Tokyo, 1 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan starts power saving period amid fear of supply crunch
TOKYO – An electricity-saving period began in Japan on Thursday, with the government asking people to bundle up indoors and set the heating temperature low, among other steps, for the winter season through March due to power crunch concerns.
It is the first nationwide power saving scheme to span the winter months since 2015, when all of the country’s nuclear reactors were offline in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant disaster triggered by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
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4 Chinese, Russian bombers jointly fly above waters near Japan
TOKYO – Four Chinese and Russian bombers on Wednesday jointly flew above waters near Japan, the Japanese Defense Ministry said, with its Air Self-Defense Force scrambling fighter jets in response, as Beijing and Moscow continue to deepen military cooperation in the Far East.
The ministry said two Chinese H-6s and two Russian Tu-95s conducted a “long-distance joint flight from the Sea of Japan to the East China Sea through the Pacific” in the afternoon. Two Chinese aircraft, believed to be J-16 fighter jets, and two other suspected Chinese fighters later joined them.
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Football: Spain game most important of my career, says Japan’s Yoshida
DOHA – Maya Yoshida will play his 124th game for Japan when he captains his team against Spain at the World Cup on Thursday, and he says it will be the most important outing of his career.
Speaking to Kyodo News at Japan’s training ground in Doha a day ahead of the match that will decide Japan’s 2022 World Cup future, Yoshida said it even ranks in importance above the round of 16 game against Belgium at the 2018 World Cup.
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Dollar hits 3-month low in mid-136 yen on Fed chief’s dovish remarks
TOKYO – The U.S. dollar briefly tumbled to a three-month low in the mid-136 yen zone Thursday morning in Tokyo after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled a slowing in the pace of interest rate hikes.
The dollar selling accelerated in Tokyo, briefly hitting its lowest level against the Japanese currency since Aug. 26, after Powell said in a speech Wednesday the Fed may start slowing the pace of rate increases as soon as December.
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Abuse of toddlers at nursery school in central Japan revealed
SHIZUOKA, Japan – A private nursery school in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, has been found to have engaged in repeated physical and verbal abuse of toddlers in its care, including holding them upside down by their feet, according to local authorities.
The city government of Susono said Wednesday it is considering filing a criminal complaint on suspicion of assault or threatening behavior after confirming 15 cases of abuse involving three teachers at the school, called Sakura Hoikuen.
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Japan corporate pretax profits hit July-Sept. record, capex up 9.8%
TOKYO – Pretax profits at Japanese firms swelled to 19.81 trillion yen ($143 billion) in July-September, a record for the quarter, and capital spending gained 9.8 percent from a year ago, the government said Thursday, as the economic recovery from the COVID-19 malaise picked up pace.
The 18.3 percent pretax profit increase, up for the seventh straight quarter, came after supply bottlenecks caused by the coronavirus pandemic eased and exporters enjoyed strong overseas demand. The lifting of antivirus curbs at home also gave a boost to the services sector.
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U.N. eyes record $51.5 bil. for humanitarian aid in 2023
GENEVA – The United Nations estimated Thursday a record $51.5 billion will be necessary to address global humanitarian issues in 2023 such as those related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, floods in Pakistan and droughts in East Africa.
The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs urged donor countries including Japan to quickly respond so the world body can secure funds to provide humanitarian aid to 230 million people most in need in 68 countries next year.
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Skating rink opens near Tokyo Station in 1st for Christmas event
TOKYO – A temporary skating rink in front of Tokyo Station was officially opened to the public Thursday, marking the first time such an attraction has been featured in the iconic district’s annual Christmas festivities.
The 7th Marunouchi Street Park, running full steam until Dec. 25, aims to delight local and international visitors alike in the first Christmas since Japan reopened its borders following COVID-19 pandemic-triggered closures.
