a right ankle injury by winning his second straight and sixth overall national title, scoring 322.36 in total at Saitama Super Arena.
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Manga film “Jujutsu Kaisen 0” rakes in 2nd-most over 3 days in Japan
TOKYO – An animated movie based on the popular “Jujutsu Kaisen” manga series amassed 2.69 billion yen ($23.5 million) in box-office revenue after its release on Friday, becoming Japan’s second highest-grossing movie for a three-day period, distributor Toho Co. said Monday.
It trails only a film based on the famous manga, “Demon Slayer,” which raked in 4.62 billion yen in the first three days after its release in October last year, becoming in May the first movie in the country with gross box office receipts topping 40 billion yen.
