Tokyo, 14 January, /AJMEDIA/
Ex-Japan PM Toshiki Kaifu dies at 91
TOKYO – Former Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu died earlier this month, a source familiar with the matter said Friday. He was 91.
Kaifu, who was Japan’s prime minister in the late 1980s to early 1990s, died Sunday, according to the source.
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Tokyo projects daily cases to average nearly 10,000 in 1 week
TOKYO – The Tokyo metropolitan government projected Thursday that the seven-day rolling average of new COVID-19 cases will surge to 9,576 daily in a week if cases increase at the current pace, as an apparent sixth wave of the coronavirus pandemic hits the capital.
The projection comes as Tokyo reported 3,124 new infections, topping the 3,000 mark for the first time in more than four months. The seven-day average stood at about 1,500.
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Japan eyes shortened isolation for Omicron close contacts
TOKYO – The Japanese government is considering shortening the current 14-day isolation period for those who have been identified as a close contact of a person infected with the Omicron COVID-19 variant, officials said Thursday.
The envisioned policy change, aimed at minimizing social disruption and preventing a strain on the medical system, comes as research suggests that Omicron has a shorter incubation period compared with other variants of the virus.
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Hayashi points to U.S. forces over COVID surge in parts of Japan
TOKYO – Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Thursday clusters of COVID-19 cases at U.S. military facilities in Japan have possibly caused a resurgence of infections in some areas of the country.
“We cannot deny the possibility that the infection situation in the facilities of U.S. forces is one of the factors behind the spread of the virus in their surrounding areas,” Hayashi told a press conference at the Japan National Press Club, adding, “I take it so seriously.”
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U.S. sanctions North Koreans aiding weapons programs after missile tests
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on five North Koreans based in Russia and China over their alleged ties to Pyongyang’s weapons-development programs, following recent ballistic missile tests by the secretive country.
The actions are part of ongoing U.S. efforts to counter North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and target its “continued use of overseas representatives to illegally procure goods for weapons,” Brian Nelson, undersecretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a press release.
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Fast Retailing Sept.-Nov. net profit climbs on strong Uniqlo demand
TOKYO – Fast Retailing Co. said Thursday its net profit in the September to November period rose 33.0 percent from a year earlier to 93.59 billion yen ($820 million), reflecting upbeat sales of its Uniqlo casual clothing in key markets including the United States and Europe.
The operator of the Uniqlo and GU clothing brands said demand in North America, Europe and some Asian countries made up for a slump in Japan as well as China where a resurgence in COVID-19 cases has led to a restriction in movements and some store closures.
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Olympics: Nordic combined skier Watabe to carry flag for Japan
TOKYO – The Japanese Olympic Committee will select veteran Nordic combined skier Akito Watabe as a flagbearer for February’s Beijing Winter Games, sources familiar with the matter said Thursday.
The 33-year-old Watabe is a two-time silver medalist in the men’s individual normal hill 10-kilometer event, reaching the podium at the 2014 Sochi Olympics and again four years later in Pyeongchang.
