Tokyo, 9 December, /AJMEDIA/
Canada joins diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
NEW YORK – The Canadian government said Wednesday it will not send government officials to next year’s Beijing Olympics, joining the United States and others in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games over China’s human rights record.
The announcement came after Australia and Britain said earlier in the day that they too will engage in a diplomatic boycott, following the U.S. lead. President Joe Biden made his country’s move official on Monday, citing alleged human rights abuses in China’s far-western Xinjiang region.
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Australia, Britain to join diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
SYDNEY – Australia and Britain will not send government officials to next year’s Beijing Olympics, the two country’s prime ministers said Wednesday, joining the United States in a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Games.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney he decided to bar officials from attending as his government has been rebuffed in its attempts to discuss with China its alleged human rights abuses in its far-western Xinjiang region, as well as various other issues of concern.
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Entrepreneur Maezawa arrives at ISS as 1st Japanese civilian
BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan – Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa arrived at the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, becoming the first Japanese civilian to stay on the space station.
The Soyuz spacecraft carrying the 46-year-old founder of major online fashion retailer Zozo Inc. lifted off at 12:38 p.m. and docked with the ISS after a six-hour journey, with Maezawa due to stay for 12 days until Dec. 20.
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Japan’s Empress Masako turns 58, expresses high hopes for daughter
TOKYO – Japan’s Empress Masako on the occasion of her 58th birthday Thursday expressed hopes that her daughter Princess Aiko, who recently came of age, would “grow step by step” to successfully fulfill her duties as an adult member of the imperial family.
“The 20 years since Aiko’s birth seem to have been both long and fleeting, but I am deeply moved by the many memories that come to mind,” the empress said in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.
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Blinken to attend G-7 meeting in Britain, visit Southeast Asia
WASHINGTON – Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend a foreign ministerial meeting of the Group of Seven industrialized nations in Britain later this week and then travel to three Southeast Asian nations, the U.S. government said Wednesday.
During the three-day G-7 gathering set to begin Friday in Liverpool, Blinken will discuss issues including coronavirus vaccines and a U.S.-led infrastructure development initiative that is intended to provide an alternative to China’s massive cross-border “Belt and Road” project, according to the State Department.
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Japan PM reads letter from kin of detained Sri Lankan woman who died
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday he has read a letter from the family of a Sri Lankan woman who died in Japan in March while being detained for overstaying her student visa, and “firmly accepted their feelings.”
In the letter, the family of Ratnayake Liyanage Wishma Sandamali, 33, sought to clarify what led to her death as they remain unconvinced by a probe conducted by Japan’s immigration authorities that failed to determine why she died.
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Pfizer says COVID-19 booster shot offers protection against Omicron
WASHINGTON – Pfizer Inc. said Wednesday that a third shot of its coronavirus vaccine could offer sufficient protection against the new Omicron variant, while the two-dose regimen may be less effective, citing the results of an initial laboratory study.
The U.S. pharmaceutical giant and its German partner BioNTech SE also said they started developing an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine in late November and believe they can deliver it in March next year if needed.
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Indian defense chief killed in helicopter crash: military
NEW DELHI – A military helicopter carrying India’s defense chief crashed Wednesday, killing him and 12 others, the country’s air force said.
The Indian Air Force Mi-17V5 chopper carrying Chief of Defense Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and his wife crashed shortly after take-off in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, with only one survivor.
