Tokyo, 22 August, /AJMEDIA/
Japan eyes stockpiling 1,000 long-range missiles amid China tensions
TOKYO – Japan estimates that it will need around 1,000 long-range standoff missiles in addition to its stockpile of anti-ballistic missiles as a defense against China’s increasing military capabilities, government sources said Sunday.
With tensions mounting in the region, the Defense Ministry is set to bring forward by a year to fiscal 2024 part of its plan to extend the range of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Type-12 surface-to-ship guided missiles, with the associated costs to be included in its budget request for fiscal 2023.
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Singapore to decriminalize sex between men: PM Lee
SINGAPORE – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced late Sunday that the government will scrap a law criminalizing sex between men, citing changes in society’s attitudes.
But Lee, who announced the repeal of the colonial-era penal code provision during his National Day Rally speech, said Singapore will continue to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
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Japan PM Kishida tests positive for COVID-19, symptoms mild: gov’t
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida tested positive Sunday for the novel coronavirus, a day before he was to resume his duties, but his symptoms are mild, the premier’s office said.
Kishida started experiencing symptoms such as a slight fever and cough from Saturday night, according to the office.
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Girl arrested over knife attack in Shibuya wanted “death penalty”
TOKYO – A teenage girl arrested over a random attack with a knife in Tokyo’s Shibuya district has said she stabbed two people she came across because she “wanted to get the death penalty,” the police said Sunday.
The girl, who was arrested Saturday on the spot on suspicion of attempted murder, has been identified as a 15-year-old junior high school student from Toda, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Her name has been withheld because she is a minor.
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U.S. to host Indo-Pacific economic framework minister talks in Sept.
TOKYO – The first in-person ministerial meeting of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework involving 14 countries including Japan and the United States is expected to be held early next month in Los Angeles, Japanese government sources said Sunday.
Japan’s Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura will be among the attendees at the two-day meeting from Sept. 8, as the delegates aim to push forward negotiations under the U.S.-led trade initiative launched in May, the sources said.
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Child virus infections remain high amid low vaccination rates
TOKYO – Coronavirus cases among children remain high amid a seventh wave of infections in Japan, with the weekly number of new cases for the age group hitting over 300,000 at one point, doubling the peak hit during the sixth wave earlier this year.
However, the vaccination rate for 5- to 11-year-olds has been sluggish, with the health ministry in response stepping up its calls for parents to actively consider inoculation from a public health perspective.
