Tokyo, 3 August, /AJMEDIA/
Spreading COVID-19 infections among aides to Japan PM raise caution
TOKYO – Resurging COVID-19 has hit many close aides to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, raising concern about day-to-day operations and the risk of him getting infected.
With Japan grappling with its seventh wave of coronavirus infections, top government spokesman Hirokazu Matsuno, the public face of the administration who is responsible for crisis management, tested positive for COVID-19 on July 23 and isolated at home until he resumed in-person work on Tuesday.
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U.S. doesn’t want crisis with China over Pelosi Taiwan trip: official
WASHINGTON – The United States does not want to see House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan spiral into a crisis with China, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Tuesday, asserting there is no reason for Beijing to make it a source of conflict.
Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker in 25 years, is consistent with the long-standing U.S. policy on the island, Kirby told a press conference. He emphasized that the United States opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo and does not support Taiwan’s independence.
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Biden seeing return of cough after COVID-19 “rebound” positivity
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden is experiencing a return of a loose cough, his physician said Tuesday, as he continues to test positive for the novel coronavirus in what is believed to be a “rebound” case after taking antiviral medication.
“The president will continue his strict isolation measures,” Kevin O’Connor said in a statement, adding that the 79-year-old continues to “feel well.”
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U.S. House Speaker Pelosi arrives in Taiwan, angering China
TAIPEI – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defied China’s warnings and arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday night for a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen the following day, triggering immediate backlash from Beijing, which regards the self-ruled island as its own.
A plane carrying Pelosi, the first holder of the powerful congressional post to visit Taiwan since Newt Gingrich in 1997, touched down at the Taipei Songshan Airport late Tuesday amid heightening cross-strait tension.
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Japan health experts urge gov’t to speed up review of COVID measures
TOKYO – A group of Japanese health experts on Tuesday urged the government to speed up its review of measures against COVID-19, including changing ways to collect infection numbers and allowing general medical institutions to treat patients.
Japan’s top coronavirus adviser Shigeru Omi, who heads a government panel on the coronavirus, and some other members proposed that the government proceed in two stages to allow social and economic activities to continue while lessening the burden on hospitals.
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Japanese utilities post losses as war in Ukraine raises fuel prices
TOKYO – Seven of Japan’s 10 major utilities finished their first quarter with a net loss, totaling nearly 190 billion yen ($1.45 billion), according to their earnings reports, as soaring fuel prices on the back of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine made thermal power generation more expensive.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. logged the biggest loss among the region-based utilities, as its net loss expanded to 67.10 billion yen for the three months ended June from 3.03 billion yen a year earlier, it said Tuesday.
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Mitsui, M’bishi cut value of stakes in Sakhalin 2 energy project
TOKYO – Major Japanese trade houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. said Tuesday they have trimmed the value of their stakes in the Sakhalin 2 oil and natural gas project in the Russian Far East by a combined 217.7 billion yen ($1.7 billion), citing growing business uncertainty.
Mitsui cut its investment value by 136.6 billion yen and Mitsubishi by 81.1 billion yen after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in late June to seize control of the project with the creation of a new operating company.
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Toyota truck arm Hino ordered to recall 20,900 units over data fraud
TOKYO – The transport ministry on Tuesday ordered Hino Motors Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp.’s truck-making subsidiary, to recall about 20,900 trucks and busses over engine data falsification that went back as far as 2003.
A special investigation committee comprised of outside experts said in a report submitted to the ministry the same day that the company had lied when asked by the ministry if there had been any malpractices in its 2016 emissions and fuel efficiency tests for engine certification.
