Tokyo, 16 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan OKs Moderna’s COVID-19 booster shots 6 months after 2nd dose
TOKYO – A Japanese health ministry panel approved Wednesday the administration of U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 booster shots at least six months after an individual aged 18 or older has received their second dose.
The third dose will use half the 0.5 milliliter amount used for each of the first two shots. Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine is the second to be approved for use as booster shots in Japan after Pfizer Inc. received the green light last month.
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Global debt hits record $226 trillion in 2020 amid pandemic: IMF
WASHINGTON – Global debt reached a record $226 trillion in 2020 amid the economic downturn triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, marking the largest one-year debt surge since World War II, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday.
The IMF database showed that global debt surged 28 percentage points from a year before to 256 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.
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Putin willing to join opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics
BEIJING – Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed willingness to attend the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics during his virtual summit on Wednesday with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Russia’s TASS news agency reported.
Putin’s remarks come as the United States and some other democratic countries such as Britain and Australia intend to implement a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games slated for February next year.
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Japan estimates record 65 tril. yen tax revenue in FY 2022
TOKYO – Japan estimates it will post around 65 trillion yen ($570 billion) in tax revenue for fiscal 2022, the largest amount on record on an initial budget basis, on the back of the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, government sources said Wednesday.
The government, meanwhile, is considering setting its general-account expenditures at 107.5 trillion yen in the year starting in April, boosted by snowballing social security costs and defense spending, according to the sources.
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U.S. Fed signals 3 rate hikes in 2022, to quicken tapering amid inflation
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday hinted at the possibility of three interest rate hikes next year while deciding to roll back its support for the coronavirus pandemic-hit economy faster than earlier planned amid concerns over rising inflation.
After a two-day meeting of the policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee, the bank said it will reduce from January its monthly purchases of Treasuries and mortgage securities by $30 billion, up from the $15 billion announced in November, citing inflation developments and the improvement in the labor market.
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Japan Post reveals more lost personal info affecting 290,000 clients
TOKYO – Japan Post Co. said Wednesday it has lost documents containing information on a total of 290,000 clients at 6,565 post offices nationwide, much larger than its earlier finding of 67,000 clients.
Japan Post said it believes that the information, which includes names, bank accounts and financial transactions, is unlikely to have been leaked outside. The unit of Japan Post Holdings Co., in which the government owns a 60.6 percent stake, takes charge of some of the services consigned by a group company, Japan Post Bank Co.
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Japan gov’t to pay damages over bureaucrat suicide linked to ex-PM scandal
OSAKA – The Japanese government said Wednesday it has agreed to pay damages to a former Finance Ministry bureaucrat’s wife who alleges her husband killed himself after being ordered to tamper with documents related to favoritism allegations against then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
The decision to pay around 100 million yen ($880,000) in compensation as sought by Masako Akagi, 50, ends the suit filed nearly two years ago between the state and the plaintiff and ensures the detailed process leading to the alteration of the documents will not be revealed.
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Blinken cuts short Asia trip due to COVID, Thailand visit canceled
KUALA LUMPUR – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has cut short his Southeast Asia trip due to a COVID-19 case among his traveling party and will not visit Thailand, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok said Wednesday.
The embassy said Blinken spoke with Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai by phone, expressing his “deep regret” for being unable to meet with him on Thursday.
