Tokyo, 29 December, /AJMEDIA/
U.N. nonproliferation talks to be postponed again due to pandemic
NEW YORK – A U.N. conference on nuclear nonproliferation scheduled for next month is expected to be postponed again amid the surge of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus, diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
The gathering to review the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was scheduled to be held Jan. 4 to 28 in New York after repeated postponements from its original date in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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U.S. reports record high daily COVID-19 cases of over 440,000
WASHINGTON – The United States has logged an all-time high of over 440,000 daily coronavirus cases as the Omicron variant circulates in the holiday season, data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed Tuesday.
But CDC data also suggests that Omicron had not been sweeping the country as much as expected earlier, with the estimated proportion of new cases accounted for by the highly transmissible strain in the week through Dec. 18 sharply revised downward to 23 percent from 73 percent.
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Japan’s Princess Kako turns 27, duties still curbed due to pandemic
TOKYO – Princess Kako, the niece of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, turned 27 on Wednesday, following another year of restrictions to official duties due to the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic.
The younger daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko has expressed concern for those affected by the pandemic after receiving briefings from experts, as well as gratitude for those who have supported the vulnerable, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
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Japan mulls bringing forward COVID booster shots for all: PM Kishida
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Tuesday the government will consider bringing forward COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for all people as much as possible, amid concern about a further spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
In an interview with Kyodo News, Kishida said he will make the country’s antivirus measures “fully operational” so people can feel safe at a time when there are still unknowns about the new variant.
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Japan to join ASEAN’s emergency hotline linking defense authorities
TOKYO – Japanese Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi said Tuesday that Japan will join ASEAN’s emergency security hotline linking defense ministries, which the group aims to expand to major powers including the United States and China.
During a teleconference with his counterpart from Brunei, this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Kishi said his country will take part in and actively utilize the ASEAN Direct Communications Infrastructure known as the ADI, the Japanese Defense Ministry said in a press release.
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Japan telecom giant NTT to check suppliers for human rights abuses
TOKYO – Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. will launch an inspection into its major suppliers for human rights violations from fiscal 2022 to root out unethical practices from its supply chains, company sources said Tuesday.
The Japanese telecom giant is planning to visit between 40 and 50 major suppliers a year in Japan and abroad to check whether they are engaged in such practices, including forced and child labor, the sources said.
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Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai slapped with new sedition charge
HONG KONG – Jimmy Lai, the founder of now-defunct Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, was served Tuesday with a new sedition charge, along with six former employees of the paper.
Lai, who is currently serving a 20-month prison sentence on other charges, faced the new charge of conspiracy to print, publish, sell and distribute “seditious publications” as prosecutors alleged they could “bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection” against the Hong Kong and Chinese governments.
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Former SMAP member Shingo Katori marries girlfriend
TOKYO – Shingo Katori, a former member of the superstar pop idol group SMAP, has married his girlfriend, his agency said Tuesday.
“I will continue to take my work seriously, and would like to ask for everyone’s support,” the 44-year-old said. The woman is not an entertainer or high-profile figure, according to the agency.