Tokyo, 17 February, /AJMEDIA/
Japan logs 2.19 tril. yen goods trade deficit in Jan.
TOKYO – Japan logged a goods trade deficit of 2.19 trillion yen ($19.0 billion) in January, government data showed Thursday.
Exports rose 9.6 percent from a year earlier and imports grew 39.6 percent, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.
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U.S., NATO see no de-escalation in Russia troop buildup near Ukraine
WASHINGTON – The United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Wednesday they have yet to see any signs of de-escalation in the massive Russian military buildup near Ukraine that has raised fears of an invasion.
“In recent weeks, and even in recent days, more Russian forces, not fewer, are at the border. And they’re moving concerningly into fighting positions,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a press conference following Russia’s announcement a day earlier of a partial pullout of its troops.
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Russia invasion to pave way for regime change in Ukraine: expert
TOKYO – A Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine is likely to involve the seizure of key cities and pave the way for regime change under a pro-Moscow leader, a Japanese scholar says.
“The goal would be occupying major cities” such as the capital Kyiv, “not to conquer them but rather, to take them hostage” and eventually force a change in government, Yu Koizumi, an expert in Russian military and security affairs, told Kyodo News, as Russia’s troops amassed on Ukraine border’s have become the largest since the 1991 Soviet Union collapse.
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Japan to cut 7-day quarantine period to 3, allow in more foreigners
TOKYO – Japan is considering shortening the quarantine period for those entering the country from the current seven days to three, as part of its eased COVID-19 border controls, government sources said Wednesday.
Starting in March, the government is also planning to raise the limit on the number of new entrants to 5,000 a day from the current 3,500, according to the sources. It is expected to accept foreign nationals wishing to enter Japan for non-tourism purposes within that daily limit.
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G-7 leaders eye virtual summit soon over Ukraine crisis amid tensions
TOKYO – Leaders from the Group of Seven industrialized nations are considering holding a virtual meeting at an early date, possibly around Feb. 24, over the crisis in Ukraine, amid mounting fears of a Russian invasion, sources close to the plan said Wednesday.
The envisioned summit, where they will affirm the group’s unity over the crisis, would come after an emergency meeting of the G-7 foreign ministers. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry of G-7 host Germany reportedly said the foreign ministers will meet in Munich on Saturday.
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Japan’s Prince Hisahito admitted to prestigious high school in Tokyo
TOKYO – Prince Hisahito, a nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne, has been admitted to a high school attached to the University of Tsukuba, known as a highly competitive state-run educational institution in Tokyo, the Imperial Household Agency said Wednesday.
The prince, 15, the only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, is the first member of the imperial family in the postwar era to enroll at a high school not affiliated with Gakushuin University.
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Assets of China Evergrande Group subsidiary frozen by local court
BEIJING – Assets of a subsidiary of debt-laden property developer China Evergrande Group have been frozen by a local Chinese court due to missed payments for construction work, according to Shanghai Construction Group.
The court in Guangzhou has ordered the assets of the subsidiary, worth 640.4 million yuan ($101 million), to be frozen in a suit filed by a unit of the contractor in Shanghai.
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Japan foreign arrivals down 61% in Jan. due to COVID border controls
TOKYO – The estimated number of foreigners arriving in Japan in January was down 61.7 percent from a year earlier to 17,800 people, due to strict border controls introduced to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, government data showed Wednesday.
The year-on-year number fell for the fourth month in a row. Since Nov. 30, Japan has banned entry by nonresident foreigners in principle, with authorities still struggling to stem the spread of the highly transmissible variant.
