Tokyo, 27 February, /AJMEDIA/
Japan to end blanket COVID-19 testing of visitors from China
TOKYO – Japan said Monday it will end blanket COVID-19 testing of visitors from China, effective Wednesday, with the rate of those testing positive dropping recently.
Quarantine officials will test travelers from China by random selection at Japanese airports, and such visitors will continue to be required to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference.
———-
Japan high court approves posthumous retrial of man over 1984 murder
OSAKA – A Japanese high court approved Monday a posthumous retrial for a man who was convicted of murdering a 69-year-old woman in 1984 in western Japan, upholding a lower court’s decision.
In accepting the second retrial plea, sought by the family of Hiromu Sakahara, who died of illness aged 75 while serving his term in 2011, the Osaka High Court said the new evidence presented in the latest plea is “clear” and “should (warrant) an acquittal.”
———-
U.S. P-8A patrol plane flies through Taiwan Strait, draws China ire
TAIPEI/BEIJING – A U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft flew over the waters between mainland China and Taiwan on Monday, drawing condemnation from China, which views the democratically governed island as part of its territory.
The Navy’s 7th Fleet said in a statement that the plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” adding, “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.”
———-
Toyota’s global sales fall 5.6% in Jan. as chip shortage continues
TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its global sales for January fell 5.6 percent from a year earlier to 709,870 vehicles, marking the second straight month of decline amid a semiconductor shortage and shorter business days in China.
The global chip shortage continued to hit the world’s largest automaker while the Lunar New Year holiday period in China, which fell in January this year, cut operating hours at its dealers, the Japanese firm said.
———-
Japan crown prince, princess to attend coronation of British king
TOKYO – Japan’s Imperial Household Agency is arranging for Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Princess Kiko to attend the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III in May, an agency source said Monday.
Japan’s embassy in Britain has received a notice from the British side requesting that the head of state or their proxy attend the ceremony, scheduled to take place on May 6 in London’s Westminster Abbey, the source said.
———-
Dollar hits 2-month high in upper 136 yen on Fed policy prospects
TOKYO – The U.S. dollar rose to a two-month high in the upper 136 yen range Monday in Tokyo after stronger-than-expected U.S. inflation data fueled expectations for prolonged monetary tightening by the Federal Reserve.
The dollar hit 136.56 yen at one point before fetching 136.17-19 yen at 5 p.m., compared with 136.47-57 yen in New York and 134.83-85 yen in Tokyo at 5 p.m. Friday.
———-
Japan won’t rule out sending aid to N. Korea in return for abductees
TOKYO – Japan will not rule out the possibility of providing humanitarian aid to North Korea if the move is judged to be effective in negotiating the return of all of its citizens who were abducted by Pyongyang in the 1970s and 1980s, the top government spokesman said Monday.
The remarks came a day after a group representing the abductees’ families and its supporting entity said in a new campaign policy that they would not oppose giving humanitarian aid to North Korea if it would lead to the victims’ return.
———-
Nissan to make nearly all cars sold in Europe electrified in 4 yrs
TOKYO – Nissan Motor Co. said Monday it plans to make nearly all of its cars sold in Europe electrified by fiscal 2026, as part of efforts to accelerate its electrification push globally.
In a revision to its long-term strategy revealed in November 2021, the automaker said it expects to increase the ratio of hybrid and all-electric vehicles among its cars sold in Europe to 98 percent from its earlier target of 75 percent.
———-
Polyamorous man arrested for brainwashing, raping girl
TOKYO – A polyamorous 75-year-old man and one of his former wives were served a fresh arrest warrant on Monday for allegedly brainwashing a then-adolescent girl and raping her, following their arrest in a similar case involving alleged attempted rape.
Hirohito Shibuya is known to have lived with his current wife and eight former wives as well as three children in Higashiyamato, western Tokyo, investigators said.
