Tokyo, 10 January, /AJMEDIA/
Okinawa, Hiroshima report high COVID cases as quasi-emergency starts
TOKYO – Three Japanese prefectures hosting or neighboring U.S. military bases continued to see high coronavirus cases Sunday as COVID-19 quasi-emergency measures took effect in response to surging infections that their governors say stem from the spread of the Omicron variant at the U.S. facilities.
After reporting 1,759 new cases on Saturday, the third straight day of record daily figures, the southern island prefecture of Okinawa confirmed 1,533 cases Sunday while Hiroshima in western Japan saw 619 cases, renewing its record high for the third consecutive day.
———-
Japan will not seek immigration law amendment before summer election
TOKYO – The government of Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is unlikely to submit a bill to amend rules on how to accommodate foreigners facing deportation to a parliament session starting later this month for fear of a public backlash before the upper house election in the summer, government sources said Sunday.
The administration of Kishida’s predecessor, Yoshihide Suga, withdrew a bill for the immigration law revision last May after the improper treatment of a detainee at an immigration facility in central Japan led to activists demanding an investigation and opposition parties calling for scrapping the bill.
———-
“Drive My Car” given top prize, 3 others by U.S. film critic society
LOS ANGELES – “Drive My Car,” a Japanese film based on a novel by renowned author Haruki Murakami, won Best Picture and three other awards Saturday after voting by members of the National Society of Film Critics.
The American film critics also gave the film, directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards.
———-
Malaysia’s ex-PM Mahathir undergoes elective surgery
SINGAPORE – Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has successfully undergone an elective medical procedure at a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, the hospital said Sunday.
The surgery came after the 96-year-old was admitted to the National Heart Institute on Friday. He is expected to be discharged in the next few days, though the hospital did not elaborate on details about the procedure.
———-
Man arrested after holding “yakiniku” restaurant manager hostage
TOKYO – Police on Sunday arrested a 28-year-old man who held the manager of a “yakiniku” grilled meat restaurant in Tokyo hostage and claimed he had planted a bomb in the establishment, later telling police he wanted to eat grilled meat before being nabbed, investigative sources said.
No one was injured, and only a fake bomb was found in the restaurant in Shibuya Ward, the sources said.
———-
Snowboarding: Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, Ruki Tomita win World Cup halfpipe golds
MAMMOTH MOUNTAIN, California – Less than a month before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Japanese snowboarders Ayumu Hirano and Ruki Tomita won snowboarding World Cup halfpipe competitions on Saturday.
Hirano, a silver medalist at the past two Olympics, earned his first World Cup win since December 2017, while 20-year-old Tomita won for the first time on the women’s tour.
