Tokyo, 5 February, /AJMEDIA/
Foreign ministers of Quad group to meet in Australia next week
WASHINGTON – The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, Australia and India will meet next week in Australia to advance the “Quad” group’s cooperation in areas including the economy, security and the coronavirus pandemic, amid China’s growing assertiveness in the region, according to the State Department.
The meeting will be followed by a gathering of the foreign ministers of the United States, Japan and South Korea on Feb. 12 in Hawaii, with talks to focus on ways to address the threat posed by North Korea after its recent barrage of ballistic missile tests.
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House passes bill to shore up U.S. semiconductor manufacturing
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives on Friday passed legislation aimed at bolstering U.S. economic competitiveness against China through measures including a $52 billion investment to support semiconductor manufacturing.
President Joe Biden said he expects the House and Senate to work together so that he can soon sign the bill into law, highlighting it as vital for stronger supply chains, more manufacturing jobs in the United States, and for “outcompeting” China.
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Olympics: Chinese Pres. Xi declares Beijing Games open
BEIJING – Following a buildup overshadowed by international politicking and the global coronavirus pandemic, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday officially opened the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.
The Olympic torch relay, which had a much-reduced route due to COVID-19 restrictions, culminated with Uyghur cross-country skier Dinigeer Yilamujiang and Nordic combined athlete Zhao Jiawen lighting a snowflake-shaped cauldron at the Bird’s Nest stadium made famous at the 2008 Summer Games.
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Hotel guests in Japan hit record low for 2nd year in 2021 amid pandemic
TOKYO – The number of people who stayed at hotels and other accommodation facilities in Japan hit a record low in 2021 for the second straight year, according to government data, as the coronavirus pandemic led to prolonged border controls and a slowdown in the recovery of domestic travel demand.
The cumulative total of guests at hotels and inns was 315.75 million, down 4.8 percent from 2020 and 47.0 percent from 2019, according to preliminary data recently released by the Japan Tourism Agency.
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U.S. economy adds better-than-expected 467,000 jobs despite Omicron
WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy generated 467,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage point from December to 4.0 percent, the Labor Department said Friday.
Growth in nonfarm payrolls exceeded the market consensus of an increase of 150,000 despite disruptions caused by the recent surge in coronavirus cases due to the spread of the highly contagious Omicron variant.
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China, Russia oppose further expansion of NATO amid Ukraine crisis
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday opposed further expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, with fears mounting about Moscow’s possible invasion of Ukraine.
In a joint statement released by Russia, Xi and Putin, who met in Beijing before attending Friday’s opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, also lambasted a security partnership among Australia, Britain and the United States called AUKUS.
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FOCUS: China faces rocky road to successfully completing Beijing Olympics
BEIJING – As if the raging coronavirus pandemic is not enough, China faces circumstances that may make it difficult to successfully complete the 17-day Beijing Winter Olympics, which officially began Friday.
Despite the Chinese government’s efforts to contain the virus under its radical “zero COVID” policy, infections began to surge in early January, just one month before the opening of the Olympics, fueled by the highly contagious Omicron variant.
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Japan PM, new U.S. envoy affirm importance of alliance at 1st meeting
TOKYO – Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and new U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Friday affirmed the importance of a strong bilateral alliance in their first meeting, at a time when the two nations face challenges ranging from a nuclear-armed North Korea to an assertive China.
During the meeting at his office, Kishida said the appointment of Emanuel, who is “greatly trusted” by U.S. President Joe Biden, symbolizes the ironclad nature of the alliance.
