Tokyo, 12 February, /AJMEDIA/
U.S. warns Russia could launch invasion of Ukraine during Olympics
WASHINGTON – U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Friday warned that a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin “any day now,” including during the Beijing Winter Olympics taking place through Feb. 20.
“We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time, should Vladimir Putin decide to order it,” Sullivan told a press conference, while noting that the U.S. government is not saying that a final decision has been made by the Russian president.
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Japan urges nationals to leave Ukraine over crisis
TOKYO – Japan’s Foreign Ministry on Friday advised Japanese citizens in Ukraine to leave the Eastern European country immediately as Russia amasses troops on the Ukrainian border.
The ministry raised its travel warning for Ukraine to the highest level, which urges all Japanese nationals to evacuate from the country and avoid traveling there “regardless of purposes.”
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4 dead, 2 missing in confectionery plant fire in Japan
NIIGATA – Four people were confirmed dead and two others remained unaccounted for after a confectionery plant caught fire in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast late Friday night, police said.
Another person was taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, the police said, adding that the plant in Murakami had been operating with dozens of workers present when the fire broke out.
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U.S. unveils Indo-Pacific strategy to bolster security, economy role
WASHINGTON – The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to strengthen its role in advancing a free and open Indo-Pacific in areas ranging from security to the economy, as it unveiled a strategy for the region facing China’s assertiveness.
Among actions to be taken in the next 12 to 24 months, the Biden administration said it will reinforce deterrence against military aggression targeting the United States, allies and partners, including across the Taiwan Strait, while expanding its Coast Guard presence and cooperation in areas of Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
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Quad foreign ministers vow support for protection of sovereignty
MELBOURNE – The foreign ministers of Japan, the United States, Australia and India vowed Friday to support the protection of national sovereignty and territorial integrity under international law, amid mounting fears Russia could invade Ukraine.
“Quad” major Indo-Pacific democracies “champion the free, open, and inclusive rules-based order, rooted in international law, that protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional countries,” they said in a joint statement released after their meeting in Melbourne, Australia.
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Olympics: Japan brushes past Canada for 1st curling win of games
BEIJING – Japan notched its first win of the Beijing Winter Olympics women’s curling tournament Friday, prevailing 8-5 against a Canada team that repeatedly failed to capitalize with the hammer.
Skipper Satsuki Fujisawa and team Loco Solare scored against the hammer in the first, fourth and fifth ends on the way to a convincing victory at the National Aquatics Centre.
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Japan’s COVID-19 death toll tops 20,000 amid Omicron spread
TOKYO – The cumulative COVID-19 death toll in Japan topped 20,000 Friday, with the figure on a rising trend in recent weeks amid the sixth wave of infections driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, a Kyodo News tally showed.
Japan has seen over 100 deaths daily since early this year, mostly among the elderly population, as the fast-spreading variant has strained the country’s medical system.
