Tokyo, 26 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to probe ex-MSDF chief over alleged state secret leak
TOKYO – The government will investigate a former Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force chief in connection with an alleged classified information leak by one of his subordinates, government sources said Monday.
A Self-Defense Force criminal investigation unit apparently judged former MSDF Chief of Staff Adm. Hiroshi Yamamura responsible for supervising an MSDF captain who is suspected of the leak that occurred a few years ago, according to the sources.
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Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono wins 4th term, defeating predecessor
MIYAZAKI, Japan – Incumbent Miyazaki Gov. Shunji Kono won a fourth four-year term Sunday, defeating his predecessor, the well-known TV personality Hideo Higashikokubaru, in a close contest.
The 58-year-old was a vice governor under Higashikokubaru, who left office in 2011 without seeking re-election after a single term. Kono ran as an independent but secured support from major parties including the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito party and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.
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FOCUS: Japan’s PM to be tested in local elections, Hiroshima G-7 summit
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida seems hopeful that his ruling party’s wins in a spate of local elections in April and a successful Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May will help improve his battered political strength.
In recent months, the approval ratings for Kishida’s Cabinet have shown few signs of recovering, even sparking speculation that he will dissolve the House of Representatives for an election within 2023 in a desperate bid to seek a fresh mandate from voters.
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Man arrested over 3 killed in murder near Tokyo
SAITAMA, Japan – Police arrested a 40-year-old man believed to have fled a suspected murder scene on Sunday in which three people with blunt trauma injuries were found dead in Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, according to investigators.
The man, who lives in the area in Hanno, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering one of the victims, investigators said.
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Japan set to crack down on stealth marketing, online or offline
TOKYO – Japan is set to regulate stealth marketing, a practice in which companies pay influencers or celebrities to advertise a product or service under the guise of a genuine opinion, whether conducted online or offline, government sources said Sunday.
The Consumer Affairs Agency is expected to classify stealth marketing as “improper representation,” one of the corporate activities prohibited under the law against unjustifiable premiums and misleading representations, according to a draft report compiled in November.
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Figure skating: Shoma Uno wins 5th national title, earns place at worlds
KADOMA, Japan – Shoma Uno fell on a quad flip in an otherwise clean free skate Sunday en route to his fifth career national figure skating title and first in three years.
Uno scored 191.28 points in the free skate for a total of 291.73, nearly 40 points above second-place Koshiro Shimada, on the final day of the national championships at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome in Osaka Prefecture.
Estimated several million daily COVID cases in China amid virus surge
BEIJING – Daily new COVID-19 infections in China are believed to have reached several hundred million based on figures released by regional authorities, amid the rapid spread of the coronavirus since the government significantly relaxed its strict antivirus measures earlier this month.
Zhejiang Province in eastern China said Sunday the number of new daily COVID-19 cases in the area has topped 1 million and that the figure is expected to double around the turn of the year.
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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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Japan medical bodies aim to develop tailored drugs for rare diseases
TOKYO – Two Japanese medical institutions are planning to develop tailored drugs for patients with genetic disorders in the hope of finding treatment for extremely rare diseases, a leading project member said Sunday.
The project involving Tokyo Medical and Dental University and the National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry will search for rare diseases that have the potential to be treated by nucleic acid drugs, a new emerging class of therapeutics, from a database of around 2,250 patients.
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Switzerland seeks broad Security Council debates on North Korea issues
NEW YORK – Switzerland’s top envoy to the United Nations has pledged to work on narrowing gaps over contentious issues such as those related to North Korea and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as her country is set to serve as a new Security Council member from next month.
Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl told a recent interview with Kyodo News that Bern’s first participation in the council will not undermine its status as a neutral country, but will instead help coordinate intense debates regarding the impending issues.
