Tokyo, 6 December, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to bring forward COVID booster shots “wherever possible”
TOKYO – Japan will shorten the current eight-month interval between the second and third COVID-19 vaccine shots “wherever possible,” amid growing concerns about the spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a senior government official said Sunday.
Speaking on a Fuji TV program, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara said the government is working with local governments to shorten the interval to at least six months “based on their capacity,” with Moderna Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine eyed for approval for use as a booster.
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Myanmar army vehicle rams into protesters, 5 killed: report
BANGKOK – A Myanmar military vehicle rammed anti-junta protesters in the largest city Yangon on Sunday morning, killing five people, according to online media outlet Myanmar Now.
Shortly after the start of a street march in Kyimyindaing Township at around 9 a.m., the vehicle rushed in from behind and plowed into participants, the junta-banned news organization reported.
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Japan to shoulder more cost of hosting U.S. military forces
TOKYO – Japan has decided to accept a request by the United States to pay more for hosting its military forces from fiscal 2022 after the two countries held working-level negotiations in Washington from late November through early this month, diplomatic sources said Sunday.
Japan is expected to reach an agreement on the increase with the United States before Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet decides on a draft budget for the fiscal year starting in April later this month, the sources said.
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Princess Aiko goes through official coming-of-age ceremonies
TOKYO – Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, went through official ceremonies Sunday to mark her coming of age as she was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown at the Imperial Palace.
The princess, who became an adult member of the imperial family when she turned 20 last Wednesday, also visited sanctuaries that enshrine the family’s ancestors and Japanese gods earlier in the day to offer prayers.
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Japan will no longer allow foreign students to buy duty-free goods
TOKYO – The Japanese government and ruling parties have decided to abolish the system allowing foreign students and other long-term residents to make duty-free purchases in response to suspected cases of reselling and complaints of cumbersome eligibility checks, sources familiar with the plan said Sunday.
Under the current system, which will be revised as part of tax reforms for fiscal 2022, foreign students staying long-term in Japan and not working part-time can make tax-free purchases within six months of entering the country.
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Man arrested for threats to organizer of contentious Tokyo art event
TOKYO – A 47-year-old man was arrested Sunday for allegedly threatening an organizer of a Tokyo art exhibition that was to feature a statue symbolizing “comfort women,” who worked in Japan’s wartime military brothels, but was canceled due to protests, police said.
Takahiro Unemoto, a resident of Amagasaki in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, is suspected of sending a threatening email five times from his mobile phone between June 19 and July 14 to one of the organizers of the “Non-Freedom of Expression Exhibition,” according to the police.