Tokyo, 13 February, /AJMEDIA/
Biden-Putin call fails to ease concerns over Ukraine invasion
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin failed to make a breakthrough in their talks on Saturday that took place amid heightened concerns over a possibly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.S. government official.
“There was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding now for several weeks,” the official said following the phone call between the two leaders, referring to the tension over Russia’s military buildup on the borders of Ukraine.
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U.S. unveils strategy to bolster role in Indo-Pacific amid China rise
WASHINGTON – The U.S. administration of President Joe Biden on Friday vowed in its Indo-Pacific strategy to bolster its security and economic role to advance a free and open region, while building “collective capacity” with allies to counter China’s growing 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, its allies and partners, including across the Taiwan Strait, and expand its Coast Guard presence and cooperation in Southeast Asia.
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Olympics: Japan’s normal-hill champ Kobayashi bags large-hill silver
ZHANGJIAKOU, China – Japan’s Ryoyu Kobayashi on Saturday added the Beijing Olympic men’s ski jumping large hill silver medal to the normal hill gold he won six days ago.
Kobayashi became the second Japanese to medal on both hills at the same Olympics, after Kazuyoshi Funaki in 1998, but failed in his bid to be the first to win both.
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Japan considering easing nonresident foreigner entry ban in March
TOKYO – Japan is considering easing the entry ban on nonresident foreigners to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in March, amid growing criticism from academic and business circles, a source familiar with the matter said Saturday.
The current border restrictions introduced at the end of November will end on Feb. 28 as scheduled and the government is preparing to announce details of the relaxed steps next week at the earliest, according to the source.
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Olympics: Japanese curlers cap off strong day with win over ROC
BEIJING – Japan erased a three-point deficit on the way to a 10-5 win Saturday over the Russian Olympic Committee in women’s curling at the Beijing Winter Games.
Following a thrilling 8-7 comeback victory over Denmark in the morning session, skip Satsuki Fujisawa and team Loco Solare made it two from two for the day, improving to 3-1 overall in the round robin.
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Olympics: Japan’s ice hockey medal bid ends in loss to Finland
BEIJING – Japan’s bid for a maiden ice hockey medal at the Beijing Winter Games came crashing to an end Saturday with a 7-1 women’s quarterfinal loss to world No. 2 Finland.
Goaltender Nana Fujimoto did her best to keep Japan in the game with 35 saves, but the world No. 6 side could not contain a fast and physical Finnish outfit led by forward Petra Nieminen, who had a hat-trick and two assists.
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5 dead, 1 missing in confectionery plant fire in Japan
NIIGATA, Japan – Five people were confirmed dead and one other remained missing after a fire engulfed a confectionery plant in Niigata Prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast late Friday, police said Saturday.
Another person was taken to a hospital after inhaling smoke, the police said, adding that dozens of workers were present at the plant in Murakami when the fire broke out.
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Sota Fujii becomes youngest shogi player with 5 major titles
TOKYO – Shogi prodigy Sota Fujii took another step Saturday toward his ultimate goal of winning all of the board game’s eight major titles by claiming his fifth as the youngest player in history at age 19 and 6 months.
Fujii completed a sweep of 37-year-old Akira Watanabe in the best-of-seven Osho championship with Game 4 victory in Tachikawa, western Tokyo, after entering the series in early January as the challenger.