Tokyo, 25 December, /AJMEDIA/
China urges Japan to steer bilateral ties from strategic point of view
BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday called on Japan to “steer the course of the bilateral relations from a strategic perspective” after the leaders of the two countries agreed last month to promote the stability and growth of relations.
Wang said in an online speech to a Beijing symposium that it is important for the two Asian neighbors “to avoid backpedaling and flip-flopping, be far-sighted and forward-looking” in their relations after they commemorated the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties in September.
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3 found dead in suspected murder in Saitama
SAITAMA, Japan – Three people with blunt trauma injuries were found dead in Hanno, Saitama Prefecture on Sunday with police investigating the case as murder.
The police received several calls at around 7:10 a.m. reporting people arguing at a house. There was also an emergency call around 7:25 a.m. reporting a fire at the same location.
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Blinken to explore cooperation with China in upcoming trip: official
WASHINGTON – The United States will seek to expand cooperation with Beijing when Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits China next year, a senior State Department official said in a recent interview, calling the trip the “next step” in advancing talks toward stabilizing ties between the major powers.
Returning from last week’s trip to China, Japan and South Korea, Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, also described the trilateral cooperation involving Tokyo and Seoul as reaching an “unprecedented level,” and warned North Korea that further missile tests will be met with a resolute response.
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Figure skating: Kaori Sakamoto wins 2nd consecutive national title
KADOMA, Japan – Reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto won the women’s title at the Japanese national figure skating championships for the second consecutive year and third time overall on Saturday.
Sakamoto performed a near-flawless free skate to score 155.26 points for a total of 233.05 at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome in Osaka Prefecture. The Beijing Olympic bronze medalist topped both the short and free programs.
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FOCUS: Russia’s war eclipses opposition to Japan’s nuclear policy shift
TOKYO – Japan has made a significant turnaround in its nuclear power policy amid concerns about a stable power supply because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has caused commodity market disruptions and spiked energy prices.
With the 2011 nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan propelling the government to reduce its dependence on nuclear power, lawmakers and officials opted not to build new reactors in light of safety concerns among the public and falling costs for renewable energy.
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Japan MSDF captain suspected of leaking classified information
TOKYO – A Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force captain is suspected of leaking classified information, government sources said Saturday, the first time such a breach has come to light since the secrecy law came into effect in 2014.
The leak occurred when a former MSDF admiral asked the captain for information via another member of the MSDF, the sources said, though the contents of the unauthorized disclosure are not known. The SDF’s criminal investigation unit has launched a probe into the alleged leak, they said.
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China stops releasing daily COVID case numbers amid virus surge
BEIJING – China’s health authorities said Sunday they have stopped releasing daily COVID-19 case numbers amid criticism that official data have not reflected the reality of the rapid spread of the virus since the government significantly relaxed its strict anti-virus measures earlier this month.
The National Health Commission did not provide reasons for the move, only saying the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention will instead release COVID-related information for study and reference.
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High school rugby mauled by Japan’s student shortage
OSAKA – High school rugby teams across Japan are becoming increasingly impacted by the country’s declining birthrate as they struggle to scrape together the minimum 15 players needed to take the field.
Autumn’s prefectural qualifiers for this season’s national championship featured many “combined” teams of students from different schools. Such teams, however, cannot represent their prefectures in the final at the Hanazono Rugby Ground in Osaka from late December, even if they win their local tournament.
