Tokyo, 23 February, /AJMEDIA/
U.N. General Assembly holds meeting on Russia war ahead of 1st anniv.
NEW YORK – The U.N. General Assembly convened an emergency session Wednesday in an effort to adopt a resolution urging Russia to halt its offensives in Ukraine.
The extraordinary high-level meeting of the 193-member assembly, which was requested by 11 countries including Japan as well as the European Union, comes before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of its neighboring country.
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Japan emperor expresses sorrow at world suffering, prays for peace
TOKYO – Emperor Naruhito, on the occasion of his 63rd birthday Thursday, expressed deep sorrow at the suffering of people in conflicts around the globe and offered prayers for peace in Japan and the rest of the world.
While the agency in charge of the imperial family’s affairs has been considering a new approach to public relations, potentially including the use of social media, the emperor acknowledged the need to send out information “in a manner that is easy to understand.”
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Japan to offer 2 COVID-19 booster shots to elderly by year-end
TOKYO – Japan will offer two more booster shots to the elderly and other people at high risk of serious illness from the novel coronavirus by the end of this year, health ministry officials said Wednesday.
People aged 65 years or older, those with underlying medical conditions and health care professionals will have a chance to get inoculated from May to August, as well as from September to December. Other age groups eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations can also get a shot during the four months through December.
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Japan seeks G-7 endorsement on discharge of Fukushima treated water
TOKYO – Japan will seek the endorsement of the Group of Seven nations for its plan to discharge treated water from its crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture into the Pacific Ocean when it hosts a meeting of the group’s energy ministers in April, government sources said Wednesday.
The government is seeking to include a phrase, that says the G-7 members “welcome” its “transparent” approach toward the disposal of the treated water, in a document that will be released after the April 15-16 gathering in Sapporo, northern Japan, the sources said.
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Putin tells China’s top diplomat he awaits Xi’s Russia visit
BEIJING – Russian President Vladimir Putin told China’s top diplomat Wang Yi on Wednesday he is awaiting a visit to Russia by Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the spring, as the two countries deepen ties amid the deterioration of their relations with the United States.
Putin expressed appreciation for the fast development of bilateral cooperation at the outset of his talks with Wang, the Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign policy official. The meeting in Moscow was broadcast by the two countries’ media.
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Chinese ships remain in Spratlys despite laser incident
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Philippines – Chinese ships remain an intimidating presence in a Philippine-controlled shoal in the contested Spratly Islands chain where a recent laser-pointing incident has become a new source of tension between the two countries.
During an aerial visit to the area earlier in the week arranged by the Philippine Coast Guard, reporters including from Kyodo News witnessed how the only Philippines’ outpost in Ayungin Shoal in Spratly islands was decrepit, in contrast to the teeming number of Chinese Coast Guard vessels that surrounded the shoal.
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4 arrested for fatal robbery of 90-yr-old woman in Tokyo in Jan.
TOKYO – Four men were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of carrying out a fatal robbery at a 90-year-old woman’s home in western Tokyo in January, a case believed to be linked to a string of burglaries seen across the country over the past year or so.
The series of break-ins are likely to have been ordered by a person or persons thought to have used the pseudonyms “Luffy” and “Kim” and to be among men recently deported to Japan from the Philippines.
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3 giant pandas arrive in China from western Japan zoo
WAKAYAMA, Japan – A 30-year-old giant panda and his 8-year-old Japan-born female twins arrived in China on Wednesday night after spending years at a zoo in western Japan under a joint breeding program with the two countries.
Eimei and twins Ouhin and Touhin flew from Kansai airport in Osaka Prefecture on a charter plane after they had been transported from Adventure World zoo and amusement park in Wakayama Prefecture.
