Tokyo, 17 December, /AJMEDIA/
U.S. Congress passes bill to block imports from China’s Xinjiang region
WASHINGTON – U.S. Congress on Thursday passed a bill banning imports from China’s Xinjiang region amid concerns over forced labor of the Uyghur ethnic minority there, while the government blacklisted dozens of Chinese entities for their alleged role in human rights violations and support they give to the military.
The latest development is likely to worsen tensions between Washington and Beijing over human rights issues, with Washington particularly concerned over what it calls the “genocide” against the Muslim Uyghurs in China’s far-western Xinjiang region.
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Japan PM Kishida asks Pfizer to expedite vaccine supply
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Friday asked Pfizer Inc. to bring forward Japan’s contracted supply of coronavirus vaccine, a government official said.
Kishida held phone talks with Albert Bourla, chief executive of the U.S. pharmaceutical company, the official said.
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Japan, France postpone 2-plus-2 security talks to next year
PARIS – Japan and France have postponed their planned ministerial security talks originally meant to be held by year-end to next year, a senior French defense official said Thursday, citing a scheduling conflict.
The postponement of the meeting involving the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers means a three-year hiatus since their last two-plus-two talks in January 2019, due partly to the coronavirus pandemic.
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China envoy urges Japan not to join diplomatic boycott of Olympics
TOKYO – Chinese Ambassador to Japan Kong Xuanyou on Thursday urged Japan not to join U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics over human rights issues, likening it to a “political performance.”
“Unfortunately, some people in Japan have been attacking China’s political system based on their biased views and spreading rumors and lies about the human rights situations in Xinjiang and Hong Kong to call for a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games,” the envoy said in a meeting held at Kyodo News.
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Japan gives fast-track approval to Moderna’s COVID vaccine as booster
TOKYO – Japan’s health ministry Thursday gave fast-track approval to use U.S. biotechnology firm Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine as booster shots as the country steps up efforts to keep new coronavirus infections at bay.
The approval came after the ministry gave the green light last month to use Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine as booster shots.
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Japan gov’t bond issuance in FY 2022 to fall sharply
TOKYO – The Japanese government’s issuance of new bonds under its initial budget for fiscal 2022 will fall sharply from 43.60 trillion yen ($382 billion) in the current fiscal year as it expects to have record tax revenue on the back of economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, sources close to the matter said Thursday.
For the new fiscal year starting in April, the government plans to issue more than 30 trillion yen worth of bonds and estimates it will see around 65 trillion yen in tax revenue, according to the sources.
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H.K. scholars find Omicron infects faster than Delta: reports
HONG KONG – Researchers at a Hong Kong university have found that the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus infects and multiplies much faster than the Delta strain but causes less severe infections in the lungs, local media reported on Thursday.
The researchers at the University of Hong Kong said the Omicron variant multiplies 70 times faster than the Delta strain in the human bronchi, which could account for the quick transmission rate as compared with Delta and other coronavirus strains, according to the reports by Ming Pao Daily and other local media.
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Mother of late “Terrace House” star to sue TV broadcaster
TOKYO – The mother of Hana Kimura, a former cast member of the popular reality TV show “Terrace House,” said Thursday she will file a lawsuit next year against the show’s Japanese broadcaster and a production company seeking compensation for the suicide of her daughter.
Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo with her lawyer, Kyoko Kimura said she wanted Fuji Television Network Inc. and the production company to “sincerely” investigate the reason for her daughter’s suicide and “clarify in court whether the human rights of the cast were protected.”
